Fiction Passages

1. The passage establishes that Vida and Ted have all of the following traits in common EXCEPT:

• A. A willingness to accommodate the requests each makes of the other.

• B. A response to elements of nature.

• C. A perception of others that surfaces in humor.

• D. An awareness of what delights the other.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.9

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

2. Which of the following is NOT an accurate description of the passage?

• F. A story about a teenager whose summer experiences building and occupying a fort near his house have a positive effect on his relationship with his mother

• G. A glimpse at what connects a mother and a son and what separates them as the boy tests his own limits with a summer project

• H. A look at how two characters -- one grown, one young -- behave when each perceives the fragility of someone or something he or she holds dear

• J. A portrait of two family members whose painful disagreements force one to seek shelter outside the home until they reach an understanding

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

3. In both the twelfth paragraph (lines 61-69) and the thirteenth paragraph (lines 70-77) the author is portraying characters who:

• A. Feel compelled to act carefully in order to avoid shattering something precious.

• B. Are frustrated to the point of indignation that success seems always slightly out of reach.

• C. Are at first excited by a project but later lose interest as others get involved.

• D. Discover that a personal weakness in some situations can be a personal strength in others.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.7

CCSS.RI.11-12.7

CCSS.RL.11-12.7

CCSS.RL.8.7

CCSS.RL.9-10.7

4. It can most reasonably be inferred that as it is used in line 69 the term wild thing refers not only to a pheasant but also to:

• F. Ted as Vida somewhat reverently sees him.

• G. Vida as seen by Ted when she visits the fort.

• H. Ted as he imagines himself to be.

• J. What Vida wishes Ted would cease to be.

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

5. Which of the following best describes the difference between Ted as a little boy and Ted at the time he builds and occupies the fort?

• A. By the time Ted builds the fort he has lost the lighthearted manner he had as and has become more of a brooder who avoids the company of others.

• B. As a teenager Ted is physically clumsier and more angular than he was as a child, but he retains the humor, cautiousness, and seriousness that distinguished him at an early age.

• C. As a child Ted was constantly observing others for indications of how he should behave, but as a teenager he looks more to nature for guidance.

• D. As a child Ted was outgoing in a way that appealed to adults, but as a teenager he was introspective in a way that alarmed them.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.9

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

6. The passage indicates that Vida was not surprised by Ted’s decision to build a fort because she:

• F. knew that more often than not he was inclined to take projects she had started a step farther.

• G. sensed that it fit with his tendency to approach life as if he were self-contained.

• H. had noticed that ever since their camping trip he had been putting more and more distance between himself and her.

• J. had noticed that he no longer worried that his fascination with nature would interfere with his long-standing craving for the company of others.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.1

CCSS.RI.11-12.1

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

7. As it is used in the passage, the term silent communion (line 12) refers to the:

• A. Way that without using words Ted communicates his disappointments to Vida.

• B. Promise Ted made to himself that he would not return to the house all summer, even for food.

• C. Way a thought shifted in Ted’s mind from feeling like someone else’s to feeling like his own.

• Exchange of warm emotions between Ted and Vida during the preparation and sharing of food.

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

8. Which of the following best describes the way the seventh paragraph (lines 25-27) functions in the passage?

• F. It reinforces the image of Vida established elsewhere in the passage as someone whose skeptical nature disheartens Ted on the brink of new projects.

• G. It foreshadows events described later in the passage that lead to the dismantling of the tree house once Ted is back in school.

• H. It reveals that Vida takes an interest in Ted’s project to the extent that she determines ways in which he needs to carry it out to avoid problems.

• J. It reveals that Vida’s willingness to shift responsibility to her son for his actions is greater than his willingness to accept such responsibility.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

9. According to the passage, Ted attributes which of the following characteristics to the redwoods?

• A. They make idea supports for a fort because they are strong and tall.

• B. They create a sense of remoteness by absorbing time and sound and by smelling like another place.

• C. They lend a feeling of danger to whatever surrounds them because they themselves are endangered.

• D. They grace their surroundings with a serenity that softens disturbing emotions like fear of the dark.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

10. Ted felt that in comparison to the ground floor of the fort, going up into the tree to build the top floor seemed:

• F. safer because the top floor was less accessible to intruders.

• G. safer because the branches provided him with a sense of privacy.

• H. less safe because the place felt bigger and more exposed.

• J. less safe because the top floor was made of cypress instead of redwood.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.1

CCSS.RI.11-12.1

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2