Mastering the Reading TEKS (G) by Maria Rally

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Mastering D G the Reading TEKS Literary & Informational Texts Measured on the STAAR

N O I T A C I L B U Y P P E O PR OOF C PR

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ISBN 978-1-4204-8260-7 R 8260-7 Copyright ©2014 RALLY! EDUCATION. All rights reserved. No part of the material protected by this copyright may be reproduced in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner. Printed in the U.S.A. The following selections Copyright © Highlights for Children, Inc., Columbus, Ohio: The Teakettle’s Song © 2003; Josh Kropkof: Magician at Work © 2011; Keeping Your Cool When the Heat Is On © 2007; When Our Family Bands Together © 2003; Abraham Lincoln Has His Neck Shortened © 2001; Presidential Dentures © 2002; The Goalkeeper © 2010; Never Too Small © 2004; How Banks Work © 2003; How to Grow Your Own Money Tree © 2004; The Old Oaken Bucket © 2000; Homemade Miniature Golf © 2000; Just for Elephants © 2006; The Prince of Whales © 2002. Photo/Illustration credits: p. 11 & 13 Donna Stackhouse; p. 22-23 Beth B. Stover; p. 32 (top) Thomas Northcut/ Photodisc/Thinkstock; p. 32 (bottom) Josh Kropkof; p. 33-34 Guy Cali Associates, Inc.; p. 44-46 Oskar Herrfurth; p. 57 Architect of the Capitol; p. 65 & 67 Donna Stackhouse; p. 76 & 78 Donna Stackhouse; p. 89 Walter Albertin, World-Telegram Photo; p. 99 & 100 Donna Stackhouse; p. 110 (right) Uncleweed/CC-BY-SA2.0/ wikimedia.org; p. 110 (left) Regular Daddy/CC-BY-SA-3.0/wikimedia.org; p. 111 (left) chanchat74/CC-BY-SA2.5/ wikimedia.org; p. 111 (right) Johnmaxmena2/wikimedia.org; p. 113 (left) JD Lasica/CC-BY-NC-2.0/ flickr.com; p. 112 (right) Keith Allison/CC-BY-SA-2.0/wikimedia.org; p. 121-123 Melanie Hall; p. 134 James E. Foehl/U.S. Navy; p. 145 Ben Stanfield/CC-BY-NC-SA-2.0/flickr.com; p. 156 Alexander Perepelitsyn/123rf.com; p. 169 Library of Congress; p. 170 Library of Congress; p. 171 Gilbert Stuart; p. 181 (left) Rowena Merrill; p. 181 (right) Kate Dollarhyde/CC-BY-NC-2.0/flickr.com; p. 193 Jarrett Campbell/CC-BY-2.0/flickr.com; p. 194 Ken Stetz; p. 195 John Koluder/MLS/WireImage.com; p. 196 (left) World Olympic Gymnastics Academy; p. 196 (right) New York Jets; p. 205 Library of Congress/LC-US262-3016; p. 208 Frederick A. Ober/wikimedia.org; p. 220 & 222 Donna Stackhouse; p. 232 (illustration) Mark Corcoran; p. 232 (photographs) Greg Schaler 2002; p. 234 Mark Corcoran; p. 235-237 Mark Corcoran; p. 236 (photograph) Hank Schneider; p. 246 Brown Brothers, Sterling, PA; p. 248 Dennis McDermott; p. 257, 258 & 260 Chris Demarest; p. 269 & 272 Donna Stackhouse; p. 281 Nathan Walker; p. 282 Photri/C. Philip; p. 283 Photri MicroStock; p. 284-286 Robert Wyland 1013.MAQ RALLY! EDUCATION • 22 Railroad Avenue, Glen Head, NY 11545 • (888) 99-RALLY

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Contents Literary (L), Informational (I), and Paired Passages with Multiple Choice, Short Response, Extended Response, and Essay Questions Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 TEKS for Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Part A: Looking at Content Informational Text: Identify Main Idea and Supporting Details, Make Inferences, Use Textual Evidence, Make Connections, Summarize Text, Academic Vocabulary in Context, Understand/Interpret Procedural Text Literary Text: Identify Theme, Make Inferences, Use Textual Evidence, Summarize Text, Explain Character Development, Summarize Plot Development, Analyze Elements of Poetry, Identify Sensory Language

Beliefs as to the World Four Hundred Years Ago (I) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 The Teakettle’s Song (L) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Josh Kropkof: Magician at Work (I) . . . . . . . . .32 The Musicians of Bremen (L) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 How We Bought Louisiana (I) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 How Did the Canary Do It? (L) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65

Part B: Looking at Context Informational Text: Academic Vocabulary in Context, Identify Structure, Make Inferences, Media Literacy, Summarize Text, Use Textual Evidence, Make Connections Literary Text: Academic Vocabulary in Context, Analyze Elements of Poetry, Identify Sensory Language, Summarize Plot Development, Analyze Point-of-View, Make Inferences, Use Textual Evidence, Paraphrase Text, Identify Elements of Drama, Summarize Text, Explain Character Development

Work or Play (L) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 Westsider Carlos Montoya: Master of the Flamenco Guitar (I) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88 Rather a Prig (L) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99 Keeping Your Cool When the Heat Is On (I) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110 When Our Family Bands Together (L) . . . . . . .121 The Good Citizen—How He Uses Matches (I) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131

Part C: Interpretation & Connections Informational Text: Identify Main Idea and Supporting Details, Make Inferences, Summarize Text, Use Textual Evidence, Media Literacy, Identify Structure, Analyze Persuasive Text, Make Connections, Decipher Factual Reasoning Literary Text: Identify Sensory Language, Make Inferences, Compare/Contrast Themes, Summarize Text, Media Literacy, Make Connections, Use Textual Evidence, Identify Elements of Drama

Commencement Address at Stanford University (I) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144 The Boyhood of a Painter (L) . . . . . . . . . . . . .156 Paired Passages: Abraham Lincoln Has His Neck Shortened (I) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .168 Presidential Dentures (I) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .170 Isaac Asimov: Literary Workaholic (I) . . . . . . .180 Paired Passages: The Goalkeeper (I) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .192 Never Too Small (I) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .194 Paired Passages: Balboa (L) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .204 Escape from Hispaniola (L) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .207

Part D: All Together The Perplexity of Zadig (L) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .220 Paired Passages: How Banks Work (I) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .232 How to Grow Your Own Money Tree (I) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .235 The Old Oaken Bucket (L) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .246 Homemade Miniature Golf: A Party Plan (I) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .257 The Land of Equal Chance (L) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .269 Paired Passages: Just for Elephants (I) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .281 The Prince of Whales (I) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .284

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Introduction Mastering the Reading TEKS: Literary and Informational Texts Measured on the STAAR helps students develop better reading comprehension skills. Throughout this book, students will learn about the different Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) as they read literary and informational passages, including paired passages, and complete the activities that follow. The passages are grouped into Parts, titled Looking at Content, Looking at Context, and Interpretation and Connections, requiring students to analyze, interpret, critique, and make connections. Each passage or paired passage is followed by a set of questions, including multiple-choice, short-response, extended-response, and essay questions. Part D is called All Together, and provides a section for the students to practice using all the different skills they have learned throughout the book. Listed below are the specific TEKS that are addressed in all the activities within the book.

Reporting Category 1: Understanding and Analysis Across Genres (1-2)

Reading/Vocabulary Development. Students understand new vocabulary and use it when reading and writing. (1-2B)

(1-9)

Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Culture and History. Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about the author’s purpose in cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding. (1-9A)

Students are expected to use context (e.g., within a sentence and in larger sections of text) to determine or clarify the meaning of unfamiliar or ambiguous words. Readiness Standard

Students are expected to explain the difference between the theme of a literary work and the author’s purpose in an expository text. Supporting Standard

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(Figure 1-19) Reading/Comprehension Skills. Students use a flexible range of metacognitive reading skills in both assigned and independent reading to understand an author’s message. Students will continue to apply earlier standards with greater depth in increasingly more complex texts as they become selfdirected, critical readers. (1-19F) The student is expected to make connections between and across texts, including media (e.g., film, play) and provide textual evidence. Readiness Standard

Reporting Category 2: Understanding and Analysis of Literary Texts (2-3)

(2-4)

Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Theme and Genre. Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about theme and genre in different cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding. (2-3A)

Students are expected to describe multiple themes in a work of fiction. Supporting Standard

(2-3B)

Students are expected to describe conventions in myths and epic tales (e.g., extended simile, the quest, the hero’s task, circle stories). Supporting Standard

(2-3C)

Students are expected to analyze how place and time influence the theme or message of a literary work. Supporting Standard

Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Poetry. Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of poetry and provide evidence from text to support their understanding. (2-4A)

(2-5)

Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Drama. Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of drama and provide evidence from text to support their understanding. (2-5A)

(2-6)

Students are expected to analyze the importance of graphical elements (e.g., capital letters, line length, word position) on the meaning of a poem. Supporting Standard

Students are expected to explain a playwright’s use of dialogue and stage directions. Supporting Standard

Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Fiction. Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of fiction and provide evidence from text to support their understanding.

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(2-6A)

Students are expected to explain the influence of the setting on plot development. Readiness Standard

(2-6B)

Students are expected to analyze the development of the plot through the internal and external responses of the characters, including their motivations and conflicts. Readiness Standard

(2-6C)

Students are expected to analyze different forms of point of view, including first-person, third-person omniscient, and third-person limited. Supporting Standard

Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Sensory Language. Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about how an author’s sensory language creates imagery in literary text and provide evidence from text to support their understanding. (2-8A)

Students are expected to determine the figurative meaning of phrases and analyze how an author’s use of language creates imagery, appeals to the senses, and suggests mood. Readiness Standard.

(2-13) Reading/Media Literacy. Students use comprehension skills to analyze how words, images, graphics, and sounds work together in various forms to impact meaning. Students will continue to apply earlier standards with greater depth in increasingly more complex texts. (2-13A) Students are expected to interpret both explicit and implicit messages in various forms of media. Supporting Standard (2-13C) Students are expected to evaluate various ways media influences and informs audiences. Supporting Standard (Figure 2-19) Reading/Comprehension Skills. Students use a flexible range of metacognitive reading skills in both assigned and independent reading to understand an author’s message. Students will continue to apply earlier standards with greater depth in increasingly more complex texts as they become selfdirected, critical readers. (2-19D) The student is expected to make complex inferences about text and use textual evidence to support understanding. Readiness Standard (Fiction)/Supporting Standard (Literary Nonfiction, Poetry, Drama) (2-19E) The student is expected to summarize, paraphrase, and synthesize texts in ways that maintain meaning and logical order within a text and across texts. Readiness Standard (Fiction)/Supporting Standard (Literary Nonfiction, Poetry, Drama)

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Reporting Category 3: Understanding and Analysis of Informational Texts (3-10) Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Expository Text. Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about expository text and provide evidence from text to support their understanding. (3-10A) Students are expected to evaluate a summary of the original text for accuracy of the main ideas, supporting details, and overall meaning. Readiness Standard (3-10B) Students are expected to distinguish factual claims from commonplace assertions and opinions. Supporting Standard (3-10C) Students are expected to use different organizational patterns as guides for summarizing and forming an overview of different kinds of expository text. Readiness Standard (3-10D) Students are expected to synthesize and make logical connections between ideas within a text and across two or three texts representing similar or different genres, and support those findings with textual evidence. Readiness Standard (3-11) Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Persuasive Text. Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about persuasive text and provide evidence from text to support their analysis. (3-11A) Students are expected to analyze the structure of the central argument in contemporary policy speeches (e.g., argument by cause and effect, analogy, authority) and identify the different types of evidence used to support the argument. Supporting Standard (3-11B) Students are expected to identify such rhetorical fallacies as ad hominem, exaggeration, stereotyping, or categorical claims in persuasive texts. Supporting Standard (3-12) Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Procedural Texts. Students understand how to glean and use information in procedural texts and documents. (3-12B) Students are expected to explain the function of the graphical components of a text. Supporting Standard (3-13) Reading/Media Literacy. Students use comprehension skills to analyze how words, images, graphics, and sounds work together in various forms to impact meaning. Students will continue to apply earlier standards with greater depth in increasingly more complex texts. (3-13A) Students are expected to interpret both explicit and implicit messages in various forms of media. Supporting Standard.

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(3-13C) Students are expected to evaluate various ways media influences and informs audiences. Supporting Standard (Figure 3-19) Reading/Comprehension Skills. Students use a flexible range of metacognitive reading skills in both assigned and independent reading to understand an authorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s message. Students will continue to apply earlier standards with greater depth in increasingly more complex texts as they become selfdirected, critical readers. (3-19D) The student is expected to make complex inferences about text and use textual evidence to support understanding. Readiness Standard (Expository)/Supporting Standard (Persuasive) (3-19E) The student is expected to summarize, paraphrase, and synthesize texts in ways that maintain meaning and logical order within a text and across texts. Readiness Standard (Expository)/Supporting Standard (Persuasive)

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Part A: Looking at Content Informational Text: • identify main idea and supporting details • make inferences • use textual evidence • make connections • summarize text • academic vocabulary in context • understand/interpret procedural text Literary Text: • identify theme • make inferences • use textual evidence • summarize text • explain character development • summarize plot development • analyze elements of poetry • identify sensory language

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Directions: Read the passage. Then answer the questions that follow it.

Beliefs as to the World Four Hundred Years Ago By Edward Shaw

Four hundred years ago most of the people who lived in Europe thought that the earth was flat. They knew only the land that was near them. They knew the continent of Europe, a small part of Asia, and a strip along the northern shore of Africa.

They thought this known land was surrounded by a vast body of water that was like a broad river. Sailors were afraid to venture far upon this water, for they feared they would fall over the edge of the earth.

Other seafaring men believed that if they should sail too far out upon this water their vessels would be lost in a fog, or that they would suddenly begin to slide downhill, and would never be able to return. Wind gods and storm gods, too, were supposed to dwell upon this mysterious sea. Men believed that these wind and storm gods would be very angry with anyone who dared to enter their domain, and that in their wrath they would hurl the ships over the edge of the earth, or keep them wandering round and round in a circle, in the mist and fog.

It is no wonder that the name “Sea of Darkness” was given to this great body of water, which we now know to be the Atlantic Ocean; nor is it surprising that the sailors feared to venture far out upon it.

These sailors had no dread at all of a sea called the Mediterranean, upon which they made voyages without fear of danger. This sea was named the Mediterranean because it was supposed to be in the middle of the land that was then known. On this body of water the sailors were very bold, fighting, robbing, and plundering strangers and foes, without any thought of fear.

They sailed through this sea eastward to Constantinople, their ships being loaded with metals, woods, and pitch. These they traded for silks, cashmeres, dyewoods, spices, perfumes, precious stones, ivory, and pearls. All of these things were brought by caravan from the far

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Eastern countries, such as India, China, and Japan, to the cities on the east coast of the Mediterranean. 7

This caravan journey was a very long and tiresome one. Worse than this, the Turks, through whose country the caravans passed, began to see how valuable this trade was, and they sent bands of robbers to prevent the caravans from reaching the coast.

As time went on, these land journeys grew more difficult and more dangerous, until the traders saw that the day would soon come when they would be entirely cut off from traffic with India and the rich Eastern countries. The Turks would secure all their profitable business. So the men of that time tried to think of some other way of reaching the East.

Among those who wished to find a short route to India was Prince Henry of Portugal, a bold navigator as well as a studious and thoughtful man. He was desirous of securing the rich Indian trade for his own country. So he established a school for navigators at Lisbon, and gathered around him many men who wanted to study about the sea.

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Here they made maps and charts, and talked with one another about the strange lands which they thought might be found far out in that mysterious body of water which they so dreaded and feared. It is probable that they had heard some accounts of the voyages of other navigators on this wonderful sea, and the beliefs about land beyond.

There was Eric the Red, a bold navigator of Iceland, who had sailed west to Greenland, and planted there a colony that grew and thrived. There was also Ericâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s son Leif, a venturesome young viking who had made a voyage south from Greenland, and reached a strange country with wooded shores and fragrant vines. This country he called Vinland because of the abundance of wild grapes. When he returned to Greenland, he took a load of timber back with him.

Some of the people of Greenland had tried to make a settlement along this shore which Leif discovered, but it is thought that the Indians drove them away. It may now be said of this settlement that no trace of it has ever been found, although the report that the Norsemen paid many visits to the shore of North America is undoubtedly true.

Another bold sea rover of Portugal sailed four hundred miles from land, where he picked up a strangely carved paddle and several pieces of wood of a sort not to be found in Europe.

St. Brandon, an Irish priest, was driven in a storm far, far to the west, and landed upon the shore of a strange country, inhabited by a race of people different from any he had ever seen.

All this time the bold Portuguese sailors were venturing farther and farther down the coast of Africa. They hoped to be able to sail around that continent and up the other side to India. But they dared not go beyond the equator, because they did not know the stars in the southern hemisphere and therefore had no guide. They also believed that beyond the equator there was a frightful region of intense heat, where the sun scorched the earth and where the waters boiled.

Many marvelous stories were told about the islands which the sailors said they saw in the distance. Scarcely a vessel returned from a voyage without some new story of signs of land seen by the crew.

The people who lived on the Canary Islands said that an island with high mountains on it could be seen to the west on clear days, but no one ever found it.

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Some thought these islands existed only in the imagination of the sailors. Others thought they were floating islands, as they were seen in many different places. Everyone was anxious to find them, for they were said to be rich in gold and spices.

You can easily understand how excited many people were in regard to new lands, and how they wished to find out whether the earth was round or not. There was but one way to find out, and that was to try to sail around it.

For a long time no one was brave enough to venture to do so. To start out and sail away from land on this unknown water was to the people of that day as dangerous and foolhardy a journey as to try to cross the ocean in a balloon is to us at the present time.

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Directions: Answer the following questions. If you need more space to write an answer, write your answer on your own paper.

1 The article is written mainly to express which idea about the people four hundred years ago? A how dangerous venturing out into the ocean felt B how great the focus was on money and commerce C how many inventions were not available to people D how absurd and amusing the ideas of the people were

2 The name “Sea of Darkness” mainly suggests that the body of water was A mysterious B perilous C enormous D mischievous

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3 What main feature of the Mediterranean Sea explains why sailors did not fear it the same way they feared the Atlantic Ocean? Use details from the article to support your answer.

4 The article describes how goods from India, China, and Japan were brought to the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea by caravan. Describe the two main problems the caravans encountered on this trip. Explain how these issues were also problems for the Europeans. Use details from the article to support your answer.

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5 In paragraphs 11 to 14, the author gives examples of people who traveled away from Europe. How did these accounts most likely affect Europeans? Explain how these accounts offered hope. Use details from the article to support your answer.

6 In paragraph 15, the author describes how sailors were exploring down the coast of Africa. What is the most likely reason sailors stayed close to the edge of land? Use details from the article to support your answer.

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7 Read this sentence from paragraph 15. “But they dared not go beyond the equator, because they did not know the stars in the southern hemisphere and therefore had no guide.” How does this sentence support the idea that the sailors’ fears were reasonable for the time? Use details from the article to support your answer.

8 Think about how the author describes the ideas of the people of Europe four hundred years ago. Does the author seem critical of their ideas or understanding of them? Use details from the article to support your conclusion.

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9 The article describes how the people of Europe greatly feared the body of water known as the “Sea of Darkness.” What motivated people to find out more, overcome their fears, and venture farther out to sea? Include three factors that motivated people in your answer.

Planning Space You can complete the chart below to help plan your answer.

Motivating Factor

Supporting Details

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10 Read this common proverb. “Knowledge is power.” Explain how this proverb relates to the beliefs of the people four hundred years ago. Explain how they began to use knowledge to change. Use details from the article to support your answer.

Planning Space You can write notes, make a list, or draw a chart to help plan your answer.

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Directions: Read the passage. Then answer the questions that follow it.

The Teakettle’s Song By Eileen Spinelli

It happened one Tuesday. It happened at three. Queen’s butler was taking his afternoon tea. And that’s when he noticed a dent in the kettle, a gash on its handle, some stains on the metal. So he ran to the Tea Shop. He paid them in cash for a new one. The old one he tossed in the trash. Tipped on its spout—a sad teakettle plight, amid peelings and tin cans, it wept through the night.

Come morning the old kettle felt a bump-bump. It woke to discover itself at the dump. More peelings. More tin cans. A mattress. A bone. Old kettle had never felt so much alone. With nothing to sing for and no one to care, the kettle slid under a broken-down chair.

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It hunched there all autumn, all winter, till spring— when in spite of its state, it felt it must sing. It sang for the sweet breeze. It sang for a bird who had just sung to it. And the ragpicker heard. He heard the old kettle and quick picked it out. He looked at the handle. He tapped on the spout. “You’re perfectly fine. You’ve got plenty of life!” So he brought the old kettle back home to his wife. And the ragpicker’s wife, who admired such thrift, gave her husband a hug for this most welcome gift. She shined the old kettle. She said, “Good as new!” And the kettle, now beaming, knew just what to do. It sang in the cottage when the sun shimmered high. It sang over biscuits and gooseberry pie. It sang for the children. Its voice filled the house. It sang for the cat and the brave kitchen mouse. It still sings, its voice full of joy, full of cheer. If you pass by the ragpicker’s cottage … you’ll hear.

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Directions: Answer the following questions. If you need more space to write an answer, write your answer on your own paper.

11 Which common proverb most relates to the events of the poem? A The grass is always greener on the other side. B Many hands make light work. C Every cloud has a silver lining. D Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t judge a book by its cover.

12 The last stanza describes how the kettle sang for many reasons. These details are mainly included to show A how the kettle never got over its loneliness B how much the family appreciated the kettle C how much life the kettle still had in it D how the kettle missed its royal family

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13 In the first stanza, the poet describes how the Queenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s butler replaces the kettle. Does the butler overreact to the state of the kettle? Use at least two specific details from the first stanza to support your conclusion.

14 Read the first line of the poem. How does the information given and the rhythm of the line suggest that the events described in the stanza happened without warning? Use details from the poem to support your answer.

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15 How does the image of the kettle at the end of the first stanza imply that the butler has treated the kettle poorly? Use details from the poem to support your answer.

16 How does the kettle feel in the second stanza? Describe three details the poet includes to show how the kettle feels.

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17 Read this line from the fourth stanza. “She shined the old kettle. She said, ‘Good as new!’” What quality of the ragpicker’s wife does this line reveal? Explain how this quality is related to the theme of the poem. Use details from the poem to support your answer.

18 The two owners of the kettle are the Queen’s butler and a ragpicker. Explain how the positions of the two characters are relevant to the meaning of the poem. Use details from the poem to support your answer.

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19 Compare how the Queen’s butler and the ragpicker and his wife view the kettle. Explain what they each base their judgement of the kettle on and how this affects their actions. Use details from the poem to support your answer.

Planning Space You can complete the graphic organizers below to help plan your answer.

