Stories from around the World Test

Read the passage from "The Crab That Played with the Sea." "'You are lazy,' said the Eldest Magician. 'So your children shall be lazy. They shall be the laziest people in the world. They shall be called the Malazy—the lazy people;' and he held up his finger to the Moon and said, 'O Fisherman, here is the Man too lazy to row home. Pull his canoe home with your line, Fisherman.'" How does repetition affect the narrator's tone?

Repetition of the word lazy makes the tone humorous.

Read the excerpts from "The Royal House of Thebes" and "The Story of a Warrior Queen." "We are women," she told her sister. "We must obey. We have no strength to defy the State." "Choose your own part," Antigone said. "I go to bury the brother I love." "You are not strong enough," Ismene cried. "Why, then when my strength fails," Antigone answered, "I will give up." She left her sister; Ismene dared not follow her.—"The Royal House of Thebes" Again and again the Romans were defeated, till it almost seemed as if the Britons really would succeed in driving them out of the country. Boadicea herself led the soldiers, encouraging them with her brave words. "It is better to die with honor than to live in slavery," she said. "I am a woman, but I would rather die than yield. Will you follow me, men?" and of course the men followed her gladly.—"The Story of a Warrior Queen" How are the archetypes presented in these two passages different?

The first passage shows Antigone as a rebel, and the second passage shows Boadicea as a warrior.

Read the passage from "The Crab That Played with the Sea." But towards evening, when people and things grow restless and tired, there came up the Man (With his own little girl-daughter?)—Yes, with his own best beloved little girl-daughter sitting upon his shoulder, and he said, 'What is this play, Eldest Magician?' And the Eldest Magician said, 'Ho, Son of Adam, this is the play of the Very Beginning; but you are too wise for this play.' And the Man saluted and said, 'Yes, I am too wise for this play; but see that you make all the Animals obedient to me.' What is the tone in this passage?

light and affectionate

By making inferences based on analysis of a character, the reader is able to determine a character's

motivation.

Read the excerpt from "The Crab That Played with the Sea." Then Pau Amma thought a little and said, 'I have made my choice. I will take all the gifts.' Then the Eldest Magician made a Magic with the right hand, with all five fingers of his right hand, and lo and behold, Best Beloved, Pau Amma grew smaller and smaller and smaller, till at last there was only a little green crab swimming in the water alongside the canoe, crying in a very small voice, 'Give me the scissors!' And the girl-daughter picked him up on the palm of her little brown hand, and sat him in the bottom of the canoe and gave him her scissors, and he waved them in his little arms, and opened them and shut them and snapped them, and said, 'I can eat nuts. I can crack shells. I can dig holes. I can climb trees. I can breathe in the dry air, and I can find a safe Pusat Tasek under every stone. I did not know I was so important. Kun?' (Is this right?) Which sentence from the excerpt best demonstrates the author's reason for writing?

"And the girl-daughter picked him up on the palm of her little brown hand, and sat him in the bottom of the canoe and gave him her scissors, and he waved them in his little arms, and opened them and shut them and snapped them, and said, 'I can eat nuts.'"

Which quotation from "Little Red Riding Hood" explains the theme?

"As long as I live, I will never by myself leave the path, to run into the wood, when my mother has forbidden me to do so."

Which quotation from "The Story of the Fisherman" in The Arabian Nights Entertainments supports the theme that cleverness trumps wrath?

"That vase could not contain one of your feet even, and how could your whole body go in? I cannot believe it unless I see you do the thing."

Read the passage from Hans Christian Andersen's "The Princess and the Pea." Once upon a time there was a prince who wanted to marry a princess; but she would have to be a real princess. He travelled all over the world to find one, but nowhere could he get what he wanted. There were princesses enough, but it was difficult to find out whether they were real ones. There was always something about them that was not as it should be. So he came home again and was sad, for he would have liked very much to have a real princess. One evening a terrible storm came on; there was thunder and lightning, and the rain poured down in torrents. Suddenly a knocking was heard at the city gate, and the old king went to open it. It was a princess standing out there in front of the gate. But, good gracious! What a sight the rain and the wind had made her look. The water ran down from her hair and clothes; it ran down into the toes of her shoes and out again at the heels. And yet she said that she was a real princess. "Well, we'll soon find that out," thought the old queen. But she said nothing, went into the bed-room, took all the bedding off the bedstead, and laid a pea on the bottom; then she took twenty mattresses and laid them on the pea, and then twenty eider-down beds on top of the mattresses. Which quotation from the passage best supports the theme that looks can be deceiving?

