Gatsby Chapter 1 and 2 Figurative Language Lesson

​The Great Gatsby,

Chapter 1

Figurative Language Lesson and Quiz

​This is Nick's "cardboard bungalow".

"He found the house, a weather

beaten cardboard bungalow at eighty a month..."

Multiple Choice

When Nick calls his home a "cardboard bungalow" this most likely means that...

• The house is strong and sturdy.

• The house is poorly constructed.

• The house is made out of cardboard.

• The house could be blown away by a wind any moment.

"And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves

growing on the trees—just as things grow in fast movies—I

had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over

again, with the summer.

​

​Chapter 1, page 6, PDF

​Nick's upbeat tone, in Chapter 1, shows he is excited about summer!

​

Multiple Choice

Read how Nick describes the leaves growing on trees:

"With the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves

growing on the trees—just as things grow in fast movies..."

This is an example of

• metaphor

• hyperbole

• simile

• personification

​Read the description of Gatsby's Mansion:

The one on my right

was a colossal affair by any standard—it was a factual imi-

tation of some Hôtel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower on

one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy, and a

marble swimming pool and more than forty acres of lawn

and garden. It was Gatsby’s mansion.​

Subject | Subject

Multiple Choice

Nick tells the reader that Gatsby's mansion had "a tower on

one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy, and a

marble swimming pool and more than forty acres of lawn

and garden."

This description is also called...

• imagery

• dialogue

• narration

• understatement

"Their house was even more elaborate than I

expected, a cheerful red and white Georgian Colonial mansion, overlooking

the bay"​

​

​

​Chapter 1, PDF: page 9

​Read how Nick describes Daisy and Tom's Home:

​

Multiple Choice

When Nick says that the house is "cheerful" and is "overlooking the bay", this is an example of...

• metaphor

• simile

• hyperbole

• personification

He says, "I must have stood for a few moments listening to the whip and snap of the curtains..."

​

​

​Chapter 1, PDF: page 10

​When Nick walks into Tom's house he hears the ocean wind in the curtains.

​

Multiple Choice

When Nick describes the curtains making noise he says, "the whip and snap of the curtains". The words "whip" and "snap" are examples of...

• simile

• metaphor

• onomatopoeia

• hyperbole

"I'm p-paralyzed with happiness."

​

​Daisy uses the following hyperbole to show her joy in seeing Nick!

​

Multiple Choice

When Daisy states, "I'm p-paralyzed with happiness" this most likely means...

• She can't move!

• When Daisy feels happy, she can't find the words to explain it!

• She is SO, SO happy she has no words or movements to express it!

• She has never felt this happy in her life before.

Almost before I had grasped her meaning there was the

flutter of a dress and the crunch of leather boots and Tom

and Daisy were back at the table.

​

​Chapter 1, PDF: page 18

​The bold words are an example of onomatopoeia:

​

Multiple Choice

Choose the BEST definition of the word onomatopoeia.

• A direct comparison

• A word that sounds like what it refers to or describes

• An exaggeration

"Her family is one aunt about a thousand years old."

​

​Chapter 1, PDF: page 22

​Daisy uses the following hyperbole to describe how old Jordan's aunt is:

​

Multiple Choice

Choose the BEST definition of the word hyperbole.

• A direct comparison

• A word that sounds like what it refers to or describes

• An exaggeration

​Chapter 2:

"...a certain

desolate area of land. This is a valley of ashes—a fantastic

farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills​..."

​

Review the Figurative Language Terms and then get quizzed!​

Multiple Choice

Nick describes the Valley of Ashes by saying:

"The valley of ashes is bounded on one side by a small foul

river, and when the drawbridge is up to let barges through,

the passengers on waiting trains can stare at the dismal

scene for as long as half an hour."

What is the mood of the Valley of Ashes?

• depressing

• scary

• exciting

• pleasant

"[Myrtle] smiled slowly and walking through her husband as if he were a ghost..."

​

​Chapter 2, PDF: p. 29

​Read the phrase that shows how Myrtle treats her husband:

​

Multiple Choice

Re-read the phrase:

"[Myrtle] smiled slowly and walking through her husband as if he were a ghost..."

This is an example of

• a metaphor

• a simile

• hyperbole

• an understatement

​Mrs. Wilson had changed her costume some time before

and was now attired in an elaborate afternoon dress of

cream colored chiffon, which gave out a continual rustle as

she swept about the room.

​

Multiple Choice

Read the following passage:

"Mrs. Wilson had changed her costume some time before

and was now attired in an elaborate afternoon dress of

cream-colored chiffon, which gave out a continual rustle as

she swept about the room."

Which word exemplifies onomatopoeia?

• costume

• elaborate

• cream-colored

• rustle

I wanted to get out and

walk eastward toward the park through the soft twilight but

each time I tried to go I became entangled in some wild stri-

dent argument which pulled me back, as if with ropes, into

my chair.

​

​Some text here about the topic of discussion.

​Read the passage:

​

Multiple Choice

Read the following lines:

"I became entangled in some wild strident

argument which pulled me back, as if with ropes, into

my chair."

This most likely means...

• Nick is being held hostage.

• Catherine keeps pulling Nick back into the apartment.

• Nick is so fascinated by the conversation he can't leave.

Multiple Choice

Read the following lines:

"I became entangled in some wild strident

argument which pulled me back, as if with ropes, into

my chair."

This is an example of

• a simile

• a metaphor

• onomatopoeia

Multiple Choice

Read the following lines:

Then there were bloody towels upon the bathroom floor, and women’s voices scolding, and high over the confusion a long-broken wail of pain.

The word "wail" is an example of

• a simile

• a metaphor

• onomatopoeia

Poll

After reviewing the examples of figurative language in Chapters 1 and 2,

I understand the figurative language terms better!

• True!

• False!

• Yes! That was helpful!

• I was already an expert!