Heart of a Samurai Word Choice

But the wind beat it against the mast until it was torn into shreds. The wind pushed the sea into great mountains of water; it tore the oars from the men's hands and flung them into the sea; and finally, it snapped the mast, then ripped the rudder away from the boat.

What does the author's use of strong words help the reader imagine?

• an angry active storm

• a storm that is dying out

• a calm after a storm

• storm clouds forming

But no sooner had he said this than the wind began to roar like a dragon. The sail filled with air and yanked the boat on its side until Denzo released the line. Freed, the sail whipped about, flapping like a wounded bird.

Which words best help the reader imagine the sounds on the boat?

• freed and yanked

• roar and flapping

• filled and released

• air and whipped

1. There was sky, plenty of sky, all the sky you could want. 2. Day after day it hung like a swath of blue silk, and at night like a black velvet cloak studded with cold jewels. 3. It gave little warmth. 4. And barely any rain.

Which sentence uses the most precise words to help the reader imagine the sky?

• Sentence 1

• Sentence 2

• Sentence 3

• Sentence 4

The water was so clear, he could see straight to the bottom. A snail was making a path like a shiny ribbon slowly unfurling on the sand.

What does the author use the most precise words to describe in the excerpt?

• The water's movement

• the water

• the snail

• the snail's path

But no sooner had he said this than the wind began to roar like a dragon. The sail filled with air and yanked the boat on its side until Denzo released the line. Freed, the sail whipped about, flapping like a wounded bird. Toraemon grabbed the oars and pulled, while Jusuke tried to lower the sail.

Which words best help to create a fast pace in the excerpt?

• “yanked,” “whipped,” and “grabbed”

• “wounded,” “pulled,” and “lower”

• “wounded,” “pulled,” and “lower”

• “dragon,” “boat,” and “oars”

Goemon jumped up. “Agreed,” he said, jamming his “knife” into his sash and slashing at Manjiro’s “sword.” Their imaginary swords clashed and clattered as they lunged or leaped aside to avoid being hit.

Which words contribute most to the excerpt’s pace?

• “imaginary” and “aside”

• “sash” and “swords”

• “slashing” and “lunged”

• “Goeman” and “Manjiro”

The fishermen hurried to cast their lines into the water, then pulled them in, each time hauling in a fat mackerel.

Which word adds the most excitement to the sentence?

• pulled

• hauling

• hurried

• cast

Which sentence from Heart of a Samurai uses pacing to build excitement?

• Their hearts beat a little faster. An island could mean freshwater. It might mean food, maybe shelter.

• The cold had penetrated their bones and the fishermen huddled together, prepared to die.

• For a long time, no one spoke. They waited for Denzo, the eldest and the leader, to speak first.

• With no sails, no rudder, no oars, they were at Kuroshio's mercy, steadily dragged toward the vast unknown.

But no sooner had he said this than the wind began to roar like a dragon. The sail filled with air and yanked the boat on its side until Denzo released the line. Freed, the sail whipped about, flapping like a wounded bird. Toraemon grabbed the oars and pulled, while Jusuke tried to lower the sail.

How does the author make this part of the story exciting?

• She uses strong action words.

• She develops a slow pace.

• She uses strong adjectives.

• She develops Denzo’s character.

Goemon jumped up. “Agreed,” he said, jamming his “knife” into his sash and slashing at Manjiro’s “sword.” Their imaginary swords clashed and clattered as they lunged or leaped aside to avoid being hit.

How does the author make the excerpt exciting?

• She changes the pace from slow to fast.

• She creates a conflict between two characters.

• She uses strong and precise action words.

• She changes the pace from fast to slow.