George Washington’s Portrait/The Story Behind The Silmarillion

Which words from paragraph 2 help the reader understand the meaning of engaged?

• charm as a person

• sat for a portrait

• practiced at the time

• interesting conversation

Paragraph 2 is mainly about the —

• method Stuart used when he was painting portraits

• number of portraits Stuart painted during his lifetime

• reason Stuart wanted to paint portraits of famous people

• popularity of the portraits Stuart painted during his lifetime

The reader can conclude from the information in paragraph 3 that Stuart —

• worried that his portrait would not please Washington

• was determined to create a portrait of Washington

• was nervous in the presence of Washington

• shared similar interests with Washington

The author includes the details in paragraph 5 most likely to —

• explain why this particular portrait of Washington is so well known

• express regret that the painting of Washington became famous only after Stuart’s death

• demonstrate that Washington was an important figure in history

• emphasize that most of Washington’s portraits were left unfinished

What is the best summary of the selection?

• In 1796 painter Gilbert Stuart had the opportunity to paint a portrait of George Washington. It had been difficult to arrange time for the two men to get together. While Stuart painted Washington, the two men talked about horses.

• The most famous portrait of George Washington was painted by Gilbert Stuart, who lived from 1755 to 1828. Stuart painted portraits of other famous people as well. He never finished his portrait of Washington, but Stuart kept the original and sold copies of it anyway.

• An accomplished painter who completed hundreds of portraits, Gilbert Stuart lived from 1755 to 1828. Stuart wanted the subjects of his portraits to feel relaxed so that he could create a portrait of them that looked natural. One of Stuart’s most famous paintings is a portrait of President George Washington.

• During his career Gilbert Stuart painted portraits of many famous people, including George Washington. Although Stuart was unable to complete a portrait of Washington during the time they had together in 1796, the work became the most popular portrait of Washington ever painted.

This information helps the reader understand that amassed in paragraph 3 means —

• searched for

• shared with a group

• gathered together

• stored in a safe place

By using a problem-and-solution organizational pattern in paragraphs 3 through 5, the author of the selection is able to —

• demonstrate that Tolkien needed help completing his book and describe how only certain parts of his story were used

• show that Christopher needed to work with another author and tell how he was able to persuade his friend to work with him

• highlight that Christopher had trouble deciding which of his father’s writings to include in the book and identify how he made his choices

• emphasize that Tolkien could not finish his book and explain how Christopher’s efforts led to the completion and publication of the work

Based on the information in paragraph 5, the reader can conclude that Christopher —

• had little prior experience writing books

• tried to include alternate endings in the book

• encountered many challenges while organizing the book

• planned to publish more than one book of his father’s work

According to the selection, why did Christopher decide not to include all his father’s writings in The Silmarillion?

• He believed they would cause the reader to become very confused.

• He worried that some of the ideas would be unfamiliar to the reader.

• He planned to create a different ending for the story

• He wanted the final book to have only five parts.

Which sentence best shows the author of the selection’s attitude toward the writing of The Silmarillion?

• The Silmarillion can be thought of as a prequel to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

• But the story of how The Silmarillion was created may be just as interesting as the story told on its pages.

• Kay’s work on The Silmarillion undoubtedly provided training and valuable experience on his journey to become an author.

• The Silmarillion was published in 1977 to mixed reviews.