Reading Strateies and Literary Elements Grade 6

READING
STRATEGIES AND
LITERARY ELEMENTS
Contents
Introduction to Reading Strategies and Literary Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Reading Strategies and Literary Elements Focus Lessons

Lesson 1: Narrative Strategies I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Lesson 2: Narrative Strategies II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Lesson 3: Flashback. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Lesson 4: Point of View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Lesson 5: Characterization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Lesson 6: Figurative Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Lesson 7: Mood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Lesson 8: Theme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Lesson 9: Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Lesson 10: Making Inferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Lesson 11: Determining Author’s Purpose. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Lesson 12: Generating Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Lesson 13: Determining Main Idea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Lesson 14: Conducting Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Reading Comprehension Exercises 1–11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Focus Lessons Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Exercises Answer Sheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Exercises Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

This booklet was written by The Princeton Review, the nation’s leader in test
preparation. The Princeton Review helps millions of students every year prepare for
standardized assessments of all kinds. Through its association with Glencoe/McGraw-
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North Carolina English End-of-Grade Test.
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Grateful acknowledgment is given authors and publishers for permission to reprint the following copy-
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Publisher will be pleased to make suitable acknowledgments in future editions.
“Home” by Gwendolyn Brooks. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“Kite” from Still More Small Poems, by Valerie Worth. Copyright © 1976, 1977, 1978 by Valerie Worth.
Reprinted by permission of Farrar, Straus & Giroux, Inc.
Reprinted by permission of Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster
Children’s Publishing, from The Watcher by James Howe. Copyright © 1997 by James Howe.
“Wind Wolves” by William D. Sargent. Reprinted by permission of Scholastic, Inc.
Excerpt from Beryl Markham: Never Turn Back by Catherine Gourley. Copyright © 1997 by Catherine
Gourley. Reprinted by permission of Conari Press.
“A Patch of Old Snow” by Robert Frost, from The Poetry of Robert Frost, edited by Edward Connery
Lathem. Copyright 1923, 1928, 1930, 1934, 1939, 1947, © 1969 by Holt Rinehart and Winston.
Copyright 1936, 1942, 1945, 1951, © 1956, 1958, 1962 by Robert Frost. Copyright © 1964, 1967,
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“The Sandpiper” by Witter Bynner. Reprinted by permission of The Witter Bynner Foundation for Poetry.
“The Sandpiper” from The Little Whistler by Frances Frost. Copyright © 1949 by McGraw-Hill. Reprinted
by permission.
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Introduction to Reading Strategies
and Literary Elements
Overview of the North Carolina End-of-Grade Test
The North Carolina End-of-Grade Tests are multiple-choice tests on reading
comprehension and mathematics, administered to all eligible students in grades 3
through 8 during the final weeks of the school year. This booklet and its
transparencies focus on preparing sixth-grade students for the Reading
Comprehension test.
The Reading Comprehension Test measures students’ mastery of skills outlined in
the North Carolina English Language Arts/Standard Course of Study. In sixth grade,
students have 100 minutes to read 10 passages and answer 65 questions. There are
three main categories of passages: literature (short fiction, poetry, and
autobiography), informational (passages in content areas such as science, health,
math, art, geography, and social studies), and functional (recipes, art projects, and
brochures). These tests may change slightly from year to year, so make sure to
consult your testing coordinator for updated information.
When taking the test, students are required to perform a variety of skills, ranging
from basic information retrieval to more subtle cognitive skills such as drawing
inferences, generating questions, analyzing passages, and evaluating information.
They must also be familiar with basic literary elements and understand how authors
use these devices to convey meaning. Both the reading strategies and the literary
elements correspond directly to those outlined in the sixth-grade Standard Course of
Study.
Content of Booklet
Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
The Reading Strategies & Literary Elements booklet is composed of reproducible

lessons and exercises. The focus lessons provide a focused way of introducing
specific literary concepts and reading strategies. The exercises are directly modeled
after the End-of-Grade Test. Each exercise contains one or two passages and a series
of multiple-choice questions that test students’ reading comprehension. You will need
to make a photocopy of each lesson and exercise before distributing them to students.
The transparencies cover selected terms and skills from the focus lessons. They
provide an alternate means of introducing literary concepts and reading strategies,
and can be used to supplement the focus lessons, as well as the selections in Glencoe
Literature.
The next few pages will explore different ways to use these materials in your
classroom.
Introduction to Reading Strategies and Literary Elements • Grade 6 3

How to Use the Focus Lessons
There are fourteen focus lessons: nine on literary elements and five on reading
strategies. Each lesson defines a term/skill or group of terms/skills, provides a
reading passage, and includes three or four open-ended questions that guide students
toward a deeper understanding of the concept or concepts being taught.
Each lesson is designed to be used as an in-class activity, to be completed in pairs
or small groups. Students will find it easier to apply and understand concepts if they
can discuss the answers with their peers. However, if you are pressed for time, you
can distribute the focus lessons as homework assignments.
You may want to assign the focus lessons before the multiple-choice exercises. This
way, when students encounter literary elements in the exercises, they will have had
prior exposure to them. You can also distribute lessons after the exercises as a means
of targeting problem areas. For example, if most students have trouble with a
question about the concept of mood, you can use the focus lesson about mood to
strengthen their understanding. Another idea is to match the lessons with selections
in Glencoe Literature, The Reader’s Choice. Each lesson provides references to pages
in Glencoe Literature that highlight the subject of that particular lesson.
Effective Reading and Writing Strategies

Before distributing the first lesson, remind students to do the following:
• Jot down notes in the margins of the passages and underline phrases that help
them answer the questions.
• Write in full, clear sentences.
• Make specific textual references when answering the questions. Refer to
specific paragraphs and quote phrases to support ideas.

Answers to the open-ended questions should be reviewed in class. Answer keys for
the focus lessons are located on pages 70–76.
4 Introduction to Reading Strategies and Literary Elements • Grade 6

How to Use the Reading Comprehension Exercises
The Reading Comprehension exercises include the same types of passages and
questions that appear on the End-of-Grade test. The only difference is the proportion
of passages from each type. The End-of-Grade Reading Comprehension Test includes
an equal number of literary, informational, and functional passages, whereas the
exercises included here have a greater proportion of literary passages. (The emphasis
on literary works allowed the inclusion of all the literary elements covered in the
lessons.) The exercises can be used over a short period of time for intensive test
practice, or they can be assigned throughout the year and used to supplement other
classroom activities.
When you first begin to assign the exercises, you may want to give students
unlimited time to complete them. However, to better simulate test conditions, you
should eventually give students a 9–12 minute time limit (about 1.5 minutes per
question) on each exercise.
You may also find it useful to distribute both scratch paper and a photocopy of the
answer sheet (located on pages 77–78). Explain to students that when they take the
actual test, they will not be able to write in the test booklet. Students should get used
to “bubbling in” answers and using scratch paper to take notes and record the process
of elimination. The answer key for the exercises is located on page 79.
General Test-Taking Strategies

The process of elimination is the key to success on all multiple-choice tests. This is
particularly true for the End-of-Grade Reading Comprehension Tests, since the tests
are scored based on the number of questions that students answer correctly. Remind
students that there is no penalty for incorrect or blank answers, so they should try to
answer every question on the test. They can greatly increase their chances of guessing
correctly by eliminating answers they know are wrong.

Also remind your students of these basic test-taking tips:
Read the blurb. The blurb above each passage often provides hints about the
main idea of the passage and provides context to help understand it.
Use context to guess the meaning of difficult vocabulary words. Remind
students that they are not expected to know all the words in a passage. Instead of
getting stumped on each hard word, they should try to guess the meaning and then
move on.
Read actively: ask questions and summarize as you go along. One useful
technique is paragraph labeling—using scratch paper to jot down brief labels that
summarize each paragraph—then writing a summary sentence at the end of the
passage. When students need to retrieve specific information from the passage,
paragraph labels will help them locate it.
Introduction to Reading Strategies and Literary Elements • Grade 6 5

Strategies for Approaching Different Passage Types
As mentioned before, the sixth-grade North Carolina End-of-Grade Reading
Comprehension Test includes a variety of passage types: literary, informational, and
functional. Each passage type requires a slightly different approach, and students’
success on the test will depend on their ability to adapt their reading strategies.
During the course of the school year, you should review the basic strategies for
approaching different passage types. Specific questions on the test ask students to
select the appropriate approach for a passage, so this review will serve a concrete
purpose. Moreover, knowing how to approach different passage types will make
students more efficient readers and help them with questions on author’s purpose
and main idea.
Teach your students to identify the passage types, and review the best strategies
for approaching each one.
Functional passages include recipes, art projects, and brochures. They instruct
the reader on how to perform a specific task, or provide guidelines or rules.
Functional passages are usually clearly organized, with headings to help find
information quickly. Therefore, the best way to approach functional passages
is to skim them. Students should read just for the gist of the passage, noting
where to find information so they can retrieve it readily later on.
Informational passages are articles or essays that provide information on a

given subject. These passages typically have an essay format, which means
that the first paragraph often (but not always) states the main idea, and the
following paragraphs support it. The best approach for informational passages
is to summarize and ask questions while reading. Students should take notes,
label paragraphs, and try to identify the main idea and organizational

structure. Explain that the title, blurb, and first and last paragraph contain
useful hints about the main idea.
Short stories narrate tales in a way that is engaging and entertaining. When
reading a story, students should ask themselves: “Who are the main
characters? What is the setting? Does the story pose a conflict or problem?
How is it resolved? What is the final lesson conveyed by the story?” They
should pay close attention to the way the author has developed the story and
made it interesting. Autobiography can be approached in a similar fashion.
Poetry presents meaning through rhythm, figurative language, and imagery. Read
poetry slowly, paying special attention to the title and the author’s use of
imagery and figurative language. After reading the poem once or twice, ask,
“What is the author’s purpose? What is the mood or tone of this poem? What
idea does it convey?”
6 Introduction to Reading Strategies and Literary Elements • Grade 6

Name Date
Lesson 1: Narrative Strategies I

Narrative passages have a plot, a sequence of events that unfolds from beginning to end.
Writers use narrative strategies to make their stories more vivid. They add movement
to the story by describing characters doing things and moving from place to place. They use
description—details that appeal to the five senses—to help the reader see the characters,
the setting, and the action. Writers also create uncertainty in the reader’s mind about what
will happen next, a technique known as suspense.
DIRECTIONS: As you read the following passage, notice the way the author uses
movement, description, and suspense to tell the story. Then answer the questions about
the passage.
1 Under her sweating palms, the rain-spotted window slid open with a tiny squeak.
Julie could feel her heart begin to pound. The ground looked damp and far away in
the purplish light of early morning.
2 Her knuckles whitened as she gripped the edges of the windowsill. “Don’t look
down, don’t look down.” Her own advice rang in her ears. She would just have to
trust it.
3 No one could stop her now. Even if Aunt Ellwyn saw her, she could outrun anyone
in town, even her sister Molly. She just had to get down first, then let her legs do the
rest. “I’m not afraid of anything,” she told herself. Only heights, her mind retorted.
4 It was only eight feet down the rusted metal rainspout to the ground. Her brother
Pete had shimmied down a thousand times. “Bye,” he always said. “Don’t tell Aunt
Ellwyn.” She never had. Now he was gone, through the pine-smelling woods, across
the river, and over the border to find his fortune. Soon she’d catch up with him.
5 Julie took a deep breath and looked around the room one more time. She had to
make sure she wasn’t forgetting anything. The bed she shared with Molly looked
small, but her sister’s figure under the quilt looked even smaller. Julie stared hard at
Molly, half hoping she’d wake up. But the lump in the bed went on rising and falling
steadily, quietly, like a gentle tide. Julie looked away and fixed the picture of her
sleeping sister in her mind, as if it were already a memory.
6 Julie stood for a long time at the windowsill, staring at the rainspout. Torn
between staying and going, Julie decided not to decide. She let her legs do the work,
and by themselves they swung out the window. She frowned as raindrops hit her face,
and her arms reached for the rainspout.
Reading Strategies and Literary Elements • Grade 6 7

Name Date
1. In a sentence or two, briefly summarize the plot of this story.
2. How do Julie’s movements build up suspense in the story?
3. Locate three descriptive details that the author uses to add interest to the story. Explain
how these descriptive details contribute to the progress of the story.
For more information on these terms, see Glencoe Literature, Course 1, pp. 350–351,
393, and R6 (plot); 58, 542, and R2 (description); and 432 and R8 (suspense).
8 Reading Strategies and Literary Elements • Grade 6

Name Date
Lesson 2: Narrative Strategies II

Many stories contain dialogue, or conversations between characters. These parts of the
story appear in quotation marks. Along with dialogue, writers often describe gestures and
facial expressions, which are clues to the characters’ emotions. Writers use these narrative
techniques for several reasons—to move the story along, to show readers the characters’
different personalities, and to make the story believable and interesting.
DIRECTIONS: Read the passage below. As you read, pay close attention to the way the
characters speak to each other. Also, notice the way the author describes the characters’
expressions and hand gestures. Then answer the questions that follow.
1 Shelene reached across the table and tried to grab the cards away from Toby.
“That’s not how to play!” she yelled. Her eyes were wide, and pinkish splotches
sprang to her cheeks. “Give them back!”
2 Toby pulled the cards close to his chest and held them tightly with both hands. To
keep from laughing, he clamped his mouth into a tight line and wrinkled his
eyebrows. “Shhh,” he said, glaring at his little sister.
3 “I said, give them back!” Shelene repeated, this time in a loud whisper. But Toby
lifted the cards high over his head, still trying to keep a straight face. “Want to play
52 pickup?” he asked. Without waiting for her answer, he let the cards fall from his
hands. They floated and slid and scattered.
4 Shelene lunged for the spilled cards, trying to get them away from her brother.
Some of them plopped to the floor under the table, and some spilled into Toby’s lap.
Elbows flying, Shelene knocked Toby’s juice cup into his lap too.
5 “Hey, quit it,” said Toby, wiping up drops of juice and pretending to be mad. But
then he started to laugh. “Now you have to get me more juice, Miss Grabby.”
6 “I do not, that cup was empty!” Shelene shrieked.
7 “Hey, pipe down, do you want Mom to hear us arguing?” asked Toby, looking at
the kitchen doorway with a frown. “She’s trying to study, you know. She has a big test
tomorrow.”
8 “I know!” said Shelene. Her eyes filled with tears. She turned her back on Toby,
brushed her hand across her eyes, and sniffed loudly.
9 Toby started to feel bad. He knew she hated when he teased her and yelled at her
for disturbing their mother, who was working hard.
10 Suddenly, Shelene twirled around and faced Toby. “You’re supposed to be doing
your homework, you know, not playing with my cards,” she said, wagging her finger
at Toby. “But I can play all I want, because I don’t have any homework!” Her voice
rose to a happy shout. She danced around the kitchen, twirling and spinning, the
cards flying under her feet.

