From Blue Nines and Red Words

"Blue Nines and Red Words" is an excerpt from a memoir. What makes this particular memoir remarkable?

• It is written in the first person.

• The author has Asperger's syndrome, and people with Asperger's often have trouble relating to others.

• It contains many of the same details as Rain Man, a famous movie about autism.

• The author is able to put his experiences into words, even though he considers numbers to be his first language.

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Which sentence from "Blue Nines and Red Words" is the best example of reflective writing?

• I was born on January 31, 1979- a Wednesday.

• If I see a number I experience as particularly beautiful on a shop sign or a car license plate, there's a shiver of excitement and pleasure.

• Multiplying the same number three times over is called cubing or "raising" to the third power.

• Sacks also describes John and Michael as playing a game that involved swapping prime numbers with each other for hours at a time.

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CCSS.RI.11-12.10

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A reader might ask each of the following questions after reading the selection from "Blue Nines and Red Words." Which question best shows that the selection is an effective piece of reflective writing?

• How did the author organize the selection?

• Where can I learn more about savant syndrome?

• What makes my way of seeing things unique?

• Might I also be diagnosed with a rare condition?

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In the background info for the memoir, "Blue Nines and Red Words," an example of synesthesia provided is "I smell trouble." This is also an example of what figurative language?

• simile

• metaphor

• idiom

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CCSS.RI.11-12.10

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What type of text or genre is "Blue Nines and Red Words?"

• A biography

• A memoir

• An essay

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The author of "Blue Nines and Red Words" eats exactly 45 grams of porridge each morning. What aspect of his condition does this behavior illustrate?

• his need to stay on a strict diet

• his need for order and routine

• his need to number everything

• his need for creating patterns

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According to the text, the author's type of synesthesia causes him to see...

• numbers as shapes, colors, textures, and motions

• lumpy porridge

• blue words and red numbers

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What is the primary theme explored in 'Blue Nines and Red Words'?

• The complexity of mathematical concepts

• The unique perception of numbers and words

• The history of synesthesia

• The challenges of living with autism

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Which literary device is predominantly used in 'Blue Nines and Red Words' to describe numbers?

• Metaphor

• Simile

• Personification

• Hyperbole

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In 'Blue Nines and Red Words', how does the author describe his experience with numbers?

• As a logical sequence

• As a visual and emotional experience

• As a mathematical challenge

• As a linguistic puzzle

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