NEW
Font size
WorksheetsHelen on 86th Street Test
Total questions: 15
Worksheet time: 8mins
Where is Vita’s father while the events of the story are taking place?
Living in the apartment
Traveling to unknown places
Married to his second wife
Directing the school play
What do the dog Argus, the cat Marlowe, the birds John and John, and the sixth-grader Helen all have in common?
Vita calls them animals.
They all suffer disappointment.
They are annoying.
Their names are allusions to literary figures.
Mr. Dodd thinks that, as an actress, Vita —
is the best actress in the sixth grade
is worthy of stardom
has little or no talent
needs training to develop her gifts
Which is the best description of Vita’s mother?
Grieving but trying to get on with her life
Merry and outgoing, always looking for fun
So bitter that she is unable to help her own daughter
Totally focused on her work and career
How is a restaurant takeout cup made into a mythological allusion in this story?
The cup is blue, and so is Vita’s mood.
The cup becomes a prop for the class play.
Ancient Greeks invented the paper cup.
The cup has a picture of an ancient Greek temple on it.
Vita burns the letters because she —
wants to make a sacrifice in order to get three wishes
doesn’t want Helen to act in the play
suffers from an unhealthy desire to start fires
wants to keep her mother from reading them
When Vita’s mother says, “No more burnt offerings when I’m not home,” readers learn that she —
is clueless about Vita’s life
probably made “burnt offerings” at Vita’s age
knows more than Vita thought she did
worries about leaving Vita alone
By the end of the story, Vita has not—
gotten two of her wishes
shown she is a gifted actress
learned that her mother and Mr. Farfel have parted company
seen her father return after his long voyage
To best describe Vita’s traits, you might say that she —
is athletic and musical
makes the best of every situation
is imaginative and emotional
is confident about her appearance
Vita describes the letter she wants to write to her father. Then she describes the letter she actually does write. What inference can you make?
The letter she writes is a lie, intended to make her look good.
The things she wants to say are too painful to actually write.
She is ashamed of her writing skills.
She wants to fool her mother.
What can you infer from Vita’s description of her final line?
Mr. Dodd is angry with her for disobeying his directions.
She has forgotten the exact words but is able to fake it.
She freezes and cannot say the line.
She is deeply moved by her own interpretation of the line.
This word comes from the title of an ancient Greek epic about a wandering hero.
Odyssey
Supplication
Scourge
Stifled
“Please,” she said in a tone of __________ ; “please let me play the lead.”
Odyssey
Supplication
Scourge
Stifled
She began to say, “That’s not fair!” but after the word that, she _______________ the rest.
Odyssey
Supplication
Scourge
Stifled
Helen was called the ____________________ of Troy because she caused its downfall.
Odyssey
Supplication
Scourge
Stifled