Name Date
1. Find three places in the passage where the author describes facial expressions and
gestures in a way that reveals the characters’ emotions. Then fill out the chart below.
Facial expression or gesture Emotions of the character
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
2. Imagine that instead of using dialogue, the author simply described the conversation.
(For instance, instead of the author writing “‘I said, give them back!’ Shelene repeated,”
the author wrote: “Shelene angrily asked for them back.”) How would the passage be
different? What does dialogue add to it?

3. What do you know about the relationship of Toby and Shelene? (Are they close? Are they
competitive? Do they like each other?) In the chart below, list what you know about
their relationship and what sections in the passage gave you this information.
Facts about relationship Section that gives you this information
a.
b.
c.
For more information on dialogue, see Glencoe

Literature, Course 1, pp. 663, 765, R2–R3.

Name Date
Lesson 3: Flashback
In a flashback, a character remembers something that happened before of the story takes
place. This memory interrupts the narrative to introduce information that relates to the
action but is not a part of it. It serves to help the reader understand a character better, or it
may provide information that adds to the significance of the story’s action.
DIRECTIONS: Read the following passage and look for the section that contains the
flashback. Then answer the questions about the passage that follow.
1 Even outside on the sidewalk, Jenise got a whiff of that hospital smell—a
combination of rubber, disinfectant, rubbing alcohol, and worry. It reminded her of
the emergency room. She hung back. The smell didn’t seem to bother Dad. He was
already at the top of the steps, looking up at the bright windows. Jenise tried to
ignore the tightness in her stomach.
2 “Come on, honey,” Dad said gently. “I told Annie you’d be in to see her today. You
don’t have to be afraid. Appendicitis isn’t contagious.”
3 Jenise hadn’t seen her big sister since five nights ago when she and Dad had
brought Annie to the emergency room. Jenise remembered that Dad had driven fast,
his eyes mostly on the rearview mirror. Annie had taken up the whole back seat,
doubled over and whimpering, so Jenise had to sit in the front. She remembered
pulling herself up to look at Annie over the back of the seat. Annie’s face had been so
pale that she didn’t look like herself, and Jenise was scared. The hospital people used
a wheelchair to wheel Annie inside the big double doors. A nurse had told Jenise to
stay in the waiting room, so she did, watching sick people come in the double doors
and disappear into the back. A long time later, Dad came out from the back and told
her that Annie had to stay and have an operation.
4 With a quick glance up at the big brick hospital, Jenise swung herself around on
the railing. “I’m not afraid of appendicitis, Dad,” she told him. “I just don’t want to
go back to the emergency room.”
5 “But we don’t have to, Jenise,” Dad explained with a smile. “Annie’s in a regular
room. It’s blue, your favorite color, and it’s full of flowers and balloons and baskets of
chocolate, and cards from all her classmates. I’ve been trying to tell you—everything’s
okay!”

Name Date
1. Which section of the passage contains the flashback? How can you tell?
2. Why does the author include a flashback in this story?

3. What would happen to the story if the author left out the flashback?
For more information on flashback, see

Glencoe Literature, Course 1, p. R3.

Name Date
Lesson 4: Point of View

Point of view depends on the story’s narrator. Sometimes the narrator is one of the
characters, and the story happens only through the narrator’s eyes and thoughts. This point
of view is first-person. When the narrator is outside the story but only tells what is going
on in the mind of one character, this point of view is limited third-person. If the narrator
gives us the thoughts of more than one of the story’s characters, this is an omniscient, or
all knowing, third-person point of view. Point of view is important because the author can
give the reader different kinds of information, depending on the narrator’s perspective.
DIRECTIONS: Read the following excerpt from the short story “Home” by Gwendolyn
Brooks. The characters in the story are Maud Martha, her sister Helen, and their parents.
The two girls and their mother are sitting outside on the porch of the house where they
have lived for 14 years. The family desperately needs a loan from the bank or else they will
have to move. They are waiting for the father to return and tell them the bank’s decision.
As you read, notice the point of view the author uses. Then answer the questions about
the passage.
1 “It’s just going to kill Papa!” burst out Maud Martha. “He loves this house! He lives
for this house!”
2 “He lives for us,” said Helen. “It’s us he loves. He wouldn’t want the house, except
for us.”
3 “And he’ll have us,” added Mama, “wherever.”
4 “You know,” Helen sighed, “if you want to know the truth, this is a relief. If this
hadn’t come up, we would have gone on, just dragged on, hanging out here forever.”
5 “It might,” allowed Mama, “be an act of God. God may just have reached down,
and picked up the reins.”
6 “Yes,” Maud Martha cracked in, “That’s what you always say—that God knows
best.”
7 Her mother looked at her quickly, decided the statement was not suspect, looked
away.
8 Helen saw Papa coming. “There’s Papa,” said Helen.
9 They could not tell a thing from the way Papa was walking. It was that same dear
little staccato walk, one shoulder down, then the other, then repeat, and repeat. They
watched his progress. He passed the Kennedys’, he passed the vacant lot, he passed
Mrs. Blakemore’s. They wanted to hurl themselves over the fence, into the street, and
shake the truth out of his collar. He opened his gate—the gate—and still his stride
and face told them nothing.

Name Date
10 “Hello,” he said.
11 Mama got up and followed him through the front door. The girls knew better than
to go in too.
12 Presently Mama’s head emerged. Her eyes were lamps turned on.
13 “It’s all right,” she exclaimed. “He got it. It’s all over. Everything is all right.”
14 The door slammed shut. Mama’s footsteps hurried away.
15 “I think,” said Helen, rocking rapidly, “I think I’ll give a party. I haven’t given a
party since I was eleven. I’d like some of my friends to just casually see that we’re
homeowners.”
1. Which point of view (first-person, limited third-person, or omniscient third-person) does

the author use to tell this story? Give reasons for your answer, based on the passage.
2. The author reveals very little about the thoughts of one of the characters. Which

character is this? Why do you think the author decided to keep this character’s thoughts
a mystery in this scene?
For more information on point of view, see

Glencoe Literature, Course 1, pp. 49 and R6.

Name Date
Lesson 5: Characterization
The methods used by an author to develop the personality of a character are called
techniques of characterization. With direct characterization, the story’s narrator
makes direct statements about a character’s personality. With indirect characterization,
the reader learns about a character’s personality through the character’s words and actions
and through opinions expressed by other characters.
DIRECTIONS: Read this passage about a difficult time for Inez and her family. As you
read, underline the sections that indicate the characters’ personalities. Then answer the
questions that follow.
1 Inez watched from a corner of Grandmother’s living room. People dressed in

somber clothes stood in small groups, talking quietly. They had come for
Grandmother’s funeral. Through the hum of words, Inez thought she could hear
Grandmother’s voice.
2 She forced her face into a frown and pinched her left arm. The sudden pain made
her scowl even harder. Across the room, Aunt Marisa was watching her. What a
stubborn girl, she thought. Inez must cry for her grandmother soon, or she will burst.
3 An elderly man standing near Inez dropped his hat. Inez bent automatically to
pick it up. “You’re very welcome,” she said when he thanked her, just as
Grandmother had taught her. Every thought of Grandmother tightened the knot in
Inez’s chest. She put her head down and rushed toward the front door.
4 Aunt Marisa touched Inez’s shoulder gently. She asked, “Sweetheart, if you’re going
for a walk, will you take Ray?”

5 Inez didn’t answer. She was the kind of girl who hated to cry in front of
grown-ups, and her eyes were filling with tears. As she went out, she gave the door an
extra loud thump.
6 She passed the big willow tree. Someone said, “Hi, Inez. Come play with me?”
7 It was Ray, her littlest cousin. He was invisible behind the drooping branches, but
she recognized his voice.
8 She kept walking. She didn’t want anyone to see her crying. But her feet slowed.
Before she knew it, she was kneeling under the tree with her little cousin.
9 Ray had found a rusty toy car and was zooming it around in the dirt. Inez showed
him how to make a figure eight with the car. They built a ramp for it out of sticks and
rocks. The whole time, Ray kept his eyes on their game, away from her tear-streaked
face.
10 After a while, he pulled a crumpled napkin from his pocket and handed it to her.
“I already cried on this, but there’s still a dry spot.”

Name Date
1. Look for two sections where the author uses direct or indirect characterization to reveal
Inez’s personality. Then use this information to fill in the semantic map below.
Section #1
( characterization) What I learned about Inez:
1
Section #2 2
( characterization)
2. Find two more examples of characterization techniques, one about Aunt Marisa and one
about Ray. Describe what the techniques reveal about these two characters.
3. In this passage, how do you best learn about Inez? What tells you the most about Inez—
her actions, her thoughts, or other people’s reactions to her? Explain your answer.
For more information on characterization, see Glencoe

Literature, Course 1, pp. 173, 262, 729, and R2.

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Lesson 6: Figurative Language

Often, writers use language that communicates ideas beyond the literal meanings of words.
One way writers do this is by using figures of speech—language that compares one thing
to something that is familiar to the reader. The phrase “the sky was soft as velvet” is a figure
of speech—it compares the sky to velvet. Another example is the phrase “words spilled out
of her mouth,” which suggests that words, like water, can “spill.” Writing that contains
figures of speech, or conveys meaning beyond the literal level, is known as figurative
language.
DIRECTIONS: Read the following poem several times. Try to visualize what the poet is
saying. As you read, think about the meaning of the poem. Then answer the questions
that follow.
A Patch of Old Snow

by Robert Frost
There’s a patch of old snow in a corner
That I should have guessed
Was a blow-away paper the rain
Had brought to rest.
It is speckled with grime as if

Small print overspread it,
The news of a day I’ve forgotten—
If I ever read it.

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1. In this poem, what comparison does the author make?
2. Why do you think the author chose to compare these two different objects? List the ways
in which they are similar.
3. Imagine that you are trying to describe a landscape of freshly fallen snow. Think of the

sentence: “Freshly fallen snow is like _____.” Fill in the sentence with your own figure of
speech and explain your comparison.
For more information on these terms, see


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Lesson 7: Mood
The emotional quality or atmosphere of a passage is its mood. In poetry, the choice of
words, the length of lines, the rhythm, and other elements all contribute to creating a
certain mood.
DIRECTIONS: Read the poem “Summer” by Joan Bransfield Graham. Think about how
the poem makes you feel, and then answer the questions that follow. The questions may
help you figure out how a poem, though it is only words on paper, can convey feelings to
the reader.
Summer
by Joan Bransfield Graham
1 Ring around the windows

the seasons, open up
dilly-dally-dum, the door.
feel the summer No way
5 coming, 25 to stop her,
beating on her dilly-dally-dum,
drum. when hot-blooded
First, it’s only summer
tapping, decides to beat

10 then it starts 30 her drum.
to boom,
pounding
on the pavements,
marching
15 in your room.
Throw off
your blankets,
pile them
on the floor,
20 pull up

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1. Which of the five senses (sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell) does the author use the
most in this poem? What feelings is the author trying to evoke with each sense used?
How do the senses create a mood for the reader?
2. The author has chosen to construct this poem with very short lines. How does this affect
your reading of the poem? What feelings are conveyed?

3. Quote the lines or words that most convey the mood of the poem. Explain your choices.
For more information on mood, see Glencoe

Literature, Course 1, pp. 201 and R5.

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Lesson 8: Theme
The theme of a story, a poem, or a play is the main idea that the author is trying to get
across to the reader. Sometimes the theme is easy to discover because the author states it
clearly. In most poems, though, it takes careful reading to discover the theme because the
author communicates it in the poem’s imagery, or word pictures. The reader can discover the
theme by paying close attention to the words that the poet uses.
DIRECTIONS: Read this poem to yourself several times. As you read or listen, focus on
the images that the poet uses. Then answer the questions that follow.
Kite
by Valerie Worth
1 The kite, kept
Indoors, wears
Dead paper
On tight-
5 Boned wood,
Pulls at the tied
Cord only
By its weight—
But held
10 To the wind,
It is another thing,
Turned strong,
Struck alive,
Wild to be torn
15 Away from the hand
Into high air:
Where it rides
Alone,
Glad,
20 A small, clear
Wing, having
Nothing at all
To do
With string.

