The World on the Turtle's Back

The Iroquois use the ideas in this myth to...

• explain how natural phenomena came to be

• explain why animals are important to people

• describe the joys of human relationships

• explain why people use different hands

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.9

CCSS.RL.8.9

The storytellers most likely include both the right and left-handed twin in the myth to...

• explain why the Iroquois believe everyone's personality is similar

• explore Iroquois relationships between parents and children

• demonstrate Iroquois ideas about different facets of human nature

• describe the Iroquois practices for overcoming sibling rivalry

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.9

CCSS.RL.8.9

From the description of the muskrat in paragraph 11, the reader can most reasonably infer that...

• the other animals have little faith he can complete the task

• he has greater stamina and perseverance than the other animals

• he will benefit more than the other animals from retrieving the dirt

• the other animals care little about the woman and her troubles

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.9

CCSS.RL.8.9

Read the following dictionary entry.

quiver \kwĭv´ər\ v 1. to shake with a small, quick motion n 2. a small trembling movement; usually caused by emotion 3. a case used by an archer to hold and carry supplies 4. a collection or store

Which definition best matches the use of the word "quiver" in paragraph 14?

"From his quiver, the man took two arrows—one sharp and one blunt. He laid them across the girl’s body and quietly went away."

• Definition 1

• Definition 2

• Definition 3

• Definition 4

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

Paragraphs 21-22 contribute to the theme of a balance between good and evil by...

• comparing the ways in which animals prey on each other

• contrasting the actions of each twin against the other

• exploring the changing relationships among animals, plants, and humans

• explaining the significance of human and animal behaviors to the world

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RI.11-12.9

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Read the dictionary entry.

doctor \dŏk´tər\ v 1. to revise material for purposes of improvement 2. to tamper with
3. to heal n 4. a scholar and teacher

Which definition most closely matches the way the word "doctoring" is used in paragraph 22?

"And the left-handed twin made medicines, for good and for evil, for doctoring and for witchcraft."

• Definition 1

• Definition 2

• Definition 3

• Definition 4

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

Read paragraph 38 of the selection.

"In the daytime, the people have rituals which honor the right-handed twin. Through the
daytime rituals, they thank the Master of Life. In the nighttime, the people dance and sing
for the left-handed twin."

This paragraph suggests that the Iroquois people —

• believe in the existence of good and evil

• respect the balance of nature

• fear possibilities of danger at night

• revere one twin over the other

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.9

CCSS.RL.8.9

What does the twins' competition to make animals in this creation myth explain?

• How animals are loyal and submissive to humans

• Why animals are in a constant competition for resources with people

• How nature is completely separate from the realm of humans

• How nature keeps each type of animal in check

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.9

CCSS.RL.8.9

In paragraph 14, what can the reader most reasonably infer about why the man appears to the girl [who] had grown to womanhood?

• He wants to give her tools for hunting animals.

• He shows her why she should not fear other creatures.

• He causes her to become pregnant with twins.

• He welcomes her into her next phase of life, adulthood.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.10

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.9

Which excerpt from the selection best supports the answer to Question 9?

• To keep the earth growing, the woman walked as the sun goes, moving in the direction that the people still move in the dance rituals. (paragraph 13)

• The woman and her daughter kept walking in a circle around the earth, so that the earth and plants would continue to grow. (paragraph 13)

• No one knows for sure who this man was. He had something to do with the gods above. Perhaps he was the West Wind. (paragraph 14)

• As she lay on the ground, the man reached into his quiver, and he took out two arrows, one sharp and one blunt, and he laid them across the body of the girl, and quietly went away. (paragraph 14)

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.10

CCSS.RI.8.10

CCSS.RI.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.11-12.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.10