From Mississippi Solo Reading Check

What evidence in the text supports inferences about the author's past?

• “Too many marvelous days in a row and you begin to get used to it.”

• “I guess I'd had enough hard days to last me for a while.”

• “Each change had something to say, and I listened to the river.”

• “Nothing else mattered then. Going someplace or not.”

Which of the following is an example of the author's use of simile?

• “The river kept me company and kept me satisfied. Nothing else mattered.”

• “I passed through the far curtain of the insulated air.”

• “The tips of the trees bent way over . . . like fishing rods hooked on a big one.”

• “The trees swooshed loudly as the leaves and branches brushed hard together.”

What element reveals that this selection is a memoir?

• figurative language

• sequence of events

• first-person pronouns

• sentence fragments

Read the passage from the excerpt, Mississippi Solo and then determine which word best completes the sentence. "I was more amazed than anything, trying to analyze the voice I had heard or whatever instinct or intuition it was that urges me to park in these trees. It had been something so very definite that I could feel it and yet so _____________ that I could not put my finger on it."

• insulate

• splinter

• ethereal

• specify

What evidence in the text supports inferences about the author’s past?

• “Too many marvelous days in a row and you begin to get used to it.”

• “I guess I’d had enough hard days to last me for a while.”

• “Each change had something to say, and I listened to the river.”

• “Nothing else mattered then. Going someplace or not.”

Which of the following is an example of the author’s use of simile?

• “The river kept me company and kept me satisfied. Nothing else mattered.”

• “I passed through the far curtain of the insulated air.”

• “The tips of the trees bent way over . . . like fishing rods hooked on a big one.”

• “The trees swooshed loudly as the leaves and branches brushed hard together.”

As the storm approached, the author intended to head for shore. Why did he turn into the trees instead?

• He thought that the trees would provide better shelter.

• He was afraid there would not be time to reach the shore.

• The river “spoke” to him and grabbed the end of his canoe.

• The shoreline had been pushed back through the trees.

CHOOSE ONE QUESTION: Choose one of the following questions and answer in paragraph format. Describe the author’s feelings during the height of the storm (lines 76–100). Why did he feel that way? OR How does the author use personification to reveal his feelings about the river? Your response must be at least one paragraph, or 6-8 sentences. You must include a thesis statement and at least one piece of evidence from the text to support your thesis. Then, explain how you made the connection. Worth 5 Points.

The reader can infer that the author's life has been

• a series of ups and downs.

• a nightmare with no relief.

• full of only amazing days.

• boring.

What Evidence in the text supports the author's past?

• "I reached out to the sturdiest tree I could get my arms around and held on"

• "I guess I'd had enough hard days to last me awhile"

• "Each change had something to say, and I listened to the river"

• "Nothing else mattered then, going someplace or not"