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1. Compare the way the author describes the kite in the first stanza with the way she
describes it in the second stanza. Fill in the chart below with any differences you can see.
First stanza Second stanza
a.
b.
c.
Summarize your findings in one or two sentences.
2. In poetry, we often find figurative language (language that compares one thing to
something else). Find one example of figurative language in the poem, and explain why
you think the author chose this particular image or phrase to describe the kite.

3. Explain what you think the theme of this poem is. Which lines of the poem most clearly
state this theme?
For more information on theme, see Glencoe

Literature, Course 1, pp. 27, 236, 319, and R9.

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Lesson 9: Style
Writers choose words and organize them into sentences in ways that will help to get their
points across to readers. Word choice, sentence structure, and use of punctuation are all a
part of style. The writing style used in a story or a poem can provide clues about the
author’s purpose in writing and attitude toward his or her subject and audience. Style can
offer a sense of surprise, hint at a deeper meaning, or just add interest to a passage.
DIRECTIONS: Read the passages below. Both passages describe the same events, using
two different writing styles. The questions that follow will help you to recognize how style
can contribute to the meaning of a passage.
Passage 1
1 Two children hike down the middle of the beach road. One of them, a short, brown-
haired kid, has a slow, shuffling walk and carries a fishing pole propped on his shoulder.
The other is an odd-looking fellow, tall and thin as a beanpole, with bright red hair, long,
gangly legs, and a nose like a bird’s beak. He’s carrying a bucket in his hand. I gaze out at
them, hiding my head behind the curtain. Early morning sun winks through the shade
trees lining the narrow road. The sound of kicked-up gravel travels from the boys’ feet to
my window, where I’m leaning out to greet the day before the sun climbs too high to do
anything except lie in my hammock and drink lemonade. I’m expecting Madeleine, my
housekeeper, to pull into the driveway any minute. I watch one boy, the shorter one,
poke the other boy with his fishing pole. The bigger one doesn’t poke back, which I
think is unusual for boys their age. I can see the edge of the bay sparkling beyond the
gable end of the big empty house next door. Then, to my surprise, the bird-beak boy
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
stops in his tracks and sits himself down right in the middle of the road! I look down the
road as far as I can. No glint of chrome yet, but I’ll keep watch in case the boys don’t
hear. I hope they’ll hear me if I call out.
Passage 2
1 I heard the sound of footsteps and glanced through the curtain. I saw two children,
one short, one tall, walking down the beach road. The short one carried a fishing pole,
and the tall one carried a bucket. “Who are they?” I asked myself. “What are they doing
here?” I thought I knew everyone in this beach town, but these boys were unfamiliar to
me. As they walked slowly down the road, I continued to gaze at them, my head hidden
behind the curtain. Then suddenly, the tall boy sat down in the middle of the road. I
looked around nervously. “What if a car comes?” I thought. I looked nervously at the
horizon and waited to see what would happen next.

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1. Which passage has a more descriptive style? Give examples to support or explain your
answer.
2. List any other differences in style between the two passages.

3. Which style tells the story most successfully? Explain.
For more information on style, see


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Lesson 10: Making Inferences

When we read, often we come across ideas and vocabulary words that are unfamiliar to us.
Sometimes reading further clarifies what we read. But sometimes writers only hint at facts,
which we can guess, or infer, from the clues we find in the passage. When we put facts
together from clues in the passage, we are making inferences.
DIRECTIONS: Read the following passage about the importance of salt marshes and the
kinds of wildlife that make salt marshes their home. Then answer the questions that
follow.
1 The east coast of North America contains some of the most extensive examples of
salt marshes in the world. These salt marshes form where small streams enter the
ocean, creating a semi-diluted seawater perfect for supporting numerous plants and
animals.
2 The characteristic plant of the salt marsh is Spartina alterniflora, which looks like
giant blades of grass that grow up to ten feet tall. Spartina, along with various algae, is
the key to the cycle of life in the marsh. Although most animals do not eat the
plants, the plants release their nutrients into the water when they die and decay. This
promotes the growth of tiny organisms, such as bacteria, algae, and small fungi,
which in turn are eaten by small fish. These fish are eaten by larger fish, and so on.
3 Spartina also provides shelter to a host of animals, from snails and crabs to birds
and insects, which hide from predators or build nests among the thick stems. Some
fish species, such as sea trout, live at sea but return to the marsh to spawn, or lay
eggs, among the clumps of grass-like plants. Others, such as mullet, menhaden, and
many shrimp, spawn at sea but the young fish move to the shelter of the marsh to
develop. Still others, such as striped bass, shad, and alewife, live at sea, but travel
through salt marshes when they return to freshwater rivers to spawn. Their young
also stay in the marshes to mature.
4 Salt marshes provide a service to humans. Unlike sandy beaches, they serve as
natural barriers, or breakwaters, that protect the shore from storms. The long, flat
stretches of marsh absorb the force of the waves before they can cause damage to
structures that humans build along the coast.
5 Salt marshes have often been viewed as land that needs to be filled in and built on.
Between the 1920s and 1950s, approximately 25 percent of the original 7,363,000
acres of U.S. tidal marsh was lost to development. During the 1950s and 1960s, many
salt marshes were turned into landfills for garbage.

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1. If salt marshes were destroyed, how would this affect the fish population? Explain your
answer. (Underline the clues from the passage that you used to come to this conclusion.)
2. In paragraph 3, the author mentions animals such as mullet, menhaden, striped bass,
shad, and alewife. What kind of animals are these? Use the context to infer your answer.
3. List two ways that humans would suffer if the salt marshes were destroyed. (Indicate
which clues from the passage led you to infer this.)
For more information on making inferences, see

Glencoe Literature, Course 1, pp. 322, 367, and R82.

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Lesson 11: Determining Author’s Purpose

Authors write for different reasons—to tickle our imaginations, to explain a new idea or
inform us about facts, to help us and amuse us, or simply to make us more aware of the
world around us. Determining the author’s purpose can help you become a better reader.
DIRECTIONS: Read the following advice about finding your way out of the woods. As you
read, look up the meaning of any unfamiliar words in a dictionary. When you are
finished, answer the questions that follow.
Getting Out Alive

1 When lost in the woods, following a game trail can lead you either out to safety or
deeper into the forest. Game trails tend to lead to and from water sources (raging
rivers, calm lakes, or stagnant ponds). They may be difficult to follow, as they can
become very faint or disappear altogether, depending on the amount of brush, the
condition of the ground covering, the type of terrain (hilly or flat), and the variety of
animals using the trail. Moreover, these trails often branch off into several other
narrow trails, forcing you to make a decision about which path to take. For this
reason, you should only use game trails as a last resort.
2 Following an already blazed trail can also be tricky, unless it’s marked with bright
paint. Many older trails were marked with axes, a method in which the traveler made
one chop into multiple trees along the route. However, it is often difficult to
distinguish between an axe blaze and the scrapings of an elk’s antlers. Your best bet
might be to feel the mark carefully and hope to find a flap of bark at the bottom of
the gouge—the telltale sign of a fellow traveler’s axe.
3 Even while following a trail you’re confident about, always look ahead. You’ll want
to keep a general sense of the direction you’re traveling, and keep an eye out for
unusual features, like twisted trees and unique rock formations. Seeing these
landmarks twice will tell you that you’re hiking in a circle and need to reconnoiter.
4 If you don’t have a compass but you know which direction will get you to safety,
there are several techniques you can use. One is the old “moss grows on the north
side” strategy. Remember, though, this only works for trees growing in full sunlight.
Deep in the forest, the moss grows on the shadiest side of the tree, which may be
completely different. Also, keep in mind that certain plants look amazingly similar to
moss, but they happen to thrive on the sunniest side.
5 Whatever you do, if you’re still lost when night falls, just stop. Make a shelter, get
as comfortable as you can (under the circumstances), and hunker down until
morning. Everything looks different (better, mostly) in the light of day.

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1. What do you think is the author’s purpose in this passage?
2. What aspect of hiking does the author emphasize—its pleasures or its dangers? Why do
you think the author emphasizes this particular side of hiking? How does this relate to
the author’s purpose? Explain.

3. Do you think this passage would likely appear in the tourist brochure that provides maps
and hiking routes for a national park? Consider what you know about the author’s
purpose and attitude when answering this question.
For more information on author’s purpose, see

Glencoe Literature, Course 1, pp. 536 and R1.

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Lesson 12: Generating Questions

Generating questions is a method that you can use to improve your understanding of all
kinds of reading material. It involves becoming an active reader—asking yourself questions
about the information presented as you read. Whenever you read—for school, for fun, for
information—practice jotting down questions after each paragraph. Your questions can be
about anything that puzzles you. Asking questions will help you to recognize statements
that are confusing and to find answers for them later in the passage.
DIRECTIONS: Read the following excerpt from Mary Crow Dog’s autobiography Lakota
Woman. (The term “Lakota” refers to the seven tribes of the Western Sioux Indians.) In this
autobiography, Crow Dog describes her experience growing up on a South Dakota reservation.
Read the following excerpt from the chapter “Invisible Fathers” and write any questions you
have about the passage in the margins. Then answer the questions that follow.
I loved to visit Aunt Elsie Floor to listen to her stories. With her high cheekbones
she looked like grandma. She had a voice like water bubbling, talking with a deep,
throaty sound. And she talked fast, mixing Indian and English together. I had to pay
strict attention if I wanted to understand what she told me. She always paid her bills,
earning a living by her arts and crafts, her beautiful work with beads and porcupine
quills—what she called “Indian novelties.” She was also a medicine woman. She was
an old-time woman carrying her pack on her back. She would not let a man or
younger woman carry her burden. She carried it herself. She neither asked nor
accepted help from anybody, being proud of her turtle strength. She used turtles as
her protection. Wherever she went, she always had some little live turtles with her
and all kinds of things made out of tortoiseshell, little charms and boxes. She had a
little place in Martin, halfway between Rosebud and Pine Ridge, and there she lived
alone. She was very independent but always glad to have me visit her. Once she came
to our home, trudging along as usual with the heavy pack on her back and two
shopping bags full of herbs and strange things. She also brought a present for me—
two tiny, very lively turtles. She had painted Indian designs on their shells and their
bottoms. She communicated with them by name. One she called “Come” and the
other “Go.” They always waddled over to her when she called them to get their food.
She had a special kind of feed for them, leaving me whole bags of it. These small twin
turtles stayed tiny. They never grew. One day the white principal’s son came over and
smashed them. Simply stomped them to death. When she heard it my aunt said that
this was an evil sign for her.

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1. List two questions that you wrote that were later answered by reading the passage to the
end. How were the questions answered by the passage?
2. List two questions that were not answered by reading the passage to the end. If you knew
the answers to these questions, how would that help you to understand the passage
better? How could you find the answers?

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Lesson 13: Determining Main Idea

Though a story or an article may be full of information, it usually contains only one main
idea. The main idea is the central idea or concept that the writer is trying to convey. All the
details and examples in the passage must relate to or support this main idea.
DIRECTIONS: Read the passage below. After reading each paragraph, stop and think
about what the main idea of the passage might be. When you are finished, answer the
questions that follow.
Silent Communication
1 Sure, you’ve heard of a dog whistle. It makes a sound that only dogs can hear, too
high-pitched for human ears. Well, have you ever heard of an elephant whistle?
2 It turns out that people studying elephants in Cameroon and other parts of Africa
have detected an interesting phenomenon involving elephants. The elephants seem
to communicate with each other over long distances using sounds that only other
elephants can hear!
3 So, you think you already know all the sounds an elephant makes—the screech,
the snort, the rumble, and the mighty trumpet. Maybe you’ve even heard an
elephant growl, roar, snuffle, or bellow. But some unusual behavior has convinced
observers that elephant talk is more than it seems.
4 A young bull elephant sauntering along a grassy trail, not seeming particularly
alert, turns suddenly, for no apparent reason, and runs into the forest like someone
with an urgent appointment. Five minutes later, observers see a huge, aggressive-
looking elephant come bounding over the top of a distant rise. It seems it was in the
smaller elephant’s best interest to flee. But how did he know? Some people who live
in Cameroon claim that elephants have mysterious telepathic powers.
5 Scientists think some elephant behavior results from elephants’ ability to make
and to hear sounds at an extremely low frequency. These sounds travel well over long
distances and stay clear even around such obstacles as trees and hills.
6 What could the elephants be talking about? Probably the food, the weather, and
dangerous situations. Researchers believe elephants are constantly passing along
information—“I’m over here,” “There are some tasty shoots on the other side of the
lake,” “We need help with a sick calf,” or even “I’m lonely.” Their individual “hums”
are probably as recognizable to other elephants as the voices of our friends and
relatives are to us.
7 It turns out that if there were such a thing as an elephant whistle, it would emit a
sound so low-pitched that we humans couldn’t hear it. But hey, who’d want to call
an elephant, anyway?

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1. What is the main idea of this passage? State the main idea in one or two sentences.
2. Which paragraph (or paragraphs) gives you the most information about the main idea?
Explain your answer.

