What of This Goldfish Would You Wish?

1 Which quote from the selection best illustrates how the author built the story around irony?

• Folks would give their answers, and Yoni would edit them down and make clips of the more surprising responses. Before

  e v e r y set of answers, you’d see the person standing stock-still in the entrance to his house.

• No prep, no plotting, natural as can be, Yoni grabbed his camera and went out knocking on doors.

• But the kid is slippery, and somehow between saying no and pushing the door closed, Sergei finds that the kid is

  in his house.

• The one that looked straight into the camera and said, if he ever found a talking goldfish he wouldn’t ask of it a

  single thing. He’d just stick it on a shelf in a big glass jar and talk to him all day, it didn’t matter about what.

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In paragraph 5, the word foreseeable means —

• observed

• anticipated

• declared

• promised

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The author includes the information in paragraph 7 to show that —

• Yoni is very organized and serious about his project

• Yoni does not hold prejudices against people who are not like him

• Yoni does not approve of the divisions in his country

• Yoni has goals that extend beyond making money and becoming famous

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Based on the description of Sergei’s past, readers can conclude that —

• his experiences in Russia made him fearful and paranoid

• his experiences as an immigrant in Israel made him fearful and paranoid

• his experiences as a Holocaust survivor made him fearful and paranoid

• his experiences living among Arabs made him fearful and paranoid

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The KGB was a law enforcement agency for the Soviet Union that sought to gather intelligence

through any means necessary and silence views opposed to the controlling regime. What does the

description of Sergei’s past in paragraphs 8 and 9 reveal about his character?

• After enduring the constant threat of intrusion in the past, he feels safest when he is alone.

• After learning about the unsavory characters around him, he is afraid of the people in his neighborhood.

• After seeing his father suffer, he is a person who is proud of his heritage.

• After a lifetime of needing to be nice to strangers, he does not get along with most people.

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In paragraphs 22 to 24, the author uses sarcasm most likely to —

• emphasize the magic of Sergei’s goldfish regarding its ability for tricks

• show how little Sergei has learned because of his isolation

• emphasize how Sergei’s poor language skills contribute to his misunderstanding

• show how dependent Sergei is on the goldfish for friendship

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In the last three paragraphs, the author uses a flash-forward to —

• make the ending a surprise

• show how the conflict was resolved

• describe Sergei’s internal thoughts

• describe the success of Yoni’s project

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Which quote from the story best shows how the plot supports a theme of there being good in the world?

• That first wish, Sergei used up when they discovered a cancer in his sister. A lung cancer, the kind you don’t get better

  from. The fish undid it in an instant—the words barely out of Sergei’s mouth.

• Yonatan knew that if the project was going to have any weight, he’d have to get to everyone, to the unemployed, to the

  ultrareligious, to the Arabs and Ethiopians and American expats.

• In his mind, he was less sure, and all kinds of thoughts about other things he could have done with that wish

  continued to gnaw at him, half driving him mad. The third wish, Sergei hadn’t yet wished for.

• Superphotogenic. It was moving, the way he said it. Perfect, the way in which Munir wished his wish. Yoni knew even as

  he was filming that this guy would be his promo for sure.

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“What, of This Goldfish, Would You Wish?” has multiple themes. Which two quotes from the story support the themes of loneliness or isolation?

• . . . a testament to the massive rift between our dreams and the often compromised reality in which we live.

  [paragraph 2]

• . . . looking out into nothingness, just pause for a minute, nod his head, and wish for peace—that would be something to

  see. [paragraph 7]

• Sergei Goralick doesn’t much like strangers banging on his door. [paragraph 8]

• Sergei doesn’t like this, doesn’t like that the boy is almost at it, already reaching for the jar. [paragraph 14]

• Anything, the Russian said, not to be alone. [paragraph 42]

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