Midterm Review - World

Read the excerpt from “The Monkey's Paw.”

"Twenty-one years of it," said Mr. White, nodding at his wife and son. "When he went away he was a slip of a youth in the warehouse. Now look at him."

"He don't look to have taken much harm," said Mrs. White, politely.

"I'd like to go to India myself," said the old man, "just to look round a bit, you know."

"Better where you are," said the sergeant-major, shaking his head. He put down the empty glass, and sighing softly, shook it again.

"I should like to see those old temples and fakirs and jugglers," said the old man. "What was that you started telling me the other day about a monkey's paw or something, Morris?"

"Nothing," said the soldier, hastily. "Leastways nothing worth hearing."

Which quotation shows foreshadowing?

• “When he went away he was a slip of a youth in the warehouse.”

• “. . . just to look around a bit, you know.”

• “I should like to see those old temples and fakirs and jugglers.”

• “Nothing. . . . Leastways nothing worth hearing.”

Read the excerpt from "Homesick Blues."

Now I'm looking at the numbers 7-9-5-3. According to my computer, they are the balance in my checking account. $79.53. Also according to the computer, a plane ticket home costs $387.00. I can't even get a bus ticket with the money I have. And the rent is due next week, and we still have six months on our lease, and I can't leave Alyssa hanging like that. Every time I mention going home, she sinks into a state of depression and starts acting aloof and nervous. But she doesn’t realize that I am just as depressed when I think about staying here.

Which best states how Alyssa's reaction to the idea of the narrator going home compares to the narrator's reaction?

• Alyssa encourages the narrator to move home, but the narrator is determined to stay.

• Alyssa is anxious that the narrator might move home, but the narrator is too depressed to stay.

• Alyssa ignores whether the narrator might move home, and the narrator is too depressed to stay.

• Alyssa is furious that the narrator might move home, but the narrator is determined to move home.

Read the passage from "How the Whale Got His Throat."

In the sea, once upon a time, O my Best Beloved, there was a Whale, and he ate fishes. He ate the starfish and the garfish, and the crab and the dab, and the plaice and the dace, and the skate and his mate, and the mackereel and the pickereel, and the really truly twirly-whirly eel. All the fishes he could find in all the sea he ate with his mouth—so! Till at last there was only one small fish left in all the sea, and he was a small 'Stute Fish, and he swam a little behind the Whale’s right ear, so as to be out of harm’s way. Then the Whale stood up on his tail and said, "I’m hungry.” And the small 'Stute Fish said in a small 'stute voice, "Noble and generous Cetacean, have you ever tasted Man?”

What is the 'Stute Fish’s motivation?

• to keep the whale full and happy

• to teach the whale a life lesson

• to escape being eaten by the whale

• to ask the whale for protection

What is falling action in a story?

• the end of the story, when all problems are solved

• a series of occurrences that unfold after the climax

• the introduction of the setting and the main characters

• a conflict in which characters face their opposition

Read the passage.

When she realized that she had missed the bus, Jia became distraught. She paced back and forth, wringing her hands and trying not to cry. There was no doubt about it—she would be late for her meeting and might lose her job as a result of her tardiness.

Based on context clues in the passage, what is the most likely meaning of distraught?

• tardy

• agitated

• doubtful

• earnest

Read the passage.

Amit's thoughts were a river rushing over boulders, waves crashing into each other as they all came tumbling downstream. He wished that Tamar had never told him her secret.

What is the most likely meaning of the metaphor in this sentence?

• Amit is a quick thinker, fast to come up with an answer.

• Amit's thoughts are confused and contradictory.

• Amit is a strong swimmer, and he is thinking of rivers.

• Amit's thoughts come smoothly like water flowing in a river.

Read the excerpt from "How the Whale Got His Throat.”

For the Mariner he was also an Hi-ber-ni-an. And he stepped out on the shingle, and went home to his mother, who had given him leave to trail his toes in the water; and he married and lived happily ever afterward. So did the Whale. But from that day on, the grating in his throat, which he could neither cough up nor swallow down, prevented him eating anything except very, very small fish; and that is the reason why whales nowadays never eat men or boys or little girls.

What is the central idea of this passage?

• Human beings are creative when they get into trouble.

• Because of one man’s actions, whales never eat human beings.

• Whales always have a sore throat because of a grating.

• Human beings should stay away from whales to avoid being swallowed.

Read the excerpt from Julio's essay about folk tales.

When people think of the Grimms’ fairy tales, they think of well-loved children's stories. The cleaned-up adaptations we read now have a reputation for being childhood favorites. However, the stories did not start out that way. The Grimm brothers actually collected tales that were passed on from person to person about terrible living conditions and challenges that people faced. These stories are dark and often tragic. But Germany is not the only source of folklore that, rather than serving as bedtime stories, might keep kids up at night or give them nightmares. Tales of monsters, evil witches, and other horrors can be found in other cultures as well. For example, the Baba Yaga stories from Russia and other Slavic countries portray a scary-looking witch who flies around in a mortar, carries a pestle, and might help or harm, depending on her mood. She is not exactly a calming character for sleepy children.

Which thesis does Julio present effectively?

• The Grimms' fairy tales are well-loved children's stories.

• Many folk tales are not happy children’s stories but dark, realistic tales.

• All folk tales are dark, realistic tales.

• The Grimms' fairy tales we read now are the most realistic versions.

Read the excerpt from Adam's personal narrative.

I stepped into the tidal pool carefully, wishing I had brought my water shoes. "What's the matter, afraid of a few crabs?" Laura smiled. "It doesn't hurt that much when they pinch. They're only little," she said. Laura was the type to dive off a cliff and not even think about what was in the water below.

"But there are so many of them!" I winced.

"I know, it’s so cool!" she replied, scooping a crab into her hand to look at it more closely. I nearly screamed.

How does this paragraph develop the characters in the dialogue?

• It explains to the reader where the characters are and what they are doing.

• It shows that Adam is afraid of what is in the water, but Laura is fearless and likes to tease him.

• It shows that Adam is interested in learning more about the crabs, but Laura is ignoring him.

• It explains to the reader how long Adam and Laura have known each other.

Read the passage from A Princess of Mars.

While Sola was away I took occasion to examine more minutely the room in which I found myself captive. The mural painting depicted scenes of rare and wonderful beauty; mountains, rivers, lake, ocean, meadow, trees and flowers, winding roadways, sun-kissed gardens—scenes which might have portrayed earthly views but for the different colorings of the vegetation. The work had evidently been wrought by a master hand, so subtle the atmosphere, so perfect the technique; yet nowhere was there a representation of a living animal, either human or brute, by which I could guess at the likeness of these other and perhaps extinct denizens of Mars.

Based on the passage, the reader can conclude that A Princess of Mars is a fantasy because it _________________________

• is told by a narrator.

• analyzes a piece of art.

• is set on another planet.

• features a prisoner.