3. What is the purpose of paragraph 4? How do the ideas presented in this paragraph relate
to the main idea?
For more information on determining the main idea of a passage,

see Glencoe Literature, Course 1, pp. 297, 576, and R79.

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Lesson 14: Conducting Research

Locating information you need is called conducting research. Researching a subject is a
helpful tool in understanding more about it. Developing good researching skills depends on
identifying the best sources in which you can find the information you seek. Sources can
range from encyclopedias, textbooks, and periodicals to videotapes and the Internet.
DIRECTIONS: Read the following passage. Then answer the questions about research
pertaining to the passage.
1 Would it be fair to say that Leonardo da Vinci invented photography? After all, in
the early 1500s he invented the camera obscura—a device that used a lens to place an
image onto a glass plate. Although the pictures were not preserved, wasn’t this
essentially photography?
2 However, Da Vinci’s images were inverted—backward, like a mirror image. (Try
reading the words on your T-shirt when you look at yourself in a mirror.) Maybe this
disqualifies Da Vinci, since his early efforts are only a forerunner of modern
photography.
3 Later in the 1500s, a man named Danti added a mirror to Da Vinci’s contraption,
and this technique flipped the image. If the subject of Danti’s first picture were
wearing a school jacket, we’d be able to read it correctly. So did Danti invent
photography?
4 Perhaps it was actually Niepce, a Frenchman who was able to get the first picture
out of the camera obscura 250 years later. He found a substance called asphaltum, or
“bitumen of Judea,” to which he added solvents and then exposed to light. The
picture he produced was faint and only semi-permanent, but many consider his the
first actual photograph. So was he photography’s inventor?
5 The process that Niepce used was difficult and expensive, and therefore considered
impractical when weighed against the less-than-wonderful results. But around the
same time in France, a man named Daguerre was also working to create permanent
images from the camera obscura and getting even worse results than Niepce. Soon the
two Frenchmen teamed up, and when Niepce died, Daguerre carried on the work.
6 Daguerre may have the best claim to being the inventor of photography, although
his success is due in large part to a fortunate accident. He discovered that his images,
which at first were disappointingly faint, intensified to an amazing degree when
exposed to mercury vapor. The resulting photographs were vivid, permanent, and
instigated a series of improvements by scientists on both sides of the Atlantic.
Daguerre’s name is immortalized by the word “daguerreotypes,” and his brown-tinted
photographs are still an impressive sight.

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1. Imagine that you are going to conduct further research on photography. Which facts or
ideas mentioned in this passage would you find it most useful to learn more about?
Underline these sections. In the space below, explain your choices.
2. Think of at least four sources of information that you might use to find out more about
Daguerre. Explain which resource would be the best place to start your research.

3. List two reasons why this passage would be helpful to someone doing research on
photography. Then explain why someone doing research on photography would need
additional sources of information.
For more information on conducting research, see

Glencoe Literature, Course 1, pp. R48–R50 and R89–R94.

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Exercise 1
Read the following story to learn what a school principal taught a group of kids about
working in the summer. Then answer the questions that follow it.
Summer Job
by Sophia Hale
It was the first day of summer Maybe it was because we didn’t expect
vacation, and the air was already as thick our school principal to think we could do
as soup. The humidity was unusually a job. Maybe it was because we knew we
high for June, and it told of the long were going to be as bored as sticks.
summer days to come. Maybe it was just that we were excited at
In our town, there wasn’t much for a the thought of earning some spending
kid my age to do in the summer. Too old money, but we all followed him over to
to play with the elementary school the school that day.
babies and their mamas, too young to When we got to the schoolyard, Mr.
hang with the big kids or get a job, my Oxten led us around to the back of the
friends and I usually spent our vacation school. Just beyond the recess yard, there
days just trying to stay cool. was a small field overgrown with weeds.
We had gotten into the habit of Mr. Oxten pulled a couple of shovels out
meeting up in the field behind the Food of a box he had out in that field. He
Fair after school, so one morning after handed them to Carla and me. Without
breakfast, I wandered over to see if there speaking, he bent down and pulled out a
was anything going on. Some of my couple of rakes, too. I looked into the
friends were already there, so I bought box and saw that it was full of work
myself a pop and joined them. My friend gloves, spades, gardening tools, and
Carla was knocking a stone around. I seeds. Mr. Oxten wanted us to clear that
jumped in and we started kicking it back field!
and forth. That’s when Mr. Oxten came None of us had ever pulled a weed
out. before. We didn’t know to grab it near
He must have seen us out in that field the ground and wiggle it until you feel it
when he was leaving the grocery store. start to give. As I dug my fingers into the
He might have even seen us there before. dry dirt around the weeds, nasty little
He had been the principal of the middle hard-shelled bugs would scurry off in all
school for seven years, so he knew us all different directions. I’d watch them crawl
by name. “Ellie,” he spoke to me, “I have away and feel like my skin might crawl
a job for you girls if you’re interested.” away with them. We got used to the

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bugs, though, and we got a feel for when from each little stalk to give it room to
the root would pop out. We also figured breathe. And when the annoying weeds
out that if we soaked the ground, the returned, we again got down on our
roots would loosen. hands and knees and yanked them out.
All that day, seven of my friends and I The days were long and hot.
pulled weeds, raked the ground, and Sometimes the school building
pulled more weeds. The next day, there welcomed us with shade, where we
were five of us pulling. By the third day, would rest and watch our field grow. And
one more had bailed. But Carla, Allison, little by little, it did. A fountain of reds
Jenny, and I hung in there. Those weeds and yellows and blues sprouted before
were as stubborn as mules, but we slowly our eyes. Where once there was
began to conquer that field. abandonment and emptiness, now there
It took us almost three weeks to was new life and beauty.
completely clear the land. As we waited When school started again in the fall,
for Mr. Oxten to come by and check on my friends and I took pride in our field.
us, I felt more excited than I could We never did ask Mr. Oxten to pay us for
remember feeling for a long time. I’ll our summer job. Maybe that was because
never forget the way I felt when I heard we had already received our reward.
Mr. Oxten say, “I knew you could do
this!” We turned the soil over and over
again that day so that it would be ready
for planting.
Carla got there first the next morning.

By the time the rest of us arrived, she had
a map of our field drawn in the dirt. We
worked until sundown filling our field
with plants and seeds.
The rest of that summer we came to
check up on our field every day. We
carefully watered the plants. We mowed
the lawn we had planted and waited for
flowers to poke out of the ground.
Although we knew that the flowers
would surely bud, the first tiny green
sprouts amazed us just the same.
Delighted at their arrival, we celebrated
our success by moving the topsoil away

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1. This story is told from which point of 4. Which word describes the style of this
view? passage?
A first-person A conversational
B second-person B fast-paced
C third-person C factual
D third-person omniscient D suspenseful
2. What is the main strategy used by the 5. All of the following examples from this
author to maintain the reader’s interest? passage include figurative language
A She employs suspense to build up to except which one?
the ending. A “...the air was already as thick as
B She introduces a conflict and soup.”
resolves it at the end. B “We had gotten into the habit...”
C She describes the narrator’s thoughts C “...we were going to be as bored as
and emotions. sticks.”
D She uses flashbacks to help us know D “Those weeds were as stubborn as
the narrator better. mules...”
3. How did Ellie and her friends know Mr. 6. What theme is best conveyed by this
Oxten? story?
A They met Mr. Oxten at the grocery A Successfully growing flowers takes
store. lots of hard work.
B Mr. Oxten was the principal of their B Completing a difficult task is deeply
middle school. satisfying.
C Mr. Oxten was a friend of their C Haste makes waste.
parents. D Children’s abilities are often
D Mr. Oxten introduced himself in the underestimated.
parking lot.

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Exercise 2
The following selection is from Catherine Gourley’s biography of pilot Beryl Markham, a
famous pioneer of early aviation. This excerpt tells about Markham’s most daring flight.
Read this dramatic story and then answer the questions that follow it.
The Waterjump
by Catherine Gourley
Beryl Markham wondered how much In September, 1936, no man or
longer she could stay awake. Cramped woman had ever flown an airplane east
inside the cockpit between two petrol to west across the Atlantic Ocean. Beryl
tanks, she had been piloting the single was intending to be the first. The
engine airplane for more than nineteen airplane that she was piloting was a
hours without a rest. She had been flying single engine Vega Gull christened The
blind, unable to see anything but Messenger. Her friends in England had
darkness and fog outside the cabin teased her that it should be called instead
window. She had been flying silent, The Flying Tombstone. For flying an
without a radio transmitter to guide her airplane the wrong way across the
or keep her company through the long, Atlantic Ocean was a dangerous thing to
stormy night. She had been flying attempt. Some had called it suicidal.
without even a life jacket, for there was Strong head winds would slow the plane
not enough room inside the cabin to down and use up most of its fuel. In

hold that lifesaving equipment and the September, bad weather could skid her
necessary extra tanks of fuel. off course. Even a few degrees off course
Now at last it was morning and the could mean not reaching land before her
fog had begun to thin. Through the skin fuel ran out.
of ice that had formed on the inside of “I wouldn’t tackle it for a million,” J.
the cabin window, she saw the lights of a C. Carberry had told her, even though he
ship far below her on the Atlantic Ocean. was the one who had dared her to do it
She felt a sudden exhilaration. Still, she and then put up the money to build the
could not be certain just where she was. airplane. “Think of all that black water!”
England and Ireland were behind her. he said, smiling grimly. “Think how cold
She could only hope that she had not it is!”
drifted off course and that somewhere But Beryl had been in dangerous spots
ahead, hidden under the ribbons of fog, before and had used her wits to pull her
were the cliffs of Newfoundland. through. In the highlands of East Africa,

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where she had spent her childhood, she photographers had gathered at the
had been attacked by a lion. She had airfield. They had been dogging her for
hunted wild boar with arap Maina, a days. Why are you doing this? they had
Kipsigis warrior. She had ridden her pressed. Why risk your life?
father’s wild stallions across the fields of The names of other pilots—Charles
his farm in Njoro. Beryl Markham rather Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, Jim
liked danger. It made her feel alive. She Mollison—were already in the record
had been afraid to try this incredible books. Like them, Beryl Markham was a
waterjump. She had lain in her bed just professional pilot. She had more than
yesterday morning and considered 2,000 hours of flying experience. She
bailing out of the agreement she had cared nothing for setting new records.
made with J. C. But long ago her father Nor was she anxious to die. How could
and arap Maina had taught her that if a she explain to these reporters about her
thing were worth doing, then she must father and arap Maina and the lessons
swallow her fear and do it well. they and Africa had taught her? How
At five o’clock the previous afternoon, could they understand why it was
Beryl had stood on the airfield in important that she swallow her fears and
Abingdon, England. The weather forecast move forward? She couldn’t explain it to
was not good: head winds of forty to fifty them. She didn’t try. Her answer was
miles per hour and rolling in off the simply, “Flying is my job, and this
Atlantic, heavy thunderstorms. A small Atlantic flight is part of it.”
crowd of newspaper reporters and

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1. What is the conflict in this passage? 4. Which of the following is not a way
A whether Beryl will explain to the that the author conveys the risks of
reporters her reasons for flying Beryl’s flight?
B whether Beryl can complete the A explaining the flying conditions
flight successfully despite her fear B stating the opinions of Beryl’s
C whether Beryl should bring more friends
equipment on the flight C revealing Beryl’s secret worries
D whether Beryl’s past experiences will D describing the sights Beryl saw
help her with this flight
5. What did arap Maina teach Beryl?

2. From what location did Beryl take off? A how to fight
A England B how to swim
B Africa C how to hunt
C Ireland D how to fly
D America
6. Which of the following is an example of

3. What makes flying west across the figurative language?
Atlantic more dangerous than flying A “She had been flying silent, without
east? a radio transmitter to guide her...”

A heavy fog and rain B “...it was morning and the fog had
B strong head winds begun to thin.”
C ice inside the cabin C “She cared nothing for setting new
D drifting off course records.”
D “...it was important that she swallow
her fears...”

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Exercise 3
If you would like to grow vegetables indoors, here are some valuable tips for getting
started. Read the following passage about apartment gardening and then answer the
questions that follow it.
Apartment Gardening
If you like plants, and you imagine premixed with other components, like
having a big beautiful garden and peat moss and perlite, to provide good
growing your own salad vegetables, then drainage and air circulation. This potting
you might think living in an apartment soil comes in plastic bags. You will find it
would be a big problem. in a nursery or garden store, and
Actually, this is not as large an sometimes even in a hardware store or
obstacle as it must seem, as long as you supermarket. But if you need to be a little
have plenty of optimism and an open more economical, you could dig some up
mind. In addition, you’ll need some basic from outdoors and bring it inside, if you
equipment: 1) containers; 2) soil; get permission.
3) water; 4) plant food; and 5) seeds. Of You’ll need a source of water. Look no
course, the most important factor for further than your kitchen sink. Fill a cup
growing healthy plants is a source of or a watering can. Poke your index finger
light. This can be natural light through a into the dirt up to your first knuckle. If
sunny window, or you could grow plants the soil feels dry, it’s time to water.
under fluorescent lights. Plant food, or fertilizer, is usually
You don’t have to buy special plant optional. If you decide to feed your
containers. Almost any plastic container plants, use plant food only after the
will make a good plant pot; just poke plants have started to grow. Organic
holes in the bottom of it so that excess fertilizers tend to be smelly. Chemical
water can drain. Try using cottage cheese fertilizers are often more convenient to
or yogurt containers, or cut a few inches use. Whatever you choose, be sure to
off the bottom of a plastic milk bottle read the directions carefully before you
and use that. Even a cardboard milk pour anything on your new plants.
carton cut down to five or six inches You can find seeds in a garden supply
high will work. Place the containers on a store or a nursery. In the springtime,
tray to catch any water that might leak. check your supermarket. Many keep
As for soil, the recommended vegetable seeds in stock. Your challenge
method—and the cleanest—is to buy a will be to figure out which vegetables you
bag of specially processed soil that is want to grow.