How the Queen’s Butler Judges the Kettle

Effect

How the Ragpicker and His Wife Judge the Kettle

Effect

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20 What message does the story of the teakettle have about being wasteful? In your answer, describe how the poem contrasts a wasteful person with a thrifty person. Use details from the poem to support your answer.

Planning Space You can write notes, make a list, or draw a chart to help plan your answer.

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Directions: Read the passage. Then answer the questions that follow it.

Josh Kropkof: Magician at Work By Barbara Stavetski 1

Josh Kropkof became interested in magic at age six when he watched a magician perform on TV. “That was my first glimpse into magic,” Josh remembers. His parents bought Josh a magic kit, and he soon began putting on shows for his family.

One day, Josh visited a shop called Magic Masters. “The owner took me under his wing and taught me many new tricks,” says Josh. Josh also received helpful tips from other magicians he met there. They showed him how to lead up to a trick and how to draw in the audience with humor. Performing magic helped Josh gain self-confidence. “I used to be the shyest kid ever,” he remembers.

In high school, Josh started doing magic tricks for his friends during lunch. One day some other students asked to see a trick. Soon everyone in the cafeteria was gathered around Josh, including the lunch aides. They clapped and cheered in amazement at Josh’s tricks.

As his skill and confidence grew, Josh started to get paid for his performances at parties and restaurants. Eventually, he became a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, a group of professionals and amateurs who exchange magic tips and tricks. “There’s not a group of people in the world nicer than magicians,” says Josh. “They are always friendly and eager to help you learn new tricks and techniques.”

Handkerchiefs and Bunnies 5

When he performs, Josh wears a sports jacket with the sleeves rolled up and a tie imprinted with magic items like doves, handkerchiefs, and bunnies. He usually starts his act with the Vanishing Handkerchief because it was the first trick he learned. “I think of it as my lucky charm,” Josh says with a smile. In another trick, he asks someone to ©RALLY! EDUCATION. No part of this document may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.

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lend him a dollar bill—and immediately tears the bill into pieces. “You just made your first mistake of the evening,” Josh says teasingly. “You handed your money to a magician!” That always draws laughter from the audience. In the end, of course, Josh returns the dollar in one piece.

Making Magic 6

Josh admits he makes mistakes sometimes. “You can’t be a magician and not mess up,” he says. “Even a trick you’ve practiced thousands of times can go wrong.”

If Josh goofs, he doesn’t let the problem throw him. He handles the situation with humor or changes the way the trick ends.

Kids sometimes ask Josh if he works real magic. “Sure,” Josh tells them, “but not the way you think. I work magic by amazing people and making them laugh.” For Josh Kropkof, that’s the real magic.

Try These Tricks Guess the Color

1. Hold your hands behind your back and have someone place a crayon in your right hand. 3. Bring your left hand in a fist up to your forehead as if you’re concentrating. As you do so, glance at the crayon wax under your fingernail.

2. Scrape the bottom of the crayon with the thumbnail of your left hand.

4. Announce the color!

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Linking Paper Clips

Josh’s Tips • Pick one trick and perfect it. Start with a simple trick that doesn’t require elaborate props.

1. Fold a dollar bill into three equal sections to form a Z shape.

• When you think you have mastered the trick, try it out on friends or family members. Ask them for feedback to help you improve. • As you add new tricks, practice and practice some more. Josh stands in front of a mirror when he’s practicing so he can see how well he handles the trick.

2. Attach the back and center sections with a paper clip. Attach a second paper clip to the center and front sections.

• Develop a performance to go with your tricks. Josh uses a puppet named Rocky the Raccoon in his act. Rocky is always a hit with the audience because Josh invents funny lines for him to say.

3. Give a sharp pull on the ends of the dollar and the clips will fly off linked together.

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Directions: Answer the following questions. If you need more space to write an answer, write your answer on your own paper.

21 The information in paragraph 4 mainly shows that Josh finds being a magician A an easy way to make extra money B a fun and rewarding interest C a unique way to make new friends D a constantly challenging activity

22 The information in the section “Handkerchiefs and Bunnies” emphasizes what aspect of Josh’s performance? A his focus on entertaining the audience B his need to practice and perfect every trick C his use of props to distract the audience D his ability to remain calm when things go wrong

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23 The article describes how Josh first became interested in magic. Complete the chart below by listing three different early influences and how each person or people influenced Josh.

Person or People

How Josh Was Influenced

24 In paragraph 2, Josh is quoted describing his shyness. How does the next paragraph illustrate that he overcame his shyness? Use details from the article to support your answer.

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25 Look at the photographs in the “Try These Tricks” section. How do the photographs help show that a magician has to be a good performer? Use details from the article to support your answer.

26 In the section “Handkerchiefs and Bunnies,” the author gives an example of a trick Josh plays where he tears up a dollar bill. Describe two important qualities of his act that are shown by this example. Use details from the article to support your answer.

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27 The “Linking Paper Clips” trick could be entertaining or boring depending on how it is performed. Describe how using Josh’s advice could help the reader make the trick entertaining. Use details from the article to support your answer.

28 How does the list of tips in the article support the idea that a good magician must combine hard work and fun? Explain how these two elements combine to create a good magician. Use details from the article to support your answer.

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29 In the article, Josh admits that the tricks he does do not use real magic. Explain why it does not matter that the tricks are not real. In your answer, describe what is more important than whether or not the tricks are real. Use details from the article to support your answer.

Planning Space You can write notes, make a list, or draw a chart to help plan your answer.

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30 The article is divided into two sections. Describe what genre each section is most like and identify the purpose of the section. Describe how the two sections fit together. Use details from the article to support your answer.

Planning Space You can complete the chart below to help plan your answer.

Josh Kropkof: Magician at Work

Try These Tricks

What genre is the section most like?

What is the purpose of the section?

How does the section relate to the other section?

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Directions: Read the passage. Then answer the questions that follow it.

The Musicians of Bremen By Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm 1

A certain man had a donkey that had served him faithfully for many long years, but whose strength was so far gone that at last he was quite unfit for work. So his master began to consider how much he could make of the donkey’s skin. But the beast, perceiving that no good wind was blowing, ran away along the road to Bremen. “There,” thought he, “I can be town musician.” When he had run some way, he found a hound lying by the roadside, yawning like one who was very tired. “What are you yawning for now, you big fellow?” asked the donkey.

“Ah,” replied the hound, “because every day I grow older and weaker; I cannot go any more to the hunt, and my master has well-nigh beaten me to death, so that I took to flight; and now I do not know how to earn my bread.”

“Well, do you know,” said the donkey, “I am going to Bremen, to be town musician there. Suppose you go with me and take a share in the earnings. I will play on the lute, and you shall beat the kettledrums.” The dog was satisfied, and off they set.

Presently they came to a cat, sitting in the middle of the path, with a face like three rainy days! “Now, then, old shaver, what has crossed you?” asked the donkey.

“How can one be merry when one’s neck has been pinched like mine?” answered the cat. “Because I am growing old, and my teeth are all worn to stumps, and because I would rather sit by the fire and spin, than run after mice, my mistress wanted to drown me; and so I ran away. But now good advice is dear, and I do not know what to do.”

“Go with us to Bremen. You understand nocturnal music, so you can be town musician.” The cat consented, and went with them. The three vagabonds soon came near a farmyard, where, upon the barn door, the rooster was sitting crowing with all his might. “You crow through marrow and bone,” said the donkey; “what do you do that for?”

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“That is the way I prophesy fine weather,” said the rooster; “but because grand guests are coming for the Sunday, the housewife has no pity, and has told the cook-maid to make me into soup for the morrow; and this evening my head will be cut off. Now I am crowing with a full throat as long as I can.”

“Ah, but you, Red-comb,” replied the donkey, “rather come away with us. We are going to Bremen, to find there something better than death. You have a good voice, and if we make music together it will have full play.”

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The rooster consented to this plan, and so all four traveled on together. They could not, however, reach Bremen in one day, and at evening they came into a forest, where they meant to pass the night. The donkey and the dog laid themselves down under a large tree, the cat and the rooster climbed up into the branches, but the latter flew right to the top, where he was most safe. Before he went to sleep he looked all round the four quarters, and soon thought he saw a little spark in the distance; so, calling his companions, he said they were not far from a house, for he saw a light. The donkey said: “If it is so, we had better get up and go farther, for the pasturage here is very bad”; and the dog continued: “Yes, indeed! A couple of bones with some meat on would be very acceptable!” So they made haste toward the spot where the light was, and which shone now brighter and brighter, until they came to a well-lighted robbers’ cottage. The donkey, as the biggest, went to the window and peeped in. “What do you see, Gray-horse?” asked the rooster. “What do I see?” replied the donkey; “a table laid out with savory meats and drinks, with robbers sitting around enjoying themselves.”

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“That would be the right sort of thing for us,” said the rooster.

“Yes, yes, I wish we were there,” replied the donkey. Then these animals took counsel together how they should contrive to drive away the robbers, and at last they thought of a way. The donkey placed his forefeet upon the window ledge, the hound got on his back, the cat climbed up upon the dog, and, lastly, the rooster flew up and perched upon the head of the cat. When this was accomplished, at a given signal they commenced together to perform their music: the donkey brayed, the dog barked, the cat mewed, and the rooster crew; and they made such a tremendous noise, and so loud, that the panes of the window were shivered! Terrified at these unearthly sounds, the robbers got up with great precipitation, thinking nothing less than that some spirits had come, and fled off into the forest, so the four companions immediately sat down at the table, and quickly ate up all that was left, as if they had been fasting for six weeks. 12

As soon as they had finished, they extinguished the light, and each sought for himself a sleeping-place, according to his nature and custom. The donkey laid himself down upon some straw, the hound behind the door, the cat upon the hearth, near the warm ashes, and the rooster flew up on a beam which ran across the room. Weary with their long walk, they soon went to sleep.

At midnight the robbers perceived from their retreat that no light was burning in their house, and all appeared quiet; so the captain said: “We need not have been frightened into fits”; and, calling one of

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the band, he sent him forward to reconnoiter. The messenger, finding all still, went into the kitchen to strike a light, and, taking the glistening, fiery eyes of the cat for live coals, he held a lucifer match to them, expecting it to take fire. But the cat, not understanding the joke, flew in his face, spitting and scratching, which dreadfully frightened him, so that he made for the back door; but the dog, who laid there, sprang up and bit his leg; and as he limped upon the straw where the donkey was stretched out, it gave him a powerful kick with its hind foot. This was not all, for the rooster, awaking at the noise, clapped his wings, and cried from the beam: “Cock-a-doodle-doo, cock-a-doodle-do!” 14

Then the robber ran back as well as he could to his captain, and said: “Ah, my master, there dwells a horrible witch in the house, who spat on me and scratched my face with her long nails; and then before the door stands a man with a knife, who chopped at my leg; and in the yard there lies a black monster, who beat me with a great wooden club; and besides all, upon the roof sits a judge, who called out, ‘Bring the knave up, do!’ so I ran away as fast as I could.” 15

After this the robbers dared not again go near their house; but everything prospered so well with the four town musicians of Bremen, that they did not forsake their situation! And there they are to this day, for anything I know.

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Directions: Answer the following questions. If you need more space to write an answer, write your answer on your own paper.

31 Read this sentence from paragraph 4. “Presently they came to a cat, sitting in the middle of the path, with a face like three rainy days!” The phrase “with a face like three rainy days” is used to show that the cat looks A sad B cold C lonely D tired

32 Which dialogue spoken by the donkey suggests that he is offering that the other animals join him out of kindness to them? A “Suppose you go with me and take a share in the earnings.” B “I will play on the lute, and you shall beat the kettledrums.” C “You understand nocturnal music, so you can be town musician.” D “You have a good voice, and if we make music together it will have full play.”

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33 The story features four animals that are no longer useful to their owners. Complete the chart below by stating why each animal is no longer useful.

The Animals Are No Longer Useful

34 Read this sentence from the first paragraph. “But the beast, perceiving that no good wind was blowing, ran away along the road to Bremen.” Explain the meaning of this sentence. Describe how it relates to the main purpose of the paragraph.

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35 In paragraph 11, the animals sing together. Describe how you can tell whether or not the singing sounds good. Explain why this is important to the plot of the story. Use details from the story to support your answer.

36 Read this sentence from paragraph 12. “The donkey laid himself down upon some straw, the hound behind the door, the cat upon the hearth, near the warm ashes, and the rooster flew up on a beam which ran across the room.” How do the different sleeping places of the animals affect the rest of the story? Use details from the story to support your answer.

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37 In paragraph 14, the robber tells the captain what happened to him at the house. How does the robber misinterpret what he experienced at the house? Use three specific examples from the story to support your answer.

38 At the end of the story, the author states that the robbers “dared not again go near the house.” Do you think the robbers would have been so frightened if they had not first heard the animals singing? Use details from the story to support your conclusion.

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39 At the start of the story, the donkey comes across three animals. Describe the language that is used to tell that each animal decides to go with him. What does the language suggest about how keen they are to go with him? How does this help the reader understand why they go with him? Use details from the story to support your answer.

Planning Space You can complete the chart below to help plan your answer.

How the Animals Agree to Travel to Bremen with the Donkey Language Used

What the Language Suggests

hound

cat

rooster

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40 The story has a positive ending for the animals because of the way they work together. Describe three events from the story that involve the animals working together. Explain how each event helps lead to the positive ending. Use details from the story to support your answer.

Planning Space You can complete the charts below to help plan your answer.

How the Animals Working Together Leads to the Positive Ending Event

Effect

Event

Effect

Event

Effect

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Directions: Read the passage. Then answer the questions that follow it.

How We Bought Louisiana By Helen Lockwood Coffin, 1907 1

It is a hard matter to tell just how much power a little thing has, because little things have the habit of growing. That was the trouble that France and England and Spain and all the other big nations had with America at first. The thirteen colonies occupied so small and unimportant a strip of land that few people thought they would ever amount to much. How could such insignificance ever bother old England, for instance, big and powerful as she was? To England’s great loss she soon learned her error in underestimating the importance or strength of her colonies.

France watched the giant and the pygmy fighting together, and learned several lessons while she was watching. For one thing, she found out that the little American colonies were going to grow, and so she said to herself: “I will be a sort of back-stop to them. These Americans are going to be foolish over this bit of success, and think that just because they have won the Revolution they can do anything they wish to do. They’ll think they can spread out all over this country and grow to be as big as England herself; and of course anybody can see that that is impossible. I’ll just put up a net along the Mississippi River, and prevent them crossing over it. That will be the only way to keep them within bounds.”

And so France held the Mississippi, and from there back to the Rocky Mountains, and whenever the United States citizen desired to go west of the Mississippi, France said: “No, dear child. Stay within your own yard and play, like a good little boy,” or something to that effect.

Now the United States citizen didn’t like this at all; he had pushed his way with much trouble and expense and hard work through bands of Indians and through forests and over rivers and mountains, into Wisconsin and Illinois, and he wished to go farther. And, besides, he wanted to have the right to sail up and down the Mississippi, and so save himself the trouble of walking over the land and cutting out his own roads as he went. So when France said, “No, dear,” and told him to “be a good little boy and not tease,” the United States citizen very naturally rebelled.

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Mr. Jefferson was President of the United States at that time, and he was a man who hated war of any description. He certainly did not wish to fight with his own countrymen, and he as certainly did not wish to fight with any other nation, so he searched around for some sort of a compromise. He thought that if America could own even one port on this useful river and had the right of Mississippi navigation, the matter would be settled with satisfaction to all parties. So he sent James Monroe over to Paris to join our minister, Mr. Livingston, and see if the two of them together could not persuade France to sell them the island of New Orleans, on which was the city of the same name.

Now Napoleon was the ruler of France, and he was dreaming dreams and seeing visions in which France was the most important power in America, because she owned this wonderful Mississippi River and all this “Louisiana” which stretched back from the river to the Rockies. He already held forts along the river, and he was planning to strengthen these and build some new ones. But you know what happens to the plans of mice and men sometimes. Napoleon was depending upon his army to help him out on these plans, but his armies in San Domingo were swept away by war and sickness, so that on the day he had set for them to move up into Louisiana not a man was able to go. At the same time Napoleon had on hand another scheme against England, which was even more important than his plans for America, and which demanded men and money. Besides this, he was shrewd enough to know that he could not hold this far-away territory for any long time against England, which had so many more ships than France. He suddenly changed his mind about his American possessions, and nearly sent Mr. Monroe and Mr. Livingston into a state of collapse by offering to sell them not only New Orleans but also the whole Province of Louisiana.

There was no time to write to President Jefferson and ask his advice, and this was before the days of the cable; so Monroe and Livingston took the matter into their own hands, and signed the contract which transferred the Louisiana territory to the United States for a consideration of $15,000,000. They were severely criticized by many of their own countrymen, and they had some doubts of their own about the wisdom of their action. You see, nobody knew then that corn and wheat would grow so abundantly in this territory, or that beyond the Mississippi there were such stretches of glorious pasture-lands, or that underneath its mountainous regions were such mines of gold, silver, and copper. Americans saw only the commercial

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possibilities of the river, and all they wanted was the right of navigating it and the permission to explore the unknown country to the westward. 8

But Jefferson and Monroe and Livingston builded better than they knew. All this happened a hundred years ago; and today that old Louisiana territory is, in natural resources, the wealthiest part of the whole United States. Without that territory in our possession we should have no Colorado and no Wyoming, no Dakotas, or Nebraska, or Minnesota, or Montana, or Missouri, or Iowa, or Kansas, or Arkansas, or Louisiana, or Oklahoma, or Indian Territory.

For all these reasons we owe our most sincere and hearty thanks to the patriotic and far-sighted men who were concerned in buying this territory for the United States.

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Directions: Answer the following questions. If you need more space to write an answer, write your answer on your own paper.

41 The main idea of the first paragraph is that underestimating the American colonies was A rude B foolish C unsurprising D insulting

42 Read this sentence from paragraph 6. “He suddenly changed his mind about his American possessions, and nearly sent Mr. Monroe and Mr. Livingston into a state of collapse by offering to sell them not only New Orleans but also the whole Province of Louisiana.” The “state of collapse” described shows that the two men were A confused about the offer B stunned by the offer C anxious about the offer D thrilled by the offer

43 In the last paragraph, the author refers to Mr. Monroe and Mr. Livingston as “far-sighted men.” Which detail suggests that they were not as sure about the future as this description suggests? A They had originally only asked for the island of New Orleans. B They were unable to get President Jefferson’s approval on the deal. C They agreed to pay $15,000,000 for the Louisiana territory. D They had some doubts about the wisdom of their decision.

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44 The author refers to France watching “the giant and the pygmy” fighting in the Revolution. Explain who the giant is and who the pygmy is and why the author describes the two sides this way. Use details from the article to support your answer.

45 In paragraphs 3 and 4, the author includes dialogue representing France speaking to citizens of the United States. Explain why the author includes the dialogue. What does it suggest about France’s relationship with the United States? Use details from the article to support your answer.

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46 In paragraph 4, the author states that the United States citizen “very naturally rebelled.” Explain why the author considers that the citizen’s reaction was to be expected. Give two reasons that explain why citizens felt the right to rebel.

47 Compare how the author describes President Jefferson with how the author describes Napoleon. Explain how Jefferson and Napoleon can be considered opposites. Use details from the article to support your answer.

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48 The article describes how Napoleon suddenly decided to sell all of France’s land in America. Was this decision made for France’s benefit or the United States’ benefit? Explain your answer. Use details from the article to support your answer.

49 The people of the United States were only able to explore westward after the Louisiana deal. Complete the graphic organizer below by listing three ways the exploration showed that Mr. Monroe and Mr. Livingston made the right decision by accepting the deal.

Purchasing the Province of Louisiana benefited the United States.

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50 The article describes a deal that occurred between France and the United States unexpectedly. Write an essay in which you describe how peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s views on the deal changed over time. In your answer, give three reasons that Americans were not immediately accepting of the deal and explain why these views changed over time. Use information from the article to support your answer.

Planning Space You can complete the chart below to help plan your answer.

Why People Were

Why This Opinion Changed

Not Accepting at First

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Directions: Read the passage. Then answer the questions that follow it.

How Did the Canary Do It? By Celia Thaxter 1

A little friend of mine, who was going away for the winter, asked me to take charge of one of her canaries till she returned in the spring. The bird was a foreigner, born and bred in Fayal, Portugal, and brought across the water in his youth, a gray-green and golden little creature, whose name was Willie.

I gladly consented, and one day Willie was brought over from Jamaica Plains, a distance of ten miles, and deposited in my parlor. His cage was closely covered with brown paper during the journey, and he came in the cars, by the roundabout way of Boston.

At first he seemed somewhat lonely and lost, but soon grew very happy and content in his new home; and well he might be, for he had all his wants supplied, and did not lack companions.

I had two canaries, a robin, and a song-sparrow, and they soon began to make beautiful music all together.

The sun could not rise without shining into the parlor windows; it lingered there all day, till the last glow of the evening-red faded out of the sky. At two windows the light streamed through green leaves and gay flowers, and made a most cheerful atmosphere, in which no bird could possibly help singing. The song-sparrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clear, friendly

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notes seemed to bring May to the very door; and the robin executed, sotto voce, all his fine out-of-door melodies, and put one into an April mood with his sweet, melancholy rain-song. 6

Willie could not choose but be happy. So they all sang and chirruped together the whole winter through, and cheered us in that cold, sad season. Slowly the earth turned daily more and more toward the sun, and before we were ready to realize so much joy, the “willow-wands” were spangled with “downy silver,” and the alder catkins began to unwind their long spirals, and swing pliant in the first winds of March. Then the melting airs of April set the brooks free, the frogs began to pipe, and there was rare music! Birds came in flocks, the soft green grass stole gradually over the land, and dandelions shone gay in the meadows. When beneath a southern window the flowering almond blossomed, I kept the windows open during fine weather, and left the bird cages on the sill the whole day. Little wild birds came and sat on the grapevine trellis above, and twittered and talked with the captives, and sometimes alighted on the cages; the pink almond sprays waved round them, and all were, or seemed to be, as happy as the day is long.

Willie’s little mistress returned about this time, and I only awaited a proper opportunity to return my charge, safe and well, into her hands. I congratulated myself on his state of health and spirits, and thought how glad she would be to see him again. But, alas for human calculations. One afternoon I went, as usual, to take in the cage for the night: there was Dick, the robin; and Philip, the sparrow; and slender Rupert, my own canary, and his mate; but Willie of Fayal, the green and golden stranger, was gone, cage and all. I looked out of the window; there lay the cage upon the ground, empty. Imagine my consternation! Had some strange, prowling cat devoured Willie? I was in despair at the thought.

“If it had been any one but Willie,” I said, again and again. He had been entrusted to my care; what should I say when he was required of me? In real sorrow I wrote to my youthful friend and told her all. She mourned her bird as dead, but only for a day; for what do you think happened? The most surprising thing! You never will guess; so I shall tell you all, at once.

