Unit Telling Stories : Part 1

Which evidence from "Charles" supports the inference that Laurie enjoys that his parents believe his stories about Charles?

Select the two correct answers.

• "'Charles,' Laurie said. 'He gave the crayons around and he picked up the books afterward and the teacher said he was her helper.'"

• "'Look down,' Laurie said. 'Look at my thumb. Gee, you're dumb.' He began to laugh insanely."

• "'Well, he certainly likes kindergarten,' I said. 'He talks about it all the time.'"

• “The next day Laurie remarked at lunch, as soon as he sat down, 'Well, Charles was bad again today.' He grinned enormously.”

Item 2

Read this sentence from “ R.M.S. Titanic.”

Iceberg! Right ahead!

Which part of the plot does this sentence represent?

• exposition

• conflict

• complicating incident

• rising action

Part A

In "Charles," how do Laurie’s parents feel about Charles's mother?

• They dislike her because they blame her for Charles’s behavior.

• They are curious about her, and they wonder how she deals with Charles’s behavior.

• They are afraid of her because they think she must be just as bad a person as Charles.

• They doubt whether she really exists.

Part B

Which sentence best supports the answer in Part A?

• "'Wait and see,' my husband said cynically. 'When you’ve got a Charles to deal with, this may mean he’s only plotting.'"

• "At the meeting I sat restlessly, scanning each comfortable matronly face, trying to determine which one hid the secret of Charles."

• "'We’re all so interested in Laurie,' she said."

• "'If only she’s there,' I said prayerfully."

Read the excerpt from "The Necklace."

...she thought of dainty dinners, of shining silverware, of tapestry that peopled the walls with ancient personages and with strange birds flying in the midst of a fairy forest; and she thought of delicious dishes served on marvelous plates and of the whispered gallantries to which you listen with a sphinx-like smile....

What is does a "sphinx-like" smile mean?

• an envious smile

• a friendly smile

• a funny smile

• a mysterious smile

How is the character of Laurie similar in the text to Laurie in the film version of "Charles"?

• In both versions, Laurie clashes with his mother but gets along well with his father.

• In both versions, Laurie gets along better at school than at home.

• In both versions, Laurie tests the authority of his parents and teacher.

• In both versions, Laurie retains the qualities of a nursery-school tot.

In "The Necklace," how does Mathilde's social status help develop the plot?

• Mathilde's social status leads her to borrow the necklace to appear that she has wealth.

• Mathilde and Madame Forestier come into conflict because the two women come from different social backgrounds.

• Conflict grows between Mathilde and her husband because Mathilde wants the family to be of a higher social status.

• Concern over Mathilde's social status leads Madame Forestier to allow Mathilde to borrow the necklace.

What is a central idea of "The Ornithopter"?

Select the two correct answers. Read the passage.

The Ornithopter

Many people know Leonardo da Vinci today as an artist, and it is true that he was indeed a great painter and sculptor, but he was also an inventor and one of the first individuals in recorded history to draft detailed plans for a flying machine.

In order to make a living, Leonardo often depended upon wealthy individuals who would commission work from him. That means they would hire him and pay him to create specific work they wanted. In 1482, when he was 30 years old, Leonardo heard of an opportunity to work for Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan. The duke, however, did not want a painter; he wanted a military engineer to help him defend the city against its enemies. This was an excellent opportunity that would pay Leonardo well, but Leonardo was a peaceful man. He considered war to be “a beastly madness.” He preferred to make things of beauty.

Leonardo made the decision that he could tolerate making weapons if the resources the duke could provide would also allow him to create things he loved. He sent a letter to the duke detailing his skills in designing and building weapons. “I will assemble catapults, mangonels, trebuchets and other instruments of wonderful efficiency…I will make an infinite number of items for attack and defense,” he wrote.

Leonardo’s letter convinced the duke of his talents, and he got the job. He set about designing the weapons that the duke desired. But Leonardo was infinitely creative, always thinking of new things, new ideas—he could not be limited to weapons alone. One idea that he had not mentioned in his application was the ornithopter. It was not a weapon of war, and it was not something that the duke had asked for, but Leonardo went ahead and designed it anyway.

Leonardo was fascinated by the idea of flight. The word “ornithopter” comes from two words meaning “bird” and “wings.” And on first inspection, his plans resembled a bird’s wings attached to a human being’s arms. He concluded that a human being’s arms were neither strong enough nor light enough to stay in the air for long. So, his design included sets of foot pedals and levers that were operated with the hands. He created detailed plans and presented them to the duke, uncertain of how the duke would react to a design for which he didn’t ask.

As it turned out, the duke was very impressed with the ornithopter, but it wasn’t Leonardo’s innovation that excited him. He immediately thought of the ways this machine could be used in war. If a spy could fly over the enemy’s camp, imagine what information he could gather! This was not what Leonardo had intended for his beautiful flying machine.

But how Leonardo felt about war turned out not to matter in the end. His ornithopter was never built—along with his designs for tanks, parachutes, diving suits, machine guns, and even robots that he created for the duke. The ideas of Leonardo da Vinci were centuries ahead of the technology needed to make them.

• Leonardo agreed to create weapons of war despite his principles.

• The duke was impressed with da Vinci's plans for the ornithopter.

• Leonardo da Vinci worked on commission for wealthy men.

• The ornithopter was designed as man's first attempt at flight.

Answer explanation

Leonardo agreed to create weapons of war despite his principles.

and

The ornithopter was designed as man's first attempt at flight.

Read the excerpt from "The Ornithopter."

This was an excellent opportunity that would pay Leonardo well, but Leonardo was a peaceful man. He considered war to be "a beastly madness."

Which type of conflict is expressed in this excerpt?

• individual vs. self

• individual vs. nature

• individual vs. individual

• individual vs. society

Which example represents an individual vs. society conflict in “The Ornithopter”?

• Leonardo struggles in making a decision about doing work for a purpose he does not agree with.

• Leonardo designs the ornithopter, even though the duke did not ask for it.

• The duke imagines the ornithopter as a weapon of war, while Leonardo imagines it as a thing of beauty and innovation.

• Leonardo designs many inventions, but the technology to build them is not available during his lifetime.