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Some vegetable plants grow better cool temperatures, so consider growing

than others indoors. You might want to them in the spring or fall. If you decide
try carrots, greens, and tomatoes. to grow them in the summer, keep them
Carrots do surprisingly well in a small out of the direct sun. Lettuce and
space. They are root vegetables—the part mustard greens take only about four
you eat is the root—so a lot of the action weeks to grow, from seed planting to
takes place under the soil. The green tops harvesting. Spinach takes a little longer.
are also edible, so you might not want to Mustard greens will probably provide a
throw them out. They work well in salads larger yield than lettuce or spinach. If
or even in sandwiches in place of lettuce. you sow seeds every couple of weeks, you
Be careful where you plant them, can have a steady supply of salad greens.
though—read the seed packet and make Miniature versions of large vegetables
sure the container you use will be deep such as tomatoes are your best choice for
enough to hold a full-grown carrot. apartment gardening. There is a variety
Try lettuce, mustard greens, or of tomato called “Tiny Tim” that you
spinach. These salad greens do best in could grow on a windowsill. Tomatoes

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need plenty of plant food and a lot of sprouts and keeps them moist. In only a
light, so you’ll be most successful if you few days, when the sprouts are a half-
grow them in a window that faces south. inch to three-quarters-of-an-inch long,
Even if your window faces the shade, they will be ready to add to your salad.
you can grow vegetables. Sprouts grow Remember as you crunch them that you
from dried beans or from seeds like grew them yourself!
alfalfa or cress. They need very little light Growing the things you eat provides
to flourish. They don’t even need soil. abundant benefits. Since you grow the
Place a tablespoonful of beans or seeds in plants yourself, you can avoid harmful
a glass jar. Cover them with water and chemicals. You are eating fresh-picked
soak them overnight. Fasten a piece of food, full of vitamins and nutrients. The
cheesecloth with a rubber band around food you eat costs only what you paid for
the mouth of the jar. Drain the water the original seeds and soil—plus your
from the jar. Let the beans or seeds sit own time and labor. If you like
until the following day. Some of them gardening, growing your own vegetables
will probably already be sprouting. Once can be a labor of love.
a day, cover them with water and drain
them immediately. This rinses the
1. According to the passage, which is the 2. In this passage, the author tries to
most important factor for growing persuade the reader that which of the
plants? following is true?
A clean soil A It is possible to grow edible plants

B fertilizer or plant food indoors.
C plastic containers B Gardening indoors is a lot of hard
work.
D enough light
C It is not necessary to feed most
plants.
D Only small vegetables should be
grown.

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3. What is the best way to get soil, 6. In this article, the author did not
according to the author? mention growing other vegetables such
A Buy it in a nursery or garden store. as celery, potatoes, and peppers. What is
most likely the reason why the author
B Premix it with other components.
left out this information?
C Get permission to dig it up
A Most people do not like those
outdoors.
vegetables.
D Bring it inside in a special container.
B This information appears in a later
portion of this article.
C These vegetables are too large to
grow indoors.
4. Where would you most likely find this
kind of passage? D These vegetables cannot be eaten in
a salad.
A an encyclopedia
B a home and garden magazine
C a recipe book
D a news magazine 7. Why do you need “optimism and an
open mind” to grow vegetables indoors?
A Outdoor temperatures are colder
than those indoors.
5. In the last paragraph, what does the
B It is more difficult to provide soil
word “abundant” probably mean?
and water indoors.
A delicious
C It is difficult to decide which
B many

vegetables to grow indoors.
C nutritious D Indoor conditions are less favorable
D timely than those outdoors.
8. What is an important factor needed

when growing sprouts?
A water
B soil
C sunshine
D fertilizer

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Exercise 4
The wind can bring interesting ideas to mind. Read these poems about the fantastic
powers of the wind. Then answer the questions that follow them.
Wind Is a Cat Wind-Wolves

by Ethel Romig Fuller by William D. Sargent
Wind is a cat Do you hear the cry as the pack goes by,
That prowls at night, The wind-wolves hunting across the sky?
Now in a valley, Hear them tongue it, keen and clear,
Now on a height, Hot on the flanks of the flying deer!
Pouncing on houses Across the forest, mere, and plain,

Till folks in their beds Their hunting howl goes up again!
Draw all the covers All night they’ll follow the ghostly trail,
Over their heads. All night we’ll hear their phantom wail,
It sings to the moon, For tonight the wind-wolf pack holds sway
It scratches at doors; From Pegasus Square to the Milky Way,
It lashes its tail And the frightened bands of cloud-deer flee
Around chimneys and roars. In scattered groups of two and three.
It claws at the clouds

Till it fringes their silk,
It laps up the dawn

Like a saucer of milk;
Then, chasing the stars

To the tops of the firs,
Curls down for a nap
And purrs and purrs.

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1. What is the subject of the poem “Wind 5. Which word best describes the wind in
Is a Cat”? both “Wind Is a Cat” and “Wind-
A a stray cat Wolves”?
B frightened people A thrilling
C the blowing wind B fierce
D the night sky C chilly
D fast
2. In “Wind Is a Cat,” what happens to the
wind at dawn? 6. Which of the following would most
A It stops blowing. help you to understand the two poems?
B It moves to the treetops. A listening to someone read one poem
while you read the other
C It tries to come indoors.
B writing definitions of unfamiliar
D It gets louder.
words from the poem
3. Which lines from “Wind-Wolves” most C learning more about cats, wolves,
suggest that the wind is blowing hard? and deer
A “Do you hear the cry as the pack D thinking about the images given in
goes by,/The wind-wolves hunting the poems
across the sky?”
7. Which idea do the two poems have in
B “All night they’ll follow the ghostly
common?
trail/All night we’ll hear their
phantom wail...” A Wind can be wild like an animal.
C “For tonight the wind-wolf pack B It’s best to hide from a strong wind.

holds sway/From Pegasus to the C When the wind blows, deer run
Milky Way...” away.
D “Hear them tongue it, keen and D The wind is like a purring kitten.
clear,/Hot on the flanks of the flying
deer!”
4. The two poems are alike in all these ways

except for which of the following?
A They compare the wind to an
animal.
B They describe the effect that the
wind has on clouds.
C They describe the wind both at
night and daybreak.
D They hint at how frightening wind
can be.
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Exercise 5
Here are two potato recipes with unusual names. Read these recipes and find out how to
make clapshot and rumbledethumps. Then answer the questions that follow these two
recipes.
Potatoes, Anyone?
The potato has been a staple food in Scotland for centuries. Even now, some
people eat this popular root vegetable every day! Since it is so plentiful, Scottish
cooks have come up with many creative ways to prepare “tatties,” the Scottish
word for potatoes. Here are two traditional recipes. They originated in different
areas of Scotland—the first on the Orkney Islands, and the second in the
northeastern city of Aberdeen.
CLAPSHOT (serves 5)
INGREDIENTS EQUIPMENT
5 large potatoes vegetable peeler
1 medium turnip large pot with cover
2 teaspoons of dried chopped chives potato masher
2 tablespoons of butter measuring spoons
salt and pepper mixing spoon
HOW TO MAKE:
1. Peel potatoes and turnip.
2. Put them in a pot, cover them with water, and boil them
together until they are soft enough to mash.
3. Drain the water from the pot.
4. Mash the vegetables together.
5. Add the chives and butter.
6. Stir the mixture until it is
blended.
7. Sprinkle with salt and
pepper and serve hot.

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RUMBLEDETHUMPS (serves 4)
INGREDIENTS EQUIPMENT
4 large cold boiled potatoes potato masher
1 head of cold boiled cabbage vegetable chopper
1 tablespoon of dried chopped chives large pan
3 tablespoons of butter measuring spoons
salt and pepper mixing spoon
grated cheese, either cheddar or pie dish
parmesan
HOW TO MAKE:
1. Mash the potatoes and chop the cabbage.
2. Put them in a large pan and mix them together.
3. Add the butter and chives. Sprinkle in some salt and pepper.
4. Heat and stir until the butter melts. Make sure to blend the ingredients thoroughly.
5. Put the mixture into a buttered pie dish.
6. Sprinkle the top with grated cheese.
7. Bake for 25 minutes in an oven at 350 degrees.
8. Serve when the top turns brown.
1. In the first paragraph, what does the 2. Which is of the following is a true

author mean by describing the potato as statement about clapshot?
a “staple food” in Scotland? A It originated in the city of Aberdeen.
A The potato is central to the Scottish B It is made from a popular root
diet. vegetable.
B The potato has a long, important C It can be made only in Scotland.
history.
D It is a new Scottish recipe.
C The potato is eaten mainly during
holidays.
D The potato is considered very tasty.

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3. What is the main reason that cheese is 6. According to this passage, what does
included in the recipe for the word “tatties” mean?
rumbledethumps? A vegetables
A It makes a brown crust for the top. B recipes
B It makes a smoother texture. C potatoes
C It helps the potatoes cook more D islands
quickly.
D It makes the food more colorful.
7. What is the best way to use these

recipes when making the food?
4. Which ingredients do both recipes have A Skim the entire recipe and then
in common? return to each section as necessary.
A potatoes, cabbage, and chives B Read each line carefully and look up
B potatoes, chives, and cheese unfamiliar words.
C potatoes, chives, and butter C Read the “How to Make” section
D chives, cheese, and butter first and refer to the equipment list
only when you have questions.
D Skim the recipe and summarize the
main points.
5. What is the main purpose of the first
paragraph?
A to explain the difference between
two recipes
B to discuss why Scottish recipes are
popular
C to tell why potatoes are a favorite
vegetable
D to introduce two Scottish recipes for
potatoes

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Exercise 6
This passage is part of James Howe’s novel The Watcher. This novel is about a lonely girl
named Margaret whose family fails to provide the love and support she needs. In the
excerpt below, Howe describes Margaret’s arrival at the seashore, where her family has
just rented a house, and her first impression of the place. Read this excerpt and then
answer the questions that follow.
A House Full of Strangers

by James Howe
The bitter taste of lead brought her to Her parents had never rented a house
her senses. How long had she been at the beach before. The fact that they
sitting there, lost in thought? She had done so for an entire month filled
lowered the pencil, tucked it into the her with feelings so unfamiliar she had
small notebook on her lap, and in its no names for them. Still, it was good to
place drew in an oily strand of hair, be filled with something, even feelings
which she sucked and nibbled like a without names. It was, she imagined, a
hungry little mouse. little like having a birthday party—
It was the first day. Miraculously, they something she had never actually had—
had allowed her to go out by herself, and and all the guests being strangers. A
she had almost at once found this safe house full of strangers, but a full house.
place, this spot at the top of the stairs It did not occur to her to sit on the

where she could sit and watch the others beach. She hadn’t brought a towel to sit
on the beach. It was early yet, and a on, for one thing. She wasn’t even
weekday, so the beach was nearly empty. wearing a bathing suit under her T-shirt,
She was glad for that. It made it easier just shorts. It didn’t matter. She was
to believe she was invisible when there content to be where she was, slightly
were fewer eyes to see her. What would above, at a little distance from, the
they have seen, anyway? A bony girl with people and the sand and the sea that
loose brown hair falling across her face stretched out forever. From where she sat
and shoulders. A baggy T-shirt and pink she could watch the children on their
and powder-blue flip-flops, one of which pudgy legs run to the water’s edge and fill
was held together with packing tape. their buckets, then scamper back to the
That’s all. Just her body, just her clothes. safety of their mothers, shrieking and
They would not have seen her. No. laughing as the waves rolled up behind

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them, nipping at their heels; tag, you’re was the little girl who had caught her
it. She could almost smell the lotion the eye, but it was the girl’s brother who held
mothers squeezed out of tubes into the it. He appeared to be about thirteen, her
palms of their hands and rubbed lovingly age, although he might have been a little
over their little sons’ and daughters’ older. He was a good deal older than his
browning bellies and fiery backs. She sister, that much was clear. He had a
could watch umbrellas pop open like long, thin body, the kind she had once
bright flowers bursting into bloom, and read described as “lanky.” It wasn’t his
these made her think of the clusters of body that interested her, though, but his
crocuses that appeared in her backyard manner—the way, for instance, he dug a
each spring, always catching her by long trough in the sand for his sister to
surprise, bringing with them as they did sit in, then knelt before her, listening
the memory of hope. patiently to all her instructions before
But what she watched most intently beginning the elaborate sand fin that
were the families—not pieces of families would turn her into a mermaid. It
with only a mother or a nanny, but what seemed, as far as she could tell from
she thought of as complete families with where she sat, that the boy had real
two parents and at least two children, artistic talent. She wondered if his father
preferably a girl and a boy. was an artist, because she noticed that he
There was only one such family on sat sketching his children as they played
the beach that morning, and she found it together.
not only complete but nearly perfect. It