"The water ran down from her hair and clothes; it ran down into the toes of her shoes and out again at the heels."

Read the excerpt from As You Like It by William Shakespeare. All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances. What do Shakespeare's metaphors most likely mean? Select three options.

-People play different roles throughout their lives -People leave one phase of life to enter another -People all go through the same phases of life

Which statements accurately define archetypes? Select three options.

-They convey universal meanings and shared human experiences -They are universal symbols found in literature -They can include characters, plots, settings, objects, and themes

What are the most likely meanings of the idiom "we'll cross that bridge when we come to it"? Select two options

-We are not going to do that yet -We will talk about that problem if and when it happens

Read the passage. The man at the gas station gave me directions and then kept on chatting, telling me about the weather to come and places to stay nearby. His laconic wife simply nodded her head, occasionally correcting him on his lefts and rights and finally telling me I'd best be on my way if I wanted to reach town by sunset. Based on context clues in the passage, what is the most likely meaning of laconic? Select two options.

-brief -concise

Read the passage. Amira is punctilious about where everything in her room should go, and can't stand it when anything is out of place. Her friend Luz is the exact opposite, leaving a trail of stray pens, sticky notes, and unmatched gym socks wherever she goes. What does the word punctilious most likely suggest? Select two options.

-that Amira is controlling with regard to details -that Amira is uptight about cleanliness

Read the passage. Paul seems to know everyone in this town, and is always amenable to a chat when I run into him. Paul's father, a docile man, works with him at the bookstore. Which statement best explains the nuance between amenable and docile?

Amenable suggests that Paul is an open, social person, while docile implies that his father is kind but quiet.

Which event is part of the exposition in "Cinderella"?

An invitation to the prince's ball arrives

Read the excerpt from "The Crab That Played with the Sea." Then the little girl-daughter put up her little soft brown arms with the beautiful white shell bracelets and said, 'O Eldest Magician! when my father here talked to you at the Very Beginning, and I leaned upon his shoulder while the beasts were being taught their plays, one beast went away naughtily into the Sea before you had taught him his play. And the Eldest Magician said, 'How wise are little children who see and are silent! What was the beast like?' And the little girl-daughter said, 'He was round and he was flat; and his eyes grew upon stalks; and he walked sideways like this; and he was covered with strong armour upon his back.' And the Eldest Magician said, 'How wise are little children who speak truth! Now I know where Pau Amma went. Give me the paddle!' So he took the paddle; but there was no need to paddle, for the water flowed steadily past all the islands till they came to the place called Pusat Tasek—the Heart of the Sea—where the great hollow is that leads down to the heart of the world, and in that hollow grows the Wonderful Tree, Pauh Janggi, that bears the magic twin nuts. Then the Eldest Magician slid his arm up to the shoulder through the deep warm water, and under the roots of the Wonderful Tree he touched the broad back of Pau Amma the Crab. And Pau Amma settled down at the touch, and all the Sea rose up as water rises in a basin when you put your hand into it. 'Ah!' said the Eldest Magician. 'Now I know who has been playing with the Sea;' and he called out, 'What are you doing, Pau Amma?' And Pau Amma, deep down below, answered, 'Once a day and once a night I go out to look for my food. Once a day and once a night I return. Leave me alone.' Then the Eldest Magician said, 'Listen, Pau Amma. When you go out from your cave the waters of the Sea pour down into Pusat Tasek, and all the beaches of all the islands are left bare, and the little fish die, and Raja Moyang Kaban, the King of the Elephants, his legs are made muddy. When you come back and sit in Pusat Tasek, the waters of the Sea rise, and half the little islands are drowned, and the Man's house is flooded, and Raja Abdullah, the King of the Crocodiles, his mouth is filled with the salt water.' Which group of sentences from the excerpt best demonstrates the author's reason for writing?

And the Eldest Magician said, 'How wise are little children who see and are silent! What was the beast like?' And the little girl-daughter said, 'He was round and he was flat; and his eyes grew upon stalks; and he walked sideways like this; and he was covered with strong armour upon his back.'" "And the Eldest Magician said, 'How wise are little children who speak truth! Now I know where Pau Amma went. Give me the paddle!'"

Read the excerpt from "The Royal House of Thebes." Ismene weeping came from the palace to stand with her sister. "I helped do it," she said. But Antigone would not have that. "She had no share in it," she told Creon. And she bade her sister say no more. "Your choice was to live," she said, "mine to die." As she was led away to death, she spoke to the bystanders:— . . . Behold me, what I suffer Because I have upheld that which is high. How does the archetype of tragic heroine reveal the universal theme?

