from The Grapes of Wrath

Write a brief summary of the excerpt from The Grapes of Wrath. Keep

your summary objective—that is, do not include your opinions or personal

judgments. Include the author and the title.

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Read this passage from The Grapes of Wrath, and then, answer the question. Maybe we can start again, in the new rich land—in California, where the fruit grows. We’ll start over. But you can’t start. Only a baby can start. You and me—why, we’re all that’s been. The anger of a moment, the thousand pictures, that’s us. This land, this red land, is us; and the flood years and the dust years and the drought years are us. We can’t start again. The bitterness we sold to the junk man—he got it all right, but we have it still. And when the owner men told us to go, that’s us; and when the tractor hit the house, that’s us until we’re dead. To California or any place—every one a drum major leading a parade of hurts, marching with our bitterness.

Which of these themes is most clearly developed in this passage?

• Bitterness is never the answer to one’s problems.

• Only children are innocent enough to avoid suffering.

• Our suffering is part of our lives and cannot be escaped.

• We can often escape unhappiness by going to a new place.

In a brief paragraph, explain how the setting affects the characters in the excerpt from The Grapes of Wrath.

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What does the Old English suffix -less usually indicate about a word in which it appears?

• The word is a verb.

• The word is a noun.

• The word is an adverb.

• The word is an adjective.

The main character believes her brother is kind, but the brother turns out to be heartless. What is the most likely meaning of the word heartless in this sentence? Use the context and your knowledge of the suffix -less to help you answer.

• cruel

• villain

• bitterly

• romantic

. The word tenant means “someone who rents property from an owner.” Write a sentence that accurately illustrates the meaning of the word tenant.

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In what main way does the excerpt from The Grapes of Wrath provide a perspective different from that in the video “The Dust Bowl”?

• The excerpt describes the Dust Bowl using descriptive details, but the video does not provide such information.

• The excerpt never reveals what happened to communities after the Dust Bowl ended, but the video does so in detail.

• The excerpt describes historical events exactly as they happened during the Dust Bowl, while the video exaggerates the truth.

• The excerpt uses fictional characters to show the thoughts of people experiencing the Dust Bowl, while the video provides mostly historical facts.

What information is communicated in both the excerpt from The Grapes of Wrath and the video “The Dust Bowl”?

• People were unable to farm the lands due to severe drought.

• Farmers contributed to the Dust Bowl by overusing the soil.

• The Dust Bowl lasted for several years during the 1930s.

• People made hard decisions about what to leave behind.