In La Rinconada, Peru, Searching for Beauty in Ugliness

Read this excerpt from "In La Rinconada, Peru, Searching for Beauty in Ugliness."

The green is gone. The earth is turned. What you see as Mount Ananea looms into view is a lunar landscape, pitted with orange lakes that reek of cyanide.

What does this imagery most emphasize about the setting?

• the destruction caused by mining operations

• the terrible smell caused by lack of plumbing

• the surprising beauty in the midst of ugliness

• the way extreme temperatures affect the landscape

Tags

CCSS.L.9-10.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

Read this excerpt from "In La Rinconada, Peru, Searching for Beauty in Ugliness."

Gold ripped from Sleeping Beauty's entrails will glitter on Cartier and Tiffany counters around the world.

What important idea do the sensory details in this excerpt convey most clearly?

• There is beauty to be found in all places.

• The demand for gold is leading to global violence.

• La Rinconada and its people pay a high price for others' luxury.

• The government of Peru has abandoned the people of La Rinconada.

Tags

CCSS.L.9-10.5

CCSS.RI.9-10.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Read this excerpt from "In La Rinconada, Peru, Searching for Beauty in Ugliness."

I suddenly saw the tin rooftops gleam like a mantle of diamonds. As the sun moved over the snow, the ravished mountain seemed to ripple with ribbons of color.

To which sense do these details appeal?

• taste

• sight

• smell

• touch

Tags

CCSS.L.9-10.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

The author of "In La Rinconada, Peru, Searching for Beauty in Ugliness" implies that early stories about the amount of gold available may have been exaggerated. Which excerpt from the text best supports this idea?

• Down the centuries, the quest for El Dorado has held the South American continent in thrall, luring generations of fortune hunters to its far reaches

• The geologic exuberance known as the Cordillera of the Andes has yielded a fount of treasure...

• Nowhere has Peru's frenzy for gold been so fevered as in the mountains that surround Lake Titicaca

• Gold no longer rolls from the mountain in chunks the size of a man's head (if indeed it ever did)

Tags

CCSS.RI.9-10.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.1

As explained in "In La Rinconada, Peru, Searching for Beauty in Ugliness," why did the locals that live below La Rinconada form furious protests?

• they wanted all mining operations to leave the area

• they wanted mining operations to be safer for locals

• they wanted the Peruvian military to leave their land

• they wanted La Rinconada restored to its original beauty

Tags

CCSS.RI.9-10.1

CCSS.RI.9-10.2

CCSS.RI.9-10.3

CCSS.RI.9-10.8

What surprising thing does the author of “In La Rinconada, Peru, Searching for Beauty in Ugliness” witness on her trip?

• beautiful landscapes

• hunger and hardship

• environmental destruction

• fleeting moments of joy

Tags

CCSS.RI.9-10.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.1

According to “In La Rinconada, Peru, Searching for Beauty in Ugliness,” why do government officials rarely visit La Rinconada?

• There are no luxury hotels for visitors to stay in.

• The people there are so angry that officials would feel unwelcome.

• Thin air and bitter cold make the place uninviting.

• Mining companies have made safe travel to the peak difficult.

Tags

CCSS.RI.9-10.2

According to the author of “In La Rinconada, Peru, Searching for Beauty in Ugliness,” how has the landscape at La Rinconada changed? Choose three options.

• There used to be grassland.

• There used to be leaping fish.

• There used to be sparkling lakes.

• There used to be a milder climate.

• There used to be medicinal plants.

Tags

CCSS.RI.9-10.1

CCSS.RI.9-10.2

How do the people at La Rinconada find gold? Choose two options.

• They pound gold out of the rock.

• They use devices to locate gold in the mine.

• They fish for gold in the toxic lakes.

• They pour cyanide to reveal gold inside rock.

• They look for chunks that have rolled out of stone.

Tags

CCSS.RI.9-10.1

CCSS.W.9-10.9

Which of the following is an example of an intemperate climate?

• harsh winters and hot summer

• mostly cool days with a short rainy seasons

• slight changes in temperature from season to season

• warm and sunny weather year round