Antigone sacrifices herself for her beliefs, but will not sacrifice her sister as well. This reveals the universal theme of taking responsibility for one's actions.

Read the excerpt from "The Story of a Warrior Queen." At last the Roman leader was so downcast with his many defeats that he went himself to the British camp, bearing in his hand a green branch as a sign of peace. When Boadicea was told that an ambassador from the Romans wished to speak to her, she replied proudly, "My sword alone shall speak to the Romans." And when the Roman leader asked for peace, she answered, "You shall have peace, peace, but no submission. A British heart will choose death rather than lose liberty. There can be peace only if you promise to leave the country." Which action best supports the idea that Boadicea is a warrior?

Boadicea tells the Roman leader that she will speak with her sword.

Read the excerpt from "The Royal House of Thebes." There were seven champions to attack the seven gates of Thebes, and seven others within as bold to defend them. Eteocles defended the gate which Polyneices attacked, and Antigone and Ismene within the palace waited to hear which had killed the other. But before any decisive combat had taken place, a youth in Thebes not yet grown to manhood had died for his country and in his death had shown himself the noblest of all. This was Creon's younger son, Menoeceus. How does the archetype presented in the excerpt support the universal theme of loyalty to one's country?

Eteocles defends Thebes against his own brother, proving his loyalty.

Read the passage from the old Chinese fairy-tale "The Favorite of Fortune and the Child of Ill Luck." But the beggar found his fortune, and at length became emperor. He returned and stood before his wife. She however, no longer recognized him: She only knew that he was the powerful emperor. He asked her how she were getting along. "Why do you ask me how I am getting along?" she replied. "I am too far beneath your notice." "And who may your husband be?" "My husband was a beggar. He went away to seek his fortune. That was eighteen years ago, and he has not yet returned." "And what have you done during all of those long years?" "I have been waiting for him to return." "Do you wish to marry someone else, seeing that he has been missing for so long?" "No, I will remain his wife until I die!" When the emperor saw how faithful his wife was, he told her who he was, had her clothed in magnificent garments, and took her with him to his imperial palace. Which theme is most likely conveyed in this passage?

Good things come to those who wait.

Read the excerpt from The Green Gables Letters by L. M. Montgomery. The woods are getting ready to sleep—they are not yet asleep but they are disrobing and are having all sorts of little bed-time conferences and whisperings and good-nights. What meaning does the use of personification convey?

It conveys the idea of trees losing their leaves and making noises in the wind.

Read the excerpt from "The Royal House of Thebes." Some hours later, Creon in the palace was startled by a shout, "Against your orders Polyneices has been buried." He hurried out to be confronted with the guards he had set on the dead body and with Antigone. "This girl buried him," they cried. "We saw her. A thick dust-storm gave her her chance. When it cleared, the body had been buried and the girl was making an offering to the dead." "You knew my edict?" Creon asked. "Yes," Antigone replied. "And you transgressed the law?" "Your law, but not the law of Justice who dwells with the gods," Antigone said. "The unwritten laws of heaven are not of today nor yesterday, but from all time." Which universal theme is best represented in the excerpt?

Morality outweighs human laws.

Read the excerpts from "The Royal House of Thebes" and " The Story of a Warrior Queen." "You knew my edict?" Creon asked. "Yes," Antigone replied. "And you transgressed the law?" "Your law, but not the law of Justice who dwells with the gods," Antigone said. "The unwritten laws of heaven are not of today nor yesterday, but from all time." -"The Royal House of Thebes" But although the Romans were clever, they sometimes did stupid things. They thought very little of their own women, and they did not understand that many of the women of Britain were as brave and as wise as the men, and quite as difficult to conquer. -"The Story of a Warrior Queen" Which theme do the two passages have in common?

One must follow one's own moral code, no matter the price.

Which statement best describes the resolution of "Sleeping Beauty"?

The Queen throws herself into the pit of reptiles.

Read the excerpt from " The Story of a Warrior Queen ." The eldest daughter obeyed proudly and gladly, but the younger one was afraid. "Must I, mother?" she asked timidly. "Yes, dear one," said Boadicea gently. "I too will drink, and we shall meet again." When the Roman soldiers burst in upon them, they found the great queen dead, with her daughters in her arms. She had poisoned both herself and them, rather than that they should fall again into the hands of the Romans. How does the archetype presented in the excerpt support the universal theme of a mother's instinct to protect her children?

