From Blue Nines and Red Words

In the selection from "Blue Nines and Red Words," what or whom does the author think of as "friends"?

• words

• feelings

• doctors

• numbers

The author of "Blue Nines and Red Words" eats exactly 45 grams of porridge each morning. What aspect of his condition does this behavior illustrate?

• his need to stay on a strict diet

• his need for order and routine

• his need to number everything

• his need for creating patterns

When the author of "Blue Nines and Red Words" does power multiplication, how does he experience the result?

• as a visual pattern

• as a bright white light

• as a number on paper

• as a series of musical notes

The author of "Blue Nines and Red Words" sees different types of numbers in distinct ways. Which numbers does he consider most beautiful?

• thin numbers

• large numbers

• even numbers

• prime numbers

Which of the following items is likely the least symmetrical?

• a bush

• a pyramid

• a square

• a basketball

Which of the following best states the central idea of the selection from "Blue Nines and Red Words"?

• Each of us has a special talent that we can use to help others.

• People with disabilities are very much like poets.

• Different minds make sense of the world in different ways.

• Numbers are like people.

Which passage best suggests that the author makes efforts to understand others.

• My favorite kind of calculation is power multiplication.

• Autism is defined by the presence of impairments affecting social interaction, communication and imagination.

• On the other hand, if the numbers don't match my experience of them- then I find that uncomfortable and irritating.

• Emotions can be hard for me to understand or know how to react to, so I often use numbers to help me.

"Blue Nines and Red Words" is an excerpt from a memoir. What makes this particular memoir remarkable?

• It is written in the first person.

• The author has Asperger's syndrome, and people with Asperger's often have trouble relating to others.

• It contains many of the same details as Rain Man, a famous movie about autism.

• The author is able to put his experiences into words, even though he considers numbers to be his first language.

Which sentence from "Blue Nines and Red Words" is the best example of reflective writing?

• I was born on January 31, 1979- a Wednesday.

• If I see a number I experience as particularly beautiful on a shop sign or a car license plate, there's a shiver of excitement and pleasure.

• Multiplying the same number three times over is called cubing or "raising" to the third power.

• Sacks also describes John and Michael as playing a game that involved swapping prime numbers with each other for hours at a time.

A reader might ask each of the following questions after reading the selection from "Blue Nines and Red Words." Which question best shows that the selection is an effective piece of reflective writing?

• How did the author organize the selection?

• Where can I learn more about savant syndrome?

• What makes my way of seeing things unique?

• Might I also be diagnosed with a rare condition?