Down A Dark Hall

“Sometimes I wish that I’d met you somewhere else, under another set of circumstances. That I wasn’t your teacher. But--... we’ll just have to take things are they are. And the way they are right now, we’ve wasted half the class period chattering. Are you ready to play for me?”

“I was dreaming...At least, I think I was dreaming. There was this woman by my bed. She was young--maybe in her mid-twenties--and she was wearing a long dress, kind of old-fashioned looking. She was just standing there, looking down at me, and I could see her even in the darkness.”

“The lady--Madame Duret--she doesn’t want the village staff talking with the students. She told us that when she hired us. I can ask people what they want and things like that, but that’s all the talking I’m supposed to do.”

“Let’s just say that we found you to be four very special girls...You have exactly the attributes we want our students to possess. Does it displease you to be part of a small class?”

“They wouldn’t believe me either… after my father was killed. Except I never thought of that as a dream. He was there in my room, really there. I know he was.”

“Honey...Kit, dear, you will be happy here, won’t you? I’d never enjoy a moment of our trip if I thought you weren’t. We can make other arrangements, even if that means taking a different cruise later. Your happiness is the most important thing.”

What point of view (1st or 3rd) does that narrator use to tell the story? Include one direct quote from the book to support your answer.

9. Explain which type of figurative language is used in the passage (simile or metaphor). Explain what two things are being compared. What is the author trying to show by using this simile or metaphor?

The word _____________ means "to picture in the mind".

• lilting
• envision
• accentuate
• influx

Death in inevitable because _________________ .

• it is a slow, painful process.
• it can happen suddenly.
• it cannot be avoided.
• it can be delayed with proper care and medical attention.