Maple Street

Consider the passage below and then answer the following question.

[He swings the gun around to point it toward the sidewalk.  

The dark figure continues to walk toward them.  

The group there, fearful, apprehensive, mothers clutching children, men standing in front of  wives. Charlie slowly raises the gun. As the figure gets closer and closer he suddenly pulls  the trigger. The sound of it explodes in the stillness. There is a long shot looking down at the  figure, who suddenly lets out a small cry, stumbles forward onto his knees and then falls  forward on his face. Don, Charlie, and Steve race forward over to him. Steve is there first and turns the man over. Now the crowd gathers around them.]  

Why is it important to read stage directions when reading a play?

• Stage directions help the reader understand events and actions

• Stage directions create a visual

• Stage directions help the reader understand the characters

• All of these

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.7.7

How does Steve try to calm the crowd’s fears after Tommy hints that there may be a monster from outer space involved? (8.RL.1.A and 8.RL.3.D) DOK 2 (1 pt)

[There's another silence as Steve looks toward the crowd and then toward Tommy. He  wears a tight grin.]  

Steve: Well, I guess what we'd better do then is to run a check on the neighborhood  and see which ones of us are really human.  

• by using verbal irony 

• by claiming that Tommy has an overactive imagination.

• by laughing lightly

• by immediately offering an alternative theory

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

Which of the following is an example of an internal conflict in the story?

• The crowd becomes apprehensive once Tommy suggests that aliens have infiltrated the neighborhood.

• Charlie feels guilty for shooting and killing Pete.

• both of these

• neither of these

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

Read the excerpt below:

Charlie, don’t tell me what I can afford! And stop telling me who’s dangerous and who isn’t and  who’s safe and who’s a menace. And you’re with him too – all of you! You’re standing here all set to crucify – all set to find a scapegoat – all desperate to point some kind of a finger at a neighbor!

What is the meaning of the word menace as it is used in the excerpt above?

• an atmosphere that may create a hazard

• to threaten

• hostile

• a person who is likely to cause harm

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

Which piece of dialogue shows that the neighbor’s no longer look at Steve as a leader to their group?

• “I’ll run downtown,” said Steve. “We’ll get this all straightened out.”

• The group starts toward the house. Steve stands in front of them. Their fear almost turns their walk into a stampede, but his words slow them down.

• Steve turns to the group. Weighing his words with an optimism he doesn’t feel, but is desperately trying to instill in himself and others.

• “Show them nothing,” shouts Steve to his wife. “If they want to look in my house, have them get a search warrant. 

• “Are you all gone crazy?” Steve shouts. “Stop.” A fist crashes into Steve’s face.

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.1

CCSS.RL.6.1

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.1

CCSS.RL.7.2

What message/theme do you think the author wanted society to learn from this play?

• Neighbors shouldn’t turn on one another

• Life was better in the “good ol’ days”

• Small towns are not good places to live in the U.S.

• Fear can cause people to be irrational 

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.7.7

This photo portrays the stage directions from “Monsters on Maple Street.” What do you learn about the setting from the photo? Select the two best answers.

• The time period is in the past. 

• The time period is in the future. 

• The neighborhood is an impoverished, struggling neighborhood.

• The neighborhood is well to do, to the point where neighbors judge each other at every turn. 

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.7.7

Charlie, don’t tell me what I can afford! And stop telling me who’s dangerous and who isn’t and  who’s safe and who’s a menace. And you’re with him too – all of you! You’re standing here all set to crucify – all set to find a scapegoat – all desperate to point some kind of a finger at a neighbor!

How does the word menace as it is used above contribute to the ominous tone at this part in the play?.

• The neighbors are threatening to each other

• The neighbors are all scared and confused 

• The neighbors do not know who to blame 

• The neighbors have hated each other for years

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.7.7