"A Simple Act" and "An Invisible Thread"

When Maurice first met Laura, he asked her for money. What did she actually end up doing for him?

• She gave him money and took him shopping.

• She bought him food and played games with him.

• She bought him a suit and took him to a party.

At the beginning of An Invisible Thread, Maurice is grown up and Laura is turning fifty. Based off of his speech (dialogue) at her party and her comments (narration) also presented in the text, which statement is true about their relationship?

• Both Laura and Maurice gained a lot from their relationship.

• Laura benefited more from the relationship than Maurice.

• Maurice benefited more from the relationship than Laura.

Look back at the concept vocab for this selection (resilience, perseverance, and generosity). Know their definitions and how to describe people who display these qualities. Example: What kind of person most clearly displays resilience?

• a hard-working person

• an old-fashioned person

• a tough person

What is the meaning of the following quote from An Invisible Thread? "'...I was going down the wrong road, the wrong hill...and the Lord sent me an angel. And my angel was Laurie.'"

• She taught him the value of money.

• She turned his life around and pointed him in the right direction.

• She made him value his life and what he already had.

How do we know that Laura was feeling emotional during Maurice's toast at her 50th birthday party?

• She says in her narration at the beginning that everyone knew him and was excited to see him.

• She says in her narration toward the end of the excerpt that he taught her the value of money and motherly rituals.

• She says in her narration at the end of his toast that she was "incredibly moved" and she "nearly lost it" while he was talking.

According to the text, how does Maurice teach Laura about love? (Find where it says this in the text.)

• He gives her someone (himself) to love.

• He loves his mother despite her questionable life choices.

• He shows her what love looks like by loving his wife and children.

We discussed in class that unlike "A Simple At", An Invisible Thread is written in first-person point of view. How do we know it is written in first-person? (Select all that apply.)

• The author uses first names and pronouns like "he", "she", and "they".

• The author uses first names and pronouns like "I", "me", and "our".

• The author is a character involved in the action of the story.

• The author is an outsider describing the story from an objective/subjective point of view.

Based on Maurice's quotes/dialogue and Laura's reactions/narration, what is the main difference in their opinions about their friendship?

• Maurice is comfortable talking about their relationship around large groups, but Laura is not.

• Maurice thinks he gave more to Laura, but Laura thinks she gave more to him.

• Maurice thinks that Laura gave more to him, but Laura thinks that Maurice gave more to her.

Be sure to know the meaning of the suffix "-ity". Practice looking up words with this suffix; look at their definitions and how they are used in a sentence. Example: The word "able" means "having the power to do something". Based on what you know of the suffix "-ity", which sentence uses the word "ability" correctly?

• His ability to work well with others kept him from succeeding at his job.

• Her ability to play the piano was apparent when she failed at the talent show.

• My swimming ability kept me from drowning as I went swimming in my new pool.

Please review what we discussed about adjectives on page 49 of your workbook. Which words in the following sentence are adjectives, and what word(s) do they modify? (Select all that apply.) The very hungry teacher (Ms. Cecil) gratefully greeted the pizza delivery man.

• Adjectives: very, hungry ; modify: teacher

• Adjectives: the, pizza, delivery ; modify: man

• Adjective: hungry ; modifies: teacher