The Long Night of the Little Boats

In paragraph 3, how does the author's use of the word "miracle" impact the tone of the text?

• It foreshadows the minimal casualties suffered in the battle.

• It implies there are factual inaccuracies that have been reported.

• It suggests the odds were high that the rescue operation could have failed.

• It introduces the idea that other similar operations were not as successful.

What is the effect of the descriptive language in paragraphs 1 and 2?

• to demonstrate how the crisis unified all aspects of British society

• to illustrate how the English were affected by the war

• to explain why so many resources were needed

• to summarize the specific aid required by the British army

Part A: What was the main purpose for using the small boats in the rescue operation?

• The small boats were piloted by regular citizens and therefore allowed the British soldiers to do their job of fighting the German army.

• The small boats were harder to see at night and thus could more easily avoid the German attacks from the ground and the air.

• The small boats, as a group, could hold a greater number of soldiers than the bigger boats belonging to the British navy.

• The small boats could get close to the beach and transfer the soldiers to the bigger boats that had to stay in deep water.

Part B: Which TWO quotations from paragraphs 10-12 best support the answer to Part A?

• "Boats that had never carried more than a dozen people at a time were now carrying sixty or seventy."

• "Somehow they backed off the beach, remained afloat, and ferried their loads out to the larger ships waiting offshore and then returned to the beach for more men."

• "The rain of bombs, shells, and bullets grew ever greater until the boats seemed to be moving through a sea of flame."

• "The strip of beach, from Bergues on the left to Nieuwpoort on the right, was now growing smaller under the barrage, and even the gallant rear guard was now being pressed down onto the beaches."

• "The little boats still went about their business, moving steadily through the water."

Which sentence best describes the structure of paragraph 6?

• The paragraph is structured by cause and effect; it explains how the movement of the rescuing boats caused the Germans to increase their attacks.

• The paragraph is structured as a contrast between the violent and confusing situation at the beach and the focused and determined action of the rescuing boats.

• The paragraph is structured as a chronological account of the actions of the British soldiers as they moved toward the rescuing boats.

• The paragraph is structured as problem and solution; it explains what problems the German attack caused and how the rescuing boats solved the problems.

Part A: Which statement below best summarizes the central idea of this excerpt?

• Military boats and civilian ships struggled to navigate during a nighttime rescue mission.

• Civilian sacrifice and good fortune played important roles in a daring rescue of British troops.

• The sailors of the little boats were part of the largest rescue operation during World War II.

• Each group of rescuers had different motivations for saving the British troops.

Part B: Which sentence from the excerpt provides the best support for the correct answer in Part A?

• "Down they came, clogging the estuaries, going off to war."

• "Coming up behind them, bent on missions of their own, were the warships, destroyers, cruisers, and gunboats, racketing full tilt across the coast of France."

• "It was a miracle that so many had been able to assemble at one place at one time, and even more miraculous that crews had been found for them."

• "It was like being on a black highway with fast-moving traffic and no lights showing."

Which of the following details best supports the idea that the rescuers in the small boats were brave?

• "There were fishing boats, shrimp catchers, ancient car ferries that had never known the touch of salt water."

• "As the situation became even more desperate, the big ships moved in right alongside the little ones, some grounding on the sand and hoping somehow to get off again despite the falling tide."

• "The men moved slowly forward, neck deep in the water, with their officers guiding them."

• "Already the sky was growing light, and soon the little boats would have to scuttle away. None abandoned their position."

Part A: Which statement below best summarizes a reasonable judgment that could be made based on the excerpt?

• The little boats had to travel a fairly short distance to reach France.

• The British Army would lose World War II.

• The experience inspired many of the rescuers to later join the British Navy.

• The German pilots knew the little boats were coming.

Part B: Which excerpt provides the best support for the correct answer in Part A?

• "There were bankers and dentists, taxi drivers and yachtsmen, old longshoremen and very young boys, engineers, fishermen and civil servants. There were fresh-faced young Sea Scouts and old men with white hair blowing in the wind."

• "Behind them, invisible in the blackness, was England. Ahead, glowing faintly from burning oil tanks and faming artillery, lay the coast of France."

• "Suddenly out of the night came dozens of aircraft flares dropped by the German bombers, looking like orange blossoms overhead."

• "Those who were there will never forget the long lines of men wearily staggering across the beach from the dunes to the shallows, falling into the little boats, while others, caught where they stood, died among the bombs and bullets."