Practice 1: Excerpt from "In the Far Country"

Practice 1: Excerpt from "In the Far Country"

Read the passage and answer the following questions:

Excerpt from "In the Far Country" by Jack London

1 With little to do, time became an intolerable burden to them. This naturally made them still lazier. They sank into a physical lethargy which there was no escaping, and which made them rebel at the performance of the smallest chore. One morning when it was his turn to cook the common breakfast, Weatherbee rolled out of his blankets, and to the snoring of his companion, lighted first the slush lamp and then the fire. The kettles were frozen hard, and there was no water in the cabin with which to wash. But he did not mind that. Waiting for it to thaw, he sliced the bacon and plunged into the hateful task of bread-making. Cuthfert had been slyly watching through his half-closed lids.

2 Consequently there was a scene, in which they fervently blessed each other, and agreed, henceforth, that each do his own cooking. A week later, Cuthfert neglected his morning ablutions, but none the less complacently ate the meal which he had cooked. Weatherbee grinned. After that the foolish custom of washing passed out of their lives.

3 As the sugar-pile and other little luxuries dwindled, they began to be afraid they were not getting their proper shares, and in order that they might not be robbed, they fell to gorging themselves. The luxuries suffered in this gluttonous contest, as did also the men.

4 In the absence of fresh vegetables and exercise, their blood became impoverished, and a loathsome, purplish rash crept over their bodies. Yet they refused to heed the warning.

5 Next, their muscles and joints began to swell, the flesh turning black, while their mouths, gums, and lips took on the color of rich cream. Instead of being dran together by their misery, each gloated over the other's symptoms as teh scurvy took its course.

6 They lost all regard for personal appearance, and for that matter, common decency. The cabin became a pigpen and never once were the beds made or fresh pine boughs laid underneath. Yet they could not keep to their blankets, as they would have wished; for the frost was inexorable, and teh fire box consumed much fuel. The hair of their heads and faes grew long and shaggy, while their garments would have disgusted a ragpicker. But they did not care. They were sick, and there was no one to see; besides, it was very painful to move about.

7 To all this was added a new trouble--the Fear of the North. This Fear was the joint child of the Great Cold and the Great Silence, and was born in the darkness of December, when the sun dipped below the horizon for good. It affected them according to their natures.

8 Weatherbee fell prey to the grosser superstitions, and did his best to resurrect the spirits which slept in the forgotten graves. It was a fascinating thing, and in his dreams they came to him from out of the cold, and snuggled into his blankets, and told him of their toils and troubles ere they died. He shrank away from the clammy contact as they drew closer and twined their frozen limbs about him, and when they whispered in his ear of things to come, the cabin rang with his frightened shrieks. Cuthfert did not understand for they no longer spoke--and when thus awakened he invariably grabbed for his revolver. They he would sit up in bed, shivering nervously, with the weapon trained on the unconscious dreamer. Cuthfert deemed the man going mad, and so came to fear for his life7

9 His own malady assumed a less concrete form. The mysterious artisan who had laid the cabin, log by log, had pegged a wind-vane to the ridegepole. Cuthfert noticed it always pointed south, and one day, irritated by tis steadfastness of purpose, he turned it toward the east. He watched eagerly, but never a breath came by to disturb it. Then he turned the vane to the north, swearing never again to touch it till the wind did blow. But the air frightened him with its unearthly calm, and he often rose in the middle of the night to see the vane had veered--ten degrees would have satistifed him. But no, it poised above him as unchangeable as fate.

Multiple Choice

Select the word that has the MOST similar connotation to gorging in paragraph 3.

• eating

• tasting

• gobbling

• consuming

Open Ended

What does the word complacently mean in paragraph 2?

Multiple Choice

What does the word impoverished mean in paragraph 4?

• weakened

• destitute

• needy

• enriched

Multiple Choice

What does the word lethargy mean in paragraph 1?

• boredom

• sluggishness

• sickness

• anxiety

Multiple Choice

Read the sentence from paragraph 6:

The cabin became a pigpen, and never once were the beds made or fresh pine boughs laid underneath.

How would its figurative meaning BEST be written in a literal sentence?

• The cabin became a space for keeping the pigs, but they never made beds for the animals.

• The cabin became filthy and unkept because they stopped tending to the chores.

• The cabin was turned into a sty for pigs, which made the building messy and smelly.

• The cabin became so untidy, looking for anything was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Multiple Choice

What does the word inexorable mean in paragraph 6?

• freezing

• bitter

• crushing

• unrelenting

Open Ended

What does the word twined mean in paragraph 8?

Multiple Choice

The word malady comes from the Latin mal, meaning "bad or sick." Knowing this, which other word came from the Latin root?

• malodorous

• malleable

• male

• mallet

Multiple Choice

Which synonym for unearthly has the MOST negative connotation?

• otherworldly

• supernatural

• exceptional

• abnormal

Multiple Choice

The word satisfied comes from the Latin roots satis and facere, meaning "to make sufficient." Knowing this fact, what other word came from the same Latin roots?

• saturnine

• saturate

• satchel

• satellite