Is Survival Selfish? HMH Collections
Authored by Ms. Nieman
English
9th Grade
CCSS covered
Used 1K+ times
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About
This quiz focuses on argumentative text analysis and close reading comprehension, specifically examining an essay titled "Is Survival Selfish?" that explores human behavior during crisis situations. Designed for grade 9 students, the assessment evaluates students' ability to analyze author's purpose, tone, word choice, and rhetorical strategies within a complex argumentative text. Students must demonstrate sophisticated reading skills including identifying explicit and implicit meanings, understanding how authors use specific examples like the Titanic disaster to support their claims, and recognizing how word choice conveys meaning and tone. The questions require students to synthesize information across the text, distinguish between the author's argument and counterarguments, and analyze the tension between societal expectations ("civilized" behavior) and survival instincts. Students need strong vocabulary skills to understand context clues and connotation, as well as the ability to evaluate evidence and understand how authors build complex arguments about moral and ethical dilemmas. Created by Ms. Nieman, an English teacher in the US who teaches grade 9. This comprehensive quiz serves as an excellent tool for formative assessment following close reading instruction on argumentative texts, allowing teachers to gauge student understanding of both literal comprehension and higher-order analytical thinking skills. The quiz works effectively as homework to reinforce classroom discussions about moral complexity in literature, as a review activity before summative assessments on argumentative writing, or as a warm-up to generate class discussion about ethical decision-making in crisis situations. Teachers can use individual question results to identify students who need additional support with inference skills or vocabulary development. This assessment aligns with Common Core standards RI.9-10.1 for citing textual evidence to support analysis, RI.9-10.2 for determining central ideas and analyzing their development, RI.9-10.4 for determining word meanings, RI.9-10.6 for determining author's point of view and purpose, and RI.9-10.8 for evaluating arguments and claims in text.
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10 questions
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1.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
30 sec • 1 pt
The author says that J. Bruce Ismay “was savaged by the media and the general public for climbing into a lifeboat and saving himself.” She uses the word savaged to convey
the tragedy of the sinking of the Titanic.
Ismay’s luck at being saved.
Ismay’s selfishness in taking a spot in the lifeboat
the fierceness of the media attack.
Tags
CCSS.RI. 9-10.6
CCSS.RI.8.6
CCSS.RI.8.9
CCSS.RL.8.6
CCSS.RL.9-10.6
2.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
30 sec • 1 pt
. The author’s overall purpose is to argue that
survival is selfish.
saving others is always the right thing to do.
many factors influence a person’s behavior in a crisis.
those who survive a disaster should not be criticized.
Tags
CCSS.RI. 9-10.6
CCSS.RI.8.6
CCSS.RI.8.9
CCSS.RL.8.6
CCSS.RL.9-10.6
3.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
30 sec • 1 pt
In lines 22–37, the author describes how people reacted to an explosion near Grand Central Station. Her description supports her point that
people’s instinct for self-preservation does not always take over.
dangerous situations can occur anytime and anywhere
people are attracted to scenes of disaster
a person must be determined to get to safety.
Tags
CCSS.RI.11-12.5
CCSS.RI.6.5
CCSS.RI.7.5
CCSS.RI.8.5
CCSS.RI.9-10.5
4.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
30 sec • 1 pt
According to the survival training expert cited in lines 39–40, what is the reason that some people do not survive life-threatening situations?
They are in poor physical shape.
They lose their ability to think clearly.
They do not have survival training
They believe fate will determine the outcome.
Tags
CCSS.RI. 9-10.2
CCSS.RI.11-12.2
CCSS.RI.8.2
CCSS.RL.8.2
CCSS.RL.9-10.2
5.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
30 sec • 1 pt
What does the author believe is the basis for survivor guilt?
A knowledge of others’ suffering
post-traumatic stress
society’s double standards
fear of media criticism
Tags
CCSS.RI. 9-10.6
CCSS.RI.8.6
CCSS.RI.8.9
CCSS.RL.8.6
CCSS.RL.9-10.6
6.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
30 sec • 1 pt
With which statement would the author most likely agree?
It is easier to judge the wisdom of a person’s actions after the fact.
In a crisis, everyone makes deliberate decisions about what to do.
Survivors are usually those who have been in similar situations before.
Those who do not survive often lack the will to live
Tags
CCSS.RI. 9-10.6
CCSS.RI.8.6
CCSS.RI.8.9
CCSS.RL.8.6
CCSS.RL.9-10.6
7.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
30 sec • 1 pt
The author’s tone in this selection is
critical
passionate
thoughtful
biased
Tags
CCSS.RI. 9-10.6
CCSS.RI.8.6
CCSS.RI.8.9
CCSS.RL.8.6
CCSS.RL.9-10.6
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