Roughing It

1. How are the details about Twain’s failures in his odd jobs important to our understanding of the character? (Rl.3)

• They reinforce the notion that the character is lazy, does not want to work, and is not capable of working hard.

• They detail how prospects in the American West were much dimmer than advertised, making for a harder life for those who sought fame and fortune in the new frontier.

• They mark his development from an inexperienced Easterner trying to make-it-rich to an experienced, yet cynical, Western writer.

• They show that he is eager to work but has few useful skills, making him a loveable but pathetic figure.

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

CCSS.RL.11-12.7

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

Twain’s attitude towards a professional career could BEST be described as… (RL.6)

• excited yet indecisive.

• indecisive and indifferent.

• interested and hardworking.

• hardworking yet unreliable.

Tags

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

CCSS.RL.11-12.3

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

What does the word “Eureka” most likely mean based on the context of the passage? (L.4)

• affirmation

• interest

• success

• horror

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

Which statement best expresses a central theme of the text? (RL.2)

• The West is a great place for people with no skills to succeed.

• Stories of the West are often invented myths of exaggerated characters and events.

• Twain supports liars because lying is the key to impressing others.

• Book knowledge is more important to success than personal experience.

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

What phrase from the text best supports the central theme? (RL.1)

• “I did long to stand behind a wheel again and never roam any more” (Paragraph 2)

• “(I) found one wretched old hay truck dragging in from the country… I multiplied it by sixteen.. and got up such another sweat about hay as Virginia City had never seen" (Paragraph 11)

• “I wrote up the murder with a hungry attention to details” (Paragraph 12)

• “Next I discovered some emigrant wagons going into camp on the plaza and found that they had lately come through the hostile Indian country and had fared rather roughly.”(Paragraph 13)

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

What effect does the comedic resolution of this excerpt have on the passage’s overall meaning? (RL.2)

• It provides insight into Twain’s uncertainty about his future out West and the opportunities in the new territory.

• It suggests that in the end, everything works out well for Western adventurers when individuals reflect on their experiences.

• It relieves tension regarding the constant possibility of uncertainty and tragedy awaiting Easterners traveling to the west .

• It undermines the seriousness of any moral lesson that might be found in Roughing It and highlights the personal narrative of Twain.

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.2.6

What is a possible tone of the passage? (RL.4)

• creepy

• serious

• bitter

• silly

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.4