What is the main idea of the essay?

A practical gift can show deep care when usefulness grows from attention to the recipient rather than correction. (The essay values usefulness while setting respect and listening as its conditions.)

Why can a practical gift become a poor gift?

It may express the giver’s preferred version of someone instead of the person’s real interests. (The cookbook example shows usefulness being imposed without regard for the recipient.)

What does “burden” mean here?

a recurring difficulty or demand (The gift removes something small that repeatedly makes daily life harder.)

What is one useful gift named in the first paragraph?

a transit card (The opening list includes socks, a cooking pot, and a transit card.)

A Useful Gift: Level 2 Reading Comprehension Questions

A useful gift can seem less exciting than a surprising one. Socks, a cooking pot, or a transit card may not produce a dramatic photograph. Yet usefulness can carry careful attention. The giver has noticed how another person actually moves through a day.

There is also a danger. A gift chosen only to correct someone can feel like an assignment. A cookbook for a person who dislikes cooking serves the giver's imagined version of that person. Usefulness must begin with listening, not with deciding what another life should need.

The best practical gifts often remove a small, repeated burden. They replace the broken umbrella, make a favorite task easier, or return a little time. Their meaning grows through use. Each ordinary morning becomes a quiet reminder that someone paid attention. A gift need not be useless to feel generous; it needs to respect the person who will receive it.

Comprehension questions