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Worksheets“The Golden Touch “by Nathanial Hawthorne
Total questions: 46
Worksheet time: 25mins
As described in “The Golden Touch,” what are King Midas’s two great loves?
the garden and the river
his daughter and gold
dreams and solitude
food and drink
In “The Golden Touch,” who grants the king his wish?
a stranger
the king himself
a palace servant
the king’s daughter
In “The Golden Touch,” what is the king’s main problem at the breakfast table?
He sees that his daughter is upset with him.
He is unsure about how to store his golden food.
His food turns to gold before he can swallow it.
His cook made hot cakes instead of fish and potatoes.
At the end of “The Golden Touch,” how does King Midas undo the damage he has
caused?
He changes flowers to gold.
He apologizes to those he has hurt.
He banishes himself from the kingdom.
He sprinkles water on things he has touched.
If Marla is admiring the burnished wood, what is she most likely admiring? Base your
answer on the meaning of burnished.
the wood’s shape
the wood’s deep polish
the wood’s grain patterns
the wood’s smooth texture
In the following sentence, which word could best be substituted for lustrous? Base your
answer on the meaning of lustrous.
The moon is lustrous.
milky
radiant
sinister
romantic
Nina was cast as the fairy godmother in the school play. She made a gilded wand to
carry onstage. What did she most likely use to make the wand? Base your answer on the
meaning of gilded.
a wire clothes hanger
scissors and glue
a plastic handle
gold paint
Which word best describes King Midas in the first part of “The Golden Touch”?
wise
cruel
greedy
rascally
Which excerpt from early in “The Golden Touch” most strongly hints at a tragic event to
come?
Once upon a time, there lived a very rich man and a king besides, whose name was Midas; and he
had a little daughter, whom nobody but myself ever heard of, and whose name I either never
knew, or have entirely forgotten.
He made it his custom, therefore, to pass a large portion of every day in a dark and dreary apartment, underground, at the basement of his place. It was here that he kept his wealth. To this dismal hole … Midas betook himself whenever he wanted to be particularly happy.
In those days, when the earth was comparatively a new affair, it was supposed to be often the resort of beings endowed with supernatural powers, and who used to interest themselves in the joys and sorrows of men, women and children, half playfully and half seriously.
He drew out his handkerchief, which little Marygold had hemmed for him. That was likewise gold…. Somehow or other, this last transformation did not quite please King Midas. He would rather that his little daughter’s handiwork should have remained just the same.
Which of the following identifies one of Midas’s main problems in “The Golden Touch”?
Marygold refuses to forgive her father for the mistakes he’s made.
Midas and the stranger disagree about the usefulness of Midas’s new power.
Midas cannot satisfy his hunger for gold and his hunger for food at the same time.
Marygold is weeping because she knows her father has given in to his desire for wealth.
What lesson does Midas learn in “The Golden Touch”?
Never let a stranger make important decisions on your behalf.
Everyday objects are beautiful and valuable just the way they are.
It is the parents’ duty to make wealth and pass it on to their children.
The king should set an example of kindness for his children and servants.
Which sentence from “The Golden Touch” provides the best example of exposition?
This King Midas was fonder of gold than of anything else in the world. He valued his royal crown chiefly because it was composed of that precious metal.
All this while, it was only the gray of the morning, with but a streak of brightness along the edge of the
sky, where Midas could not see it.
When Midas heard her sobs, he determined to put little Marygold into better spirits, by an agreeable surprise; so, leaning across the table, he touched his daughter’s bowl …, and transmuted it to gleaming
gold.
Her father did not think it necessary to tell his beloved child how very foolish he had been, but
contented himself with showing how much wiser he had now grown.
In “The Golden Touch,” what is the central conflict?
the conflict between Midas and nature
the conflict between Midas and the stranger
the conflict between Midas and his daughter
the conflict between Midas and his new power
Which portion of the story makes up the rising action in “The Golden Touch”?
the description of King Midas’s garden
the moment the stranger appears in Midas’s chamber
the events after Midas gets his wish and before his daughter embraces him
the series of tasks Midas performs after the stranger visits him for the second time
Which sentence from “The Golden Touch” marks the climax of the story?
The Golden Touch had come to him, with the first sunbeam!
The figure of the stranger then became exceedingly bright, and Midas involuntarily closed his eyes.
Marygold, without taking the apron from her eyes, held out her hand, in which was one of the roses
which Midas had so recently transmuted.
The victim of his insatiable desire for wealth, little Marygold was a human child no longer, but a golden
statue!
What is the meaning of the Latin root -lus-?
light or shining
flexible or easy-going
greedy or insatiable
slick or glossy
The suffix -less means “without.” Using this information and your knowledge of the
Latin root -lus-, choose the word that has the same meaning as lusterless.
empty
bright
mean
dull
Which of the following is the noun clause in this sentence?
My Cousin Evan’s most passionate hope is that it will snow.
my cousin Evan’s
most passionate
hope is
that it will snow
Which is the dependent clause in this sentence?
What you see is a replica of a building in ancient Greece.
What you see
is a replica
of a building
in ancient Greece
How does the noun clause function in the following sentence?
Aunt Jenny wondered who left the door open.
as the subject
as a direct object
as a subject complement
as an object of the preposition
Hawthorne promised, “I shall …………….. out all the old heathen wickedness.
purge
sift
gilded
burnished
It was the one little …………….who played so merrily around her father’s footstool.
lustrous
maiden
heathen
reckon over
The sculpture is a giant piece of ………………….metal.
Fragrant
dandelions
bequeath
burnished
The little Marygold used to run to meet him, with a bunch of buttercups and …………..
dandelions
heathen
dungeon
dreary
I was in one of these ……………….for seven days.
tinted
heathen
dungeons
lustrous
When the cake is cooked, sprinkle some icing sugar over the top of it.
Fragrant
sift
burnished
dreary
The …………….dome of the cathedral rises above the city.
purge
tinted
maiden
gilded
His ……………..smile had glistened upon all the golden objects that were there.
lustrous
fragrant
tinted
bequeath
She had spent another ……………….day in the office.
dandelions
dreary
sift
The soup was ………………..with herbs and spices.
fragrant
maiden
bequeath
heathen
The president arrived at the airport in a car with ………………..windows
dandelions
dungeons
tinted
bequeath
Naturally, parents would have wished to …………………..property to their own children.
dreary
burnished
bequeath
maiden
Usually, I don’t completely …………………… the price of these items.
fragrant
reckon over
gilded
purge
He's such a …………………….- he's never even heard of Allah.
heath
bequeath
heathen
Fragrant
We might use these words “superficial, materialistic, and greedy” to describe King Midas. (
T
F
The Exposition isn’t the characters, setting, and basic situation are introduced.
T
F
The main themes of the story are “Consequences of Greed, Wealth vs. Happiness, and Value
in Common Things.”
T
F
The Falling Action is the central conflict begins and develops. Usually, an inciting incident in
which a pivotal event or situation, triggers the story’s conflict. (
TRUE
F
5-Midas learnt that everyday objects are beautiful and valuable just the way they are.
TRUE
FLASE
The climax is the story’s conflict reaches its highest point of drama or tension
TRUE
F
The rising action is the tension in the story decreases, and the conflict moves toward
resolution.
TRUE
FALSE
The Resolution is the conflict ends and any remaining issues are settled.(
TRUE
F
What type of person visits King Midas in his treasure room?
(a)
What wish does the stranger grant?
(a)
What happens to the king’s daughter when she hugs her father?
(a)
How does the stranger help Midas reverse the curse of the golden touch?
(a)