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Willie was not devoured; he escaped from his cage, and flew unerringly back to his former home, ten miles from mine. The night after he disappeared from my window, he was heard pecking at the window of the little girl’s chamber, but no one noticed him; so he stayed about the house till morning, and flew in when the window was opened, and was found perched on the cage of his old companion.

Great was everybody’s astonishment, as you may imagine. There was no mistaking him,—it was Willie, and no other.

Yes, really and truly. Now, how do you suppose he found his way over all those miles of unfamiliar country, straight to that chamber window? What guided him? Did he fly high or low? Probably not high; for his wings were unused to flying at all, and consequently not strong; but they bore him over woods and fields, over streets and people, over hundreds of houses, till at last his tired eyes beheld the tower and gables of his old dwelling-place rising from among the pleasant woods, and then he knew he might rest in safety.

But how could he find the way? Supposing birds to have means of communicating with each other by speech, how would he have put his questions, wishing to ask his way? Meeting a thrush, or sparrow, or any other dainty feathered creature, he might perhaps have hailed it with, “Good morrow, comrade;” but he couldn’t have said, “Can you tell me the way to Jamaica Plains?” or, “Do you know where the little girl lives to whom I belong? Her name is May, and she has golden hair; can you tell me how to find her?” Do you think he could? Yet he did find her, and until last summer, was still living in that pretty chamber among the green trees.

Some time, perhaps, we shall understand those things; but until then, Willie’s journey must remain one of the mysterious incidents in natural history.

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Directions: Answer the following questions. If you need more space to write an answer, write your answer on your own paper.

51 Which detail from the first paragraph best supports the idea that it was amazing that Willie was able to find his way home? A Willie was not from the area. B Willie was gray-green and golden. C Willie was not his owner’s only canary. D Willie was away from home during winter.

52 Read this sentence from the second paragraph. “His cage was closely covered with brown paper during the journey, and he came in the cars, by the roundabout way of Boston.” How are these details important to the ending of the story? A They suggest that Willie must have flown much farther than just ten miles. B They suggest that Willie could not have found his way home by remembering the route. C They suggest that Willie flew home right away because he was not used to being free. D They suggest that Willie was not treated as well by his owner as he was by his minder.

53 How does the author most likely feel about Willie’s actions at the end of the story? A embarrassed that he escaped and made her look bad to her friend B curious about what happened but glad he arrived home safely C saddened that he flew away from the home she provided him D baffled about how he did it and determined to find out more

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54 In paragraph 5, the author uses sensory details to create a pleasant mood. Complete the chart below by identifying the two main senses used in the paragraph. For each sense, give two examples of the sensory details.

Sense:

55 In paragraph 6, the author describes the season changing from winter to spring. Describe how the author uses imagery to emphasize the beauty of spring. Include at least two specific images in your answer.

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56 Read this sentence from paragraph 6. “When beneath a southern window the flowering almond blossomed, I kept the windows open during fine weather, and left the bird cages on the sill the whole day.” What two details in this sentence help explain why Willie was able to fly off? Use details from the story to support your answer.

57 Read paragraph 7 closely. Describe how the structure of the paragraph highlights the sudden change in the author’s feelings. In your answer, identify the sentence that first shows the change. Use details from the paragraph to support your answer.

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58 Read this sentence from paragraph 8. “‘If it had been any one but Willie,’ I said, again and again.” Explain why the author wishes it had been a bird other than Willie. Use details from the story to support your answer.

59 In paragraph 12, the author describes an imagined conversation between Willie and other birds he meets. Why do you think the author includes this imagined conversation? What main idea from the story does it support? Use details from the story to support your answer.

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60 The story is titled to show that the main idea is that it is both curious and amazing that Willie was able to fly home. Describe three other techniques the author uses to emphasize how curious and amazing Willie’s actions were. Use information from the story to support your answer.

Planning Space You can complete the graphic organizer below to help plan your answer.

How the Author Shows Willie’s Actions Were Curious and Amazing

Technique 1

Technique 2

Technique 3

Supporting Details

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Part B: Looking at Context Informational Text: • academic vocabulary in context • identify structure • make inferences • media literacy • summarize text • use textual evidence • make connections Literary Text: • academic vocabulary in context • analyze elements of poetry • identify sensory language • summarize plot development • analyze point-of-view • make inferences • use textual evidence • paraphrase text • identify elements of drama • summarize text • explain character development

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Directions: Read the passage. Then answer the questions that follow it.

Work or Play An Excerpt from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

Saturday morning was come, and all the summer world was bright and fresh and brimming with life. There was a song in every heart; and if the heart was young the music issued at the lips. There was cheer in every face, and a spring in every step. The locust trees were in bloom, and the fragrance of the blossoms filled the air.

Tom appeared on the sidewalk with a bucket of whitewash and a long-handled brush. He surveyed the fence, and the gladness went out of nature, and a deep melancholy settled down upon his spirit. Thirty yards of board fence nine feet high! It seemed to him that life was hollow, and existence but a burden. Sighing, he dipped his brush and passed it along the topmost plank; repeated the operation; did it again; compared the insignificant whitewashed streak with the far-reaching continent of unwhitewashed fence, and sat down on a tree-box discouraged.

He began to think of the fun he had planned for this day, and his sorrows multiplied. Soon the free boys would come tripping along on all sorts of delicious expeditions, and they would make a world of fun of him for having to workâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the very thought of it burnt him like fire.

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He got out his worldly wealth and examined it—bits of toys, marbles and trash; enough to buy an exchange of work maybe, but not enough to buy so much as half an hour of pure freedom. So he returned his straitened means to his pocket, and gave up the idea of trying to buy the boys.

At this dark and hopeless moment an inspiration burst upon him. Nothing less than a great, magnificent inspiration. He took up his brush and went tranquilly to work. Ben Rogers was in sight presently; the very boy of all boys whose ridicule he had been dreading. Ben’s gait was the hop, skip, and jump—proof enough that his heart was light and his anticipations high. He was eating an apple, and giving a long melodious whoop at intervals, followed by a deep-toned ding dong dong, ding dong dong, for he was personating a steamboat.

Tom went on whitewashing—paid no attention to the steamer. Ben stared a moment, and then said—

7 8

“Hi-yi! You’re a stump, ain’t you!” No answer. Tom surveyed his last touch with the eye of an artist; then he gave his brush another gentle sweep, and surveyed the result as before. Ben ranged up alongside of him. Tom’s mouth watered for the apple, but he stuck to his work. Ben said—

“Hello, old chap; you got to work, hey?”

“Why, it’s you, Ben! I warn’t noticing.”

“Say, I’m going in a-swimming, I am. Don’t you wish you could? But of course you’d druther work, wouldn’t you? ‘Course you would!”

Tom contemplated the boy a bit, and said—

“What do you call work?”

“Why ain’t that work?”

Tom resumed his whitewashing, and answered carelessly—

“Well, maybe it is, and maybe it ain’t. All I know is, it suits Tom Sawyer.”

“Oh, come now, you don’t mean to let on that you like it?”

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The brush continued to move. “Like it? Well, I don’t see why I oughtn’t to like it. Does a boy get a chance to whitewash a fence every day?” That put the thing in a new light. Ben stopped nibbling his apple. Tom swept his brush daintily back and forth—stepped back to note the effect—added a touch here and there—criticized the effect again, Ben watching every move, and getting more and more interested, more and more absorbed. Presently he said— “Say, Tom, let me whitewash a little.”

Tom considered; was about to consent; but he altered his mind: “No, no; I reckon it wouldn’t hardly do, Ben. You see, Aunt Polly’s awful particular about this fence—right here on the street, you know—but if it was the back fence I wouldn’t mind, and she wouldn’t. Yes, she’s awful particular about this fence; it’s got to be done very careful; I reckon there ain’t one boy in a thousand, maybe two thousand, that can do it the way it’s got to be done.”

“No—is that so? Oh, come now; lemme just try, only just a little. I’d let you, if you was me, Tom.”

“Ben, I’d like to, honest; but Aunt Polly—well, Jim wanted to do it, but she wouldn’t let him. Sid wanted to do it, but she wouldn’t let Sid.

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Now, don’t you see how I am fixed? If you was to tackle this fence, and anything was to happen to it—” 25

“Oh, shucks; I’ll be just as careful. Now lemme try. Say—I’ll give you the core of my apple.”

“Well, here. No, Ben; now don’t; I’m afeard—”

“I’ll give you all of it!”

Tom gave up the brush with reluctance in his face, but alacrity in his heart. And while Ben worked and sweated in the sun, the retired artist sat on a barrel in the shade close by, dangled his legs, munched his apple, and planned the slaughter of more innocents. There was no lack of material; boys happened along every little while; they came to jeer, but remained to whitewash.

By the time Ben was worn out, Tom had traded the next chance to Billy Fisher for a kite in good repair; and when he played out, Johnny Miller bought in for a dead rat and a string to swing it with; and so on, and so on, hour after hour. And when the middle of the afternoon came, from being a poor, poverty-stricken boy in the morning, Tom was literally rolling in wealth.

He had, besides the things I have mentioned, twelve marbles, part of a jew’s harp, a piece of blue bottle-glass to look through, a spool-cannon, a key that wouldn’t unlock anything, a fragment of chalk, a glass stopper of a decanter, a tin soldier, a couple of tadpoles, six fire-crackers, a kitten with only one eye, a brass door-knob, a dog-collar—but no dog—the handle of a knife, four pieces of orange-peel, and a dilapidated old window-sash. He had had a nice, good, idle time all the while—plenty of company—and the fence had three coats of whitewash on it! If he hadn’t run out of whitewash, he would have bankrupted every boy in the village.

Tom said to himself that it was not such a hollow world after all. He had discovered a great law of human action, without knowing it, namely, that, in order to make a man or a boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain. If he had been a great and wise philosopher, he would have comprehended that Work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do, and that Play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do.

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Directions: Answer the following questions. If you need more space to write an answer, write your answer on your own paper.

61 Read this sentence from the second paragraph. “He surveyed the fence, and the gladness went out of nature, and a deep melancholy settled down upon his spirit.” The word melancholy refers to feeling A tired B sad C angry D jealous

62 In paragraph 5, the author describes how inspiration “burst upon him.” This phrase is used to emphasize that the inspiration A was frightening B came suddenly C changed his mood D was someone else’s idea

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63 What mood is created by the first paragraph of the story? Explain how the mood created helps explain Tom’s feelings in the second paragraph. Use details from the story to support your answer.

64 In the second paragraph, Tom is described looking at the “far-reaching continent of unwhitewashed fence.” Explain why the fence is described this way. Use details from the story to support your answer.

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65 Read paragraph 4 of the story. Explain what Tom’s actions show he is considering doing. Explain why Tom rejects this idea. Use details from the story to support your answer.

66 In paragraph 20, the author describes Tom’s actions as he paints the fence. Describe how Tom is putting on an act for Ben. Explain how you can tell that the act is successful. Use details from the story to support your answer.

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67 Read paragraph 28 closely. What language in the paragraph is used to emphasize how relaxed Tom is? Explain how the language shows that Tom found tricking the boys easy. Give at least three specific examples of the language used in your answer.

68 Read this sentence from paragraph 30. “If he hadn’t run out of whitewash, he would have bankrupted every boy in the village.” Explain how this sentence summarizes the main idea of paragraph 30. Use details from the paragraph to support your answer.

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69 Explain how Ben views whitewashing the fence when he first sees Tom doing it. How does his view change by the end of the story? Explain what causes Benâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s view to change. Use details from the story to support your answer.

Planning Space You can complete the graphic organizer below to help plan your answer.

How Ben Feels About Whitewashing at the Start

What Causes Ben to Change

How Ben Feels About Whitewashing at the End

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70 The last paragraph of the story states that Tom discovered that “in order to make a man or a boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain.” Explain how Tom discovered this in the story. Use details from the story to support your answer.

Planning Space You can write notes, make a list, or draw a chart to help plan your answer.

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Directions: Read the passage. Then answer the questions that follow it.

Westsider Carlos Montoya: Master of the Flamenco Guitar An Article from 100 New Yorkers of the 1970s by Max Millard 1

Carlos Montoya speaks two languages. The first is music; the other is Spanish. At 74, he is the world’s most famous master of flamenco—the ancient folk music of the Spanish gypsies, which Montoya performs with dazzling speed and dexterity. On October 29 he will give a major concert at Avery Fisher Hall.

With more than 30 albums to his credit, Montoya is the most recorded flamenco guitarist in history. He is thoroughly committed to his instrument. It is not merely his living, but his life. He is a pure gypsy —”on all four sides,” as the Spanish say. Maybe that explains why he likes to tour from January to May and from October to December every year, almost nonstop, across the U.S. and Canada, to South America, Europe and the Far East. He has been a Westsider since the 1940s and has rented the same Westside apartment since 1957. Yet when people ask Montoya where he lives, he is likely to reply, “On airplanes.”

An American citizen for more than 30 years, he is perhaps the first person ever to acquire citizenship after answering “no” to the question, “Do you like the American form of government?” Because of his poor English, he had misunderstood the query. He corrected himself, and that night played for President Harry Truman.

Montoya’s wife, Sally, is his steady helpmate. Since their marriage in 1940, she has been his manager, interpreter, and best friend. He still speaks little English, so interviews with him are often ponderous three-way affairs. When I arrived at the Montoyas’ residence late one morning, he was very polite, but eager to get the interview over with. “Vamos,” he said. His demeanor changed when he discovered that I was able to understand his crisp, precise Spanish when spoken slowly. We quickly dispensed with the interpreter.

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Does he consider flamenco to be the highest art attainable on the guitar? Sitting upright in an overstuffed chair, he smiled benignly and said, “Not all the flamenco guitarists are artists. There are many guitarists, but in the world there are only two or three artists on the flamenco guitar … Most musicians are technicians. I think that to play flamenco as it should be played, you have to be an artist. The music is either very bad or very good. People who hear the performance may applaud both the technician and the artist. But afterward, if the performer was not an artist, they forget what they have heard.”

The smile remained on his face, and he began to use his hands with much expression as he continued. “I carry the music inside me. I want to touch inside the heart of the public. That’s what I always aim for. My music is sincere. It is very human. I believe it should be listened to closely. That is why I play concerts.”

He was, in fact, the first prominent flamenco guitarist to go solo. Until Montoya started giving one-man concerts in 1948, flamenco was strictly a music to accompany singers or dancers, who added to the rhythm with castanets, snapping fingers, and feverishly clicking heels. When

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faced with Montoya’s guitar alone, the audiences did not catch on immediately. But as soon as they learned to appreciate the full range of his artistry, his career was assured. 8

Many of the sound effects produced by a whole flamenco group can be duplicated by Montoya alone. His left hand can play a melody and tap out a rhythm independent of what the right hand is doing. To add to the excitement, Montoya never plays a piece the same way twice. One reason is that improvisation is the essence of flamenco. Another is that he has never learned to read music. “Flamenco guitar is more popular than ever right now,” said Montoya. “Young people like it; I perform at a lot of colleges. I also perform with many symphony orchestras to play my Flamenco Suite.”

That composition, which Montoya co-wrote and premiered in 1996, is the first flamenco piece ever to be written for a full orchestra. The guitar sections, appropriately, allow for some improvising. Other works by Montoya, mainly his arrangements of age-old gypsy themes, have been transcribed and published for the benefit of fellow guitarists. However, as Montoya pointed out, “the style you can write. But all the notes—it is impossible. So, my written works are simplified.”

Born in Madrid, he took his first guitar lesson at the age of 8, and by his early teens was performing regularly in cafés. He toured extensively until World War II broke out, when he more or less “settled” in New York. In truth, he has never been content to settle anywhere. He spends several months each year in Spain. And when he’s on tour, said his wife, “he gets restless staying around the hotel, and likes to visit all the sights in the area.”

Sally Montoya, a slender, graceful native New Yorker who met Carlos while her father was working for the Foreign Service, was once a Spanish-style dancer herself, but gave it up because “I obviously didn’t dance as well as Carlos plays. I’m a casualty of his success.” The couple has two sons.

Except for travel, Carlos Montoya has few interests outside his work. “Music and family—that’s all,” he said quietly. “To be an artist, you must be a slave to the instrument and to the public. To play the guitar is a serious thing—not a game. To me, it is a complete life.” ©RALLY! EDUCATION. No part of this document may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.

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Directions: Answer the following questions. If you need more space to write an answer, write your answer on your own paper.

71 In the second paragraph, Montoya is described as a “pure gypsy” to show his love of A family B performing C music D travel

72 Why does Montoya relax right after the author arrives for the interview? A Montoya realizes he will be able to speak in Spanish. B Montoya realizes that the interviewer is a fan of his music. C Montoya realizes that the interview will go quickly. D Montoya realizes he will not have to play the flamenco guitar.

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73 Read these sentences from the start of the article. “Carlos Montoya speaks two languages. The first is music; the other is Spanish.” Explain why the author introduces Montoya this way. What main point about Montoya is the author making? Use details from the article to support your answer.

74 Read paragraph 3 of the article. Is the anecdote in this paragraph important to the main idea? Explain why you feel the author included this information. Use details from the article to support your answer.

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75 Complete the web below by listing four facts given that support the idea that Carlos Montoya has had a successful career.

Carlos Montoyaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s career has been successful.

76 Read the quotes from Montoya in paragraph 5. Do you feel that Montoya sounds arrogant? Explain why you feel that way. Use details from the article to support your answer.

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77 Explain how the information in paragraphs 11 to 13 is different from the rest of the article. Why do you think the author includes this information last? Use details from the article to support your answer.

78 Read this quote from Montoya from the last paragraph. “To be an artist, you must be a slave to the instrument and to the public.” Does Montoya mind feeling like a “slave to the instrument and to the public”? Explain your answer. Use details from the article to support your answer.

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79 The article suggests that Montoyaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s career has had a significant influence on flamenco music. Describe three ways Montoya has influenced flamenco music. Use details from the article to support your answer.

Planning Space You can complete the graphic organizer below to help plan your answer.

How Montoya Has Influenced Flamenco Music

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80 In the article, the author describes interviewing Montoya and gives information about Montoya. Do you feel that the author admires Montoya? Use details from the article to explain why you feel that way.

Planning Space You can write notes, make a list, or draw a chart to help plan your answer.

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Directions: Read the passage. Then answer the questions that follow it.

A prig is defined as a person who takes pride in behaving in a correct and proper manner. This type of person is usually serious and often focuses on closely following rules and guidelines. The term is usually used to describe someone who acts superior to others. In this play, Eleanor insults Walter by saying that he is “rather a prig.” Read the play to find out why Eleanor calls him this.

Rather a Prig By Lady Bell 1

ELEANOR (calling outside): Walter! Walter! (She runs inside.) Here you are, at last! Do come and play in the garden!

WALTER (who is walking about with a book): Certainly not! Can’t you see I am deep in study?

ELEANOR: But it’s play-time.

WALTER: I dislike play-time.

ELEANOR: What a dull creature! Do you mean to say that you never play?

WALTER: As seldom as possible.

ELEANOR: What a pity! I have just got some new reins, and I wanted to play at horses. I do love being a horse.

WALTER: That is a natural preference. The horse has ever been a favored companion of man. It is even on record that the Roman Emperor, Caligula—

ELEANOR: I will not talk about Roman Emperors during play-time. Come along, I will drag the cart and you shall drive standing up, if you like, as they do at the circus.

WALTER: That is a custom which dates from the most remote antiquity. Pictorial representations of standing charioteers are found on the Assyrian friezes and the Egyptian tombs—

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ELEANOR (putting her hands over her ears): I will not talk about the Egyptians during play-time. Come, will you drive the cart?

WALTER: Certainly not.

ELEANOR: Then shall we skip? Look, I have a new skipping-rope, which my father gave me last week.

WALTER: The hemp from which that rope was made was doubtless derived from the flax grown in the province of Ulster, in Ireland, especially in the county of Antrim, of which the principal towns are Belfast, Lisbon, and Carrickfergus.

ELEANOR: Oh, bother the county of Antrim and the province of Ulster! I don’t care to know where the skipping-rope grew. I want to skip with it.

WALTER: That is quite a savage instinct; the remarkable agility of the South Sea Islanders—

ELEANOR: I won’t talk of the South Sea Islanders during play-time. You won’t skip, then?

WALTER: Certainly not.

ELEANOR: Then let’s be soldiers. I love playing at soldiers.

WALTER: That is somewhat of an unfeminine instinct, although it is justified by more than one example in history. Thus, Boadicea—

ELEANOR: Oh, shut up, or I will run you through with my sword! It’s just like a real one. It’s made of the most beautiful steel.

WALTER: Then the blade probably came from the district of Cleveland in Yorkshire, where the iron and steel industries may be seen in their greatest development. You have, doubtless, heard of the steel works of Eston, and the blast furnaces of Middlesborough?

ELEANOR: I don’t know what a blast furnace is.

WALTER: Allow me to describe that ingenious construction to you.

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ELEANOR: No, thank you, not in my play-time. I am going to get some daisies to make a daisy-chain.

WALTER: You doubtless have a herbarium?

ELEANOR: No. I don’t believe they grow in this garden.

WALTER: Oh, too ignorant girl! A herbarium is not a flower, it is a collection of dried flowers and plants.

ELEANOR: Ah, well! I haven’t one then.

WALTER: That is a mistake. You should carefully dry the plants and stick them in a book, with a minute description of each specimen written on the opposite page.

ELEANOR: I can’t stick anything in a book, because Mamma doesn’t like me to use her gum, and I have only fish-glue.

WALTER: Fish-glue is, for certain purposes, a most valuable substance. It has even been known to cure cecity or blindness. Thus, Tobit—

ELEANOR: Don’t talk about Tobit. Are you coming to make a daisy-chain?

WALTER: Never.

ELEANOR: Shall we play at battledore? I have a heavy shuttlecock and a light one, whichever you like best.

WALTER: That is because the density of cork varies in a very marked manner. That brought from the West Indies—

ELEANOR: Don’t talk about the West Indies during play-time. Are you coming to play at battledore?

WALTER: On no account.

ELEANOR: Very well, then, you may stay with your Egyptians, your South Sea Islanders, and your West Indies, while I go and play in the garden. I think you are rather a prig. (She storms off and exits.)

WALTER (looking after her, surprised): A prig! How odd! I wonder what makes her say that? Rather a prig!

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Directions: Answer the following questions. If you need more space to write an answer, write your answer on your own paper.

81 All of the following lines from the play suggest that Walter is arrogant EXCEPT A “WALTER: That is a natural preference. The horse has ever been a favored companion of man. It is even on record that the Roman Emperor, Caligula—” B “WALTER: Allow me to describe that ingenious construction to you.” C “WALTER: Oh, too ignorant girl! A herbarium is not a flower, it is a collection of dried flowers and plants.” D “WALTER: That is a mistake. You should carefully dry the plants and stick them in a book, with a minute description of each specimen written on the opposite page.”

