Excerpt from "The Eclipse"

Which idea is supported by information in the passage?

• The author is inspired by the appearance of the stars during daytime.
  

• The author is nervous about the weather making the eclipse barely visible.
  

• The author notes that animals seem unaware of the changes that signal the eclipse.

• The author believes predictions of dangerous weather caused people to lose interest.

Which idea must be included in a summary of the passage?

• the impact of sunlight on the total effect of the eclipse
  

• the anticipation of the eclipse by the total population
  

• the sadness the narrator feels when the sky becomes dark
  

• the fading sunlight which allows viewing of the eclipse without pain

Which paragraph best supports the idea that some people were unsure they would get to see the eclipse?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

Which quotation demonstrates the key effect of the eclipse upon the author?

• 1. “. . . the whole population was in a state of anxious expectation for weeks before the event.” (paragraph 2)

• 1. “The heavens were still absolutely cloudless, and a more brilliant day had never shone in our own bright

     climate.” (paragraph 4)

• 1. “For a second, I believed it to be an optical illusion, but in another instant, I saw that it was plainly a star.”

     (paragraph 6)

• 1. “. . . the aurora borealis, and a solar eclipse never fail to give us a peculiar feeling, different from that with

     which we observe any other spectacles on the earth.” (paragraph 8)

Read the sentence below from paragraph 3.

A passing cloud might veil the grand vision from our sight; . . .
Which phrase from paragraph 8 has a similar meaning as might veil the grand vision?

• “revealed in its greatest distinctness”

• “so nearly obscuring the sun”
  

• “something instinctive in the feeling”

• “man gazes at the heavens”

How does the structure of paragraphs 7-8 contribute to the meaning of the passage?

• 1. Paragraph 7 describes the author’s deep fear, and paragraph 8 describes the elation of seeing an eclipse.

• 1. Paragraph 7 reveals the climax of the passage, and paragraph 8 conveys the author’s personal reflections

     on the eclipse.

• 1. Paragraph 7 highlights the judgment of the author’s brother, and paragraph 8 describes the physical

     characteristics of sunlight.

• 1. Paragraph 7 asserts that rainbows are more difficult to observe than eclipses, and paragraph 8 compares

     the beauty of an eclipse to the magnificence of the sun.

Which phrase from paragraph 5 helps the author to build a tone of anticipation?

• “before the gates of our own property”
  

• “sun lay a little to the south and east”
  

• “gradual approach of darkness”
  

• “the absolutely transparent state of the heavens”

How does the author’s point of view influence his purpose?

• 1. His point of view is personal, so it produces a level of fear about the presence of stars during the daylight hours.

• 1. His point of view is objective, so it leads the reader to reach conclusions that contradict the evidence he produces.

• 1. His point of view is personal, so it adds credibility to his conclusions about the spectacular nature of solar eclipses.

• 1. His point of view is objective, so it encourages the reader to question the evidence that he provides about animal responses to eclipses.