"The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"

PART A: Which of the following best describes a theme of the story?

• Great storytelling is an essential component of American culture.
• Observing deception can be amusing, but being deceived is not.
• Being too competitive can have a harmful effect on an individual and the people around them.
• If people are not careful, tricksters and hustlers will take advantage of them.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RI.11-12.9

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

PART B: Which of the following quotes from paragraph one supports the theme of the text?

• "I have a lurking supsicion that Leonidas W. Smiley was a myth . . . I called on the good-natured, garrulous old Simon Wheeler, and inquired after my friend's friend Leonidas W. Smiley"
• "I hereunto append the result"
• "he would go to work and bore me nearly to death with some infernal reminiscence of him as long and tedious as it should be useless to me"
• "it certainly succeeded"

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RI.11-12.9

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

How does the diction of Simon Wheeler and the narrator contribute to the development of the story?

• Simon and the unnamed narrator are from different regions.
• Simon and the unnamed narrator have different speech patterns.
• The different types of characters sets up the deception presented in the story.
• The two speech patterns distinguish the two men as different and vulnerable.

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RL.6.6

Which of the following best describes how the author's use of muliple narrators within the text develops the meaning of the story?

• it adds to the complexity of an otherwise rather simple plot.
• It builds intrigue y keepin g the reader wondering about who is speaking.
• It makes the conversation seem authentic by letting both men speak.
• It allows the reader to witness multiple characters' views on deception.

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

CCSS.RL.11-12.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

The tone of Twain's story is

• desperate
• bitter
• pleasant
• humorous

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

The diction that supports the tone include

• "bored me nearly to death with his infernal reminiscence of him"
• "winning gentleness and simplicity upon his tranquil countenance"
• "fifteen-minute nag, scatter her legs around limber, sometimes in the air, and sometimes out to one side"
• "He had genius I know it, because he hadn't had no opportunties to speak of"

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

The reader is led to believe that Andrew Jackson, the fighting dog, lost his last fight because 

• his own stupidity
• the other dog's superior strength
• a thrown sponge
• a broken spirit after being deceived

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RL.6.6

The example that best shows Smiley’s addiction to gambling with disregard for anything else is the bet he places on _________.

• Dan'l Webster, the frog
• Andrew Jackson, the dog
• the mare
• the Parson's wife

Tags

CCSS.RL.1.10

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RL.K.5

The stranger beats Jim Smiley when he deceives him by

• squashing Dan'l Webster
• feeding Dan'l Webster lead
• pretending his own frog was sick
• gluing Dan'l Webster's feet to the ground

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RL.6.6

Dan’l Webster “was planted as solid as a church” is an example of _________.

• simile
• hyperbole
• imagery
• personification

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3