"Called Out" by Barbara Kingsolver

What is a "desert ephemeral?"

• a hot desert
• a short lived flower
• a desert with male and female rains
• a tasty desert

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

CCSS.RI.9-10.5

Who is the author of "Called Out?"

• Barbara Kingsolver
• Jackie Robinson
• Corey Brewer
• Brandon Ingram

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CCSS.RL.9-10.9

CCSS.RI.11-12.9

CCSS.RI.9-10.9

CCSS.RI.K.6

CCSS.RL.11-12.9

What does "germination" mean?

• a plant is develping from a seed
• a plant caught a germ
• a seed is dormant
• a seed is dying

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

What is a "dormancy" period?

• seeds sprout quickly
• seeds sprout all at once
• seeds don't sprout during this period
• seeds need a lot of rain during this period

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

CCSS.RI.9-10.5

Why does the author compare the 1998 flower season to "Halley's Comet" or "El Nino?"

• to make the story funny
• to highlight the rare flower season
• to confuse the reader
• to teach history

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

CCSS.RI.9-10.5

Why did so many desert flowers bloom during the 1998 rain season?

• the flowers adapted to a harsh desert environment and became good at survival
• the flowers had a lot of water
• the flowers were planted by good samaritanss 
• flowers like the desert heat

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CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

“Highway medians . . . looked like the seed-packet promises come true,” provides support for which of the following excerpts from the essay?

• “Our mountains wore mantles of yellow brittlebrush on their rocky shoulders . . .” (lines 6–7)

• “The spring of 1998 was the Halley's Comet of desert wildflower years.” (lines 1–2)

• “While nearly everyone else on the planet was cursing the soggy consequences of El Niño's downpours . . .” (lines 2–3)

• “Our desert hills and valleys were colorized in wild schemes of maroon, . . .“ (lines 4–5)

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

CCSS.RI.9-10.5

Why does the author insert the dialogue between the narrator and a friend from the East (lines 29–42)?

• to show that everyone in the country knows about the wildflowers

• to define significant scientific terms

• to emphasize how special and mysterious the annual blooming is

• to entertain readers with humor

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.6

CCSS.RI.11-12.6

CCSS.RI.8.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

CCSS.RL.9-10.6

The wildflowers seen in the Sonoran Desert

• are equipped with no survival mechanisms to help them thrive.

• produce seeds that vary in the time they spend dormant.

• have less resistance to drought than other species.

• grow only from seeds dropped from migrating birds.

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CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RI.9-10.1

CCSS.RL.11-12.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.1

Which set of words shows the author's view of the desert flowers?

• miracle, magic, remarkable

• flat, salinized, rocky

• fuss, prognosticating, waiting

• fragile, bloom, death

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

CCSS.RI.9-10.5