6th M2, U1, L12

Multiple Choice

“Doctors said the sickness started in southern Malawi back in November. A farmer visiting a funeral brought it north, where it spread like grassfire. Within days, hundreds of people were sick and twelve had died” (128).

Which best describes the meaning of the simile “it spread like grassfire” as it is used in the excerpt?

• 
  The sickness was occurring all over Malawi.

• 
  The sickness was deadly.

• 
  The sickness was occurring only in farmers.

• The sickness was moving quickly.

Multiple Choice

“Doctors said the sickness started in southern Malawi back in November. A farmer visiting a funeral brought it north, where it spread like grassfire. Within days, hundreds of people were sick and twelve had died” (128).

Which word or phrase from the excerpt best help the reader to understand the meaning of the simile “it spread like grassfire”?

• farmer visiting a funeral

• 
  within days

• hundreds of people

• 
  started in southern Malawi

Multiple Choice

Which of the following best describes a central idea of chapter 8?

• 
  William and his family struggled to survive when hunger and cholera struck their village, and their suffering was stopped by the dowe.

• William and his family suffered greatly when hunger and cholera struck their village, but the maize crop grew and thrived.

• William and his family struggled to survive when hunger and cholera struck their village, but many of their friends were thriving.

• William and his family suffered greatly when hunger and cholera struck their village, and many of their friends died.

Multiple Select

Which two pieces of evidence from the chapter best help to convey the central idea?

• 
  “Within days, hundreds of people were sick and twelve had died” (128).

• “. . . their eyes cloudy and skin wrinkled from dehydration” (129).

• 
  “My arms and legs looked like blue-gum poles and ached all the time” (131).

• . . . the blood of life seemed to rush back into his face” (135).

• 
  “. . . how are you alive? What are you eating?” (131)

Multiple Choice

Which of the following best describes the function of the sentence “THE DOWE IS READY!” (134) within chapter 8?

• 
  This sentence reveals the cause of the difficulty William and his whole community were facing in the chapter.

• 
  This sentence shows the excitement felt by William in comparison to how Geoffrey reacted to the news.

• 
  This sentence introduces the solution to the problems William and his community were facing in the chapter.

• 
  This sentence marks the end the disadvantages and the beginning of the advantages of William’s situation.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is something we can infer about William’s character- the type of person he is - from the things he says in the chapter?

• He is sick and hopeless.

• He is pessimistic and sad.

• 
  He is angry and resentful.

• 
  He is optimistic and hopeful.

Open Ended

At the end of chapter 8, William makes an allusion to a Bible parable and says,

“Mr. Geoffrey, we’re like those seeds planted on fertile soil, not on the roadside, stepped on by everyone walking past” (136).

How does the sentence, especially the allusion to the Bible parable, help to develop a central idea of the chapter?

Open Ended

Write an objective summary of chapter 8.

Remember, a summary of an informational text should accomplish the following:

introduces the text by stating the title author, and chapter, section or pages;

briefly outlines what the text is about;

clearly states the central idea(s)/main ideas;

includes supporting details from the text that convey the central idea(s)/main ideas;

remains objective without opinions or judgments;

and “wraps up” with a concluding statement.

You may use the hand summary to complet this question.