82 How does Walter respond to each activity Eleanor suggests? A by stating a reason that he does not wish to take part B by giving facts related to the activity described C by explaining why the activity is a poor choice for her D by giving his opinion on the activity she mentions

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83 When Walter is first introduced, he is carrying a book. Explain how this helps establish his character. Use details from the play to support your answer.

84 During the play, Eleanor often cuts Walter off while he is speaking. Explain why she does this and how it helps show how she feels. Use details from the play to support your answer.

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85 Describe how Walter’s style of speech compares to Eleanor’s. How does Walter’s style of speech help show his personality? Use details from the play to support your answer.

86 Read this line from the play. “ELEANOR: Oh, bother the county of Antrim and the province of Ulster! I don’t care to know where the skipping-rope grew. I want to skip with it.” Explain how this line represents the main difference between Eleanor and Walter. Use details from the play to support your answer.

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87 As the play continues, Eleanor becomes frustrated with Walter. Describe how Eleanor’s words and actions show her frustration. Use at least three specific details from the play to support your answer.

88 Read this line from the end of the play. “WALTER (looking after her, surprised): A prig! How odd! I wonder what makes her say that? Rather a prig!” What does this line reveal about Walter? Use details from the play to support your answer.

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89 In the play, a conversation is described where the dialogue alternates between characters. Does the dialogue suggest that the characters are really listening to each other? Use details from the play to support your answer.

Planning Space You can write notes, make a list, or draw a chart to help plan your answer.

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90 At the end of the play, Eleanor says that Walter is a prig. Explain how Walterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s behavior suggests that this is a fitting term for him. In your answer, identify at least two qualities he shows that make the term fitting. Use details from the play to support your answer.

Planning Space You can write notes, make a list, or draw a chart to help plan your answer.

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Directions: Read the passage. Then answer the questions that follow it.

Keeping Your Cool When the Heat Is On By Marty Kaminsky 1

The clock is winding down, and your team trails by one. Your heart pounds like the bass drum in a marching band. Your palms are sweaty, and your mind is racing, thinking of all the “what-ifs.” How can you stay focused in the heat of a big game? We asked six top athletes for their advice.

Mike Piazza: 2

“I do my best to zone everything else out and just focus on the situation at hand. I get in the on-deck circle, and from then on, it’s just the pitcher and I. I also try to relax my mind and think only positive thoughts and about how I have done in similar situations. As long as you do your best, no matter what the outcome is, there is nothing to be ashamed of.” In the history of Major League Baseball, Mike Piazza is considered the best hitting catcher of all time. With a lifetime batting average of .309 and well over 400 career home runs, he has set the standard for all catchers. Now a designated hitter for the Oakland Athletics, this former New York Met has competed in twelve All-Star Games and the 2000 World Series.

Landon Donovan: 4

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“Going into my first World Cup game, I was nervous. But once you start playing, your instincts take over, and that makes it more about just having fun as opposed to worrying about messing up. After you have played in a lot of games, things become more natural for you, so you don’t have to worry about crumbling under pressure.”

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Landon Donovan is one of the elite soccer players on the U.S. Men’s national team and the Los Angeles Galaxy. He has come up big in international competition, scoring two goals in the 2002 World Cup and leading his team in appearances and points during qualifying for the 2006 World Cup.

Jennie Finch: 6

“To keep calm in a tough situation, when runners are in scoring position, breathing deeply and staying calm is really important. You have to trust your stuff and know that all of your hard work has prepared you for this situation. Focus on each pitch, one pitch at a time. Try to win every pitch, not the entire game.”

Firing her underhand pitches at 70 miles per hour, Jennie Finch throws a fastball that’s the softball equivalent of a Randy Johnson heater. Having won a record sixty consecutive games in college, and gold medals in the 2003 Pan American Games and the 2004 Olympics, Jennie knows about pitching in big games. 7

Lindsay Tarpley: 8

“You have to know that you are prepared before the big games. Do the work before you reach the big game, and know that your preparation will carry you through. Make sure you practice as hard as you play. It’s good to know that even professional players get nervous, but they channel it into something positive. You can do the same thing.” Soccer forward Lindsay Tarpley scored two pressure-packed goals in international competition for U.S. national teams. In the 2002 Under-19 Women’s World Championship game, her overtime goal gave the youth team their first world title. In the gold-medal game at the 2004 Olympics, her long shot to the corner of the goal gave the United States a 1-0 lead in their eventual 2-1 win over Brazil.

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Natalie Coughlin: 10

“When I was a kid I would get nervous, but eventually I came to think, ‘What’s the worst that can happen? I won’t die. And what if I come in second place—is that really so bad?’ I was anxious before the Olympics, but believe it or not, I viewed it as just another race and another pool filled with water. It is really a matter of perspective. If you don’t let the pressure bother you, it won’t affect you.”

Swimmer Natalie Coughlin makes a splash whenever she enters a pool. At the 2004 Olympics in Athens, she won five medals: two gold, two silver, and one bronze. Considered one of the most versatile swimmers in the world, Natalie races in the backstroke, freestyle, butterfly, and individual-medley events. She holds six world records. 11

Dwyane Wade: 12

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“In the heat of a big game, the main thing is to not think about the moment you are living in. Rely on all your hours of practice and the instinct you have developed for your sport, and do not let too much thinking cloud your way. No matter how things turn out, you must always believe in yourself and have confidence in your own ability.” After only four years in the National Basketball Association (NBA), Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade is already a superstar. An All-Star in 2005, 2006, and 2007, Wade was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player after leading the Heat past the Dallas Mavericks to capture the NBA championship in 2006.

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Directions: Answer the following questions. If you need more space to write an answer, write your answer on your own paper.

91 In paragraph 7, what is the word firing used to emphasize? A how fast the ball moves B how nervous the batter is C how much pressure Jennie feels D how important the throw is

92 Read this quote from Dwyane Wade. “Rely on all your hours of practice and the instinct you have developed for your sport, and do not let too much thinking cloud your way.” The phrase “cloud your way” refers to A feeling overconfident B being distracted C giving up D staying calm

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93 Identify the simile the author uses in the first paragraph and explain why the author uses it. Explain whether or not you feel the simile is an effective way to help the reader imagine the emotions felt.

94 Read the first paragraph of the article. How does the first paragraph establish the topic of the article? Explain how the author uses the first paragraph to engage the reader. Use details from the paragraph to support your answer.

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95 Read this sentence about Mike Piazza from paragraph 3. “Now a designated hitter for the Oakland Athletics, this former New York Met has competed in twelve All-Star Games and the 2000 World Series.” How do these details support the idea that Piazza’s advice can be trusted? Use details from the article to support your answer.

96 Think about the meaning of the article’s title. Explain the meaning of the words cool and heat as they are used in the title. Use details from the article to support your answer.

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97 Several of the athletes give advice about how to keep your mind calm. Complete the table by listing three athletes that offer advice about keeping your mind calm and describing a technique the athlete suggests using.

Athlete

Technique for Keeping Your Mind Calm

98 The author includes advice from six different athletes. Describe the variety in the athletes chosen. How does this help ensure that the information relates to all readers? Use details from the article to support your answer.

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99 After quoting each athlete, the author includes a paragraph summarizing the athleteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s achievements. What is similar about the information given about each athlete? Explain how the main similarity relates to the purpose of the article. Use details from the article to support your answer.

Planning Space You can complete the chart below to help plan your answer.

Athlete

Information Given

Mike Piazza

Landon Donovan

Jennie Finch

Lindsay Tarpley

Natalie Coughlin

Dwyane Wade

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100 Describe the role that practice and preparation plays in maintaining calmness. Use the advice given by at least three athletes to support your answer.

Planning Space You can write notes, make a list, or draw a chart to help plan your answer.

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Directions: Read the following passage. Then answer the questions that follow.

When Our Family Bands Together By Teresa Bateman 1

On a soft-lit summer evening when the mountain palmed the moon, all the people in the valley gathered in to hear a tune.

And their tippy-toes were tappin’ while their shoulders were a-sway, and sore farming feet forgot it was a plowing, plodding day.

Then an overall-clad fellow grabbed his sweetheart by the hand, and the two in matching denim bowed and curtsied to the band.

Soon another couple joined them. Everyone went twirl and stomp as the valley folk commenced to have a rippin’, roarin’ romp.

And the world was full of music giving bounce to every boot, as my father played the fiddle and my mother played the flute.

Even babies in their cradles wagged their little toes in glee, and they giggled and they gurgled with the lilting melody.

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Then the grandmas and the grandpas showed us all some “heel and toe,” weathered wrinkles catching lamplight setting laughter lines aglow.

And the world was full of music giving bounce to every boot, as my father played the fiddle and my mother played the flute.

Everyone was swinging someone. Everybody held the hand of the partner that they cherished, then I looked up at the band.

And I saw my mother’s shoulders droop and heard my father sigh, as his fiddle kept on fiddlin’ and her flute went low and high.

It’s true the fiddle’s perfect when you’re looking for romance, but when married to the fiddler, you don’t often get to dance.

That evening, though, I had a plan. My siblings all agreed. And we raced across the dance floor like a boy and girl stampede.

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“Stop the music!” we all hollered. “There’s another band to play! We think flute and fiddle players need a dancing holiday!” My brothers took out pots and pans and whacked them with a spoon. My sisters buzzed waxed-paper combs kazooing out a tune. And I grabbed my father’s fiddle ‘cause he’s teaching it to me, and I pointed to the dance floor just as stern as I could be.

Then my mother gave a kind of grin, my father gave a shout, as he swung her to the dance floor and he spun her all about.

Then they danced as if their toes had dancing stored up to their knees. And I think I saw a kiss in there— I know I saw a squeeze.

And the world is full of music but it’s fuller, still, of love, and we whacked and buzzed and fiddled while the moon glowed white above.

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Directions: Answer the following questions. If you need more space to write an answer, write your answer on your own paper.

101 Read these lines from stanza 5. “And the world was full of music giving bounce to every boot,” The phrase “giving bounce to every boot” suggests that the music made everyone feel A joyful B peaceful C hopeful D thankful

102 Which statement best tells why the evening of dancing is important to the people? A It is a time to show off a special skill. B It is a time to put their differences aside. C It is a time to relax after a hard day’s work. D It is a time to meet new people and make new friends.

103 The simile used in stanza 12 is used to show that the characters felt A angry B nervous C overjoyed D determined

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104 The second stanza uses alliteration in each line. Complete the table below by choosing three examples of alliteration from the stanza. For each one, describe the purpose of the alliteration.

Alliteration

Purpose

105 Read these lines from stanza 7. “weathered wrinkles catching lamplight setting laughter lines aglow.” Describe the image created in these lines. How does the image help show the atmosphere of the scene? Use details from the poem to support your answer.

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106 Describe how stanzas 10 and 11 represent a turning point in the poem. In your answer, describe how the main idea differs before and after this point in the poem. Use details from the poem to support your answer.

107 Compare the rhythm in stanza 10 to the rhythm of stanzas 4 to 9. Describe how the rhythm changes and how the change in rhythm relates to the meaning of stanza 10. Use details from the poem to support your answer.

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108 Read this line from the last stanza. “and we whacked and buzzed and fiddled” This line suggests that the music was not as good as when the mother and father were playing. Explain why it does not matter that the music was not as good. Use details from the poem to support your conclusion.

109 Explain the two meanings of the title of the poem. In your answer, describe how each meaning relates to the main ideas of the poem. Use details from the poem to support your answer.

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110 Stanza 17 of the poem describes the mother and father dancing. Why would this dance have been special to them? In your answer, describe how they probably felt while dancing. Explain how the events described in the poem result in their feelings. Use details from the poem to support your answer.

Planning Space You can complete the graphic organizer below to help plan your answer.

Why the Dance Was Special to the Mother and Father

Supporting Idea

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Directions: Read the passage. Then answer the questions that follow it.

The Good Citizen—How He Uses Matches By The National Board of Fire Underwriters, 1920 1

The match is one of the most valuable and one of the most dangerous articles made by man. It has been in use for less than one hundred years, but think of trying to get along without it!

It is said that more matches are sold in the United States than in all the rest of the world. More than seven hundred million matches are used in the United States each day. You can hardly imagine such a figure. If a factory made just one match for every minute, night and day, it would take nearly fourteen hundred years for it to produce as many matches as this country uses in a single day. Or—to put it in another way—nearly five hundred thousand flames are struck every minute on an average. There is not one of these flames that would not develop into a destructive fire if it had a chance. Consequently, every match must be regarded, and must be treated, as a possible source of great damage.

Matches, today, are of two general classes: Those which may be struck upon any rough surface, and the so-called “safety matches,” made to be struck only upon the box. But there are good matches and bad matches in both classes. In other words, while the safety match, as a rule, is safer than the kind first mentioned, a poorly made strike-on-the-box match may be more dangerous than a well-made strike-anywhere match. Therefore, we ought to know something about what a match is, as well as how to use it.

The secret of fire-production lies in the head of the match. This contains certain chemicals which take fire easily when heated, and it also contains particles of ground flint in order to create heat by friction

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when the match is struck. If two objects are rubbed quickly together, the resulting friction brings heat, and all the more easily and quickly if one of the objects be rough. The friction from striking a match produces sufficient heat to cause the head to burst into flame. 5

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Now, it must be remembered that even careful persons may meet with accidents through the use of bad matches. Sometimes, when struck, the blazing head will fly off, or the stick will break and fall; sometimes, too, the match will continue to glow after the flame has been blown out. These are signs that the match is poorly made; probably it is of some very cheap brand, for such things never happen Safety Rules with good matches. Carefulness, therefore, for Buying Matches must begin at the time of buying. One should 1. Purchase by brand, and always notice the brand and always order by always avoid brands brand. Whenever a brand is found to have any which break, lose their of these faults it should be avoided in the future, heads, or glow after no matter how low the price may be. being blown out. The best of the strike-anywhere matches are 2. Look for the label of given a special treatment to keep the head from the Underwriters’ flying off when struck, and also to guard it from Laboratories. being set on fire accidentally. Great care is also 3. Give the preference taken in the preparation of the wood to safeguard to strike-on-the-box, against breaking. But as a class, the safety or safety matches, but, matches are less dangerous. in case of buying the Matches of all kinds are carefully tested in the strike-anywhere match, great Underwriters’ Laboratories, which The get one that has a National Board of Fire Underwriters maintains protected tip. in Chicago, and those that are able to pass the test are labeled by the Laboratories. It is always a protection to find one of these labels on a box. The Laboratories have no interest in the sale of matches, and any manufacturer who will make goods of the right grade can secure the label. Let us suppose that your house is provided with good matches, those having solid heads and tough sticks. There will be no danger if you are always careful when using them. But are you? Here are some questions for you to answer.

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Do you ever throw away a match which is burning or even glowing? Never do this again. It has caused hundreds of deaths and has burned thousands of homes.

Safety Rules for Using Matches 1. Keep them in covered

How do you strike a match—away from you or toward you? Probably you have never thought about this, but think of it hereafter, and form the habit of always striking away from you. Thus, if the match breaks or its head flies off, it will not be likely to set fire to your clothing. In lighting matches upon a box, first close the box; otherwise the flame may set fire to the whole box.

boxes or dishes, away from the heat of stoves and stovepipes and out of the reach of rats and mice. 2. Strike matches away

from you. If you are striking on a box, first close the box. Strike downward on the box.

If matches are spilled, do you stop at once and pick up every one? A match on the floor is always a dangerous thing. It may be stepped on and ignited, or it may be found by a little child, or it may be carried into the wall or under the floor by a rat or mouse. It is not probable that mice often start fires by gnawing match-heads, but they do like to use them in building nests in warm, comfortable places, close to chimneys or furnace pipes. Dangerous fires may come from this cause or from matches rubbed against beams while being carried to the nest.

Where do you keep your matches? Are they out of reach of little children, as they always should be? Are they kept away from the stove, or the stovepipe, or any other place where they may become overheated? Are they loose in a drawer or on a shelf, or are they in a covered box or dish of metal or earthenware? Sometimes uncovered matches are ignited by the sun’s rays shining through a lens-forming bubble in a window-pane.

Do you carry matches on your person? A child should never be allowed to do this. A grown person should never permit himself to carry loose matches in his pocket. The State Fire Marshal of Iowa says: Some men are in the habit of carrying matches around with them. It is the easiest thing in the world for matches carried around loose in a man’s pocket to drop out. Suppose the man has work to do about a barn. A match drops out on the barn floor and a horse steps on it. It is

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a parlor-match and ignites, setting fire to hay and other inflammable material found in barns. Then the barn burns and the cause of fire is reported something like this: “Unknown. Nobody had been in the barn for some time. Everything safe when the barn was closed up.” 14

Six hundred and ninety-four barn fires took place in Iowa in 1914. Hundreds of these were reported as of unknown origin, but it is safe to say that in a great number of cases, if the cause could have been traced, it would have been found to be a match that had dropped out of a pocket.

Until we find some better device for producing fire, matches will continue to be used in immense numbers, and they will always be a source of danger in the hands of careless people, and even careful people may be imperiled by the actions of careless people about them. There are no safety rules more important than those applying to the use of matches, and habits of carefulness should be formed by every person. Someone has said: Matches do not think with their heads. When you use them, your head has to do all the thinking.

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Directions: Answer the following questions. If you need more space to write an answer, write your answer on your own paper.

111 Read this sentence from paragraph 7. “The Laboratories have no interest in the sale of matches, and any manufacturer who will make goods of the right grade can secure the label.” What is the main purpose of this sentence? A to suggest that readers report companies with poor products B to suggest that companies have their products tested C to show that the Laboratories’ label can be trusted D to show there should be many products to choose from

112 The information included in the lists is best described as A actions to be taken in order B a summary of the advice given C details to support the main ideas D information on the source of the ideas

113 When deciding which matches to purchase, the author would probably suggest considering all of the following EXCEPT A whether the matches are safety matches B whether the matches are from a trustworthy brand C whether the matches appear to be well-made D whether the matches are on sale

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114 Read paragraph 2 of the article. Why does the author include details on the number of matches sold? Explain how this information supports the idea that matches are a significant safety concern. Use details from the article to support your answer.

115 The article describes things that can go wrong when using matches carelessly. Complete the table below by describing the cause and effect of two problems that can occur because of careless use.

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Cause

Effect

Cause

Effect

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116 Read this sentence from paragraph 3. “Matches, today, are of two general classes: Those which may be struck upon any rough surface, and the so-called ‘safety matches,’ made to be struck only upon the box.” Why does the author use the word so-called? Explain what the author is implying by using this word. Use details from the article to support your answer.

117 In paragraph 8, the author addresses the reader by saying, “here are some questions for you to answer.” Explain why the author asks questions of the reader in the paragraphs that follow. Use details from the article to support your answer.

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118 In paragraph 8, the author refers to good matches as “those having solid heads and tough sticks.” Which two important qualities of matches are described? Explain how these qualities prevent problems. Use details from the article to support your answer.

119 Read these sentences from the end of the article. “Matches do not think with their heads. When you use them, your head has to do all the thinking.” Explain how these sentences make a point in a clever way. Use details from the article to support your answer.

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120 In the article, the author describes some of the serious consequences that can occur if people are not careful with matches. Does the author give enough evidence to prove that the serious consequences do actually occur? In your answer, analyze at least two examples of the serious consequences. Use information from the article to support your answer.

Planning Space You can complete the chart below to help plan your answer.

The Serious Consequences of Being Careless with Matches Consequence

Supporting Evidence

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Part C: Interpretation and Connections Informational Text: • identify main idea and supporting details • make inferences • summarize text • use textual evidence • media literacy • identify structure • analyze persuasive text • make connections • decipher factual reasoning Literary Text: • identify sensory language • make inferences • compare/contrast themes • summarize text • media literacy • make connections • use textual evidence • identify elements of drama

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Directions: Read the passage. Then answer the questions that follow it.

Commencement Address at Stanford University Excerpt from a Speech by Steve Jobs

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I’m honored to be with you today for your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. Truth be told, I never graduated from college, and this is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a college graduation. Today, I want to tell you three stories from my life. That’s it. No big deal. Just three stories.

The first story is about connecting the dots. I dropped out of Reed College after the first six months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?

It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife—except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl.

So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking, “We’ve got an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?” They said, “Of course.”

And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents’ savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn’t see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life.

So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out okay. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn’t interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked far more interesting. ©RALLY! EDUCATION. No part of this document may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.

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It wasn’t all romantic. I didn’t have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends’ rooms. I returned coke bottles for the five-cent deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the seven miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example:

Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn’t have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and sans-serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can’t capture, and I found it fascinating.

None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on that calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards 10 years later.

Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something— your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever—because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to

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follow your heart, even when it leads you off the well-worn path, and that will make all the difference.

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My second story is about love and loss.

I was lucky—I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz¹ and I started Apple in my parents’ garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a two billion dollar company with over 4000 employees. We’d just released our finest creation—the Macintosh—a year earlier, and I had just turned 30.

And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. And so at 30, I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.

I really didn’t know what to do for a few months. But something slowly began to dawn on me: I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.

I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the world’s first computer-animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, and I returned to Apple. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.

I’m pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn’t been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life’s going to hit you in the head with a brick.

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Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. 18

My third story is about death.

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I’ve looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma—which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the “bibles” of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch.

Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.” It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

And I’ve always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you: Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

1 Woz is Steve Wozniak, who was one of the co-founders of Apple.

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Directions: Answer the following questions. If you need more space to write an answer, write your answer on your own paper.

121 Read these sentences from the first paragraph. “Today, I want to tell you three stories from my life. That’s it. No big deal. Just three stories.” The tone of these sentences is best described as A stern B bored C casual D anxious

122 The main message of the last story about death is that you should A be yourself B keep trying new things C set yourself goals D learn from your past

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123 In paragraphs 5 and 6, Jobs describes how he dropped out of college. Does he provide enough justification to show that it was the right thing for him to do? Use details from the speech to support your answer.

124 Jobs describes how the first story is about “connecting the dots.” Explain what Jobs means by this. Use details from the speech to support your answer.

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125 How was Jobs’ time right after being fired from Apple similar to his time right after dropping out of college? In what way were both these times good for him? Use details from the speech to support your answer.

126 Read this sentence from the speech. “You have to trust in something—your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever— because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leads you off the well-worn path, and that will make all the difference.” How does this sentence suggest that Jobs recognizes and respects the diversity of his audience? Use details from the sentence to support your answer.

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127 In the speech, Jobs tells three stories. Explain how all three stories have a message about doing what you love. Use details from the speech to support your answer.

128 Think about the location, audience, and occasion of the speech. In what way is it ironic that Steve Jobs is chosen to speak? Use details from the speech to support your answer.

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129 In the speech, Jobs describes being fired from Apple as devastating. Explain whether or not Jobs seems bitter about what happened. Explain why you think Jobs feels this way. Use details from the speech to support your answer.

