I Am Very Real

Vonnegut is writing to Mr. McCarthy in order to...

• ask whether or not McCarthy believes that Vonnegut is a real person.

• warn McCarthy against ever wasting precious school resources again.

• learn about why the furnace at McCarthy’s school has become so famous.

• address the fact that Vonnegut's books were burned at the school.

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RI.8.6

CCSS.RL.8.1

Which of the following phrases best describes Vonnegut's attitude towards his books being burned?

• shocked and surprised

• calm and content

• disappointed and upset

• furious and appalled

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.8.4

Which of the following does Vonnegut NOT explain about himself?

• He is an exceptionally popular writer.

• He has held prestigious staff positions at colleges around the U.S.

• He is a decorated veteran of World War II.

• He writes because he wants to teach young people know how to think and act.

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RL.8.1

Which of the following best paraphrases Vonnegut’s description of his books?

• a realistic depiction of the lives and customs of ordinary people

• a vicious attack on the morals and ethics of the average American

• a very idealized version of the life that Vonnegut believes people should live

• a false understanding of what life in America is truly like

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.8.4

Vonnegut believes that Mr. McCarthy should respond to the controversy over the burned books by...

• restocking the burned books and then having all of the students read them.

• making sure that his students grow up to be wiser and more mature than he is.

• ensuring that his students learn about a wide range of opinions and information.

• telling all of the students that Vonnegut is actually a real person.

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RI.8.6

CCSS.RI.8.8

CCSS.RL.8.2

PART A: Which of the following statements expresses a central idea of the text?

• School boards should not have the power to ban books from classrooms.

• It is immoral to claim that controversial books may poison students’ minds.

• Burning books goes against the freedoms that Americans hold dear.

• Like all good citizens, Kurt Vonnegut has not lied or produced evil work.

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

PART B: Which of the following quotes best supports the answer to Part A?

• “I am a combat infantry veteran from World War II, and hold a Purple Heart... I am so much trusted with young people and by young people that I have served on the faculties of the University of Iowa, Harvard, and the City College of New York.” (Paragraph 5)

• “And we all know, too, that those words really don’t damage children much. They didn’t damage us when we were young. It was evil deeds and lying that hurt us.” (Paragraph 6)

• “books are sacred to free men for very good reasons, and that wars have been fought against nations which hate books and burn them. If you are an American, you must allow all ideas to circulate freely” (Paragraph 8)

• “If you and your board are now determined to show... maturity when you exercise your powers over the education of your young, then you should acknowledge that it was a rotten lesson you taught young people” (Paragraph 9)

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.W.8.9A

PART A: What does the word “exploit” most closely mean as it is used in paragraph 4?

• to produce

• to abuse

• to benefit from

• to criticize or disagree with

Tags

CCSS.L.8.4A

CCSS.L.8.4B

CCSS.RI.8.4

PART B: Which phrase from paragraph 4 best supports the answer to Part A?

• “the disgusting news from Drake”

• “crowing about all the books we will sell because of the news”

• “to damage my reputation in the eyes of their children and then in the eyes of the world”

• “the courage and ordinary decency”

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.8.4

Which statement best describes how the author uses rhetoric in paragraphs 4-5 to advance his argument?

• The author presents the contributions he has made to the country in order to prove that he is a real American.

• The author describes his background in order to explain why coarse language is simply part of how he speaks.

• The author portrays himself as a father and a veteran as further proof of his desire to shield the nation’s youth from harmful books.

• The author explains that he is a man of integrity in order to show why the school’s reactions were excessive and wrong.