Power of the Powerless" Edge Level A

Even now, years after his death from pneumonia on March 12, 1980, Oliver still remains the weakest, most helpless human being I ever met, and yet he was one of the most powerful human beings I ever met.

The words "Even now" signal that the author...

• ....is near the end of his story.

• ...has shifted the story to the present.

• ...wants to attract the reader's attention.

• .... is about to retell an even from the past.

Which sentence from the selection shows a shift to the present?

• I called him Oliver, my brother.

• Today Roe and I have three children.

• He never knew what his condition was.

• I sat at Oliver's bedside as Roe watched over my shoulder.

How does the author feel about his parents?

• He admires them for how they treated Oliver.

• He pities them for the struggles they had to care for Oliver.

• He is angry at them for paying so much attention to Oliver.

• He is sad that they could not give Oliver all the help he needed.

The author is not able to speak clearly for a few minutes after a student calls Oliver "a vegetable". Why?

• The author is concerned that the student did not understand him.

• The author is pleased that his student would say that about Oliver.

• The author is embarrassed and does not want to talk about Oliver.

• The author is surprised because he has a very different idea of Oliver's importance.

Which part of the memoir shows Oliver's power?

• My family and I fed Oliver.

• A bishop came to the house and confirmed him.

• He was responsible for action, love, courage, insight.

• We listened to him laugh as we watched television downstairs.

"I gave him his first spoonful, his second. "Can I do that?" Roe asked with ease, with freedom, with compassion, so I gave her the bowl and she fed Oliver one spoonful at a time." What does the author learn about Roe from this incident?

• That she is just like the first girl he brought home to meet Oliver and she did not seem interested in meeting him either.

• That she is very different from the first girl he brought home because she offered to help feed Oliver and showed she has a big heart.

• That Roe was responsible for the leak in the coal-burning stove that caused Oliver to have birth defects.

• That even though Roe was a lovely girl and liked Oliver, she did not like his parents and so they broke up.

The author of "Power of the Powerless", Christopher de Vinck, lives in New Jersey and has done what as a career for the last 25 years?

• Professional Writer.

• Caretaker for disabled people.

• English teacher and administrator.

• A cook for the Navy.

What was Oliver's disability?

• He was deaf and blind.

• He was blind and couldn't move.

• He was blind and mute and his legs were twisted.

• He couldn't move his arms and he was deaf.

Oliver was almost this old when he died of pneumonia:

• 5

• 10

• 26

• 33

What sentence shows a "time shift" in the story?

• Sometimes we left the radio on in his room. We pulled the shade down over his bed in the morning to keep the sun from burning his tender skin.

• So they brought Oliver to Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York for tests to determine the extent of his condition.

• So many people have little choice but to place their child in an institution. We were fortunate that Oliver didn't need us to be in his room all day.

• Today, I am an English teacher, and each time I introduce my class to the play about Helen Keller, "The Miracle Worker," I tell my students about Oliver.