The White Umbrella

PART A: Which statement expresses a main theme in the short story?

• During difficult times, it's important for family members to come together and work towards a common goal.

• Sometimes the best support comes from people who are outside of your family.

• It is easier to blend in with the crowd than to stand out and share what makes you unique.

• People often don't realize the significance of what they have until they've lost it.

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.4.9

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

PART B: Which detail from the text best supports the answer to Part A?

• “It was so clean and white that it seemed to glow, to illuminate everything around it.” (Paragraph 86)

• “Suddenly I knew just what she wanted to hear. ‘I wish you were my mother.’” (Paragraph 105)

• “She sighed. ‘The Chinese have a saying: one beam cannot hold the roof up.’” (Paragraph 119)

• “‘I thought you were dead,’ I said, starting to cry. ‘I thought you were dead.’” (Paragraph 136)

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

PART A: In the passage, how do the narrator's and Mona's points of view about their mother compare?

• The narrator and Mona are both embarrassed that their mother has to work.

• The narrator is embarrassed to admit that their mother works, while Mona is relatively honest about it.

• Mona isn't originally embarrassed that their mother must work, but the narrator convinces her that it is embarrassing.

• Mona feels bad that their mother must work, while the narrator is upset and embarrassed by it.

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.3

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

PART B: Which TWO quotes from the text best support the answer to Part A?

• “I remembered how sorry my parents had felt for Mrs. Lee when she started waitressing downtown the year before” (Paragraph 4)

• “so when my mother began coming home late, I didn't say anything and tried to keep Mona from saying anything either.” (Paragraph 4)

• “and if my mother wasn't home by 5:30, we would start cooking by ourselves, to make sure dinner would be on time.” (Paragraph 8)

• “‘She's working! She's working! She's working!’” (Paragraph 74)

• “For a moment no one said anything. Even Mona seemed to find the revelation disappointing.” (Paragraph 114)

Tags

CCSS.RF.5.4C

CCSS.RI.5.1

CCSS.RL.4.1

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.5.2

What does the following quote reveal about the narrator's attitude? “I wanted to tell her that I was the school spelling bee champion, that I wasn't ticklish, that I could do karate” (Paragraph 42)

• The narrator wishes she was more like the girls at her school.

• The narrator wants Miss Crosman to know more about who she is.

• The narrator wants people to think she's something she's not.

• The narrator feels shy an unable to share who she is with Miss Crosman.

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.3

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

PART A: How is the narrator impacted by her mother going to work?

• It makes her feel like she and her family are different from other people.

• It causes her to feel insecure about her relationship with her mother.

• It makes her distrustful of her mother, who hides that she's working.

• It causes her to feel worried by how little money they have.

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.3

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

PART B: Which section from the text best supports the answer to Part A?

• “I looked at it again, toying with the idea of asking for one for Christmas. I knew, however, how my mother would react.” (Paragraph 32)

• “Suddenly I knew just what she wanted to hear. ‘I wish you were my mother.’” (Paragraph 105)

• “‘Mona!’ I shouted into the house. ‘Mona! Hurry up! Mom's here! I told you she was coming!’” (Paragraph 108)

• “‘But Eugenie Roberts's father supports their family.’” (Paragraph 120)

Tags

CCSS.RF.5.4C

CCSS.RI.5.1

CCSS.RL.5.1

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2