Planning Space You can write notes, make a list, or draw a chart to help plan your answer.

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130 Read the last piece of advice Jobs gives in the speech. “And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you: Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.” Explain what Jobs means by saying that people should “stay hungry” and “stay foolish.” In your answer, describe how Jobs has done this in his life and how it affected him. Use details from the speech to support your answer.

Planning Space You can complete the chart below to help plan your answer.

Stay Hungry

Stay Foolish

How does this advice relate to Jobs’ life?

What does Jobs mean by this advice?

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Directions: Read the passage. Then answer the questions that follow it.

During the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries there took place, first in Italy and afterwards in the other countries of Europe, a great change known in history as the Renaissance. The long word simply means “rebirth,” and the name was given to this period because then all the interest in art and literature and music and beauty of every kind, which had seemed for centuries to be dead, came to life again. Painters and poets and musicians began to fill the world with their songs and their pictures. You are going to read now the story of one of the most famous of the painters of the fifteenth century in Italy.

The Boyhood of a Painter By Andrew Lang

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Leonardo da Vinci, the great painter, was the son of a lawyer in the beautiful city of Florence. Even as a tiny child he began to show what profession he was likely to follow, for as soon as he could crawl, he would scramble away when his mother was not looking, to a place in the garden where after a shower there was always a pile of mud. He would sit happily on the ground pinching the mud into some sort of shape, and the older he grew the more the shape became like that of some object that he knew. When his mother missed him and came in search of him, the baby would scream in disgust, and the only way to quiet him was to play on the lute, an instrument very much like our mandolin.

Ser Piero, Leonardo’s father, was very proud of his astonishing little son, and resolved that he must have the very best teachers that could be found. So the boy was still very young when

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his lessons began. Lessons were no trouble to him, for he quite took away the breath of all his teachers by his amazing quickness, no matter whether the work was arithmetic, or languages, or music. Whatever he heard once he understood and remembered. 3

Whatever lessons he might be doing, however, Leonardo spent his spare time in drawing and in modeling figures in clay. His father decided that this was the talent which the boy ought specially to make use of. So he took his son to his friend the sculptor Verrocchio. When they reached the studio, Leonardo was given some clay and told to model anything he liked. He sat down on the floor, and soon finished a tiny statuette which was so lifelike that it might have been the work of the sculptor himself. Verrocchio was delighted, and declared that he must have this boy as a pupil at once.

As Leonardo grew older, he began to outstrip his master in the art of painting, though not in that of sculpture. At one time, it is said, Verrocchio was working on a picture of the baptism of Jesus by John, in which an angel was represented as standing at one side. He entrusted the painting of this angel to his pupil. When the master came to look at the finished figure, he stood gazing in astonished silence. He was too true an artist not to feel that he and Leonardo had changed places, and that the boy’s painting of the angel was worth all the rest of the picture. The story goes that Verrocchio was so impressed by the feeling that he could only do badly what Leonardo could do perfectly that he never painted again.

One of the most interesting tales of the artist’s boyhood tells of his painting of a shield. His father, Ser Piero, had gone to his country house outside of Florence. One evening a farmer of the neighborhood was brought to him as he sat in the garden, asking that he might speak with Ser Piero. He knew the farmer well, for they had often gone fishing together. “Well, what now, Francisco?” he asked, as the farmer came up bowing and bearing in his hands a wooden shield. Francisco explained that he had cut down a fig tree near his house, as it was too old to bear fruit, and that he had cut out of its wood the shield he was carrying. He had brought it to Ser Piero, hoping that the master would have the goodness to get it painted with some design, for he wished to hang it up in his kitchen as a remembrance of the old tree.

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So when Ser Piero next went to Florence he took the shield to his son, not telling him to whom it belonged, but merely asking him to paint something on it. Leonardo, examining the piece of wood, found that it was rough and ill made, and that it would need much finishing before it would be possible to paint on it. So he held it before the fire till the fibers were softened and the crookedness straightened out, and then he planed and polished it. When it was all ready, he began to think about what the picture on it should be. A look of mischief came into his eyes.

“I know!” he said to himself. “A shield ought to have on it some frightful thing, so that the very sight of it may make the enemies of its wearer tremble. The person who sees this shield shall be as frightened as if he beheld the head of Medusa; only instead of being turned to stone, he will most likely run away.” You see, he did not know that the shield was to adorn the home of a simple farmer.

Smiling to himself, Leonardo went out into the fields and hunted about until he had collected a large number of strange creatures, hedgehogs, lizards, locusts, snakes, and many others. These he carried home and locked up in the room he used for a workshop, where no one was allowed to enter but himself. Using the ugly things as models, he began to paint on the shield a monster formed out of all the creatures, with eyes and legs everywhere. It was a long time before he succeeded in making anything frightful enough to suit him. Again and again he erased his work and did it over, trying to combine his creatures differently. But at last something so terrible stared him in the face that he almost felt frightened himself.

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“The monster is ready,” he said with a laugh; “but I must find a background fitting for him.” So he painted as a background a black and narrow cavern, at whose mouth stood the shapeless creature he had made, all eyes, all legs, all savage jaws. Flames poured from it on every side, and a cloud of vapor rose upwards from its many nostrils. After days of hard work, Leonardo at last went to his father and told him he had finished the shield, which

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he hoped would please its owner. Ser Piero came at once, and was led into the partly darkened studio, where in just the right light the shield stood on an easel. But no sooner was the father within the room than he turned to fly, so terrible was the object that met his gaze. 11

“It will do, I see,” said Leonardo. “I wanted to make something so dreadful that everyone would shiver with fear at the sight of it. Take it away with you now; but I had better wrap it up, or you will frighten people out of their wits as you go along.”

Ser Piero took the shield and went away without telling his son anything about old Francisco. But he was quite sure that the farmer would not like the picture, and that it was not at all suitable to hang in a farmhouse kitchen; and more than that, he felt it was far too wonderful a painting to fall into the hands of a peasant and never be famous. So in order to save the old man’s feelings, he went to a shop and bought a shield of the same size as the first one, which had on it a device of a heart pierced by an arrow; and the next time he went to the country he sent for Francisco to come and get it.

“Oh, your Excellency, how beautiful!” cried the old man in delight, as he received his shield after his long waiting.

“I thought you would be pleased,” answered Ser Piero, thinking to himself how frightened rather than pleased the farmer would have been with Leonardo’s monster.

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Directions: Answer the following questions. If you need more space to write an answer, write your answer on your own paper.

131 Which of these details about Leonardo da Vinci is least relevant to his artwork of the frightening monster? A His works often have dramatic backgrounds that enhance the main feature. B He was known for drawing caricatures, or exaggerated versions, of people. C His works are often praised for their ability to show the emotions of the subjects. D His study of botany and anatomy influenced many of his drawings.

132 Which sentence shows that the anecdote about painting the shield is not intended to show Leonardo’s failings? A “One of the most interesting tales of the artist’s boyhood tells of his painting of a shield.” B “Leonardo, examining the piece of wood, found that it was rough and ill made, and that it would need much finishing before it would be possible to paint on it.” C “You see, he did not know that the shield was to adorn the home of a simple farmer.” D “Using the ugly things as models, he began to paint on the shield a monster formed out of all the creatures, with eyes and legs everywhere.”

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133 In the first paragraph, the author describes Leonardo as a tiny child. How does the author use descriptions of Leonardo’s actions to show his love for art? Use at least two specific examples from the paragraph to support your answer.

134 In a biography of Leonardo da Vinci, the author notes that his techniques would make even confident artists “despair and lose heart.” Explain how Verrocchio would probably have agreed with this statement. Use details from the story to support your answer.

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135 Read this sentence about Leonardo’s many talents. “Lessons were no trouble to him, for he quite took away the breath of all his teachers by his amazing quickness, no matter whether the work was arithmetic, or languages, or music.” How might Leonardo’s father have encouraged his son differently if they had not lived during the Renaissance? Use details from the introduction to the story to support your answer.

136 In paragraph 3, the author summarizes how Leonardo became a pupil of Verrocchio’s. How does the father telling Leonardo “to model anything he liked” show his belief in his son’s talent? Use details from the story to support your answer.

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137 Read paragraph 7 of the story. How can you tell that the information in this paragraph is the authorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s version of what happened rather than factual information? Explain why the author includes this information. Use details from the story to support your answer.

138 The way the story ends shows that the events with the shield turn out well for everyone. Complete the chart below by describing how the events are a positive ending for each character.

The story of the shield ends well for the three characters involved.

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139 The story describes in detail how Leonardo created the artwork on the shield. Describe the steps Leonardo took to create the artwork and explain how they show his attention to detail. Use details from the story to support your answer.

Planning Space You can complete the graphic organizer below to help plan your answer.

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140 The introduction to the story states that Leonardo da Vinci was a famous painter, but does not reveal how Leonardo da Vinci felt about being an artist. How does the story suggest that Leonardo loved being an artist? Explain how presenting Leonardoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life in the form of a story helps show his feelings. Use details from the story to support your answer.

Planning Space You can write notes, make a list, or draw a chart to help plan your answer.

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Directions: Read the following two passages. Then answer the questions that follow.

Abraham Lincoln Has His Neck Shortened By Harold Holzer

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When Abraham Lincoln was invited to give a speech in Brooklyn, New York, in February 1860, he was already famous throughout Illinois, but practically no one in the East knew who he was or what he looked like. For two years, Easterners had read about Lincoln as some sort of anti-slavery man from the distant west.

The presidential election of 1860 was fast approaching, and Lincoln, as a possible Republican candidate, wanted to increase his popularity. Hoping to introduce himself to hundreds of new voters, Lincoln eagerly accepted the invitation to the East. He wrote a powerful speech opposing slavery. Then he boarded the train in Springfield, Illinois, for the long trip across the country.

When Lincoln arrived in New York, he was surprised to learn that so many people had bought tickets for his speech that it had been moved from a small Brooklyn church to a New York City college. Now Lincoln would speak at the largest auditorium in the entire region—the Great Hall at Cooper Union.

Lincoln got to town rumpled and exhausted. “His clothes were travel-stained and he looked tired and woe-begone,” remembered a New Yorker. His form-fitting suit was badly wrinkled, and his one piece of luggage was old and covered with dust. Worst of all, his homely face, unruly uncombed hair, and awkward manner shocked those who greeted him. Nevertheless, his admirers, New York Republicans who served as his escorts through town, decided to have Lincoln photographed. If the cameraman could make Lincoln somewhat handsome, perhaps he could win more votes.

By 1860, photography had been popular in the United States for about fifteen years. Photographs were rare and precious, and portraits could only be made by professional camera operators in carefully lit studios. Lincoln had sat in front of the camera only sixteen times before.

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On the morning of February 27, 1860, Lincoln was taken to the gallery operated by the city’s most famous photographer, Mathew Brady. There, Lincoln posed stiffly. His hand rested upon a table that had to be piled high with books so the unusually tall man could touch it. (Lincoln stood six feet four inches.) Brady and his assistants looked through the camera and, startled by what they saw, decided to make an adjustment before they took the picture.

Brady walked over to Lincoln and, with a sudden tug, pulled up Lincoln’s shirt collar as high as it would go. Supposedly, an amused Lincoln said, “I see you want to shorten my neck.” Indeed, the resulting picture successfully disguised the candidate’s long, scrawny neck. Further retouching of the photograph by Brady made Lincoln appear quite handsome.

Lincoln’s speech that day proved to be a triumph. So did the photograph. “They [the photographers] got my shaddow,” Lincoln wrote about the experience, “and can multiply copies indefinitely.” So they did. The photo inspired thousands of copies, so many that Brady insisted that this picture became the means to Lincoln’s election to the Presidency nine months later.

If that’s true, it might be said that Lincoln won the election by a neck—a neck that had been shortened in New York.

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Presidential Dentures By Diane ZuHone Shore 1

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It’s time to set the record straight—the dental record, that is. Contrary to what most people believe, George Washington never owned a set of wooden teeth. Nor did patriot and colonial craftsman Paul Revere carve them. There is absolutely no evidence that Revere whittled a set of false teeth, wooden or otherwise, for the Father of our Country. It is merely a myth.

This famous set of choppers just looks wooden, having yellowed to the color of varnished hickory wood. It is actually carved from a mixture of human, cow, and elk teeth. Talk about a mouthful! It is rooted in a heavy lead base with metal springs on both sides. The springs held the dentures to Washington’s gums. It’s no wonder that the President complained of constant soreness. The clumsy contraption looks as comfortable as a linebacker’s mouth guard—made out of metal.

Throughout his presidency, Washington employed nine dentists and owned six sets of false teeth. Some were made for chewing food, others for show. Believe it or not, the ones featured here (at right) are show teeth—the ones that the President used to greet guests.

In Washington’s time, six-month checkups and brushing after every meal were basically unheard of. In fact, according to Dr. John Hyson at the National Museum of Dentistry in Baltimore, Maryland, preventive dentistry was practically unknown. The only time colonists sought the services of a dentist was for a toothache, which usually resulted in the extraction of the tooth. Consequently, tooth decay was common.

Although the President used toothbrushes and dental powder, he started losing his real teeth in his early twenties. Vice President John Adams remarked that Washington blamed his toothlessness on the walnuts he cracked in his youth. The truth is, his teeth deteriorated from disease. By the time he was President at the age of fifty-seven, Washington had only one natural tooth left.

When crafting one set of presidential dentures, dentist John Greenwood cut a hole in the base of the lower ivory denture section to allow for ©RALLY! EDUCATION. No part of this document may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.

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this last tooth to poke through, serving as an anchor for the unsteady denture base. Unfortunately, the tooth soon loosened and had to be extracted. It never ended up under the President’s pillow, however. Greenwood had the premolar embedded in a glass-covered gold case and wore it on his watch chain. That tooth, still in its gold case, is currently at the New York Academy of Medicine. 6

The Father of our Country was very self-conscious about his loosefitting false teeth. With wobbly dentures, the President probably had to talk with his teeth firmly together, making the s sound difficult to pronounce. One senator from Pennsylvania, William Maclay, commented that the President’s voice sounded hollow and unclear, “Owing As I believe to Artificial teeth before in his Upper Jaw.” However, Washington bravely ended his second inaugural speech with several s words—”… witnesses of the present solemn Ceremony.”

Washington was also concerned about how the ill-fitting dentures affected his appearance. On January 20, 1797, he wrote a letter to Greenwood complaining that his dentures “bulge my lips out in such a manner as to make them appear considerably swelled.”

Artist Gilbert Stuart only added to the disfiguration. Before Stuart painted his famous presidential portrait, he stuffed cotton inside Washington’s mouth to support his lips. This portrait is also stamped on the one-dollar bill.

The family was not pleased with the painting. Washington’s wife, Martha, harshly criticized the work of art. She claimed that her husband’s mouth appeared distorted because of the protruding lower lip. Yet this painting continues to be one of the most reproduced portraits of our first President, and the terrifying wooden-looking dentures remain one of the most popular Washington artifacts. One can only imagine what the formal, proper President would think of having something so personal and private on public display.

And now you know the whole tooth, er ... truth!

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Directions: Use “Abraham Lincoln Has His Neck Shortened” to answer the following questions. If you need more space to write an answer, write your answer on your own paper.

141 What most had to be disguised in the photograph taken of Lincoln? A how tired he appeared B how worn his clothes were C how lean and awkward he was D how plain his face looked

142 Read this sentence from paragraph 7. “Supposedly, an amused Lincoln said, ‘I see you want to shorten my neck.’” What does the word supposedly indicate about the quote? A It is not certain that Lincoln said it. B Lincoln said it as a joke. C Lincoln did not mind having his neck shortened. D It is a sentence that was remembered.

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143 The article refers to Lincoln’s famous Cooper Union Address of 1860. Why do you feel the author provides only limited information about this important speech? Use details from the article to support your answer.

144 In paragraph 8, the author describes how Brady “insisted that this picture became the means to Lincoln’s election to the Presidency nine months later.” Is it likely that Brady’s photograph had that great an impact? Explain why you feel that way. Use details from the article to support your answer.

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Directions: Use “Presidential Dentures” to answer the following questions. If you need more space to write an answer, write your answer on your own paper.

145 Read the information in the sidebar on page 170. Describe the main belief about George Washington the information disproves. What important characteristic of the dentures does the information still support? Use details from the sidebar and the main article to support your answer.

146 Read this sentence from paragraph 2. “Believe it or not, the ones featured here (at right) are show teeth—the ones that the President used to greet guests.” Explain why the author uses the phrase “believe it or not.” What does this show about how the author expects readers to judge the teeth? Use details from the article to support your answer.

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147 The author implies that George Washington losing his teeth was not his fault. Explain how the author supports this idea. Use at least two details from the article in your answer.

148 In paragraph 6, Washington is described as being “self-conscious about his loose-fitting false teeth.” Describe the two main ways his false teeth affected him. Use details from the article to support your answer.

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Directions: Use both “Abraham Lincoln Has His Neck Shortened” and “Presidential Dentures” to answer the following questions.

149 Both articles describe an image created of a president. Compare and contrast how Lincoln and Washington felt about the image created. Explain what this suggests about their acceptance of their appearance. Use details from both articles to support your answer.

Planning Space You can write notes, make a list, or draw a chart to help plan your answer.

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150 The portrait of Washington and the photograph of Lincoln have both become important and widely viewed images. Explain how the authors of the articles present this information as positive in one article and negative in the other. Use details from both articles to support your answer.

Planning Space You can write notes, make a list, or draw a chart to help plan your answer.

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Directions: Read the passage. Then answer the questions that follow it.

Isaac Asimov: Literary Workaholic An Interview from The Westsider, January 12, 1977

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In a penthouse high above 66th Street, a middle-aged man enters his study, pulls down the shades and fills the room with artificial light. Reference books at his elbow, he sits down at his electric typewriter and begins to tap out sentences at the rate of 90 words per minute. Fourteen hours later, his day’s work complete, Dr. Isaac Asimov turns off the machine.

In such a way has Asimov spent most of the past seven years, ever since he moved to the West Side from Boston. In a 40-year literary career stretching back to his teens, he has written and published 188 books, including science fiction, science fact, history, mystery, and even guides to Shakespeare and the Bible. Asimov has also written more than 1,000 magazine and newspaper articles, book introductions, and speeches.

Though his pen has never been silent since he sold his first piece of fiction to Amazing Stories in 1939, Asimov is now enjoying the most productive period of his career. Since 1970 he has written 85 books—an average of one per month. He does not dictate his books; nor does he have a secretary. Asimov personally answers some 70 fan letters per week, and he gives speeches frequently. He also finds time for the press.

The following interview took place on a morning late in October in the sitting room adjoining his study. Along one wall was a bookcase approximately 6 by 8 feet containing Asimov’s collected works.

Question: Dr. Asimov, have you set any goals for yourself for the next 10 years or so?

Asimov: I’m afraid I don’t generally look ahead. Right now my autobiography is the big project. I have no ambition whatsoever outside of my writing. I expect to write as long as I stay alive.

Q: Could you say something about your autobiography?

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A: It’s longer than I thought it would be. It will probably be in two volumes—which is unreasonable, considering that I’ve led a very quiet life and not much has happened to me. I guess the only thing is that I tend to go on and on when I’m on my favorite subject.

Q: I see that your science fiction story “Nightfall” has been made into a record album. And I also remember the movie version of your Fantastic Voyage. Do you have plans for making movies or recordings out of your other science fiction works?

A: Fantastic Voyage was the other way around; my book was made from the picture. The Foundation series has been turned into a radio show in Great Britain. There have been other stories of mine which were turned into radio shows in the 1950s. I have expensive pictures under option. Whether anything will turn up in the future I don’t know, and to be perfectly

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honest, I don’t care. I am perfectly happy with my writing career as it is. I have complete control over my books. When something is put into the movies it can be changed, often for the worse. I might get nothing out of it but money, and I have enough money to get by.

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Q: How did the new Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction magazine get started?

A: It was the idea of Joel Davis of Davis Publications. He publishes Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, and many others. He decided that science fiction was doing well and he wanted a science fiction magazine—something with the name of someone. He had seen me, because I had brought in some stories for Ellery Queen. He asked me if I was interested. I wasn’t really, because I had neither the time nor the inclination to edit the magazine. So he hired George Scithers to be the editor and made me the editorial director.

Q: I realize that you are considered an authority in at least 20 branches of science. Have you ever done any original scientific research?

A: I am still assistant professor of biochemistry at Boston University, though I no longer teach. Yes, I did original research from 1946 to 1958. I could not with honesty say I accomplished anything of importance. I am not a first-rank researcher—perhaps not even a second-rank researcher. It surprised me too. I found that my heart was in writing.

Q: Where do you go for vacation?

A: I don’t go on vacation really. I sometimes go off to do a talk and I try to make that a little vacation. I work. In the last seven years there has been only one time—two days in June of 1975—that I didn’t do a talk. And even then I took some paper with me and worked on a murder mystery. You see, a vacation is doing what you want to do and to stop doing what you have to do. But I like what I do, so I’m on vacation 365 days a year. If I had to play volleyball, fish, etcetera, that would be real work. I do travel, although I never fly. Last year I crossed the ocean on the QEII without stopping. But, I gave two talks each way and I wrote a book.

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Q: What do you think of abolishing mandatory retirement, as Congress is considering? What will it be like when people keep working indefinitely?

A: That was the condition until the 1930s. This forced retirement is a product of the Great Depression. We’re moving back to a situation that has always existed for mankind, which is to let people work as long as they can. If the birthrate continues to go down the percentage of young people will be smaller. I think that computerization and automation will alter completely the concept of what is work. We’re not going to think of jobs the same way as we used to.

Q: Do you think you could ever retire?

A: There might well come a time, if I live long enough, when I can no longer write publishable material. Then I will have to write for my own amusement. Rex Stout’s last book was written when he was 88 years old. P. G. Wodehouse was writing pretty well in his early 90s. Agatha Christie was falling off in her 80s. I had a heart attack this year. I might keep writing for another 30 years. But if for some reason I am no longer able to write, then it will certainly take all the terrors of dying away, so there will be that silver lining. So far, I detect no falling off of my abilities. In fact, this year my story “The Bicentennial Man” won all the awards.

“Is there anything else you’d like to ask me?” said Asimov when I had run out of questions. At that moment the telephone rang: he told his caller that no, he would, regrettably, be unable to accept an invitation to speak at Virginia because it was too far to go by train. “It’s more my loss than yours,” he said.

When I assured Asimov that there were no more questions, he disappeared into his study and emerged with a copy of his latest science fiction book, The Bicentennial Man and Other Stories. He signed it and presented it to me. As he walked me to the elevator he took a peek at his watch. His parting comment was: “Let’s see, I have to be downtown at 11:30. That gives me 10 minutes to dress and 10 minutes to write.”

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Directions: Answer the following questions. If you need more space to write an answer, write your answer on your own paper.

