The Hope Chest Chapter 4

Read the sentences below from page 42.

"She hesitated, but Myrtle pushed the door open and went in. Violet followed her with some trepidation."

What does the word 'trepidation' mean in this passage?

• feeling of sadness

• feeling of eagerness

• feeling of fear

• feeling of curiosity

trepidation = a feeling of fear

Which evidence from the text best supports this?

• “Violet had a lifelong training in good manners, and it did not include going into other people’s houses without knocking.” 

• “The house had an ordinary hall, with a carpet and an umbrella stand.”

• “Upstairs, people were singing. Violet couldn’t understand the words. They were in a foreign language.”

• “Violet looked questioningly at Myrtle. Myrtle shrugged.” 

What is the main problem Violet faces

hen she and Myrtle are at

the Henry Street Settlement House?

Use evidence from the text to support your thinking.

Answer explanation

When Violet and Myrtle are at the settlement house, she finds out that Chloe has gone to Washington, D.C. This is a problem because Violet has come all the way to New York to see Chloe, and now she doesn’t have enough money to get to Washington, D.C. In the text, Violet tries not to cry when she finds out Chloe isn’t there, but she is frustrated and doesn’t know what to do next.

Why is Violet “astonished” by Theo Martin on page 46?

Support your thinking with text evidence.

Answer explanation

Violet is astonished by Theo Martin because she has never heard a man support women’s suffrage. In the text it says that her father and the other men she knew had never supported women’s right to vote, but Theo calls it a terrible injustice that women are kept from voting.

Read the following passage from page 47:

… “Where have you sprung from, and don’t they miss you there?”

...Violet, at least, had forgotten that [Theo] was an adult and likely to be interested in these sorts of details. She was trying to think of an evasive answer...

What does the word evasive mean in the context of this passage?

• intelligent

• helpful

• avoidant

• hurtful

Why would Violet want to give an evasive answer to Theo?

Use evidence from the text to support your thinking.

Answer explanation

Violet wants to give an evasive answer because she wants to avoid having to say that she’s run away from home. In the text, after they’ve left the house, Myrtle says that Mr. Martin would have sent them both back, and neither of them wants to go back to where they came from.

What motivates Myrtle to want to go to Washington, D.C. with Violet?

Use evidence from the text to support your answer.

Answer explanation

Myrtle wants to go to Washington, D.C. with Violet because she doesn’t like being at the institute and because she believes her mom wanted something better for her. In the text, Myrtle says the institute isn’t a school because they don’t teach her anything important. She also says that her mom, before she died, sent Myrtle to a real school. The institute doesn’t teach her anything valuable and wants her to know her place. Myrtle believes she deserves something better for her future.