Making Connections

On the last night of the revival the sky took on a strange yellowish cast. The air felt close, suffocating, and no wind stirred.

Which words from the excerpt best help the reader determine a tone of anxiety?

• “sky” and “air”

• “last” and “night”

• “revival” and “yellowish”

• “strange” and “suffocating”

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.4

The night whispered of distant thunder. It was muggy, hot, a miserable night for sleeping. Twice I had awakened hoping that it was time to be up, but each time the night had been total blackness with no hint of a graying dawn. On the front porch Mr. Morrison sat singing soft and low into the long night, chanting to the approaching thunder. He had been there since the house had darkened after church, watching and waiting as he had done every night since Papa had been injured. No one had ever explained why he watched and waited, but I knew. It had to do with the Wallaces.

Which best describes the tone of the excerpt?

• tense

• joful

• unkind

• relaxed

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

In the darkness there was a low sob and T.J., hardly sounding like T.J., mumbled, "They the ones got me in it. Where's the bed? I gotta sit down."

In the darkness he groped for the bed, his feet dragging as if he could hardly lift them. "I ain't no bed!" I exclaimed as his hands fell on me.

Which words from the excerpt best help the reader determine a tone of distress?

• “exclaimed,” “hands,” and “feet”

• “sob,” “groped,” and “dragging”

• “darkness,” “bed,” and “lift”

• “sounding,” “sit,” and “ain’t”

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.4

I had gotten as far west as the Dakotas when my silent recitation was disturbed by a tapping on the porch. I lay very still. Mr. Morrison never made sounds like that.

Which detail from the excerpt best helps the reader determine a tone of alarm?

• I had gotten as far west as the Dakotas

• my silent recitation

• a tapping on the porch

• Mr. Morrison never made sounds like that.

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.4

For a long moment no one moved or said a word as Mr. Barnett shone the light directly on T.J., then on R.W. and Melvin, their faces darkened by the stockings. But when Mr. Barnett saw the cabinet lock busted, he flew into frenzied action, hopping madly down the stairs and trying to grab the metal box from Melvin. They struggled, with Mr. Barnett getting the better of Melvin, until R.W. whopped Mr. Barnett solidly on the head from behind with the flat of the axe, and Mr. Barnett slumped into a heap upon the floor as if dead.

Which detail in the excerpt best helps the reader determine the frantic tone?

• For a long moment no one moved or said a word

• he flew into frenzied action, hopping madly down the stairs

• Mr. Barnett slumped into a heap upon the floor as if dead

• their faces darkened by the stockings

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.1

CCSS.RL.6.1

CCSS.RL.6.4

Cautiously, I climbed from the bed, careful not to awaken Big Ma, who was still snoring soundly, and crept to the door. I pressed my ear against the door and listened, then slipped the latch furiously and darted outside. "Boy, what you doing here?" I hissed.

Which words from the excerpt best help the reader determine an angry tone?

• “furiously” and “hissed”

• “careful” and “crept”

• “door” and “latch”

• “listened” and “slipped”

Tags

CCSS.L.6.5C

CCSS.RL.6.4

Unable to sleep, I resigned myself to await his return by counting states. Miss Crocker had had a big thing about states, and I sometimes found that if I pretended that she was naming them off I could fall asleep. I decided to count the states geographically rather than alphabetically; that was more of a challenge.

How best could a reader make a text-to-self connection for this excerpt?

• by remembering an important test that one was worried about

• by asking one’s sibling what it is like to have trouble falling asleep

• by remembering a time when one had trouble falling asleep

• by asking one’s teacher to explain what the excerpt means

When I reached the church steps, I looked back again. T.J. was still there, an indistinct blur blending into the gathering dusk, and I began to think that perhaps he would not go with the Simmses. But then the rude squawk of the truck's horn blasted the quiet evening, and T.J. turned his back on us and fled across the field.

How best could a reader make a text-to-self connection for this excerpt?

• by thinking about a time when one was worried about a friend’s choices

• by listening to a friend’s story about learning how to drive a truck

• by thinking about a time when one wanted to be with friends instead of family

• by listening to a story about a bad decision someone made that caused problems

T.J. grinned widely. Stacey turned away in disgust. "Come on," he said, "service is 'bout to start."

How best could a reader relate to Stacey‘s feelings in the excerpt?

• by listening to a friend’s story about being angry with someone

• by thinking about a time when one felt angry because of a friend’s behavior

• by thinking about a time when one felt happy about a friend’s behavior

• by listening to one’s teacher explain why Stacey is unhappy in this part of the story

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.1

T.J. gulped and leaned over, his head between his legs. "I . . . I'm sick, Stacey. I gotta get home 'fore my daddy wake up. . . . He say I stay 'way from that house one more night, he gonna put me out, and he mean it, too. He put me out, I got no place to go. You gotta help me."

How best could a reader relate to T.J.‘s feelings in the excerpt?

• by asking one’s teacher to explain T.J.’s feelings

• by asking a friend’s opinion of how T.J. feels

• by thinking about a time when one felt proud

• by thinking about a time when one felt helpless