151 Which sentence spoken by Asimov about his autobiography best shows that he is humble? A “Right now my autobiography is the big project.” B “I have no ambition whatsoever outside of my writing.” C “It will probably be in two volumes—which is unreasonable, considering that I’ve led a very quiet life and not much has happened to me.” D “I guess the only thing is that I tend to go on and on when I’m on my favorite subject.”

152 Read these sentences from the end of the article. “His parting comment was: ‘Let’s see, I have to be downtown at 11:30. That gives me 10 minutes to dress and 10 minutes to write.’ ” What are these details included to show about Asimov? A His memory is not as good as it once was. B He tries to fit too much into his life. C He can be disorganized. D His main priority is his writing.

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153 Read the first paragraph of the article. Explain how the author’s introduction of Asimov shapes how the reader views him. What main qualities are emphasized by this opening paragraph? Use details from the paragraph to support your answer.

154 Read these sentences from paragraph 3. “He does not dictate his books; nor does he have a secretary. Asimov personally answers some 70 fan letters per week, and he gives speeches frequently. He also finds time for the press.” Explain why the author includes these sentences. Use details from the article to support your answer.

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155 In paragraph 4, the author describes the setting for the interview. Explain how the information sets a scene that is relevant to the main ideas of the interview. Use details from the article to support your answer.

156 Why do you think the author asks Asimov his opinion on mandatory retirement? In what way is his opinion likely to be biased? Use details from the article to support your answer.

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157 When asked where he goes on vacation, Asimov explains that he does not go on vacation. How does his answer to this question show his love of writing? Use details from the article to support your answer.

158 Read these sentences where Asimov describes his scientific achievements. “I could not with honesty say I accomplished anything of importance. I am not a first-rank researcher—perhaps not even a second-rank researcher.” Would Asimov most likely have sounded disappointed or indifferent when saying this? Use details from the article to support your conclusion.

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159 A main idea in the article is about Asimov’s dedication to his work. Explain how the four introductory paragraphs and Asimov’s answers show his dedication. Use at least two details from the introductory paragraphs and two details from Asimov’s answers to support your answer.

Planning Space You can write notes, make a list, or draw a chart to help plan your answer.

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160 Asimov’s literary career can be described as both productive and varied. Using details from the article, write a summary of his achievements to show both how productive he has been and how varied his successes have been.

Planning Space You can complete the graphic organizers below to help plan your answer.

Asimov has been productive.

Supporting Detail 1

Supporting Detail 2

Supporting Detail 3

Asimov’s successes have been varied.

Supporting Detail 1

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Supporting Detail 2

Supporting Detail 3

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Directions: Read the following two passages. Then answer the questions that follow.

The Goalkeeper By Marty Kaminsky 1

Growing up in North Brunswick, New Jersey, Tim Howard could never have imagined that he would make his living knocking shots away from the nets on soccer fields around the world. Parents and teachers were concerned about him. He would count, touch, and straighten things over and over. His facial muscles, shoulders, and body would sometimes twist and move in odd and unusual ways. He wouldn’t speak until his mother would touch him on the shoulder a certain number of times.

When he was 10, Howard was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome. People with Tourette’s sometimes make sudden, often strange physical movements or vocal sounds that they can’t control. Although this disorder is more common than most people know, kids who have it still are often teased.

“For me, it was roughest during my teen years between 14 and 18,” Howard explains. “I had tics, like head jerking and eye blinking, so I was definitely teased.” Howard says he found relief through sports, particularly basketball and soccer. In soccer he played all the field positions at first. But soon he decided to specialize at goalie and played on advanced-level travel teams. In basketball he was a power forward who outjumped or outmuscled everyone for the ball.

“The fact that I was an athlete helped me a lot,” Howard says. “When I played sports, people concentrated on my skills, not my tics. I would still have tics during the games, but I focused so much on the game that tics never bothered me. Sports helped me through those rough years.”

Fearless and Fast 5

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By the time Howard reached high school, he realized his future was in soccer, so he gave up basketball entirely. He graduated from high school in 1997 and signed a professional contract to play with the New Jersey Imperials, a team that was in the lower division of professional soccer. He played only six games with the Imperials before he was signed to a major league team. ©RALLY! EDUCATION. No part of this document may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.

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Howard played for five and a half seasons with the New York/New Jersey MetroStars (now called the New York Red Bulls). During the 2000 season, he earned the starting keeper position. The next season he led the league in saves and wins. As the 2002 season progressed, Howard was making a name for himself as a top goalie. At 6 feet 3 inches and 210 pounds, he was big for a goalie but exceptionally quick, a great leaper, and fearless.

Howard caught the attention of Sir Alex Ferguson, the manager of a popular and highly successful football club in England. He asked Howard to become the goalkeeper for Manchester United. Howard accepted and joined the team in 2003.

It was an honor for Howard to be selected for the team. “Tim has an ability to focus intensely, a will to train intensely, and a desire to be the best,” Ferguson said at the time.

Howard has continued to play for British football clubs, most recently for Everton. And he represented the United States as the goalkeeper at the World Cup in South Africa. Of his journey as an athlete with Tourette’s, Howard says, “In sports you always have to prove yourself every game. Having Tourette’s has helped me see that we all have hurdles we must jump over in order to succeed. The more hurdles you jump over, the more you learn about yourself.”

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Never Too Small By Marty Kaminsky 1

Have you ever had a hard time because you are small? It happens sometimes in sports. In many sports, coaches and spectators often think that the bigger you are, the better you will play.

That also means that in some sports smaller players tend to spend more time sitting on the bench.

But bigger is not necessarily better, as these very successful athletes have proven.

Professional soccer star Tiffeny Milbrett is only 5 feet 2. But she has scored nearly one hundred goals for the U.S. national team.

“Do the best you can

with the body you have.”

−Tiffeny Milbrett

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“Everything seems to be about being bigger, stronger, or faster,” Milbrett says. “I can’t begin to tell you how many times I have proven coaches to be wrong about me. I’ve been told that I could not reach balls that taller players can head, but I can outjump players who are eight inches taller than me.

“Do the best job you can with the body you have. Talent and ability count much more than size.” Despite being a top collegiate player, 5-feet-5 Earl Boykins was not drafted to play in the National Basketball Association. He had to prove himself in a minor professional league until NBA teams realized his worth. He is the second-shortest player in NBA history. (The shortest, Muggsy Bogues, is 5 feet 3.)

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“‘You’re too short.’ ‘You don’t belong.’ I heard that all the time, but I used it as motivation,” Boykins says. “My dad taught me the importance of hard work and believing in myself. Hearing taunts from fans just made me work that much harder.

“I always felt I could make it in the NBA if coaches would look past my size and focus on my strengths, like my speed and shooting ability.”

When opposing soccer players catch sight of 5-feet-7, 130-pound DaMarcus Beasley, they think it will be easy to push him away from the ball. The speedy midfielder is fouled more often than any player in men’s professional soccer, but that has not slowed him down.

“I know that I’m skinny; I just don’t like hearing about it all the time,” Beasley says. “As long as you can play the sport, size does not matter. There is no substitute for skill. Ever since I was a kid I’ve been small, so I use the abilities I do have. I use my speed, my brains, positioning, and ball-handling skills.”

Baltimore Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts is 5 feet 8. When he turns a double play, sliding runners trying to barrel into him often outweigh him by 40 pounds or more.

“When I was in high school, I heard “To succeed you need heart, determination, that I was too small and not strong confidence, and the ability to close your enough,” Roberts says. “I always ears to what others are saying about you.” felt that I had to prove myself, so −Brian Roberts I worked a little harder in the batting cage and the weight room. When I made it to the Majors, critics said I could not stand the wear and tear of a full season, but I’m proving them wrong. 13

“To succeed you need heart, determination, confidence, and the ability to close your ears to what others are saying about you.”

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U.S. Junior Gymnastics champion Nastia Liukin stands 4 feet 7 and weighs 66 pounds. Her father, at 5 feet 4, won two gold medals in gymnastics for the Soviet Union at the 1988 Olympic Games. Her mother, at 5 feet 6, was a 1987 world champion in rhythmic gymnastics. “If you love a sport, like I love gymnastics, you can overcome almost any weaknesses people may think you have,” says Liukin. “I know that I’m short and not as physically powerful as some, but that motivates me to learn how to do everything correctly and precisely.”

At 5 feet 10 and 188 pounds, the only place Wayne Chrebet is considered small is on the football field. Most of the other receivers in the National Football League are several inches taller and at least 20 pounds heavier.

“Some people think I don’t look like a football player, but they underestimate me,” Chrebet says. “Size definitely does matter—the size of your heart and your brain. If you believe that you can succeed and you use all your willpower and determination to work as hard as necessary, you will definitely make it.”

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Directions: Use “The Goalkeeper” to answer the following questions. If you need more space to write an answer, write your answer on your own paper.

161 The photograph in the article was probably selected mainly to show A Howard’s skill and determination B how much Howard has overcome C Howard’s love for playing sports D how proud Howard feels of himself

162 Which statement best explains how the quote from Sir Alex Ferguson in paragraph 8 supports the main idea? A It shows that many people were unaware that Howard had Tourette’s. B It shows that people in the soccer community recognized Howard’s ability. C It shows that Howard had to work harder than most players to be accepted. D It shows that some people saw Howard’s weaknesses as strengths.

163 The main message of the quote included in the last paragraph is about A not letting other people’s opinions affect you B overcoming obstacles to achieve your goals C making the most of every opportunity D learning from the people around you

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164 What main problem did Howard’s Tourette’s cause him as a teenager? Explain how playing sports offered relief from the problem. Use details from the article to support your answer.

Directions: Use “Never Too Small” to answer the following questions. If you need more space to write an answer, write your answer on your own paper.

165 Read this claim from paragraph 3. “But bigger is not necessarily better, as these very successful athletes have proven.” Explain how the author uses examples to support this statement. Use details from the article to support your answer.

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166 The author highlights part of the quotes by Tiffeny Milbrett and Brian Roberts. Explain why the author highlights these quotes. Do you feel that they are important points to highlight? Use details from the article to support your answer.

167 The article suggests that negative opinions can be turned into something positive by using them as a source of motivation. Identify two athletes from the article that have done this. Explain how their quotes show that they have done this. Use details from the article to support your answer.

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168 Read this quote from Nastia Liukin. “If you love a sport, like I love gymnastics, you can overcome almost any weaknesses people may think you have,” says Liukin. What does Liukin referring to weaknesses “people may think you have” suggest about how she feels about being short? Use details from the article to support your answer.

169 Look closely at the illustration on page 194. Which athlete in the illustration is the main focus? Explain how the way the athlete is shown relates to the main idea of the article. Use details from the illustration and the article to support your answer.

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Directions: Use both “The Goalkeeper” and “Never Too Small” to answer the following question.

170 Both articles describe how people can overcome problems to achieve great things in sports. How do the articles show that personal qualities are more important than physical qualities? In your answer, describe at least two personal qualities that are important to achieving success in sports. Using information from both articles, support your answer by giving specific examples of athletes with those qualities.

Planning Space You can complete the chart below to help plan your answer. Personal Qualities and Success in Sports Personal Quality

Supporting Details

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Directions: Read the following two passages. Then answer the questions that follow.

Balboa An Excerpt from Discoverers and Explorers by Edward R. Shaw

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The Spanish colonists on the island of Hispaniola made frequent visits to the mainland, searching for the rich cities of which Marco Polo had written.

Word reached the colonists that some of these gold hunters were starving at a place called Darien, and a ship was immediately sent to their relief. The cargo of the ship consisted of barrels of provisions and ammunition.

Imagine, if you can, the amazement of the commander of the expedition when, after his ships were under sail, a young and handsome man stepped out of one of the barrels. The young man was Vasco Nunez Balboa. He had chosen this way to escape from Cuba, where he owed large sums of money which he could not pay. The commander was angry, and threatened to leave Balboa on a desert island. But at length he took pity on the young man, and allowed him to remain on board the ship.

When the mainland was reached, the Spaniards who were already there, having heard of the cruelty of the commander, refused to let him land. He therefore put off to sea, and was never heard of again. Balboa then took command of the men and began immediately to explore the country.

He made a friendly alliance with an Indian chief, who presented him with gold and slaves. The Spaniards were delighted at the sight of so much riches. They began to melt and weigh the gold, and at last fell to quarreling desperately about the division of it.

This the Indians could not understand. They knew nothing of money, and valued the metal only because it could be made into beautiful ornaments.

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An Indian boy who had heard the dispute told the Spaniards that if they cared so much about that yellow stuff, it would be wise for them to go to a country where there was enough of it for all. The Spaniards eagerly questioned him regarding this place. The boy then described a country across the mountains and to the south, on the shores of a great sea, where the metal was so plentiful that the natives used it for their ordinary drinking cups and bowls.

Balboa immediately started southward across the mountains in search of this rich country. On his way he came upon a tribe of hostile Indians, who attacked him, but who fled in alarm from the guns of the Spaniards.

Taking some Indians as guides, Balboa pushed on through the mountains, and on September 25, 1513, from one of the highest peaks, looked down upon the Pacific Ocean.

With his Spaniards he descended the mountain, and in four days reached the shore of that magnificent body of water. Balboa waded out into it with his sword in his hand, and formally took possession of it for the King of Spain. He called it the South Sea, because he was looking toward the south when he first saw it; and the Pacific Ocean was known by this name for many years afterward.

On this shore he met an Indian who repeated to him the same story that the Indian boy had told about the rich country on the border of this sea and farther to the south.

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Balboa then made up his mind to find this country. Accordingly he returned to Darien, and sent word to the Spanish king of his great discovery of the South Sea.

He then began to take his ships apart, and to send them, piece by piece, across the mountains to the Pacific coast.

This was an enormous undertaking. The journey was a very difficult one, and hundreds of the poor Indians who carried the burdens dropped dead from exhaustion.

At length, after long months of labor, four ships were thus carried across the mountains and rebuilt on the Pacific coast. These were the first European vessels ever launched on the great South Sea. Three hundred men were in readiness to go with Balboa on his voyage in search of the rich country of the South.

A little iron and a little pitch were still needed for the ships, and Balboa delayed his departure in order to get these articles.

The delay gave his enemies, who were jealous because of his success, time to carry out a plot against him. They accused him of plotting to set up an independent government of his own, and caused him to be arrested for treason. In less than twenty-four hours this brave and high-spirited leader was tried, found guilty, and beheaded. So ended all his ambitious plans.

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Escape from Hispaniola Excerpt from a Play by Grace E. Bird and Maud Starling Scene I The Island of Hispaniola 1

BALBOA (writing at a table): When do you expect to sail for Darien?

MARTINO (looking up from a book which he has been reading): Tomorrow, if the wind is favorable.

BALBOA: I wish that I might go with you. I am tired of living on this island, and I long for the adventures that you explorers will enjoy.

MARTINO: Why, I thought that you were going with us.

BALBOA: How can I? My debts are so great that I am obliged to remain here until they are paid. I should be arrested if I were to leave.

MARTINO: I wish I had the money to lend you; but, as you know, I am a poor man.

BALBOA: I thank you just the same, Martino. You have always been a good friend to me.

MARTINO: How long will it take to pay what you owe?

BALBOA: All the rest of my life, I think, I have managed my affairs very badly. (He holds up a long paper.) These are only a few items of my indebtedness.

MARTINO: That is bad. We must devise some scheme by which you can escape from these difficulties.

BALBOA: I have thought and planned in vain, until I am tired.

MARTINO (rises and walks up and down, thinking deeply, then stops suddenly): I have it, Balboa. I have it.

BALBOA (laughing): Have what? Enough money to pay my debts?

MARTINO: No, a plan.

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BALBOA: Oh, is that all?

MARTINO: Yes, and a good one (pointing to a large barrel). Do you see that big cask yonder?

BALBOA: Of course I do; what has that to do with a plan?

MARTINO: It has everything to do with it. Be patient and I will explain. I will pack you in that barrel and ship you as dried fruit, or some other kind of provisions.

BALBOA (laughing): Nonsense. Being in debt is bad enough; but starving and smothering is worse. Besides, someone might turn the barrel upside down.

MARTINO: I will be responsible for keeping it right side up. Holes bored in the top will give you air; and you will not need much food for a day.

BALBOA: It may take more than a day to reach Darien.

MARTINO: Of course it will; but when we are safe at sea you can come out of your hiding place. The captain will never turn the ship around to bring you back. Besides, none of your creditors will be on board.

BALBOA: If I thought the plan were possible, I would risk it.

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MARTINO: I am sure that we shall succeed if you will agree to leave the matter to me.

BALBOA (rising from his chair): Martino, I am tempted to try it.

MARTINO: Will you do it?

BALBOA (seizing Martino’s hand): Yes, I will. It is no great risk, and anything will be better than staying here.

[They go out.] Scene II On Shipboard

SAILOR (running in, frightened): Masters, masters, I have seen a ghost!

CAPTAIN: What foolishness is this, man? There are no such things as ghosts.

PILOT: Whose ghost was it?

SAILOR: Balboa’s. He must have died just after we sailed.

MATE: Where did you see it?

SAILOR: Its head was poking out of that barrel of provisions over there—the one with Martino’s name on it.

CAPTAIN (whistling): That is strange. We had better look into this. (Balboa is seen climbing out of the barrel. They all start back, amazed.)

BALBOA (talking to himself): I’m glad to get out of that. I am so cramped I can scarcely move.

CAPTAIN (sternly): Balboa, how do you happen to be here? Explain yourself.

BALBOA: I throw myself upon your mercy, Captain. I had to come in this way, or not at all. I owe so much money that there was no hope of my ever being able to leave the island.

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CAPTAIN: Well, young man, do you think that we are willing to help you break the law, and—

PILOT (interrupting): Excuse my interruption, Captain, but we cannot turn the ship back now.

CAPTAIN: Then we can put him off at the next barren island.

MATE: He would starve to death.

SAILOR (whimpering): Yes, and then his real ghost would haunt us.

CAPTAIN: Silence! It shall be as I say.

BALBOA: I am in your power, Captain. I have no excuse to offer; but I hoped that you would not be hard on me.

SAILOR (falling to his knees): Have pity on him, Captain. Let him go along with us.

MARTINO (approaching): All this is my fault. Let me take the punishment.

CAPTAIN: You both deserve punishment for evading the law; but I will not decide against you too hastily.

MARTINO: It is an unjust law that has left Balboa so long at Hispaniola. He can earn money to pay his debts twice as fast at Darien, where there is more work to do.

CAPTAIN: Was that your intention in coming, Balboa?

BALBOA: Indeed, sir, I intend to pay every pistole.

CAPTAIN: In that case you may go with us; but a law should be obeyed until a better one takes its place.

BALBOA: I thank you for your kindness to me.

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[All go except Balboa and Martino.]

MARTINO: That was a narrow escape.

BALBOA: Yes, but it was worth the risk.

[They go out arm in arm.] ©RALLY! EDUCATION. No part of this document may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.

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Directions: Use “Balboa” to answer the following questions. If you need more space to write an answer, write your answer on your own paper.

171 Read this sentence from paragraph 7. “An Indian boy who had heard the dispute told the Spaniards that if they cared so much about that yellow stuff, it would be wise for them to go to a country where there was enough of it for all.” What does the Indian boy calling the gold “that yellow stuff” mainly show? A He does not know exactly where the gold is. B He has not seen gold before. C He does not think highly of gold. D He knows that gold is rare.

172 The art shows Balboa claiming the South Sea for Spain. The art mainly suggests that Balboa feels A relieved B exhausted C determined D honored

173 What is the most likely reason the Indians tell Balboa about the gold so readily? A They believe he will employ them to help him find it. B They fear he will harm them if they try to hide it. C They want to trick Balboa into sailing to another land. D They have no desire to gain the gold for themselves.

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174 The article describes how Balboa moved the ships to the South Sea by having them taken apart and carried across the mountains. Describe a feature that could be added to the article to emphasize how great an undertaking this was. Explain why you chose that feature and how it would emphasize the enormity of the task.

Directions: Use “Escape from Hispaniola” to answer the following questions. If you need more space to write an answer, write your answer on your own paper.

175 At the start of Scene II, a sailor describes how he has seen a ghost. What does the audience know at this point that the characters do not? How does this affect how the audience would view the scene? Use details from the play to support your answer.

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176 How do the actions of the characters in the play suggest that Balboa is liked and respected by people? Give at least two specific examples from the play to support your answer.

Directions: Use both “Balboa” and “Escape from Hispaniola” to answer the following questions. If you need more space to write an answer, write your answer on your own paper.

177 In the play, Martino is one of the main characters and plays a major role, but Martino is not mentioned in the article. Explain why you think Martino is included in the play but not the article. Use details from both the article and the play to support your answer.

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178 Read this line from Scene I of the play. “BALBOA: I wish that I might go with you. I am tired of living on this island, and I long for the adventures that you explorers will enjoy.” This line suggests that Balboa was a person who longed for adventure. Does the article give the same impression of Balboa? Use details from the article to support your conclusion.

179 Read this sentence from paragraph 3 of the article. “But at length he took pity on the young man, and allowed him to remain on board the ship.” Explain how the play gives a different view of why the captain allowed Balboa to remain on board the ship. Use details from the play to support your answer.

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180 The first three paragraphs of the article describe the historical events that are portrayed in the play. Explain how the play expands on the information in the article and presents the events in a more dramatic way. In your answer, describe how three details from the article are dramatized in the play. Use information from the article and the play to support your answer.

Planning Space You can complete the chart below to help plan your answer.

Dramatizing the Historical Events Detail or Event from the Article

How It Is Dramatized in the Play

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Part D: All Together

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Directions: Read the passage. Then answer the questions that follow it.

The Perplexity of Zadig A Story from The Strange Story Book by Mrs. Lang

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On the banks of the river Euphrates there once lived a man called Zadig, who spent all his days watching the animals he saw about him and in learning their ways, and in studying the plants that grew near his hut. And the more he knew of them, the more he was struck with the differences he discovered even in the beasts or flowers which he thought when he first saw them were exactly alike.

One morning as he was walking through a little wood there came running towards him an officer of the queenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s household, followed by several of her attendants. Zadig noticed that one and all seemed in the greatest anxiety and glanced from side to side with wild eyes as if they had lost something they held to be very precious, and hoped against hope that it might be lurking in some quite impossible place.

On catching sight of Zadig, the first of the band stopped suddenly.

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“Young man,” he said, panting for breath, “have you seen the queen’s pet dog?”

“It is a tiny spaniel, is it not?” answered Zadig, “which limps on the left fore-paw, and has very long ears?”

“Ah then, you have seen it!” exclaimed the steward joyfully, thinking that his search was at an end and his head was safe, for he knew of many men who had lost theirs for less reason.

“No,” replied Zadig, “I have never seen it. Indeed, I did not so much as know that the queen had a dog.”

