J.K. Rowling Commencement Speech

I had no idea then how far the tunnel extended, and

for a long time, any light at the

end of it was a hope rather than a reality.

What is the meaning of the tunnel metaphor used in

this sentence?

• Rowling compares the negative comments of others to

  being in a tunnel, surrounded by criticism and not knowing when or if the light of acceptance will

  come.

• Rowling compares the dark period of her life to being

  in a tunnel, not knowing when or if the darkness will end and the light of success will come.

• Rowling compares the uncertainty of her talent to being in a tunnel, not knowing when or if her work would gain worldwide fame.

• Rowling compares the disappointment of her failed marriage to being in a tunnel, not knowing when or if she would ever remarry.

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CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.5.1

Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never

have found the determination to succeed in the one arena I believed I truly belonged.

What is the purpose of this sentence in paragraph

19?

• It shows that failure can extinguish the hope and willpower needed to achieve an alternate reality.

• It shows that failure can stimulate the hope and willpower needed to achieve an alternate reality.

• It shows that failure does not play a significant part in a person’s level of individual self worth and worldview

  .

• It shows that failure plays a significant part in a person’s level of individual self worth and worldview.

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CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

So why do I talk about the benefits of failure? Simply because failure meant a stripping away of the inessential.

What does the word inessential mean based on the context in which it is used in the above sentence

• a thing that is absolutely necessary

• a thing that is not absolutely necessary

• a thing that is absolutely vital

• a thing that is not absolutely life sustaining

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CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RL.5.1

Which sentence best supports the meaning of the

word inessential in #3?

• “I was set free, because my greatest fear had been realised, and I was still alive, and I still had a daughter whom I adored, and I had an old typewriter and a big idea.”

• “The knowledge that you emerged wiser and stronger from setbacks means that you are, ever after, secure in your ability to survive.”

• “I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me.”

• “Such knowledge is a true gift, for all that it is painfully won, and it has been worth more than any qualification I ever earned.”

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CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RI.5.4

It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all—in which case, you fail by default.

What is the meaning of the phrase you fail by default?

• failure to do something required by law

• failure to meet a financial obligation

• failure to fully engage in life’s possibilities

• failure to show up for a competition or contest

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CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.RI.5.4

CCSS.RI.7.4