"Columbus and the Egg" is a one page, historical fictional passage about Christopher Columbus's return to Spain after discovering America. Some people said anyone could sail the seas. Columbus used an egg to make a point. It is followed by constructed-response questions which require students to provide evidence from the story; it includes sequencing, making inferences, finding main ideas, recognizing character traits, and summarizing. This passage aligns with Common Core Anchor Reading Standard 1 requiring close reading and textual evidence.