At these words the faces of the whole band fell, and with sighs of disappointment they hurried on twice as fast as before, to make up for lost time.

Strange to say, it had happened that the finest horse in the king’s stable had broken away from its groom and galloped off no one knew where, over the boundless plains of Babylon. The chief huntsman and all the other officials pursued it with the same eagerness that the officers of the household had displayed in running after the queen’s dog and, like them, met with Zadig who was lying on the ground watching the movements of some ants.

“Has the king’s favorite horse passed by here?” inquired the great huntsman, drawing rein.

“You mean a wonderful galloper fifteen hands high, shod with very small shoes, and with a tail three feet and a half long? The ornaments of his bit are of gold and he is shod with silver?”

“Yes, yes, that is the runaway,” cried the chief huntsman; “which way did he go?”

“The horse? But I have not seen him,” answered Zadig, “and I never even heard of him before.”

Now Zadig had described both the horse and the dog so exactly that both the steward and the chief huntsman did not doubt for a moment that they had been stolen by him.

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The chief huntsman said no more, but ordered his men to seize the thief and to bring him before the supreme court, where he was condemned to be flogged and to pass the rest of his life in exile. Scarcely, however, had the sentence been passed than the horse and dog were discovered and brought back to their master and mistress, who welcomed them with delight. But as no one would have respected the judges any longer if they had once admitted that they had been altogether mistaken, they informed Zadig that, although he was to be spared the flogging and would not be banished from the country, he must pay four hundred ounces of gold for having declared he had not seen what he plainly had seen.

With some difficulty Zadig raised the money, and when he had paid it into court, he asked permission to say a few words of explanation.

“Moons of justice and mirrors of truth,” he began. “I swear to you by the powers of earth and of air that never have I beheld the dog of the queen nor the horse of the king. And if this assembly will deign to listen to me for a moment, I will inform them exactly what happened. Before I met with the officers of the queen’s household I had noticed on the sand the marks of an animal’s paws, which I instantly recognized to be those of a small dog; and as the marks were invariably fainter on one side than on the three others, it was easy to guess that the dog limped on one paw. Besides this, the sand on each side of the front paw-marks was ruffled on the surface, showing that the ears were very long and touched the ground.

“As to the horse, I had perceived along the road the traces of shoes, always at equal distances, which proved to me that the animal was a perfect galloper. I then detected on closer examination, that though the road was only seven feet wide, the

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dust on the trees both on the right hand and on the left had been swept to a height of three and a half feet, and from that I concluded the horse’s tail, which had switched off the dust, must be three and a half feet long. Next, five feet from the ground I noticed that twig and leaves had been torn off the trees, so evidently he was fifteen hands high. As to the ornaments on his bit, he had scraped one of them against a rock on turning a corner too sharply, and some traces of gold remained on it, while the light marks left on the soil showed that his shoes were not of iron but of a less heavy metal, which could only be silver.” 19

Great was the amazement of the judges and of everybody else at the perception and reasoning of Zadig. At court, no one talked of anything else; and though many of the wise men declared that Zadig should be burnt as a wizard, the king commanded that the four hundred ounces of gold, which he had paid as a fine, should be restored to him. In obedience to this order, the clerk of the court and the ushers came in state to Zadig’s hut, bringing with them the four hundred ounces; but, when they arrived, they told Zadig that three hundred and ninety-eight of them were due for law expenses, so he was not much better off than before.

Zadig said nothing, but let them keep the money. He had learned how dangerous it is to be wiser than your neighbors, and resolved never again to give any information to anybody, or to say what he had seen.

He had very speedily a chance of putting this determination into practice. A prisoner of state escaped from the great jail of Babylon, and in his flight happened to pass beneath the window of Zadig’s hut. Not long after, the warders of the jail discovered which way he had gone, and cross-questioned Zadig closely. Zadig, warned by experience, kept silence; but notwithstanding, it was proved—or at least, they said so— that Zadig had been looking out of the window when the man went by, and for this crime he was sentenced by the judges to pay five hundred ounces of gold.

“Good gracious!” he murmured to himself as, according to the custom of Babylon, he thanked the court for its indulgence. “What is one to do? It is dangerous to stand at your own window, or to be in a wood which the king’s horse and the queen’s dog have passed through. How hard it is to live happily in this life!”

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Directions: Answer the following questions. If you need more space to write an answer, write your answer on your own paper.

181 In paragraph 2, Zadig observes how the officer and attendants “glanced from side to side with wild eyes.” This description is mainly included to show that they felt A angry B panicked C overwhelmed D irritated

182 Read paragraph 8 from the story. “At these words the faces of the whole band fell, and with sighs of disappointment they hurried on twice as fast as before, to make up for lost time.” What does the phrase “the faces of the whole band fell” mean? A They all gave up searching. B They all started arguing. C They all lost their looks of happiness. D They all knew they would be beheaded.

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183 The first paragraph introduces the main character. Identify the main quality of Zadig described in this paragraph. Explain how it is important to the plot. Use details from the story to support your answer.

184 Read this dialogue from paragraphs 12 and 13. “Yes, yes, that is the runaway,” cried the chief huntsman; “which way did he go?” “The horse? But I have not seen him,” answered Zadig, “and I never even heard of him before.” Describe how each character feels as they speak and what this shows about what they are thinking. How does this help show why the characters have a misunderstanding? Use details from the story to support your answer.

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185 There are several occasions in the story where Zadig is wronged. Complete the chart below by listing two examples. For each example, give one thing that Zadig could have done to have the wrong addressed.

Example of Being Wronged

Action Zadig Could Have Taken

186 In paragraphs 17 and 18, Zadig explains how he knew what the dog and the horse looked like. What effect does this have on his punishment? Would the effect have been the same if he had explained this before the animals were found? Use details from the story to support your answer.

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187 Read this sentence from paragraph 20. “He had learned how dangerous it is to be wiser than your neighbors, and resolved never again to give any information to anybody, or to say what he had seen.” How does this decision backfire? Use details from the story to support your answer.

188 Think about how Zadig is arrested after describing both the dog and horse. Do you think that this would have happened if only the dog had escaped? Use details from the story to support your conclusion.

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189 In the story, Zadig describes both the dog and the horse in detail. At this point in the story, the reader does not know exactly how Zadig knows this information. Describe three ways this makes the story more entertaining. Use details from the story to support your answer.

Planning Space You can complete the graphic organizer below to help plan your answer.

The author not revealing how Zadig knows what the horse and dog look like makes the story more entertaining.

Supporting Idea

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Supporting Idea

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190 Read this dialogue from Zadig from the last paragraph. “What is one to do? It is dangerous to stand at your own window, or to be in a wood which the king’s horse and the queen’s dog have passed through. How hard it is to live happily in this life!” Explain how the events of the story cause Zadig to feel like he cannot win no matter what decision he makes. Use details from the story to support your answer.

Planning Space You can write notes, make a list, or draw a chart to help plan your answer.

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Directions: Read the following two passages. Then answer the questions that follow.

How Banks Work By Sheila Bair 1

Have you ever noticed the vault when you go to the bank? A vault is a room, usually at the back of a bank, with thick walls, a heavy door, and a big lock. All banks have one.

When I was a kid, I thought the vault at my bank was where the bank kept all the money that people put into their accounts. I thought it was piled high with crisp green bills and shiny coins. Then one day I was at the bank with my dad, and the vault door was open just a crack. While my dad talked to a friend, I sneaked over to the vault to peek inside. Do you know what I saw? 3

There was no money at all inside, not even a penny. Just rows and rows of little metal drawers.

“There’s no money in the bank! There’s no money in the bank!” I shouted as I ran back to my dad.

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Everyone in the bank stopped talking and looked at me. The bank manager ran out of his office,

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red-faced and excited. “Why are you telling everyone that the bank has no money?” he asked. 6

“Somebody must have stolen it,” I said. “There isn’t a single coin in the vault.”

The bank manager smiled and let out a big sigh. Then he explained to me how a bank works.

It turns out that the little metal drawers I saw in the vault are called safe-deposit boxes. A bank’s customers use those boxes to store their valuables, such as jewelry and important papers. Cash is usually kept in a separate, hidden area at the back of the vault. But I learned that most of the money people put into a bank isn’t kept inside the bank at all.

When you put money into a bank, it’s called making a deposit. The bank teller carefully notes the exact amount of your deposit. The cash you deposit is then mixed up with money other people have deposited. But instead of leaving that money in the vault, the bank lends it out. It lends money to people to help them pay for expensive things they can’t afford on their own, like houses or cars. Banks also lend money to help people start or expand businesses.

People who receive these loans pay the bank back over time, usually in monthly payments. They also pay the bank a little extra money, called interest. The extra money the bank makes from interest on loans helps pay for the cost of running the bank.

Sometimes people are surprised to learn that the money they put into a bank is loaned out to other people. I was. After all, it’s our money, not the bank’s. But the bank pays depositors for being able to lend their money. Those payments are also called interest, and they are based on a percentage of the amount that’s been deposited.

A bank doesn’t lend all of its depositors’ money. It always holds plenty of money back to make sure it has enough when people want to take their money out. Banks must obey strict rules about this. Also, a government agency called the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or FDIC, insures deposits at most banks up to $100,000. That means that if your bank got into trouble and couldn’t give your money back, this agency would step in and pay you back, up to $100,000. That

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hardly ever happens, but when you open a bank account, it’s a good idea to make sure your money is insured by the FDIC. 13

Banks have changed a lot since I was a little girl. But they still take deposits and make loans, just as they did when I peeked into my bank’s vault so many years ago. Though I didn’t know it then, there’s one thing I know now. All your money may not be locked inside the thick walls of your bank’s vault, but it’s as safe as it can be.

Interest Made Easy Interest on a loan is based on a percentage of the amount the bank is lending. Let’s say you received a loan of $100 for one year at ten percent interest. At the end of the year, you would need to pay back the $100 plus $10, because $10 is ten percent of $100. Loan x Interest Rate = Interest Due to Bank $100 x 10% = $10

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Interest on deposits works the same way, except this time around, the bank pays you. If you deposited $100 into a savings account that paid you five percent interest per year, the bank would pay you $5 in interest at the end of the year, because $5 is five percent of $100. Deposit x Interest Rate = Interest Due to You $100 x 5% = $5

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How to Grow Your Own Money Tree By Paul H. O’Neill, with Sheila Bair 1

Did you know that money can grow?

I don’t mean that if you plant a dollar bill and water it for a few weeks, a money tree will grow out of the ground. (Though that would be nice, wouldn’t it?)

I mean that money can grow if you “plant” it in the right places— places like savings accounts at banks. If you leave your money in one of these places for a long time, it can grow into a much larger amount.

The reason for this is something called compound interest.

Let’s say that when you were born, your grandparents put $1,000 into a bank account to save for your college education. When they put the money in the bank, the bank agreed to pay 10 percent each year for every year they left the money there. (Ten percent is actually higher than what most banks would pay these days, but it makes the math easier if we use that figure.) This 10 percent is called “interest.” The bank could pay the interest in two ways, one called “simple” and the other called “compound.” Let’s start with simple interest because it is simpler!

In figuring out simple interest, the bank would take 10 percent of $1,000, or $100, and add it to your grandparents’ account each year.

10% x $1,000 = $100

If your grandparents left the $1,000 in the account until you reached 18 years of age, the bank would pay $1,800 in simple interest.

$100 x 18 years = $1,800

Add that amount to the original $1,000 deposit, and by the time you were ready for college, you would have $2,800.

$1,000 + $1,800 = $2,800

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Now, let’s say the bank offered to pay compound interest instead of simple interest. Simple interest is based, year after year, on the same amount—$1,000 in our example. Compound interest is different. Year after year, it is based on a bigger and bigger amount.

Here’s how the bank would figure compound interest on your grandparents’ account. In the first year, the bank would pay $100, or 10 percent on the original $1,000, the same as if it were paying simple interest.

10% x $1,000 = $100

At the end of the second year, the bank would combine, or “compound,” the first year’s interest of $100 with the original $1,000. As a result, they would figure the interest based on 10 percent of $1,100, not $1,000.

10% x $1,100 = $110

The bank would add the $110 to the $1,100 already in the account for a total of $1,210 after the second year.

$100 + $1,100 = $1,210

The bank would do this year after year, figuring each year’s 10 percent interest payment not on the original $1,000, but on $1,000 plus all of the previous years’ interest payments. If the bank kept doing this for 18 years, your grandparents would have about $5,560— more than five times what they started with!

When you are saving money, compound interest can make your money grow into a really big amount. The longer you leave your money in savings, the bigger it will grow. If you wait long enough, the money you “plant” will grow into a great big money tree.

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Here is another interesting fact about compound interest: the more often your interest is compounded, the faster your money will grow. Imagine that you struck a bargain with your parents. They could reduce your allowance to ten cents a week, but in return, they would agree to pay you an additional 10 percent compound interest each week. They might think that was a good deal. During the first several weeks, your allowance would grow by just a few pennies. Then the magic of compounding interest would start to appear. After a year, your allowance would grow to $14.20 per week. After two years, it would grow to $2,017.61 a week. After eight years, your weekly allowance would be more than sixteen quintillion dollars— many times more dollars than exist in the entire world! (My guess is that your parents would want to change their bargain with you long before that time.)

Paul H. O’Neill is a former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. ©RALLY! EDUCATION. No part of this document may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.

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Directions: Use “How Banks Work” to answer the following questions. If you need more space to write an answer, write your answer on your own paper.

191 Which sentence describes how the bank benefits from lending out money? A “The cash you deposit is then mixed up with money other people have deposited.” B “It lends money to people to help them pay for expensive things they can’t afford on their own, like houses or cars.” C “People who receive these loans pay the bank back over time, usually in monthly payments.” D “The extra money the bank makes from interest on loans helps pay for the cost of running the bank.”

192 What is the main purpose of the information in paragraph 11? A to persuade people not to be concerned about their money being loaned out B to encourage people to keep more money in the bank C to explain why the banks need to lend money to people D to discourage people from keeping large amounts of money in the bank

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193 The article is based on an anecdote about seeing that a bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vault is empty. Do you think that this anecdote is true? Explain why or why not. Use details from the article to support your answer.

194 The author supports the idea that the bank can be trusted by describing the rules and regulations that must be followed. Complete the chart below by listing two rules or regulations and describing how they create trust.

Rule or Regulation

How It Creates Trust

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195 Look closely at the art showing the girl and the banker standing in front of a bank. Describe three specific details from the art that are used to create feelings of trust.

Directions: Use “How to Grow Your Own Money Tree” to answer the following questions. If you need more space to write an answer, write your answer on your own paper.

196 Describe the tone of the article. What does the tone suggest about who the author is addressing in the article? Use details from the article to support your answer.

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197 The article uses the idea of a money tree throughout. Explain how the idea of a money tree represents the main idea. Use details from the article to support your answer.

198 Read this sentence from the last section of the article. “They could reduce your allowance to ten cents a week, but in return, they would agree to pay you an additional 10 percent compound interest each week.” Explain why the author describes this scenario. What do the effects of this scenario show about compound interest? Use details from the article to support your answer.

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Directions: Use both “How Banks Work” and “How to Grow Your Own Money Tree” to answer the following questions.

199 The first article is written by Sheila Bair, while the second article is written by Paul H. O’Neill with Sheila Bair. How does this affect how credible the information in each article is? Explain your answer. Use details from both articles to support your answer.

Planning Space You can write notes, make a list, or draw a chart to help plan your answer.

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200 Both articles give information about how interest works. Compare the information given by describing what information is given and what the purpose of the information given is. Use details from both articles to support your answer.

Planning Space You can write notes, make a list, or draw a chart to help plan your answer.

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Directions: Read the passage. Then answer the questions that follow it.

The Old Oaken Bucket By Edmund A. Fortier 1

Visitors still stop at the old house in Scituate, Massachusetts. But the house is not what brings them there. What they want to see is the old stone well beside it—and the iron-bound water bucket that’s perched on its rim. 2

Two hundred years ago, this farmhouse was the home of Samuel Woodworth. During the long summers of his childhood, young Samuel would often pause at the well. It was a welcome break, especially on a hot afternoon. On such a day he would eagerly draw a bucketful of cold water and quench his thirst with a refreshing drink.

When he was fourteen, Woodworth left Scituate. His family was poor, so he set out for Boston to work as a printer’s apprentice. In time he traveled to New York City, where he started his own newspaper. Later he worked as an editor at other newspapers and magazines while writing novels, plays, and poetry in his spare time. His life was busy, and he rarely had time to visit the family farm. 3

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But Woodworth never stopped thinking of his Scituate home. Working in hectic New York made him homesick for the peace and solitude of life in the country. On a hot day in 1817, Scituate was very much on his mind.

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After work one evening, Woodworth poured himself a glass of city water. It wasn’t very refreshing. Casually he remarked to his wife, Lydia, how wonderful it would be to have a long, cool drink from the oaken bucket at his father’s well. Lydia had a suggestion: Why not put it to poetry?

It was a suggestion Woodworth could not resist. That night he wrote “The Bucket.” In it he captured the world of his childhood on a hot summer day and the simple joy of stopping for a drink at his father’s well.

The poem was an instant success. It seemed to touch everyone who had ever been homesick. At the height of its popularity, “The Old Oaken Bucket” (as it came to be called) was translated into four languages, and the words were set to a popular tune of the time. Over the years, countless people have read or sung Woodworth’s ode to his boyhood. Today it is the official song of Scituate, Massachusetts.

In his time, Samuel Woodworth was a successful writer. Now his poems and plays are all but forgotten. He would be, too—if it hadn’t been for a glass of warm water, some good advice from his wife, and his love of those long-ago days on the farm.

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The Old Oaken Bucket By Samuel Woodworth 1

How dear to my heart are the scenes of my childhood, When fond recollection presents them to view! The orchard, the meadow, and deep-tangled wildwood, And every loved spot which my infancy knew, The wide-spreading pond and the mill which stood by it, The bridge and the rock where the cataract fell; The cot of my father, the dairy house nigh it, And e’en the rude bucket which hung in the well. The old oaken bucket, the iron-bound bucket, The moss-covered bucket which hung in the well.

That moss-covered bucket I hailed as a treasure; For often at noon, when returned from the field, I found it the source of an exquisite pleasure, The purest and sweetest that nature can yield. How ardent I seized it with hands that were glowing! And quick to the white-pebbled bottom it fell; Then soon, with the emblem of truth overflowing, And dripping with coolness, it rose from the well; The old oaken bucket, the iron-bound bucket, The moss-covered bucket, arose from the well.

How sweet from the green mossy brim to receive it, As poised on the curb, it inclined to my lips! Not a full blushing goblet could tempt me to leave it, Though filled with the nectar that Jupiter sips. And now, far removed from the loved situation, The tear of regret will intrusively swell, As fancy reverts to my father’s plantation, And sighs for the bucket which hangs in the well; The old oaken bucket, the iron-bound bucket, The moss-covered bucket which hangs in the well.

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Directions: Answer the following questions. If you need more space to write an answer, write your answer on your own paper.

201 In the first line of the poem, the phrase “dear to my heart” means that the memories are A vague B cherished C upsetting D expensive

202 Which statement best explains how the article helps readers understand the meaning of the poem? A It describes the important role the poet’s wife played. B It tells how the poem was successful immediately. C It analyzes the importance of the rhythm of the poem. D It explains what the poet was thinking when he wrote it.

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203 How does the illustration help show the setting Woodworth was describing when writing the poem? In your answer, describe how the mood of the setting relates to the meaning of the poem.

204 In the last three lines of each stanza, the poet describes the bucket. The poet’s feelings about the bucket seem to develop as he remembers it. Complete the chart below by describing what the phrase listed suggests about how the speaker feels about the bucket at each point in the poem.

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Stanza

Phrase

“the rude bucket”

“dripping with coolness”

“sighs for the bucket”

How the Speaker Feels About the Bucket

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205 In Roman mythology, Jupiter is the king of the gods. Explain why the poet describes the water as “the nectar that Jupiter sips” in the last stanza. Use details from the poem to support your answer.

206 Read these lines from stanza 3. “And now, far removed from the loved situation, The tear of regret will intrusively swell,” How do these lines reveal the theme of homesickness? Use details from the poem to support your answer.

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207 The article states that the poem was originally called “The Bucket.” Give two reasons “The Old Oaken Bucket” is a more effective title for the poem. Use details from the poem to support your answer.

208 Read this sentence from the article where the author summarizes the poem. “In it he captured the world of his childhood on a hot summer day and the simple joy of stopping for a drink at his father’s well.” Is this sentence a good summary of the poem? Explain why or why not. Use details from the poem to support your answer.

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209 The poem is divided into three stanzas. Describe how the structure of the poem represents the speaker recalling a memory. In your answer, describe the purpose and the main ideas developed in each stanza. Use details from the poem to support your answer.

Planning Space You can complete the chart below to help plan your answer.

Stanza

Purpose and Main Ideas Developed

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210 The bucket described in the poem is most important because of what it represents. Describe what the bucket represented to Woodworth and what you feel it represents to readers of the poem today. Use details from the article and the poem to support your answer.

Planning Space You can write notes, make a list, or draw a chart to help plan your answer.

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Directions: Read the passage. Then answer the questions that follow it.

Homemade Miniature Golf: A Party Plan By Mary Nerburn

Invitations 1

To make “golf ball” invitations, fold white paper in half. Trace around a small bowl on each paper slightly overlapping the folded edge.

Cut out the circle. On the front, print “You’re invited to a mini-golf party!” Use crayons or markers to make the invitation look like a golf ball. Inside the card, write • Where: (your full name)’s Home Golf Course • Address: (your address) • Date: (date of the party) • Tee time: (time the party begins) (Party ends at ___ o’clock.) • Refreshments will be served. • Please reply: (your phone number)

Decorations 3

Cut out a large poster-board circle and decorate it to look like the golf-ball invitation. With your parents’ help, hang it on your front door.

Decorate the table with a white tablecloth and green paper plates. At each place setting, draw a “green” with a green crayon and provide a plastic spoon and green napkin.

Make small flags from paper and tape them near the tops of straws (leaving room for your guests to drink). Place one in each guest’s drink cup. Write guests’ names on the flags to use them as placecards.

Decorate the room with small white balloons and green crepe-paper streamers.

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You’ll need an open area, such as a yard, basement, or garage. The ideas for creating a homemade miniature-golf course are nearly endless. Use your imagination and available materials to design your own. Here are some ideas.

Collect materials ahead of time so that each guest can make and decorate a golf club at the party. Use a long cardboard tube for each club.

To add the club head, cut a piece of heavy cardboard about 3 inches wide and 10 inches long. Fold it in half and tape it to the bottom of the club. Paint the club.

Provide one plastic golf ball or table-tennis ball for each guest. Use a permanent marker to write guests’ names on the balls.

To make the golf “holes,” use various containers, such as buckets, plastic flowerpots, or well-rinsed milk cartons. Lay the containers on their sides so the golf balls will roll into them easily. Secure them by placing bricks or rocks alongside.