The archetype of the tragic heroine supports the theme by showing that Boadicea takes her life and prevents her daughters from being harmed by the Romans.

Read the passage. Delia pointed out the slender branches of the almond tree to Kaveh, noting the flowers that were about to bloom. As they walked through the garden, Kaveh noticed a skinny tree in the corner of the yard and asked Delia what type it was. How does the word choice slender affect the meaning of the passage?

The word slender implies that the almond tree is underfed.

Read the passage from "The Crab That Played with the Sea." 'Ah!' said the Eldest Magician. 'Now I know who has been playing with the Sea;' and he called out, 'What are you doing, Pau Amma?' And Pau Amma, deep down below, answered, 'Once a day and once a night I go out to look for my food. Once a day and once a night I return. Leave me alone.' Then the Eldest Magician said, 'Listen, Pau Amma. When you go out from your cave the waters of the Sea pour down into Pusat Tasek, and all the beaches of all the islands are left bare, and the little fish die, and Raja Moyang Kaban, the King of the Elephants, his legs are made muddy. When you come back and sit in Pusat Tasek, the waters of the Sea rise, and half the little islands are drowned, and the Man's house is flooded, and Raja Abdullah, the King of the Crocodiles, his mouth is filled with the salt water.' How do the underlined words in the passage create meaning?

They describe Pau Amma's impact on the sea and animals

Which two factors combine to form an author's purpose for writing a text?

audience and message

The reason a character thinks, feels, or acts a specific way is called

character motivation.

Read the passage from "Little Red Riding Hood." In this older version of the story, she is called "Little Red- Cap." The grandmother lived out in the wood, half a league from the village, and just as Little Red-Cap entered the wood, a wolf met her. Little Red-Cap did not know what a wicked creature he was, and was not at all afraid of him. "Good day, Little Red-Cap," said he. "Thank you kindly, wolf." "Whither away so early, Little Red-Cap?" "To my grandmother's." "What have you got in your apron?" "Cake and wine; yesterday was baking-day, so poor sick grandmother is to have something good, to make her stronger." "Where does your grandmother live, Little Red-Cap?" "A good quarter of a league farther on in the wood; her house stands under the three large oak-trees, the nut-trees are just below; you surely must know it," replied Little Red-Cap. What element of a plot does this passage illustrate?

rising action

Read the sentence. When cotton clothing is permeated, or soaked through, with water, it stays wet and can freeze in cold weather. Based on context clues in the sentence, what is the most likely meaning of permeated?

saturated

Read the sentence. Lori is as strong as an ox, so I'm sure it will be no problem for her to help you bring those boxes up to the third floor. What type of figurative language is the phrase "as strong as an ox"?

simile

Read the passage from The Arabian Nights Entertainments. Sire, there was once upon a time a fisherman so old and so poor that he could scarcely manage to support his wife and three children. He went every day to fish very early, and each day he made a rule not to throw his nets more than four times. He started out one morning by moonlight and came to the sea-shore. He undressed and threw his nets, and as he was drawing them towards the bank he felt a great weight. He thought he had caught a large fish, and he felt very pleased. But a moment afterwards, seeing that instead of a fish he only had in his nets the carcase of an ass, he was much disappointed. Vexed with having such a bad haul, when he had mended his nets, which the carcase of the ass had broken in several places, he threw them a second time. In drawing them in he again felt a great weight, so that he thought they were full of fish. But he only found a large basket full of rubbish. He was much annoyed. "O Fortune," he cried, "do not trifle thus with me, a poor fisherman, who can hardly support his family!" So saying, he threw away the rubbish, and after having washed his nets clean of the dirt, he threw them for the third time. But he only drew in stones, shells, and mud. He was almost in despair. The main character's motivation is to

support his wife and three children.

