Blood Selection Test

PARAGRAPH 4- “Moles?” I muttered. I had to tell her I never had sold moles in the shop and I had never seen one in my life. The woman wanted to hear something else—an affirmation. I knew it by her eyes, by the timid stir of her fingers that reached out to touch me. I felt uneasy staring at her.

How is the word AFFIRMATION used in the sentence above?

1. the act of agreeing that something is true 2. something that is decided to be true
3. a statement that helps motivate or support 4. a legal declaration saying that someone’s judgment is true

Which definition represents the meaning of affirmation as it is used in paragraph 4?

• A Definition 1

• B Definition 2

• C Definition 3

• D Definition 4

In paragraph 24, the author uses the phrases autumn leaves whirled hopelessly in the wind and tied its icy knot around houses, souls, and rocks to

• F indicate why the shop was so empty

• G show the struggles the narrator faced

• H give clues about the narrator's state of mind

• J give hints about what will happen to the woman

In the afternoon of the same day, a strange man entered the room. He was tall, scraggly, and frightened.
“Have you . . . the blood of a mole?” he asked, his eyes piercing through me. I was scared. “No, I haven’t. I have never sold moles here.” “Oh, you have! You have! Three drops ... Three drops, no more ... My wife will die. You have! Please!” He squeezed my arm.

“Please ... three drops! Or she’ll die” My blood trickled slowly from the wound. The man held a little bottle and the red drops gleamed in it like embers. Then he left and a little bundle of bank notes rolled on the counter.

The description of the man looking for blood in paragraphs 29 through 35 is important to the selection because it

• A reveals that the narrator wants to help even more people

• B shows that the narrator's actions could have unexpected consequences

• C demonstrates that the woman wanted bad things to happen to the narrator

• D explains why the woman wanted to pay the narrator

My blood trickled slowly from the wound. The man held a little bottle and the red drops gleamed in it like embers. Then he left and a little bundle of bank notes rolled on the counter.

In paragraph 35, the narrator observes that the man

• F paid for the blood

• G left without taking the bottle

• H was disappointed by the shop

• J believed the blood was from a mole

Which two phrases from the selection best support the idea that the woman who visits the narrator's shop is desperate?

• A a strange small woman entered my room

• B her arms trembling, unnaturally pale

• C Her elbows reeled, searching for support

• D she rushed and embraced me

• E The woman sobbed, hiding a tearful smile

6. Which sentences best illustrate the narrator’s conflict?

• F   I didn’t have any mole’s blood. I didn’t have any moles. I imagined the woman in the room, sobbing.

• G  The woman glanced at me and kept silent. She did not reach for the glass bottle, rather she turned and hurried toward the door.

• H  The early winter blizzards hurled snowflakes against the windows and sang in my veins. I could not forget that woman.

• J   Her shoulders were weightless and frail, and tears were streaking her delicately wrinkled cheeks. Her whole body shook and I thought she would collapse, so I caught her trembling arms.

Through the narrator's experience, the author explores the idea of —

• A working hard to survive in the world

• B feeling pressure to live a certain way

• C wanting to relieve other people's suffering

• D understanding that the world is full of evil

The author of "Blood" uses imagery, figurative language, and word choice to indicate information about the characters. Which character traits does the author imply about each character? Select the correct adjectives for each character.

Narrator: (a)   ​ (b)  

Woman: ​ ​ (c)  

• Accommodating
• Feeble
• Sensitive

Read these sentences from paragraph 28. It was so cozy in my dark shop and the old, imperceptible smell of formalin made me dizzy with happiness. My lizards were so beautiful that I loved them as if they were my children. What does the language in these sentences suggest about the narrator? Support your answer with two pieces of evidence from the selection.

What is one message the author conveys in the story? Support your answer with two pieces of evidence from the selection.