An American Legend - STAAR Release Passage

Having access to the comforts of wealth during her childhood made Cameron realize

that she —

• wanted to move away from her family

• was not interested in a life of luxury

• wanted to be a photographer

• had a desire to work with animals

Which words in paragraph 9 help the reader understand what unearthed means?

• were discovered by

• diaries belonging to

• information to include in

• researching the lives

Cameron’s actions in paragraphs 5 and 6 support the message that —

• traveling to new areas is the best way to avoid boredom

• spare time should be spent planning for the future

• things that are highly valued are worth working for

• it is wise to observe the ways that nature affects people

What is the best summary of the section titled “Making a Living”?

• After making money selling vegetables and renting out rooms, Evelyn Cameron

  started a photography business. She took portraits of many different people.

  When her husband’s health worsened, she had to devote more of her time to

  necessary ranch chores.

• Evelyn Cameron enjoyed the hard work of farming and ranching, but most of all

  she enjoyed taking photographs. She traveled to many places throughout

  Montana and took portraits of people. She even started a photography business,

  taking pictures mostly of cowboys and ranchers.

• Evelyn Cameron sold vegetables and rented out rooms to people but did not make

  much money. In 1894 Cameron bought a camera to start taking photographs. She

  practiced photography until she became skillful. She used this new skill as she

  traveled around taking portraits of people to earn money.

• Since Evelyn Cameron was not successful as a farmer, she decided to start a

  photography business to earn money. In 1894 she purchased a camera and spent

  time developing her skills as a photographer. She then managed to find regular

  work taking pictures of cowboys and pioneer women.

What does the first photograph in this selection show?

• How much time it took Cameron to learn to use her camera

• The places Cameron traveled to take portraits of people

• How much support Cameron received from neighbors

• The type of equipment Cameron worked with to take portraits

Read this sentence from the selection.

“Manual labor... i s about all I care about, and,

after all, is what will really make a strong woman.”

The author included this quotation to show the reader that Cameron —

• thought ranch work was more interesting than photography

• focused on changing the way work was done in ranching communities

• valued being independent and hardworking more than having a comfortable life

• was unaware of the physical effort that ranch work required

The author says that Cameron and her husband

“fell in love with the open sky, the

colorful sunsets, and the star-filled nights”

to emphasize Cameron’s belief that —

• a beautiful environment was a desirable quality for a home

• the best photographs could be taken at night

• Montana had more hours of daylight than England

• the weather was better in Montana than in England