Unit 5 Assessment Practice "A Blind Man Catches a Bird"

The overall theme of the story is

• People cheat on others because it makes them feel smart

• people should rely more on their hearing than on their sight

• true friendship depends on respect and fairness

• hunting is a good way to learn about animal behavior

Which quotation conveys one of the story's themes?

• "At first they followed a path that he knew and it was easy for the blind man to tag on behind the other"

• "The blind man followed the other's advice, and put his trap in a place where birds might come for water"

• "When he reached his trap, the young man saw that he had caught a small bird"

• "The young man was impressed with the wisdom of the blind man, who knew a great deal, although he could see nothing at all"

The hunting trip could be a symbol of the -

• Wisdom of a person who is blind

• Search for what is important in life

• Human struggle to control nature

• Difficulty of living without sight

The sounds in the bush are meaningless to the young man because -

• his ability to see limits his ability to hear

• he cannot speak the language of the animals

• a thick growth of trees muffles every sound

• the blind man is talking in a loud voice

The disguised trap might symbolize the young man's

• carelessness

• deceitfulness

• foolishness

• laziness

From the two questions he asks the blind man in paragraphs 17 and 23, you can conclude that the young man is -

• trying to understand human nature

• having problems with his new wife

• testing the blind man's intelligence

• looking for something to argue about

Which theme is suggested by the blind man's thoughts about why people fight?

• Dishonesty ruins people's relationships

• Friends must be willing to forgive

• People should think before they speak

• Compromise will solve most problems

Which quality might the blind man symbolize?

• Courage

• Jealousy

• Strength

• Wisdom

You can conclude that the young man is eager to please his new wife when he -

• does not help the blind mane disguise his bird trap

• is impressed that the blind man can understand animals' sounds

• steals the colorful bird so that she can have the feathers

• asks his brother-in-law why people fight

Reread paragraphs 17-20. You can conclude that the young man is shocked at the response to his question because he -

• thinks the blind man doesn't know that he cheated him

• expects the blind man to politely ignore his question

• knows the blind man doesn't understand his question

• believes that he has a right to take the beautiful bird