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She expected the boy to run off at been watching the family for a long time,
some point, to join friends and leave his she saw the boy bend down and kiss,
sister behind. But he never did. He actually kiss, the top of his sister’s head,
seemed to enjoy being with her, and she became so dizzy she was forced to
when he took her hand at one point, it drop her head to her knees and think of
was such a natural gesture that she felt other things until the dizziness went
certain he’d done it many times before. away.
And when, later in the day, after she had
1. Why does Margaret watch the family at 3. Margaret’s memory of crocuses is an

the beach? example of which of the following?
A because they are acquaintances from A point of view
her hometown B flashback
B because she enjoys observing and C dialogue
drawing people
D suspense
C because they are acting in an
unusual way
D because she wishes she were part of
a happy family 4. Why does the narrator mention
Margaret’s memory of spring crocuses in
the passage?
A to describe what her backyard looks

2. Which of the following phrases best like
describes Margaret?
B to give an example of a beautiful
A frustrated and jealous memory
B reflective and shy C to suggest the girl’s feeling of hope
C courageous and eager D to compare spring sights to summer
D dreamy and peaceful sights

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5. What kind of passage is this? 7. What is the main technique the

A fiction author uses to keep the reader
interested in the story?
B biography
A He provides background
C news story
information about the characters.
D fantasy
B He describes Margaret’s thoughts
and feelings.
C He depicts the characters’ gestures
and expressions.
6. From what point of view is this story
told? D He establishes a suspenseful mood.
A first-person
B second-person
C third-person
8. How does the author most likely
D first- and third-person want us to feel about Margaret?
A resentful
B enthusiastic
C puzzled
D sympathetic

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Exercise 7
The Lumbee tribe is the largest Native American tribe in North Carolina. However, the
U.S. government still doesn’t officially acknowledge its existence as a tribe. Read the
following article to learn more about the Lumbee’s struggle for recognition. Then answer
the questions that follow it.
The Struggle of the Lumbee

The U.S. government officially recognition, with little success.
recognizes the existence of over 300 The main problem is their language.
Indian tribes. Tribes such as the Hopi, The Lumbee speak English. However,
Navajo, and the Eastern Band of their ancestors spoke the Siouan
Cherokee are given federal funding for language, and once upon a time, they
housing, education, and health care. The spoke a Siouan dialect, too. However,
government provides them with special when Scottish and Irish immigrants
services to help preserve their cultures began settling along the Lumber River in
and communities. the 1700s, the Lumbee began to speak
However, many other tribes remain English instead. Eventually, the Lumbee
unrecognized by the U.S. government. To stopped using their own language
gain recognition, a tribe must submit a altogether. Since their original language
petition to the Bureau of Indian Affairs was never written down, it is now lost.
and prove that it is “distinct”—with its The Lumbee argue that this loss
own political system, language, and shouldn’t be counted against them. They
traditions. The application process is long have a rich oral history, special

and complicated. Each tribe must draw traditions, and a strong sense of
upon the help of historians, genealogists, community. In fact, the way they speak
and other experts to prove its case. English could be seen as evidence in their
Despite their passionate efforts, many favor. The Lumbee speak a special dialect
tribes are rejected. of English, with a strong accent and an
Such is the case of the Lumbee, North unusual way of using grammar. They
Carolina’s largest Indian tribe. The inherited these colorful speech patterns
Lumbee, descendants of Cheraw Indians, from the early English, Scottish, and Irish
have lived along the banks of the settlers. They have been speaking this
Lumbee River since the 1700s. In 1956, way for centuries. This fact suggests that
the U.S. Congress passed a bill that the Lumbee had a strong sense of
recognized the Lumbee as Indians. separateness and cultural identity.
However, Congress refused to grant them The Lumbee are proud of their
status as a distinct tribe. Since then, the heritage and want recognition and
Lumbee have repeatedly sought this funding from the government to help

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them preserve it. The Lumbee hold pow- waiting for the U.S.
wows and other events throughout the government to admit that
year to affirm their cultural roots. They it knows, too.
know exactly who they are. They are
1. What is the conflict in this article? 4. Why did the Lumbee probably start to
A The U.S. government wants the speak English?
Lumbee Indians to learn a A to become citizens of North
new language. Carolina
B The U.S. government has taken B because their original language was
away the Lumbee’s original not written down
language. C because they wanted government
C The U.S. government will not grant recognition
rights and benefits to any Indian D to communicate with English-
tribe. speaking settlers
D The U.S. government will not
recognize the Lumbee as an Indian 5. What does the final paragraph reveal
tribe. about the author?
A the author’s interest in cultural
2. What is the purpose of the fourth events
paragraph?
B the author’s confidence in the
A to describe a part of North Carolina’s government
geography
C the author’s opinion on the
B to explore some reasons for Lumbee’s status

discrimination
D the author’s attitude toward the
C to explain why the Lumbee speak study of language
English
D to introduce the main idea of the 6. Why does the author include
article information about the Lumbee’s unique
way of speaking?
3. Which of the following does not A to show how the Lumbee have a
describe the Lumbee? long, rich history
A Scottish and Irish immigrants B to show why the Lumbee have been
B residents of North Carolina isolated for so long
C speakers of a Siouan language C to offer proof of the Lumbee’s strong
D descendants of the Cheraw identity as a tribe
D to explain why the U.S. government
refuses to recognize them

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Exercise 8
Can you imagine our world without any real trees at all? Read the story that follows to
find out what it might be like to see the very last tree. Then answer the questions that
follow it.
Autumntime
by A. Lentini
I saw my first tree today. Dad finally there we took another elevator-bus down
broke down and took us to East Boston to main level, rode the monorail to
Urban Center 3 after Mom had been Intercity Subway Station 27, and caught
harping on it for the past two weeks. I the second sublevel AA train to Boston.
think he was glad we went after all, Our expectations were so high that Dad
because he was smiling quietly all during and I didn’t mind it when Mom told us
the trip back. again how the tree was discovered.
Dad used to tell me stories about the The O’Brien home was one of the few
trees that still existed when he was a boy. examples of old-style wooden structures
There weren’t very many even then, with that hadn’t been demolished in Boston’s
the urbanization program in full swing, urban-renewal campaign at the turn of
but most people had seen at least one the century. The family had been able to
tree by the time they started school. It avoid this because of its wealth and
wasn’t like nowadays, at any rate. Oh, political influence, and the house was
I’ve seen the plastic trees; practically passed on through several generations to

every street has a few of them. But you the present. Old man O’Brien had no
can tell the plastic ones are artificial just heirs, so when he died the family home
from looking at pictures in the microdot went up for auction, and the Urban
library. And now, after seeing a real tree, I Center bought it. When local officials
can say for sure that the artificial ones arrived for an appraisal, they discovered
aren’t the same at all. that the house had a backyard, which is
This morning when we got up, the forbidden by zoning restrictions.
house was all excited. Mom dialed a light In the yard was a live tree—an oke was
breakfast of toast and synthetic milk so what Mom called it.
that we wouldn’t waste time eating. And When the news of the tree’s discovery
when we finished, the three of us took an leaked out, quite a few sightseers stopped
elevator-bus up to the fourth level, where by to have a look at it, and the local
we caught the air track to Brooklyn. From government, realizing the money-making

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potential, began charging admission and protection. It was similar in form to the
advertising the place. By now it had plastic trees I’d seen, but there was much
become a favorite spot for school field more to it than that. You could see
trips and family excursions such as ours. details more intricate than in any
When we arrived in main Boston, we artificially made plant. And it was alive.
rode the elevator-bus up to ground level Long ago someone had carved their
and caught a monorail out to East Boston initials in the bark, and you could see
Urban Center 3. An air-cush taxi took us where the wound had healed. But best of
the rest of the way to the residence. all was the smell. It was a fresh, living
The home itself was unimpressive. It odor, alien to the septic world outside,
had none of the marble gloss or steely with all its metal, plastic, and glass. I
sheen of modern buildings, but was wanted to touch the bark, but the fence
rather a dull white color, with the paint prevented me from doing so. Mom and
peeling in places. Dad paid the admission Dad just breathed deeply and stared up
fee, and we spent the next fifteen with smiles on their faces. The three of
minutes on a dull guided tour of the us stood there for a moment, and then
house. The rooms were roped off to keep the tour guide told us to make room for
people from touching anything, but the next group. I didn’t want to go—in
there were no windows facing the illegal fact, I almost felt like crying.
backyard anyway, so it really didn’t On the way back, Mom and Dad were
matter that I couldn’t enter the rooms on silent, and I read through one of the
that side. brochures that the guide had passed out.
My mind was on the tree, and I When I came to the part that said the
thought the inside tour would never end; O’Brien home would be opened only for
but soon we were walking through a the rest of this year, I was sad. They intend
doorway hidden in one of the to tear down the place to make room for
bookshelves and into the back some kind of insurance building, and
yard. The yard was big—at the tree will have to go, too.
least ten by twenty feet— For the rest of the trip I
and I was surprised to find just sat still, fingering the
real grass growing on the object in my pocket that I
sides of the concrete walkway had picked off the grass in
built for tourists. The grass the O’Brien’s back yard. I
didn’t distract me for long, think it’s called an acorn.
however, because I just couldn’t help
noticing the tree!
It was located at one end of the yard,
and there was a mesh fence around it for

Name Date
1. How did the narrator feel on the 4. According to the passage, which of the
morning of the trip to Boston? following would add the correct answer
A nervous to the graphic organizer?
B eager Present vs. Future—Possible Changes
C impatient Present Future
D bored • real trees • plastic trees
• trains and buses • monorails and
elevator-buses
• wooden structures • buildings of
2. Which of the following details is the
only one that does not help you metal, plastic,
identify this story as science fiction? and glass
A Having a backyard is against the law. • preparing breakfast • ?
B An elevator-bus is a form of • real milk • synthetic milk
transportation.
A skipping breakfast
C The discovery of a live tree is
important news. B eating out
D The O’Brien home was an old-style C dialing breakfast

wooden structure. D eating breakfast
3. Why was the narrator surprised that 5. What strategy would be best to use in

grass was growing along the concrete answering question 4?
walkway? A Skim the entire passage to figure out
A Grass doesn’t usually grow in a city. each comparison.
B Grass doesn’t often grow near B Try to imagine how people in the
concrete. future would prepare breakfast.
C Grass is rare in this time and place. C List differences between the world of
D The concrete walkway is inside the the story and ours.
house. D Reread the section that talks about
the family’s breakfast.

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6. What is the most likely reason why the 8. Which of the following activities would
narrator’s mother kept telling and best help a reader understand the
retelling the story of the tree’s meaning of this story?
discovery? A watching a film about an extinct
A She thought her family wasn’t species
listening the first time. B visiting historical monuments in
B She was excited at the idea of seeing Boston
a real tree. C planting an acorn in a garden
C She wanted to remind herself of the D climbing oak trees in a wooded park
details.
D She remembered a different version
of the story.
7. This passage contains a conflict between

which two ideas?
A nature and progress
B plastic and wood
C humans and government
D traveling and working

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Exercise 9
Dr. Charlotte Hawkins Brown was a famous African-American woman who changed
education for African Americans in North Carolina. Read the following passage to find
out how Dr. Brown pursued her goal. Then answer the questions that follow it.
A Woman with a Dream

Ever since she was a little girl, Thrilled to be on her own, she taught
Charlotte Hawkins dreamed of becoming reading, writing, arithmetic, and self-
a teacher. What made her different from respect to African-American children
most little girls was her steely who responded to her enthusiasm.
determination to put her dreams into However, at the end of her first year
action. At the age of twelve, little Lottie teaching, Charlotte was disappointed to
displayed her trademark iron will. She find out that the school would close
decided that her local congregation because of a lack of funds. Another
needed a kindergarten and she was going teacher might have given up or started
to organize it. Other children might have searching for a job in another school.
announced this idea, but Lottie actually Not Charlotte Hawkins. She felt at home
carried out her plan. Even at this early in the quiet rural town and had no plans
age, she showed the drive and of leaving. She decided to stay in Sedalia
motivation that would later win her and open her own school for African-
praise as an educator. American students.
Born in Henderson, North Carolina in At this time, African Americans in the

1883, Charlotte moved to Massachusetts South were treated as second-class
when she was a child. Her parents made citizens. Most African-American families
this move for her sake. In the North, were so poor that children had to work
African Americans had better instead of going to high school.
opportunities for education and jobs. But Charlotte Hawkins wanted to give more
Charlotte never forgot the North African Americans a chance to get a good
Carolina of her youth. Every year she education. “I must sing my song,”
traveled with her mother to visit Charlotte once said. “There may be other
Henderson. These trips reminded her of songs more beautiful than mine, but I
how keenly African Americans in the must sing the song God gave me to sing,
South needed good schools and teachers. and I must sing it until death.”
In 1901, when she was offered a teaching She received plenty of support for her
job in a run-down missionary school in plan. In Massachusetts, she had known
Sedalia, North Carolina, she readily Alice Freeman Palmer, who was famous
accepted it. for being among the nation’s few female

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college presidents. Mrs. Palmer admired Brown also wanted African Americans
Charlotte’s determination and to understand the history of their people.
introduced her to other people who Her own grandparents had lived in
cared about education. Mrs. Palmer and slavery. Brown believed that knowing
many others sent money to Charlotte to African-American history would make
start her new school. Charlotte named her students stronger and more
the school Palmer Memorial Institute in determined to succeed. This was a
her honor. milestone in North Carolina—Palmer
While principal of Palmer, Charlotte was the first school in the state to teach
Hawkins married and changed her name this subject.
to Charlotte Hawkins Brown. As more The Palmer Institute became famous
people learned about Mrs. Brown and the throughout the country. Groups of
Palmer Institute, Brown began to receive educators invited Brown to speak to
many letters from African-American boys them. She received honorary college
and girls who were anxious to enroll. degrees. She met with important people
They had heard how much the principal such as Eleanor Roosevelt and Booker T.
cared about her students. One student Washington. She gave interviews on
offered to work in the school’s kitchen if national radio programs. Although Dr.
only she could go to classes. Brown Brown was a celebrity, her school came
enrolled this student in her school. She first in her heart. For fifty years, she was
also made a rule that all students would the principal of Palmer. During that time,
spend an hour a day doing chores for the she proudly watched more than one
school. thousand African-American girls and
At the time, most schools for African boys graduate from the school she had
Americans trained students only in built and loved.
farming and other manual labor. But
Brown wanted to give
students the chance to go
to college. She knew they
would need a strong
academic and cultural
background. So, in
addition to literature and
math, her school taught
science, music, art, and
drama.

