1 "Ned Tracks bolts out of a gigantic shed that looks out of place in the serene setting of the woods. He is grinning wildly under an unkempt beard that is filled with sawdust. His workshop, which is located in the secluded woods of Vermont, is about an hour's drive from the nearest town. The trees surrounding the building are enveloped in snow, and it is so quiet that you could almost hear a pin drop. He wears an interesting fashion ensemble of a tropical, button-down shirt over a long-sleeved flannel. Once I step inside the shed, however, my doubts about his artistic taste dissolve. Beautifully handcrafted, shiny wooden sleds hang on the walls.

2 "Ned’s business, The Right Tracks, has been in his family for four generations. His two children, Annie and Chuck, now work with him to create exquisite and functional sleds. Annie has recently graduated from college, where she studied sculpture. She has her father’s eccentric style, but much to her father’s chagrin, her creativity often comes out in her outlandish sled designs. “Since she was a little splinter, my Annie never wanted to make sleds in the classic family designs,” Ned explains, while staring quizzically at a sled shaped like a sprinting wolf. Ned usually makes only about ten designs created for use in various types of snow. Annie thinks those limitations make her work bland. “Our advertisements say, 'Sleds in Sundry Shapes and Sizes,'" Annie says, “but, they all look the same to me.” Annie wanted to attract a new clientele, but Ned was not open to change.

3 "Today, their arguments are things of the past. A new business model has aided the company in breaking new ground. Chuck, the youngest Track, is still in high school. He plans to apply to business school, but for the moment he is getting some first-hand experience in marketing and managing. “We didn’t have a target group of buyers anymore,” says Chuck. He adds, “Eighty years ago, we could sell sleds to the local farmers. Now everyone travels by car.” Instead of letting the business fall into extinction, Chuck found the perfect consumers for all the company's sled designs.

4“I was worried we were stuck in the past,” admits Chuck, “but then I realized that we aren’t the only people who prefer classic styles.” He contacted a local historical group that does reenactments of early settlers’ journeys through the woods. Chuck did some research and found that the Tracks’ sleds were more historically accurate than the horse-drawn carriages that the group was using. They struck a deal that involves The Right Tracks creating new sleds and renovating old sleds. Edward Donavan, who is involved in the reenactments, praised the company saying, "My family has been doing business with the Tracks family for more than one hundred years. They have become an icon in our community." For his sister’s work, Chuck sought out an unlikely segment of the population: superstars. “Most ordinary people just buy those mediocre plastic sleds, and it is hard to persuade them to buy wooden models,” Chuck says, "But celebrities, with vacation homes in ski areas, are looking for daring, edgy items with which to decorate their winter homes." Recently, one of Annie’s sleds, with handles that resemble ski poles, sold for thousands of dollars at a charity auction. Chuck’s business smarts helped enlighten his family about the possible directions for their company. The company is now so busy, in fact, that Ned is thinking about hiring a new employee. "With the company growing at this rate," says Ned, "we would have to be here twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week to fill all the orders by ourselves!"

1) Which of the following details would be added to a summary explaining why Annie created the sled shaped like a sprinting wolf. How can you tell she is the one who made it?

A) Annie recently graduated from art school where she studied sculpture, and her father was looking at it while discussing that she wanted to create her own designs.
B) Annie preferred the classic styles like wolves and wild horses.
C) She studied new sled styles in business school with her brother Ned.
D) She explained that wolves are very fast in snow, she she wanted to create a sled that matched their speed.

2) Based on the article, what generalization can you make about Vermont?

A) People in Vermont enjoy sledding.
B) Vermont experiences cold weather.
C) People in Vermont dislike traditions.
D) Vermont is the best place to go sledding.

3) Based on the article, what inference can you make about many people in Vermont.

A) Vermont is isolated and cut off from the rest of the nation in the winter.
B) Everyone ice skates in Vermont.
C) Due to cold temperatures, most people stay indoors and only travel when absolutely necessary.
D) Due to cold temperatures, many people enjoy winter activities like sledding.