'The Leap' by Louise Erdrich

Read this description of Anna from paragraph 1. She has never upset an object or as much as brushed a magazine onto the floor. She has never lost her balance or bumped into a closet door left carelessly open. The description suggests that Anna has retained her -

• ability to remain calm

• graceful acrobatic skills

• matter-of-fact approach to challenges

• capacity for dealing with extreme situations

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.1

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Read this sentence from paragraph 5. They loved to drop gracefully from nowhere, like two sparkling birds, and blow kisses as they threw off their plumed helmets and high-collared capes. What does comparing the Flying Avalons to birds mainly suggest about them?

• Their relationship was romantic.

• They enjoyed surprising the audience.

• They looked small and fragile on stage.

• Their acrobatics were skillful and natural.

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

CCSS.RI.9-10.5

Read how the words unnoticed in paragraph 4 and unseen in paragraph 12 are used in context. What is the meaning of the prefix un-?

• Bad

• Not

• Never

• Again

Tags

CCSS.L.3.4C

CCSS.RF.3.3A

CCSS.RF.3.3B

CCSS.RF.4.3A

CCSS.RF.5.3A

The phrase one form of flight for another in paragraph 15 suggests that the -

• ability to read allows the imagination to soar

• mother is willing to exchange excitement for safety

• father understands what the mother has given up

• feeling of contentment is connected to love

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

The narrator implies that the main reason she moved back to her childhood home to care for her mother was due to her feeling of -

• guilt

• gratitude

• obligation

• admiration

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

This question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then, answer Part B. Part A Which theme is conveyed in the selection?

• We rely on our sense of sight more than any other sense.

• Living through difficult circumstances can breed resentment.

• Sometimes a moment in time can seem longer than it actually is.

• Children often grow to be more like their parents than they expect.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RI.11-12.9

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Which quotation best supports the answer to Part A?

• She is one with the constant dark now, just as the air was her home, familiar to her, safe, before the storm that afternoon. (paragraph 6)

• My mother once said that I'd be amazed at how many things a person can do within the act of falling. (paragraph 9)

• I suppose you could call it the egocentrism of a child, of all young children, but I considered her a less finished version of myself. (paragraph 11)

• I came home to read to my mother, to read out loud, to read long into the dark if I must, to read all night. (paragraph 15)

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

Most of 'The Leap' is narrated as a series of flashbacks. What does the use of flashbacks allow the author to do that could not have been done without this technique?

• Narrate important events of the story in reverse chronological order

• Control the pacing to increase the tension of the story's climactic moment

• Slow down significant moments of the story and speed up less significant moments

• Use the narrator's adult knowledge to revise unflattering events from her childhood

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.5

Which two inferences can you make about the narrator as a child?

• She was obedient.

• She was very curious.

• She was easily frightened.

• She wanted to become an acrobat.

• She had complete faith in her mother.

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

Which element makes it difficult to identify the climax in 'The Leap'?

• The use of a narrator who is never named

• The use of two main characters, the narrator and her mother

• Two plot lines, one involving the Flying Avalons and the other involving the narrator as a child

• The story ending, in which the narrator and her mother are still descending to safety on the ground

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.10

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RL.2.3

CCSS.RL.4.3

CCSS.RL.4.4