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WorksheetsThe Story of a Vision
Total questions: 19
Worksheet time: 10mins
Which of these sentences best summarizes the passage below (paragraphs 13–16)? We soon heard his heavy breathing in the long entrance way. "It's moonlight, just like day!" he exclaimed, as he set the kettles down and thrust his cold hands into the flames with a twisting motion. "The boys and girls are having lots of fun sliding on the ice." "Let them slide, we don't care!" ejaculated Wa-du-pa as he dipped a cup into the water and handed it to the old man, who put it to his lips and made a gulping sound as he drank, the lump in his throat leaping up and down at each swallow. At the last draught, he expelled his pent-up breath with something like a groan, set the cup down, wiped his lips with the back of his hand, and asked, "A real true story -- something that I saw myself; that's what you want, is it?" "Yes, grandfather," we sang out in chorus. "A story that has you in it!" His face brightened with a smile and he broke into a gentle laugh, nodding his head to its rhythm.
The old man had a hard time telling his tale and needed a drink.
The old man made up a story to please his listeners.
The old man didn’t want to tell a story about himself, despite everyone asking.
The group had a sincere interest in hearing the old man’s tale.
Which of these inferences is best supported by the passage below (paragraphs 9–12)? “Then go, get some!” arose a number of voices. “Why don't some of you go?” Ja-bae-ka retorted, picking up one of the kettles. “Take both!” someone shouted. Ja-bae-ka approached the door grumbling. As he grasped the heavy skin portier to make his way out, he turned and said, “Don't begin until I come back.”
Ja-bae-ka is upset that he is the one who has to run the errand to get water.
Ja-bae-ka was fighting, and is now being punished by missing story time.
It was Ja-bae-ka’s turn to go get wood for the fire.
Ja-bae-ka was upset that the old man was thirsty.
According to the holy man’s vision, what was most likely going to happen “before dawn to-morrow”?
it would be a cloudy day.
The storm would stop.
Shadows of animals would appear.
The murderer would be punished.
Which of these sentences best explains the phrase “The forest of the vision was a bag of game,” as described by the old man (paragraph 26)? The forest of the vision was a bag of game; every few days the hunters went there and returned with buffalo, elk, or deer, so that even the poorest man had plenty for his wife and children to eat.
The forest was full of smiling, happy people.
The forest was in the people’s imaginations.
The forest was full of animals the people could hunt.
The forest was tricky to find.
What is most closely the central idea of the passage below (paragraph 35)? He threw up his head, looked all around, and thinking he was left alone in the darkened lodge, took fright and rushed to the door with a cry of terror. We ran out of our hiding places with shouts of laughter and overtook Ja-bae-ka outside the door...
The group decided to scare Ja-bae-ka to teach him a lesson.
The group was nervous because the lights went out in the cabin.
The tribe’s people were punishing Ja-bae-ka for falling asleep during the story.
The tribe’s people were in a lighthearted mood and played a trick on Ja-bae-ka.
Which of these sentences from the text best supports the correct answer to Question 5?
“We teased him about going to sleep and being afraid in the dark.”
“We could see the boy's head drop lower and lower until his nose nearly touched his knee.”
“An expression of terror came over his face, he fell backward, and he was dead.”
“My friend turned every mishap into a joke.”
Which of these inferences is best supported by the passage below (paragraph 25)? The effect of the news upon the camp was like magic, faces brightened, the gloomy forebodings that clouded the minds of the older people fled as did the storm, and laughter and pleasantries enlivened the place.
The holy man cast a magic spell to lighten the mood of the tribe.
The tribe’s hope was renewed by the holy man’s vision coming true.
The snowstorm stopped, so the tribe’s elderly members were less worried.
The tribe was cheerful, despite the continuation of the storm.
Which of these sentences from the text most strongly supports the correct answer to Question 7?
“One of them returned with the good news that the shadowy forms the holy man had seen were truly those of buffalo.”
“All this time nothing had been heard from the party that separated from us before the storm.”
“Food grew scarcer and scarcer, and the older people became alarmed.”
“The people had exhausted their supplies and, as they could find no game, they were suffering for want of food.”
Match each character to his or her dialogue: DO NOT GUESS - practice re-reading and go back and FIND the CORRECT answer
Wa-du-pa
“Let them slide, we don't care!”
Ja-bae-ka
“You did that, you rascal! I'll pay you back sometime.”
Ne-ne-ba
“He's gone to sleep! Let's scare him.”
Grandfather/The old man
“A real true story—something that I saw myself; that's what you want, is it?”
What is the main reason the boys visit the old man?**
To gather firewood
To hear a story
To help with chores
To eat dinner together
(Multiple Choice — 1 point) What does the storyteller’s thirst and the boys' eagerness to bring him the water without question symbolize before he begins his tale?
The cold weather outside
The importance of storytelling in the culture
The need for food and water in their lifestyle
His wisdom and experience
(Multiple Choice — 2 points) What is the main purpose of the old man’s story about the winter hunt?
To show the challenges of survival
To explain why storms are common
To emphasize the power of prophecy and vision
To encourage the boys to become hunters
(Multiple Choice — 2 points) What does the spirit in the holy man's vision represent in the story?
The bad weather the tribe is facing
The guilt and consequences of unpunished wrongdoing
The separation of the tribe into two camps
The ancestors guiding the tribe to safety
(Multiple Choice — 2 points) Which event in the story reinforces the tribe’s belief in the holy man’s prediction?
The wolf howling during the night
The arrival of the other camp's rescue party
The sight of buffalo in the forest
The old man's thirst before he tells his story
(Multiple Choice — 2 points) Why does the old man add a story of himself as a young boy in the story?
To prove he was once brave
To connect the boys to their ancestors' experiences
To entertain the boys with a humorous story
To distract the boys from the cold
(Multiple Choice — 2 points) What central theme does "The Story of a Vision" explore?
The importance of revenge
The bond between parents and children
Respect for tradition and spiritual belief
The need for modern ways in old tribes
(Multiple Choice — 2 points) What can the reader infer from this passage about the Omaha culture that would be different from most modern European cultures concerning parents and children: "All this time nothing had been heard from the party that separated from us before the storm. One night when I came home from a rabbit hunt, I found my mother and father packing up pemican and jerked meat as though for a journey. I looked inquiringly at the pack as I ate my supper; bye and bye my mother told me that a man had just come from the other camp with the news that the people had exhausted their supplies and, as they could find no game, they were suffering for want of food. My sister and her husband were in that camp, and I was told to carry the pack to them. The boy in the story waits patiently and asks nothing openly of his mother; instead he waits until the mother wishes to explain to him."
The boy in the story clearly does not listen to or respect his mother and children of cultures more familiar to us also do not respect their parents.
There are no differences between the cultures represented here in this part of the passage
Most children in our own culture would openly question their parent behaving in a curious manner, while the child in the story waits patiently and asks nothing openly of his mother — instead he waits until the mother wishes to explain to him.
The interchange signifies a lack of verbal communication in the Omaha tribe and emphasizes nonverbal communication.
Order these events chronologically as they take place in the story.
The tribe separated into two groups.
First
The weather became dangerous, and food was scarce.
Second
The holy man’s omen predicted plenty of game to hunt.
Third
The old man brought food to the separated tribe so they wouldn’t die of hunger.
Fourth
Match the word to the definition.
monotony
tediousness or repetitiveness in routine
musing
a thought or period of contemplation
foreboding
a feeling or fear that something bad is going to happen
ruddy
reddish and healthy
retort
to answer back with wit or anger after an accusation