Read the excerpt from Robert Frost's poem "Mending Wall." He only says, "Good fences make good neighbours."Spring is the mischief in me, and I wonderIf I could put a notion in his head:"Why do they make good neighbours? Isn't itWhere there are cows? But here there are no cows.Before I built a wall I'd ask to knowWhat I was walling in or walling out,And to whom I was like to give offence.Something there is that doesn't love a wall,That wants it down." I could say "Elves" to him,But it's not elves exactly, and I'd ratherHe said it for himself. I see him thereBringing a stone grasped firmly by the topIn each hand, like an old-stone savage armed.He moves in darkness as it seems to me,Not of woods only and the shade of trees.He will not go behind his father's saying,And he like having thought of it so wellHe says again, "Good fences make good neighbours." What does the word grasped connote in this poem?

that the man is determined to protect himself

Read the excerpt from "The Royal House of Thebes." Antigone and Ismene heard with horror what Creon had decided. To Ismene, shocking as it was, overwhelming her with anguish for the pitiful dead body and the lonely, homeless soul, it seemed, nevertheless, that nothing could be done except to acquiesce [to accept without protest]. She and Antigone were utterly alone. All Thebes was exulting that the man who had brought war upon them should be thus terribly punished. "We are women," she told her sister. "We must obey. We have no strength to defy the State." Which archetype does Ismene best represent?

the coward

Read the excerpt from "The Crab That Played with the Sea." He went North, Best Beloved, and he found All-the-Elephant-there-was digging with his tusks and stamping with his feet in the nice new clean earth that had been made ready for him. 'Kun?' said All-the-Elephant-there-was, meaning, 'Is this right?' 'Payah kun,' said the Eldest Magician, meaning, 'That is quite right'; and he breathed upon the great rocks and lumps of earth that All-the-Elephant-there-was had thrown up, and they became the great Himalayan Mountains, and you can look them out on the map. He went East, and he found All-the-Cow-there-was feeding in the field that had been made ready for her, and she licked her tongue round a whole forest at a time, and swallowed it and sat down to chew her cud. 'Kun?' said All-the-Cow-there-was. 'Payah kun,' said the Eldest Magician; and he breathed upon the bare patch where she had eaten, and upon the place where she had sat down, and one became the great Indian Desert, and the other became the Desert of Sahara, and you can look them out on the map. Which details from the excerpt best support the conclusion that the narrator is speaking directly to a child? Select two options.

the expression "Best Beloved" the clause "you can look them out on the map"

Read the excerpts from " The Royal House of Thebes " and " The Story of a Warrior Queen ." Ismene weeping came from the palace to stand with her sister. "I helped do it," she said. But Antigone would not have that. "She had no share in it," she told Creon. And she bade her sister say no more. "Your choice was to live," she said, "mine to die." -"The Royal House of Thebes" When the Roman soldiers burst in upon them, they found the great queen dead, with her daughters in her arms. She had poisoned both herself and them, rather than that they should fall again into the hands of the Romans. -"The Story of a Warrior Queen" Which archetype do the two passages have in common?

the tragic heroine

Read the excerpt from "The Crab That Played with the Sea." Before the High and Far-Off Times, O my Best Beloved, came the Time of the Very Beginnings; and that was in the days when the Eldest Magician was getting Things ready. First he got the Earth ready; then he got the Sea ready; and then he told all the Animals that they could come out and play. And the Animals said, 'O Eldest Magician, what shall we play at?' and he said, 'I will show you. He took the Elephant—All-the-Elephant-there-was—and said, 'Play at being an Elephant,' and All-the-Elephant-there-was played. He took the Beaver—All-the-Beaver-there-was—and said, 'Play at being a Beaver,' and All-the Beaver-there-was played. He took the Cow—All-the-Cow-there-was—and said, 'Play at being a Cow,' and All-the-Cow-there-was played. He took the Turtle—All-the-Turtle-there-was—and said, 'Play at being a Turtle,' and All-the-Turtle-there-was played. One by one he took all the beasts and birds and fishes and told them what to play at. Based on the details in the excerpt, what is its primary purpose?

to entertain

Read the excerpt from "The Masque of the Red Death" by Edgar Allan Poe. But these other apartments were densely crowded, and in them beat feverishly the heart of life. And the revel went whirlingly on, until at length there commenced the sounding of midnight upon the clock. And then the music ceased, as I have told; and the evolutions of the waltzers were quieted; and there was an uneasy cessation of all things as before. But now there were twelve strokes to be sounded by the bell of the clock; and thus it happened, perhaps, that more of thought crept, with more of time, into the meditations of the thoughtful among those who reveled. And thus, too, it happened, perhaps, that before the last echoes of the last chime had utterly sunk into silence, there were many individuals in the crowd who had found leisure to become aware of the presence of a masked figure which had arrested the attention of no single individual before. And the rumor of this new presence having spread itself whisperingly around, there arose at length from the whole company a buzz, or murmur, expressive of disapprobation and surprise—then, finally, of terror, of horror, and of disgust. Based on the details in the excerpt, what is the primary purpose of this passage?

to thrill

Imagery and repetition are aspects of

word choice.