WorksheetsThe Dust Bowl Critical Past Comprehension Check My Perspectives
Total questions: 22
Worksheet time: 6hrs 30mins
In the excerpt from The Grapes of Wrath, what are the characters selling? Choose two options.
belongings they cannot carry on their journey
the house they no longer plan to live in
assistance for people moving away
horses they hope to get cash for
extra food they have in their pantry
In the excerpt from The Grapes of Wrath, how does the narrator mainly feel toward those he interacts with in town?
bitter
grateful
satisfied
indifferent
According to the excerpt from The Grapes of Wrath, where is the narrator planning to travel?
the St. Louis Fair
the east coast
his hometown
California
In the excerpt from The Grapes of Wrath, why do the characters decide to move away?
They want to live closer to their extended family.
They can no longer survive on their dry farmlands
They know that they can make more money elsewhere
They heard rumors that a destructive storm is approaching.
What do the characters in the excerpt from The Grapes of Wrath do with the
belongings that they cannot sell or take with them?
build sculptures
leave them for others
give them away
burn them
Which of these people would most likely be described as ruthless? Base your answer on the meaning of ruthless.
a dictator who treats his subjects cruelly
a teacher who knows little about instruction
a politician who raises money for a campaign
an employer who always encourages her workers
Which of the following situations best illustrates the word toil?
The spring runoff made the narrow river unusually high, whirling, and
murky.
Unless you have exact change, you will need a special card to drive over
the bridge.
We bought a new shower curtain and mat to liven up the dark, dingy
bathroom.
All day long, the landscapers dug holes, planted bushes, and scattered
mulch.
If a woman digs through her purse frantically, which of the following is most likely true? Base your answer on the meaning of frantically.
She behaves in a way meant to amuse her companions.
She suggests that the purse does not really belong to her.
She searches for her belongings in a slow, careful way.
She panics when she does not find what she seeks.
When the narrator of the selection from The Grapes of Wrath says, “You’re not buying only junk, you’re buying junked lives,” what does he mean?
Those who buy others’ junk have little meaning in their lives.
The people who owned the junk have lives that now seem worthless.
Only people with bad taste would accumulate and sell such rubbish.
The value of junk is only clear to those who learn to appreciate it.
Part A In the excerpt from The Grapes of Wrath, what does the narrator think will happen to the characters who buy his belongings?
They will suffer a similar fate.
They will regret their cheapness.
They will never use what they buy.
They will have better luck in life.
Part A In the excerpt from The Grapes of Wrath, how does the narrator feel about his upcoming journey?
calm
thrilled
discouraged
unconcerned
Which quote from the text best shows that the narrator is losing hope about his family's future?
In the little houses the tenant people sifted their belongings and the
belongings of their fathers and of their grandfathers.
This land, this red land, is us; and the flood years and the dust years and
the drought years are us. We can’t start again.
Right up the sides of the trailer, and the kids can set in the trailer, and
granma on a mattress.
And the children—if Sam takes his Indian bow an’ his long roun’ stick, I
get to take two things.
Read this passage from the excerpt from The Grapes of Wrath:
How’ll it be not to know what land’s outside the door? How if you wake up in the night and know—and know the willow tree’s not there? Can you live without the willow tree? Well, no, you can’t. The willow tree is you.
What does the willow tree represent to the narrator?
his lost childhood dreams
a new life in another place
a love of the outdoors
his personal history
What does this passage from the excerpt from The Grapes of Wrath show about the setting of the story?
Can’t sell a hand plow any more. Fifty cents for the weight of the metal. Disks and tractors, that’s the stuff now.
It is set during a time when most people plow the land by hand.
It is set in a place where it is easy to make money restoring tools.
It is set during a time when farming equipment is not worth much.
It is set in a place that sells affordable farming equipment and tools.
What does this passage from the excerpt from The Grapes of Wrath most likely reveal about the cultural context of the story?
Maybe we can start again, in the new rich land …. We’ll start over.
People hoped they could find a better life.
People preferred the safety of staying put.
People made suggestions but never acted.
People loved embarking on new adventures.
What theme is suggested by this passage from the excerpt from The Grapes of Wrath?
To California or any place—every one a drum major leading a parade of hurts, marching with our bitterness.
Bitterness is never the answer to one’s troubles
We can escape bitterness if we go to new places.
People need to rise above their petty problems.
Everybody carries personal pain throughout life.
What is the meaning of the suffix -less in the underlined word?
The worker turned an expressionless face to us; he showed no reaction at all.
able to be
not having
starting up
seeming to
The base word speech refers to talking. Use this information, as well as your
knowledge of the suffix -less, to select the correct definition of speechless.
able to talk
trying to talk
unable to talk
starting to talk
What impression does the underlined word give about the tenant men in this sentence from the excerpt from The Grapes of Wrath?
The tenant men scuffed home to the farms through the red dust.
It suggests the men are full of energy
It suggests the men are rushing to get home.
It suggests the men have a purposeful stride.
It suggests the men move without enthusiasm.
In the excerpt from The Grapes of Wrath, to what sense does the phrase “red dust” appeal?
sight
taste
smell
touch
Part A Read the following passage from the excerpt from The Grapes of Wrath.
Those fine bays, matched they are, matched in color, matched the way they walk, stride to stride…. And in the morning, the light on them, bay light. They look over the fence sniffing
for us, and the stiff ears swivel to hear us, and the black forelocks! I’ve got a girl. She likes to braid the manes and forelocks, puts little red bows on them…. Off horse is eight, near is ten, but might have been twin colts the way they work together. See? The teeth. Sound all over. Deep lungs. Feet fair and clean…. Take ’em quick, mister. You’re buying a little girl
plaiting the forelocks, taking off her hair ribbon to make bows, standing back, head cocked, rubbing the soft noses with her cheek.
What impression of the horses does this imagery create?
The horses are beloved by the farmer’s family
The horses are hard workers on the farm
The horses like to have their manes braided.
The horses cost a lot of money at the market.
How does the excerpt from The Grapes of Wrath provide a perspective about the Dust Bowl that is different from that in the video “The Dust Bowl”?
The excerpt uses fictional characters to reveal the thoughts of people
experiencing the Dust Bowl, whereas the video provides mostly facts.
The excerpt describes historical events exactly as they happened during
the Dust Bowl, whereas the video exaggerates the truth.
The excerpt never reveals what happened to communities after the Dust
Bowl ended, but the video does so in detail.
The excerpt describes the Dust Bowl using descriptive details, but the
video fails to provide specific information.