Make ramps by propping one end of a piece of thin wood or thick cardboard on a brick. You can fold up the edges of the cardboard to make a rim so balls won’t fall off the sides. Other possible ramp materials include rubber doormats or bathmats or pieces of plastic racetrack. Place a container upright under the high end of the ramp.

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To make tunnels, ask a parent to help you cut cardboard containers or plastic bottles in half lengthwise, remove the tops and bottoms, and line up the middle sections from end to end.

A sandbox can become a “sand trap.” Or you might require guests to putt up a ramp and over a short jump to another ramp.

Short on space? Build your course in a smaller area. Tee off with “golf ball” marbles and “golf club” rulers. Sink putts into yogurt tubs and paper cups and through cardboard-tube tunnels.

Activities Golf-Ball Guess 16

Fill a large clear-plastic jar with miniature marshmallows. (Count them as you put them in.) As guests arrive, have them guess the number of “golf balls” in the jar. Give a small prize to the person whose guess is closest. Mini-Golf Game

When all guests have arrived, it’s tee-off time! Make sure holes are clearly marked so players can follow your course. Have everyone go through the course together. For a large group, split into teams. Give players paper and pencils to keep track of their strokes. The player or team to get through the course with the lowest number of strokes wins. Golf Buddies

Seat your guests at the dinner table. Provide them with scissors, glue, felt, markers, fabric, and yarn. Give each guest a plastic golf ball, tee, and some modeling clay. Have them create a face on the golf ball, then glue the “head” onto a golf-tee “body” and stand their creation in a small, shaped mound of clay. When everyone has finished, clear away the craft materials. Tee-Tin Toss

One at a time, players stand behind a line and try to toss seven golf tees into a muffin tin about five feet away. The person who gets in the most tees wins.

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One Fell into the Water Trap 20

Arrange several objects on a tray. Show the tray to the guests for one minute. After taking the tray out of sight, remove one object. Have players guess which item has disappeared.

Refreshments

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Let golfers assemble their own “club” sandwiches from bread, luncheon meat, tuna or egg salad, cheese and tomato slices, lettuce, and mayonnaise or mustard. Serve fruit juice with ice cubes that have mini-marshmallow “golf balls” frozen inside them.

For dessert, crush tan-colored cookies into a small bowl (the sand trap) for each guest, and put small balls of ice cream on top.

As guests leave, give them their handmade golf clubs and golf buddies to take home—and thank each guest for spending a day of golf and fun with you!

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Directions: Answer the following questions. If you need more space to write an answer, write your answer on your own paper.

211 Read these sentences from paragraph 7. “The ideas for creating a homemade miniature-golf course are nearly endless. Use your imagination and available materials to design your own.” What idea about designing the golf course are these sentences included mainly to show? A You may require assistance from an adult. B You will need to plan carefully and allow plenty of time. C You should enjoy the process and have fun with it. D You could research the topic to come up with ideas.

212 In paragraph 11, the author says to secure the containers by placing bricks or rocks alongside. What does the word secure refer to? A preventing the containers from getting damaged B stopping the containers from being stolen C making sure the containers stay in place D showing the containers are to be aimed for

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213 Read the section of the article that describes preparing the invitations. Complete the table below by identifying two golf-related terms that are used in the invitations. For each term, list what it means when playing golf and what it means as it relates to the party.

Term

Meaning When Playing Golf

Meaning Related to the Party

214 Read the information in paragraphs 8 and 9 about making the golf clubs. Describe how the author could have presented this information to make the process clearer. In your answer, include at least one feature the author could add to improve the readerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s understanding.

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215 In paragraph 10, the author says to provide plastic golf balls or table-tennis balls for guests to use when playing golf. What is the main reason the author probably recommends using these softer balls instead of real golf balls? Do you think it would be a problem if real golf balls were used? Use details from the article to support your answer.

216 In the section titled “Activities,” five different golf-related activities are described. How does the range of activities help create a party that would be entertaining from start to finish and suited to all guests? Use details from the article to support your answer.

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217 Look closely at the illustration of the people playing golf. What points about how to make the miniature golf course does the illustration support? Identify three points in your answer.

218 In the section titled “Refreshments,” the author describes two food items that can be served at the party. Compare how the two food items are related to golf. Use details from the section to support your answer.

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219 The article describes a range of activities to be played at the party. Are the activities meant to be competitive? Use details from the article to support your conclusion.

Planning Space You can write notes, make a list, or draw a chart to help plan your answer.

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220 As well as the party involving playing miniature golf, the article describes how the golfing theme can be worked into all aspects of the party. Summarize how the golfing theme is applied to the invitations, the decorations, the activities, and the refreshments. Use details from the article to support your answer.

Planning Space You can complete the chart below to help plan your answer.

Applying the Golfing Theme

Aspect

How the Theme Is Applied

invitations

decorations

activities

refreshments

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Directions: Read the passage. Then answer the questions that follow it.

The Land of Equal Chance By the National School Service Time: January, 19â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Place: at the edge of the land 1

[On either side of the stage there are two small curtained windows. At the center of the stage, back, are two long steps leading to a dark, closed curtain. Enter from one side FATHER TIME, from the other MOTHER SPACE.]

FATHER TIME: Happy New Year, Mother Space! What do you carry so carefully?

MOTHER SPACE: Shall I let you see? (She unrolls her large map.) See, a land of rocks and rills, of woods and templed hills. Here are the broad prairies, here the great mountains full of treasure, and down here the sweet, warm southern fields.

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FATHER TIME (looks at the unrolled scroll): That seems to be a map of the United States.

MOTHER SPACE: Most people call it that. I call it the Land-of-EqualChance.

FATHER TIME: An excellent name!

MOTHER SPACE: By all the fields, mountains, cities, and prairies, what sort of child do you think should live here?

FATHER TIME: Leave that to me. (Calls.) Come, Young America. (Calls again and again.)

[At last YOUNG AMERICA dressed as a boy scout, pack on back, enters cautiously.]

FATHER TIME: Come, Young America, Mother Space gives you this chart to the Land-of-Equal-Chance. Go, the land lies beyond. It is your domain.

YOUNG AMERICA (bewildered): But what shall I do there? Must I go alone?

FATHER TIME: No, my child, you cannot go alone. Do you see these four windows? Go, draw aside the curtains.

YOUNG AMERICA (He goes to the first window and draws aside the curtain. Above the window is plainly printed “Action.”): Here am I, Young America. I must go on a journey. Will you go with me, Spirit of Action?

SPIRIT OF ACTION (appears suddenly at the window): Go? Yes. Wait a moment. (He bounds to the stage.) Where are you going?

YOUNG AMERICA (points to the curtain at rear): There, Spirit of Action. What will you do if you go with me?

SPIRIT OF ACTION (laughs): I shall make your blood dance and your heart beat high. I shall fill your hands with glorious work. Your muscles shall be strong with the doing.

YOUNG AMERICA: O, Spirit of Action, you make me want to start at once. I could not do without you. But, wait. (He goes to the second

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window, and draws the curtain back to see the word “Understanding.”) Come, friend Understanding. 18

SPIRIT OF UNDERSTANDING: Here am I, Young America.

YOUNG AMERICA: I am going away, Understanding.

SPIRIT OF UNDERSTANDING: So! Why do you go?

YOUNG AMERICA: I want to go. I do not know exactly why.

SPIRIT OF UNDERSTANDING (comes on the stage): Then you do need me, Young America. I will make your eye clear, and your mind aware. If I go with you, you must think. Will you?

YOUNG AMERICA: Thinking is hard, but I promise if you show me how. Now, for my next friend. (He goes to the third window, draws back the curtain, and sees, “Self-Control.”) Ho, Self-Control, it is I, Young America! Come, go with me!

SPIRIT OF SELF-CONTROL: Not so fast! Steady, Young America. Go with you?

YOUNG AMERICA: Yes, on a journey.

SPIRIT OF SELF-CONTROL: If I go with you I must have a big promise.

YOUNG AMERICA: What?

SPIRIT OF SELF-CONTROL: You must play the game of life with fair rules—the same rules for all.

YOUNG AMERICA: Yes.

SPIRIT OF SELF-CONTROL: And you must help make the rules.

YOUNG AMERICA: Yes.

SPIRIT OF SELF-CONTROL: And the hardest of all, you must obey the rules yourself.

YOUNG AMERICA: I’ll try, Self-Control. (Self-Control joins the others on the stage. Young America draws aside the curtain from the fourth window, marked “Sympathy.”)

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YOUNG AMERICA: Come, friend, Young America is going on a journey.

SPIRIT OF SYMPATHY (appears): A journey? Who goes with you?

YOUNG AMERICA: Self-Control, Understanding, and Action.

SPIRIT OF SYMPATHY: You need more than they can give.

YOUNG AMERICA: What more do I need?

SPIRIT OF SYMPATHY: Why, don’t you see, you have no one to make you feel for others in the game. You can’t play or work alone. You must join hands and pull together. (She comes out from the window.) Take my hand.

YOUNG AMERICA (wonderingly): Your hand is soft and warm, Spirit of Sympathy. I should like to have you go.

SPIRIT OF ACTION: Hurry, come, we must be gone. Sit here, Young America, let me put these sandals on your feet. There.

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YOUNG AMERICA: They fit so well, Spirit. And see, wings! Ah, sandals with wings!

SPIRIT OF UNDERSTANDING: Sometimes it will be dark. Keep this torch burning. (She lights the torch and hands it to the boy.)

YOUNG AMERICA: How bright it makes the way.

SPIRIT OF SELF-CONTROL: There will be rugged heights to climb in that land, dark abysses into which you might fall. Take this staff. My strength is in it. If wild beasts attack you, defend yourself. Be steady, steady.

YOUNG AMERICA: A staff! How strong it is!

SPIRIT OF SYMPATHY (A long garland of flowers trails from her hands. She winds them about Young America and the three other spirits. Then she takes Young America’s hand.): Come, we go as one to the Land-of-EqualChance. (The group, bound by their flower chain, moves up the steps towards the curtain.)

SPIRIT OF ACTION (springs ahead but holds to the chain): Open, open! Young America is here!

ALL: Open, open for Young America!

[Father Time and Mother Space, who have been standing aside, take their places at the large curtain and after a pause slowly lift it, revealing the figure of Liberty bathed in shining light. Young America starts back.]

LIBERTY: Come, Young America!

YOUNG AMERICA (aside to companions): Dare I go?

ALL THE SPIRITS: We will go with you.

LIBERTY: Come, Young America!

[Young America advances slowly towards the outstretched arms of Liberty and kneels. The Spirits follow forming a group which says, “Onward into the Land-of-Equal-Chance.”]

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Directions: Answer the following questions. If you need more space to write an answer, write your answer on your own paper.

221 The start of the play describes the setting as “at the edge of the land.” Which statement best explains how this relates to Young America’s situation? A It offers a warning to suggest that Young America should not go. B It represents that Young America will have to travel to unknown lands. C It shows that Young America’s journey to reach America will be dangerous. D It explains why Young America will need both action and self-control to prosper.

222 Read this paragraph from the play. “[At last YOUNG AMERICA dressed as a boy scout, pack on back, enters cautiously.]” Young America is probably represented as a boy scout to suggest that he is A adventurous but not reckless B willing to be part of a team C ready to learn new things D confident and ambitious

223 Read these lines from the end of the play. “YOUNG AMERICA (aside to companions): Dare I go? ALL THE SPIRITS: We will go with you.” What does this aside show about the role of the spirits? A They have a lot of power over Young America. B They give Young America the courage to go. C They will do whatever Young America asks them to. D They fear that Young America will put himself in danger.

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224 At the start of the play, a map is used as a prop. Explain how the use of the prop is an effective way for the audience to be introduced to the United States. In your answer, describe why using a prop is better than Mother Space just describing the United States.

225 The stage is set with four small curtained windows. Explain how these windows are used to add structure to the play. Use details from the play to support your answer.

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226 Read line 14 from the play. “SPIRIT OF ACTION (appears suddenly at the window): Go? Yes. Wait a moment. (He bounds to the stage.) Where are you going?” Describe how the words and actions combine to present the spirit as someone who takes action readily. Use details from the line to support your answer.

227 The lines below show how Spirit of Understanding and Spirit of Self-Control react when Young America asks them to go with him. “SPIRIT OF UNDERSTANDING: So! Why do you go?” “SPIRIT OF SELF-CONTROL: Not so fast! Steady, Young America. Go with you?” Describe how the reactions of the two spirits are fitting to their characters. Use details from the play to support your answer.

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228 At the end of the play, Father Time and Mother Space reveal the United States by pulling back the curtain and “revealing the figure of Liberty bathed in shining light.” What impression would this representation of the United States have on the audience? Use details from the play to support your answer.

229 Complete the chart below by listing the four spirits Young America meets and summarizing the main effect of each spirit on Young America.

Spirit

Effect

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230 The play uses personification to represent ideas about the early settlers of the United States. Write an essay in which you analyze the three different characteristics that are personified. For each characteristic, describe how it is personified and what the personification helps the audience understand. Use information from the play to support your answer.

Planning Space You can complete the chart below to help plan your answer.

Characteristics Personified

Characteristic

How It Is Personified

Effect of the Personification

time and space

the first settlers

the qualities the first settlers needed

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Directions: Read the following two passages. Then answer the questions that follow.

Just for Elephants By Santhini Govindan 1

The people of Kerala in southern India have always admired and loved elephants. Large numbers of these majestic creatures once roamed the state’s dense jungles. But when industries came to Kerala, the jungles slowly shrank along with the number of elephants. Fortunately, there is still one place in Kerala where people can see more than fifty elephants in natural surroundings. Elephants of all ages—from babies to magnificent tuskers. Punnathur Kota, an elephant sanctuary, is only five miles from the famous temple town of Guruvayur.

Built more than two hundred years ago, the Punnathur Kota was originally a palace. Adorned with a tiled roof and murals and wooden carvings that depict Hindu stories, it was the home of the Raja of Punnathur, the ruler of the area, and covered thousands of acres. When the last Raja of Punnathur, Appu Raja, died in 1968, the estate was only eight acres.

Appu Raja was my husband’s grandfather, and though his family had wonderful memories of life in the old palace, no one wanted to live there permanently. The family decided to sell the estate to the Krishna temple at Guruvayur under the condition that it be used as a sanctuary for their elephants.

Caring for the Elephants 4

Today Punnathur Kota attracts visitors from all over the world. The elephants are groomed to serve the temple and are given the honor of carrying religious idols during daily processions and temple festivals. At times, some of the elephants are loaned to other temples during festivals because they are well trained and used to crowds.

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Every elephant has its own mahout, or keeper. Mahouts form close bonds with the elephants and take care of all their needs. There is also an infirmary at the Kota, where sick elephants are looked after.

An elephant’s day in the Kota usually begins with a bath in a pool or pond. Elephants tend to use their trunks to slosh water over themselves and their mahouts. A bath not only cleans their bodies and relaxes them but also lowers their body temperatures. The elephants need to stay cool because it is almost always hot in southern India.

When it is bathed, an elephant must lie on one side while its mahout scrubs it carefully with coconut husks. Then it turns over to the other side. Oils are rubbed on the elephants’ bodies if they have wounds or sores.

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It’s Time to Eat! 8

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Visitors can also watch the elephants being fed. Elephants are herbivorous, which means they eat only plants. At the Kota, their daily diet consists of coconut or palm leaves and cooked rice. They also love sweet foods and are delighted to accept offerings of bananas and sugar cane. During important festivals, the elephants get a special treat. They eat payasam, a sweet pudding made of rice, milk, and jaggery (whole sugar) and served in giant brass urlis (shallow vessels with wide necks). Devotees at the Krishna temple sometimes make a sacred pledge that they will feed the temple elephants. On these happy occasions, all the elephants line up for a meal of fresh fruits, jaggery, and rice.

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All Dressed Up! 9

Since the elephants are an important part of rituals and festivals, they are always beautifully adorned when they visit the temple. Their ears, trunks, and foreheads are decorated with patterns that are drawn with sandalwood paste, and they wear gold ornaments studded with precious gems. Their backs are draped with silk, and their mahouts carry peacockfeather fans and colorful twirling parasols. Musicians playing drums and cymbals march in front of the elephants and announce their visit.

Once a year, during February and March, the temple celebrates a ten-day Utsavam, or festival, that draws huge crowds. The highlight is the Anayottam, or elephant race. All the temple elephants stand in a line and then, at a given signal, race around the perimeter of the temple.

The people of Guruvayur greatly respect the gentle pachyderms that serve them. Keshavan, a great tusker who served the temple faithfully for fifty years, was given the title of Gajarajan, or king of elephants. His life-sized statue stands in an important place in Guruvayur.

The Punnathur Kota is one of the few places in the world where visitors can see more than fifty elephants at the same time. The people who run the Krishna temple plan to set up a research institute and a museum devoted to the elephants so that people can learn even more about these beautiful and graceful pachyderms.

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The Prince of Whales By Colleen Boyle Sharp

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Dangling several stories above the ground, armed only with a spray gun and a thousand gallons of paint, a man looks without fear straight into the eye of a thirty-ton killer whale. To you and me, this might sound like a dangerous and unusual job, but to environmental artist Wyland, this is a typical day at the office.

Born Robert Wyland in 1956 in Detroit, Michigan, Wyland began his career in painting at the age of three. With a few cans of house paint found under the kitchen sink, he painted his first mural, dinosaurs, on the headboard of his parents’ bed.

Today you never know where you might find Wyland, but chances are you will have to look up. This painter, sculptor, and muralist now paints giant-sized murals of sea animals on much larger canvases: walls and ceilings of hotels and other buildings, and even the outside of an arena.

His project, the Whaling Walls, began in 1981 when Wyland painted a life-sized mural of a gray whale and her calf on the side of a hotel in Laguna Beach, California. The response shocked Wyland. He quickly realized what an impact these murals could have in making people aware of the needs of our environment. A painting in a museum could be ignored, but a mural of a life-sized, fifty-foot gray whale is hard not to notice.

Wyland’s goal is to paint one hundred Whaling Walls within thirty years. Painting so many murals would be a huge project for any artist, but the size of these murals is what really makes this a whale of a task.

How does Wyland go about creating such massive lifelike murals? Wyland says he relies on what he calls his “mind’s eye.” He explains that through his mind’s eye he can look at a blank canvas and ©RALLY! EDUCATION. No part of this document may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.

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visualize what the finished mural will look like, even the smallest details. “It’s like a Polaroid picture that slowly comes into focus as I paint,” he says. 7

To cover such large areas, Wyland, who is afraid of heights, depends on scaffolding to help him maneuver around his murals. But unlike most artists who can step back to survey their work, Wyland has to rely mostly on his memory.

Wyland’s passion for whales began at age fourteen. On a family trip to the Pacific Coast, he witnessed the yearly migration of the California gray whales down to the warm lagoons of Baja, Mexico. As Wyland watched the horizon, two large gray creatures broke from the water, sailed up toward the sky, and plunged back into the ocean. The young artist was inspired. Somehow he wanted to be involved in helping to save the great whales from extinction.

From that moment on, Wyland dedicated himself to a life of painting and studying whales, dolphins, and the fish of the sea. For accuracy in his artwork, Wyland spends as much time underwater as he does painting. He dives to study his subjects and learn more about them in their natural environment.

In October of 2001, Wyland completed his eighty-eighth Whaling Wall. If measured end to end, the walls’ total length would be more than three miles. They are featured in eighty-six cities and seven countries, and it is estimated that over one billion people view his walls every year.

Wyland’s largest wall, Planet Ocean, is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest mural ever created. Completed in only six weeks, it covers 360 degrees of the walls of the Long Beach Arena in California. The mural, which required seven thousand gallons of paint, is more than ten stories high and almost three acres in diameter.

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With only twelve more walls to go, Wyland is already thinking ahead to a public art-sculpture project featuring life-sized marine animals. Through his artwork, Wyland hopes to inspire people to care more about our oceans and to respect and protect the life within them. The whales he works so hard to protect may not know it, but Wyland might just be the best friend a whale could have.

ÂŠRALLY! EDUCATION. No part of this document may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.

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Directions: Use “Just for Elephants” to answer the following questions. If you need more space to write an answer, write your answer on your own paper.

231 Which sentence from the first paragraph best states the main idea of the article? A “The people of Kerala in southern India have always admired and loved elephants.” B “But when industries came to Kerala, the jungles slowly shrank along with the number of elephants.” C “Fortunately, there is still one place in Kerala where people can see more than fifty elephants in natural surroundings.” D “Punnathur Kota, an elephant sanctuary, is only five miles from the famous temple town of Guruvayur.”

232 What is the main purpose of the information in the section “Caring for the Elephants”? A to explain why the elephants are respected and admired B to illustrate that the elephants are looked after well C to encourage people to visit the elephant sanctuary D to show that the elephant sanctuary needs public support

233 What does the illustration on page 281 most likely represent? A how majestic and graceful elephants are B how elephant numbers are gradually increasing again C how each elephant is unique and special D how the elephants are part of processions and festivals

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234 What is the link between the author of the article and the topic of the article? How does this suggest that the information could be positively biased toward the sanctuary? Use details from the article to support your answer.

Directions: Use “The Prince of Whales” to answer the following questions. If you need more space to write an answer, write your answer on your own paper.

235 Read the first paragraph of the article. How does the author use this paragraph to create interest in Wyland? Use at least two specific details from the paragraph to support your answer.

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236 The large scale of Wyland’s murals creates problems he has to overcome. Complete the graphic organizer below by listing two problems he faces and how he solves each problem.

Problem

Solution

Problem

Solution

237 Read this sentence from paragraph 5. “Painting so many murals would be a huge project for any artist, but the size of these murals is what really makes this a whale of a task.” Explain why the author refers to painting the murals as “a whale of a task.” In your answer, include what the phrase means and how it is a humorous way for the author to make the point.

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238 The author includes various measurements to describe the size of the murals. Explain how these measurements help readers understand the immense size of the murals. Use at least three examples of measurements to support your answer.

239 The article shows that Wyland is passionate about his Whaling Walls project. How does the background information given on Wyland help explain why he feels so strongly about what he does? Use details from the article to support your answer.

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Directions: Use both “Just for Elephants” and “The Prince of Whales” to answer the following question.

240 One way that people can raise awareness of the need to protect endangered animals is by encouraging a love and respect for animals. Write an essay in which you describe how the elephant sanctuary and the artist Wyland encourage a love and respect for animals. In your answer, explain whether you think the elephant sanctuary and Wyland are making a difference. Use information from both articles to support your answer.

Planning Space You can complete the chart below to help plan your answer.

Punnathur Kota Elephant Sanctuary

Artworks of Wyland

Purpose

Effect on People

Effectiveness

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ÂŠRALLY! EDUCATION. No part of this document may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.

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ÂŠRALLY! EDUCATION. No part of this document may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.