Name Date
1. What does the word “milestone” mean 4. Where could you look to find more
in the second to last paragraph? information on Charlotte Hawkins
A a quest for information Brown?
B a difficult journey A Who’s Who Among Today’s High
School Principals
C an important event
B African-American Politicians
D a positive feeling
C American Educators of the Nineteenth
Century
D Leaders Among African-American
2. Why does the author include Women
information about the kindergarten
class that Charlotte Hawkins started
when she was twelve?
A to show how important it is for 5. What lesson is conveyed in this
children to go to kindergarten passage?
B to show that Charlotte Hawkins was A With determination, talent, and the
born to be a leader support of friends, you can achieve
many goals.
C to show how much the
congregation needed a kindergarten B Working at your school is the best
way to get an education.
D to show that Charlotte Hawkins’s
friends and neighbors appreciated C Teachers must start teaching at a
her very early age if they want to
succeed.

D There is no place like the state in
which you were born.
3. What could the author have added to
help further convey the ideas of this
passage?
A quotes from students who attended 6. Which of the following would Charlotte
Palmer Memorial Institute Hawkins Brown be least likely to teach
in her school?
B more description of Henderson,
North Carolina A opera appreciation
C details about Dr. Brown’s personal B playwriting techniques
life and marriage C organic chemistry
D transcripts of one of Dr. Brown’s D automotive mechanics
radio speeches

Name Date
Exercise 10
Have you ever wondered how a storm becomes a hurricane? Read the following passage to
find out. Then answer the questions that follow it.
The Life of a Hurricane

You have probably experienced a around 23 to 39 miles per hour near the
summer storm. Thunder rumbles behind center. At this stage, the storm is called a
the gray clouds. A sudden downpour tropical depression.
makes steam rise from the hot sidewalk. When the winds strengthen to 40
You may see lightning streak across the miles an hour, meteorologists upgrade
dark sky. the tropical depression to a tropical
Did you know that a hurricane could storm. After that, if the wind speed
start in the same way? reaches 74 miles per hour, the storm has
Hurricanes come from thunderstorms, become a hurricane. The jump from
but not every storm is born to be a tropical storm to hurricane could take as
hurricane. To be that powerful, the long as two or three weeks, but it might
temperature and humidity (the amount only take a few hours.
of moisture in the atmosphere) must be One special feature of a hurricane is its
just right. In addition, warm ocean water eye. The eye is a still, calm pocket of air
must be available for fuel. that forms inside the center of the
A hurricane is born on the tropical hurricane. Inside, there is no rain and the
ocean and is made of strong winds. For a sun may even shine. Satellite instruments
storm to become a hurricane—and to show the eye as an ominous dark spot in

remain one—the ocean must stay warmer the center of swirling clouds.
than 81 degrees Fahrenheit. The winds Meteorologists track the eye carefully to
must continue to blow faster than 74 determine the storm’s direction.
miles per hour. Hurricanes that move toward the land
Several stages of development occur can be very dangerous. Even before they
while a thunderstorm transforms into a reach land, they can cause floods and
hurricane. First, an individual tornadoes. A strong hurricane can wreck
thunderstorm must join forces with other people’s homes and wash whole towns
thunderstorms. As these thunderstorms out to sea. Even a small- to medium-sized
travel together, their winds begin to blow hurricane can pull up full-grown trees by
in a circular pattern, reaching speeds of their roots and topple telephone poles.

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Many people have had their cars reversing the stages it went through to
overturned and house windows smashed become a hurricane. Meteorologists will
by a hurricane’s violent winds. downgrade it to a tropical storm, then a
On land, where there is less moisture tropical depression, and finally, with
to fuel the storm, the hurricane loses its great relief, they will call it just an
strength and its winds slow down. ordinary summer storm.
Gradually, it will shrink down again,
Air cools as it reaches

rain clouds a higher elevation
eye
wall clouds (clouds of the Warm, moist air rises,

surrounding the eye) hurricane feeding the hurricane.
warm air cool air
1. What is the main purpose of this 2. Why does the author begin with a
article? description of a summer storm?
A to compare thunderstorms to A to show how dangerous storms are
hurricanes B to capture the reader’s interest
B to explain ways to detect hurricanes C to introduce the idea of lightning
C to explain how hurricanes develop D to present a frightening concept
D to describe hurricane damage

Name Date
3. What allows a center to form inside a 6. What causes a hurricane to lose its
storm? strength when it reaches the shore?
A rotating winds A Tall trees slow down the hurricane.
B decreasing air pressure B The hurricane shrinks in size.
C increasing precipitation C There is less moisture to fuel the
D decreasing winds hurricane.
D The eye disappears and the winds
slow down.
4. For a thunderstorm to become a more

serious storm, what must happen first?
A Its winds must blow faster than 74 7. The main purpose of the diagram is to
miles per hour. show which of the following?
B It must join with other A how a hurricane loses its strength
thunderstorms. B how quickly winds can rotate in a
C An eye must develop in its center. hurricane
D Meteorologists must upgrade it. C how a tropical storm becomes a
hurricane
D how a hurricane is structured
5. What is the main way a tropical storm

differs from a hurricane?
A the size of the eye 8. In the seventh paragraph, why does the
author talk about satellite instruments?

B the amount of rain that falls
A to show how hurricanes are
C the place it develops
dangerous to satellites
D the speed of the wind
B to show how meteorologists watch
hurricanes
C to show how far away most
hurricanes are located
D to show how instruments are
needed to detect satellites

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Exercise 11
Read the following South American tale to learn the story of a gentle creature and the
way it got its home. Then answer the questions that follow.
Valley of the Huanacos

by Amy Friedman
Long ago in South America the Gentle on those days, each person had one wish
People lived in perfect harmony and granted, no matter what it was.
happiness among the animals and birds, There was but one rule, and it was
flowers and trees. The Gentle People were this: The prince forbade the Gentle
kind, graceful, and beautiful. And they People to travel too far north. North, the
had a special talent as well. They could prince explained, where the Southern
change the many brightly colored Cross no longer glistened overhead, there
flowers that grew in abundance into was a deep, dark forest filled with evil
living birds. The bright blue skies were men. The Gentle People must not go
filled with birds. Scissortails darted to there.
and fro, flashing their tails. Bright red Alas, one day a young man named
ovenbirds sang to glossy-coated violet Capa looked up in the sky and saw a
cowbirds. Lapwings filled the air with strange bird such as he had never seen
song. before. The creature’s breast was green
The land was wonderful. The flowers and blue and gold. His long tail was as

smelled sweeter than flowers anywhere white as ivory. Capa called to the bird.
else in the world. The sun never shone “Come here, creature, and let me look at
too brightly. The winds never blew you.”
harshly. The prince of the Gentle People To his surprise, the bird flew quickly
was good and wise; he loved his people away.
and his land and the world they That is strange, he said to himself. The
inhabited. birds in this land were friends to the
The people often gathered together to Gentle People. I must find this bird and
praise their prince and his goodness. take him to our prince. He is so different
They brought with them precious stones, from the birds I know.
and these the prince tossed to the And so Capa followed the bird’s path
children. The Gentle People, you see, as he winged northward. On and on he
loved things for their beauty alone. At flew, and Capa followed, always looking
the gatherings, the birds and animals up. “How odd that he will not let me
sang and danced with the people. And touch him and hold him,” Capa said as

Name Date
he traveled. “How very odd.” For, you The prince called the Gentle People all
see, the Gentle People did not know fear. together. He told them what Capa had
At last Capa came to the edge of the seen. “Now we have but two choices,”
dark, deep forest. When he looked up, he said the prince. “I can provide you arms
no longer saw the Southern Cross. The and teach you how to fight. When the
bird flew on, still moving north. For a evil men come, we can do battle.”
moment Capa hesitated, but he longed The people listened and grew sad. The
to know this bird. And so he walked on, birds stopped singing, and the animals
into the forest. no longer danced. Even the fragrant
At last he came to a clearing and flowers began to droop.
before him he saw men with evil eyes. “I caution you,” the prince said, “if
They sat in a clearing, eating the flesh of you learn to fight, you will turn on each
animals. They wore skins of animals other and bring death to our own people.
around their bodies. You will turn against our animals, and
Capa stared in wonder at these strange they will turn against you. You will begin
people. He had never known a man to to hide your emeralds and rubies, your
hurt an animal. gold and your silver. You will bury your
When the men saw Capa, they belongings and keep them to yourself.
surrounded him. Quickly they grabbed That is what will happen if I arm you
his robes of silver and gold thread from and teach you to fight.”
him. They reached into his sleeves and The Gentle People looked at each
drew out precious stones. And then, to other and they knew what they must do.
Capa’s amazement, the men began to “We will leave this place, then,” they
fight with each other. They ripped the said. “We would rather go far, far away
robe apart. They dropped the rubies and than learn to do evil.”
emeralds and gold as they tried to take When the people heard the men
these from each other. tramping through the forest toward
While the people fought among them, the prince called to them to follow
themselves, Capa fled. He ran all the way him. Off they went, the Gentle People
home to his people. He went directly to and their animals and birds.
the prince to tell his tale. After many days they came to a deep
When the prince heard Capa’s story, green valley where a bright blue river ran
he grew very sad. “You have been to the swiftly.
land where greed and selfishness and “Now people, listen,” said the prince,
hatred live,” he said. “Now the evil men and the people gathered around him.
will not rest until they have found us. “The men are coming after us, and so I
They wish to bring their sorrows to all.” am going to change you into animals. I

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will call you huanacos. You will wear red disappear from the earth. And on that
and white, and gold and silver too, and day, every flower will bend toward its
you will always be a friend to every bird neighbor, and the Gentle People will
and animal.” once again have their land. Kindness and
And so the prince changed his people gentleness, goodness and generosity,
into huanacos, and he changed himself peace and goodwill will reign forever.
into the tallest and handsomest huanaco
of all. He climbed onto a tall rock to
watch over his people, and there he
remained until, one day, he died.
The other huanacos laid their prince’s
bones in their valley. The very next day,
a flower as blue as the sky sprouted and
blossomed where once the bones had
lain. Its petals were gold-tipped and its
scent was fragrant. Even afterward,
whenever a huanaco died, the others
buried his bones in the valley. Every
huanaco bone transformed itself into a
fragrant blue flower.
To this day, they say, the huanacos
live in peace in the valley the people call
Valley of the Gallegos in southern

Patagonia. The people say that when the
last huanaco dies, the evil men will
1. What type of story is this? 2. Which personal experience would best

A legend help you understand Capa’s decision to
enter the forest?
B science fiction
A visiting the South American
C autobiography
countryside
D nonfiction
B wanting something that is off-limits
C camping in a deserted forest
D reading stories similar to “Valley of
the Huanacos”

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3. When Capa tells the prince of the 6. Which word best describes how the
Gentle People about his encounter, Gentle People feel toward the evil
what is the prince most afraid of? people?
A that the evil men will kill the Gentle A sorrow
People B hatred
B that the Gentle People will be C anger
unable to defend themselves
D indifference
C that the Gentle People will learn to
do evil
D that the evil men will steal all their
belongings 7. The author holds the reader’s interest in
all of the following ways except which
one?
A by describing the setting in great
4. The title “Valley of the Huanacos” refers detail
to which of the following?
B by using dialogue to dramatize
A the valley where the evil men live events
B the valley where the Gentle People C by including a plot with lots of
live before Capa’s encounter action
C any valley where blue, fragrant D by making the story seem factual
flowers grow
D the Valley of the Gallegos
8. Which of the following is the best

reason for someone to read this story?
5. What is the overall tone of this passage? A to learn about South American
A sarcastic history
B humorous B to enjoy a tale from another culture
C sorrowful C to compare the Gentle People to
D hopeful people today
D to learn about how people lived in
the past

Focus Lessons Answer Key
Lesson 1: Narrative Strategies I
1. Julie’s brother Pete has run away. She is trying to decide whether to shimmy down the
rainspout and follow him. In the end, she makes up her mind to leave.
2. Julie takes a long time to go out the window. She lingers there, her knuckles turning
white, and she wishes that Molly would wake up. These details suggest that Julie is afraid
and indecisive, and they add to the story’s suspense.
3. Answers will vary. Students may mention the setting (the rainy weather, the fact that it is
early morning); the background information about Julie’s brother Pete; and the
description of Molly asleep in bed. All these details contribute to the suspense of the
story and help us understand the difficulty of Julie’s decision.
Lesson 2: Narrative Strategies II
1.
Facial expression or gesture Emotions of the character
pinkish splotches on Shelene’s cheeks (paragraph 1) anger

a.
Toby “clamped his mouth into a tight line and
desire to hide laughter
b. wrinkled his eyebrows” (paragraph 2)
Toby looks at doorway with frown (paragraph 7) concern for mother
c.

Shelene “brushed her hand across her eyes, and
unhappiness; desire to hide feelings
d. sniffed loudly” (paragraph 8)
Shelene dances around kitchen (paragraph 10) happiness, playfulness
e.
2. The dialogue makes a simple scene dramatic and entertaining, and it helps reveal the
personalities of both Toby and Shelene. Without dialogue, this passage would be less
interesting.
3.
Facts about relationship Section that gives you this information
Toby likes teasing Shelene paragraphs 2 and 3

a.
Toby has the power to make Shelene cry paragraph 8
b.
Shelene enjoys teasing Toby paragraph 10
c.

Lesson 3: Flashback
1. Paragraph 3 contains the flashback. There are several clues that it is a flashback. The
author uses the word “remembered,” which indicates that it is a memory, not something
happening now in the story. This section appears as an interruption, occurring in the
middle of a conversation between Dad and Jenise. It is also out of chronological order; it
happened before Jenise and Dad are together on the front steps of the hospital, but the
author interrupts the narrative to tell the reader about it.
2. The flashback explains why Jenise and Dad are at the hospital. It also helps the reader
understand why Jenise is reluctant to go inside.
3. The story would be less vivid. The reader would wonder why Jenise is fearful of the
emergency room. The reader would focus only on the interaction between Jenise and
Dad. The reader would know less about Annie and her role in the story.
Lesson 4: Point of View
1. The author is telling this story from an omniscient third-person point of view. We know
that the story is written in third-person because the narrator refers to the characters as
“she” and “he,” not “I” (first person). We know the point of view is omniscient because
the narrator reveals the thoughts of more than one character. The mother’s thoughts are
revealed in paragraph 7 (“Her mother looked at her quickly, decided the statement was
not suspect, looked away”); the girls’ thoughts are described in paragraph 9 (“They
wanted to hurl themselves over the fence, into the street, and shake the truth out of his
collar”).
2. The author reveals very little information about Papa. Paragraph 9 details Papa’s physical
appearance, but not his inner thoughts. The author probably chose not to include
feelings in order to create suspense.

Lesson 5: Characterization
1. Students might fill in the graphic organizer with the following information:
Examples of indirect characterization: In paragraph 3, Inez bends down and picks up a hat
(she is polite); in paragraph 5, her eyes fill with tears (she is sensitive); and in paragraph
8, she plays with Ray (she is kind). We also learn about Inez through Aunt Marisa’s
thoughts in paragraph 2 (Inez is stubborn).
Examples of direct characterization: “She was the kind of girl who hated to cry in front of
grownups...” (paragraph 5) and “She didn’t want anyone to see her crying,” (paragraph 8).
2. We learn about Aunt Marisa’s personality in paragraph 2 (she is worried about Inez) and
paragraph 4 (she is understanding and kind). We learn about Ray’s personality through
his actions in paragraphs 6, 9, and especially 10. His actions reveal that he is caring and
sensitive. All are examples of indirect characterization.
3. Interpreting Inez’s actions is the best way to learn about her. Her thoughts also help
characterize her, but there are few of them. The thoughts and actions of others in the
passage are less important in conveying Inez’s personality.
Lesson 6: Figurative Language
1. The author is comparing a patch of old snow to an old, thrown-away newspaper full of
old, forgotten news.
2. Students may list the following reasons for comparing snow to a newspaper:

a. They look alike. (The grime on the snow is like newspaper print.)
b. Both snow and newspapers have brief lives.
c. The value of snow and newspapers changes very quickly. (Snow becomes dirty;
newspapers become outdated.)
3. Answers will vary.

Lesson 7: Mood
1. The author uses mostly sound (beating on her drum, tapping, booming, pounding).
These sounds evoke a feeling of excitement, and create a mood of anticipation (similar to
waiting for a parade).
2. The short lines make the poem read very quickly, creating a feeling of excitement. It
looks very much like a line of words marching down the page (again, like a parade). The
author is trying to convey feelings of enthusiasm, cheerfulness, happy anticipation, and
high expectations, and also the feeling that summer is coming, ready or not!
3. Answers will vary.
Lesson 8: Theme
1. First stanza Second stanza
kite is inside kite is outside

a.
kite wears “dead paper” on “boned wood” kite is “strong” and “alive”
b.
kite is heavy kite is light
c.
In stanza 1, when the kite is trapped in a house, it seems dead. In stanza 2, it is released
into the wind, and becomes joyous and free.
2. Students may mention the description of the kite as wearing “Dead paper/ On tight-/
Boned wood” (lines 3–5); or the description of the kite as “A small, clear/ Wing...” (lines
20–21). The description of “dead” paper supports the idea that the kite is not “alive,” and
outside as a “wing,” the kite is free and playful.
3. This poem suggests that a kite is meant to fly. It is dead and useless unless it is free to fly.
In a more general way, this poem suggests that all objects, when given freedom, come
alive. Lines 20–24 most clearly state the theme: “A small, clear/Wing, having/Nothing at
all/To do/With string.”

Lesson 9: Style
1. Passage 1 has a much more descriptive style. The author uses vivid language to describe
the boys’ movements (one has a “slow, shuffling walk”) and physical appearance (the
second boy is “tall and thin as a beanpole, with bright red hair, long, gangly legs, and a
nose like a bird’s beak”). This passage also contains descriptions of the physical
surroundings. (“Early morning sun winks through the shade trees lining the narrow
road.”) The description in Passage 2 is much more minimal.
2. Passage 1 has a lively, immediate style. It is told in the present tense, and it includes
figurative language and vivid details. Passage 2 is told in the past tense and has a simpler,
more straightforward style. It tells the bare facts, with little description or elaboration.
Unlike Passage 1, it includes the narrator’s thoughts.
3. Overall, the style of passage 1 is more successful. The descriptive details help the reader
participate in the scene as it unfolds, and the present tense makes the action immediate.
Both these elements—the description and the present tense—help create a mood of
mystery and suspense.
Lesson 10: Making Inferences
1. The number of fish would decrease, because many fish use salt marshes to spawn or to
live in until they are mature enough to return to the ocean. (Clue: discussion of fish that
live in salt marshes in paragraph 3.)
2. In this particular section, the author is discussing the ways that salt marshes are

important to fish, so we can guess that all the species named are types of fish.
3. a. Buildings along the coast would be more likely to be damaged by hurricanes and
storms, because salt marshes would no longer act as breakwaters.
b. Important ecosystems would be destroyed, eliminating the forage base for many
types of marine life. Therefore, less seafood would be available for people to eat.
Clues: salt marshes serve as natural barriers (paragraph 4); salt marshes provide shelter to
fish (paragraph 3).

Lesson 11: Determining Author’s Purpose
1. The author’s purpose is to inform the reader about different ways to find a way out of the
woods if you get lost.
2. The author emphasizes the dangers and problems of hiking (the difficulty of following
trailheads, the possibility of getting lost, etc.). Because the author’s purpose is to inform
the reader of how to best handle these dangers, it would only make sense that he or she
would discuss them.
3. This passage would probably not appear in a tourist brochure for a national park. It
might frighten tourists and discourage them from hiking or camping in this park.
Lesson 12: Generating Questions
1. Answers to this question will vary.
2. Questions listed might include: Who is the narrator? Why does Aunt Elsie Floor live
alone? Where and when does this story take place? Why does Aunt Elsie Floor use turtles
as her protection? Why did she say that the death of the turtles was an evil sign for her?
Books about the history of the Lakota and Sioux, about Native American artwork, and
about medicinal herbs and alternative medicine may all provide additional information.
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Lesson 13: Determining Main Idea
1. Elephants communicate with each over long distances and at such a low frequency that
humans can’t hear them.
2. Paragraphs 2 and 5 give the most information about the main idea. Paragraph 2
introduces part of the main idea (elephants communicate over long distances using
sounds that humans can’t hear). Paragraph 5 expands on the idea (with the information
about the sounds’ low frequency). The combination of these paragraphs provides the
complete main idea.
3. Paragraph 4 provides an example of the way elephants communicate with each other. It
presents a false assumption (elephants are telepathic) as a way of introducing the true
theory (elephants communicate by humming).
Lesson 14: Conducting Research
1. Students might mention Paragraph 1, about Da Vinci’s invention of the camera obscura;
paragraphs 4 and 5, about the process that Niepce used to produce the first actual
photograph; and paragraph 6, about daguerreotypes.
2. Possible sources might include: a biography of Daguerre to find out about his life; an
illustrated book about early photography to find out more about daguerreotypes; an
encyclopedia to get an overview about Daguerre’s place in the development of
photography; and the Internet to find short articles on Daguerre. The encyclopedia
would be the best place to start, as it would provide a brief overview for generating

questions and determining focus.
3. The passage provides an overview of the beginnings of photography and its

development. Researchers would need additional sources, such as technical information
about about how camera equipment works, biographical information about other
inventors who contributed to photography, and historical information about what
happened after Daguerre produced the first actual photographs.

Exercises Answer Sheet
Name: ____________________________________________ Date: _____________________________________________
Exercise 1 Exercise 2 Exercise 3

1 A B C D 1 A B C D 1 A B C D

Exercises Answer Sheet
Name: ____________________________________________ Date: _____________________________________________

Exercise 10 Exercise 11
1 A B C D 1 A B C D
2 A B C D 2 A B C D

3 A B C D 3 A B C D
4 A B C D 4 A B C D
5 A B C D 5 A B C D
6 A B C D 6 A B C D
7 A B C D 7 A B C D
8 A B C D 8 A B C D

Exercises Answer Key
1. A 4. A 1. D 4. D
2. C 5. B 2. C 5. C
3. B 6. B 3. A 6. C
1. B 4. D 1. B 5. D
2. A 5. C 2. D 6. B
3. B 6. D 3. C 7. A
4. C 8. A
Exercise 3
1. D 5. B Exercise 9
2. A 6. C 1. C 4. D
3. A 7. D 2. B 5. A
4. B 8. A 3. A 6. D
1. C 5. B 1. C 5. D
2. B 6. D 2. B 6. C
3. D 7. A 3. A 7. D
4. B 4. B 8. B
1. A 5. D 1. A 5. D
2. B 6. C 2. B 6. A
3. A 7. A 3. C 7. D
4. C 4. D 8. B
Exercise 6
1. D 5. A
2. B 6. C
3. B 7. B
4. C 8. D

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READING

Reading Strategies and Literary Elements Focus Lessons

Reading Comprehension Exercises 1–11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Focus Lessons Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Exercises Answer Sheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Exercises Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

“Home” by Gwendolyn Brooks. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Wind Wolves” by William D. Sargent. Reprinted by permission of Scholastic, Inc.

The Reading Strategies & Literary Elements booklet is composed of reproducible

Introduction to Reading Strategies and Literary Elements • Grade 6 3

Effective Reading and Writing Strategies

Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

4 Introduction to Reading Strategies and Literary Elements • Grade 6

General Test-Taking Strategies

correctly by eliminating answers they know are wrong.

Introduction to Reading Strategies and Literary Elements • Grade 6 5

Informational passages are articles or essays that provide information on a

Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

6 Introduction to Reading Strategies and Literary Elements • Grade 6

Lesson 1: Narrative Strategies I

Reading Strategies and Literary Elements • Grade 6 7

1. In a sentence or two, briefly summarize the plot of this story.

2. How do Julie’s movements build up suspense in the story?

Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

8 Reading Strategies and Literary Elements • Grade 6

Lesson 2: Narrative Strategies II

Reading Strategies and Literary Elements • Grade 6 9

Facial expression or gesture Emotions of the character

Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Facts about relationship Section that gives you this information

For more information on dialogue, see Glencoe

10 Reading Strategies and Literary Elements • Grade 6

Reading Strategies and Literary Elements • Grade 6 11

2. Why does the author include a flashback in this story?

Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

For more information on flashback, see

12 Reading Strategies and Literary Elements • Grade 6

Lesson 4: Point of View

Reading Strategies and Literary Elements • Grade 6 13

1. Which point of view (first-person, limited third-person, or omniscient third-person) does

Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

For more information on point of view, see

14 Reading Strategies and Literary Elements • Grade 6

1 Inez watched from a corner of Grandmother’s living room. People dressed in

for a walk, will you take Ray?”

Reading Strategies and Literary Elements • Grade 6 15

Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

For more information on characterization, see Glencoe

16 Reading Strategies and Literary Elements • Grade 6

Lesson 6: Figurative Language

A Patch of Old Snow

There’s a patch of old snow in a corner

That I should have guessed

Was a blow-away paper the rain

Had brought to rest.

It is speckled with grime as if

Small print overspread it,

The news of a day I’ve forgotten—

If I ever read it.

Reading Strategies and Literary Elements • Grade 6 17