Literacy Test 5-Section 1

"Vita, Greek Polytheism is an extinct belief," she said, and laughed. And then she stopped and looked at me strangely. "When people stopped believing in the gods, they no longer had power. They don't exist anymore. You must have known that." Read the passage above and define the underlined word. Use context clues to help you. a. A religion c. A music b. A food d. A dance

a. A religion

Why is Helen of Troy referred to as "the face that launched a thousand ships?" a. She was the cause of the great Trojan War b. She is so ugly that an entire army ran from her c. She ordered war against the Spartans d. None of the above

a. She was the cause of the great Trojan War

At play practice, I watch the other girls dress up as goddesses and Trojan women. They wear gold scarves wound tight around their necks and foreheads. They all wear flowers in their hair and flat pink ballet slippers. I wear a white sheet taken from my bed. It is tied around the middle with plain white rope. I also wear white sneakers. I don't get to wear a gold scarf or flowers. Mr. Dodd wrote this play himself and is very picky about details. Tommy Aldridge, my partner in the horse, was sent home because his sheet had Ninja Turtles on it. "They did not have Ninja Turtles in ancient Greece," Mr. Dodd said. Choose the best answer below that reflects the visual that is created with the descriptive words in this scene. a. All of the other kids are much older and Vita is very small b. A contrast between Vita and the other girls in costume c. A similarity between Vita and Tommy in costume d. Mr. Dodd is very tall and has dark hair and an angry face

b. A contrast between Vita and the other girls in costume

In my room I put on my white sheet costume and get all my letters to Dad out from the back of the closet. I know that I must say something, to make this more like a ceremony. I think of any Greek words I know: spanokapita, moussaka, and gyro. They're only food words, but it doesn't matter. I decide to say them anyway. Using your context clues, define the underlined words in the passage above. a. Greek Quotes c. Greek Gods b. Greek Foods d. Greek Cities

b. Greek Foods

My mother doesn't understand. Not that I expected she would. When I told her the news, all she said was "Ah, the face that launched a thousand ships." She didn't even look up from her book. Later, at dinner, she apologized for quoting Marlowe. Marlowe is our cat. At bedtime I told my mother, "You should have seen the way Helen acted at school. It was disgusting, flirting with the boys." Mom tucked the sheets up close around my chin, so that only my head was showing, my body covered mummy style. "Vita," she said, "it sounds like she's perfect for the part." Read the excerpt above. Why does Vita's mother say that Helen is perfect for the role of Helen of Troy? a. Because she didn't want Vita to do the play b. Helen's flirtatiousness and attention to boys was just like Helen of Troy c. Because her mom thinks Helen is more beautiful than Vita d. Because Marlow said so

b. Helen's flirtatiousness and attention to boys was just like Helen of Troy

Which passage from the story is an allusion to a famous Sonnet by William Shakespeare? a. A face that launched a thousand ships b. We're all just players strutting and fretting our hour on the stage c. He is living on an island in a commune with some people she called "the lotus eaters." d. Beauty is truth, truth beauty. That is all ye need to know.

b. We're all just players strutting and fretting our hour on the stage

At school, Helen McGuire was acting weird because I'm going to be in the horse with Tommy Aldridge. She wanted to know what it's like: "Is it really cramped in there? Do you have to sit real close together?" I told her it's dark, and we must hold each other around the waist and walk to make the horse move forward. Her eyes grew wide at this description. "Lucky you," she said. Why do you think Helen is envious of Vita? a. Helen doesn't want to memorize so many lines b. Helen is just being sarcastic c. Helen wants to be in the horse with Tommy so she can be close to him d. Helen doesn't like her costume

c. Helen wants to be in the horse with Tommy so she can be close to him

1096-04-03-01-00_files/i0100000.jpg The picture above is the movie poster advertising the film "Troy." Which of the following statements below is NOT a visual message from the poster? a. There is a great battle involved b. There are two people in love and caught in the middle of the battle c. It is a very exciting adventure d. The setting is in Troy

c. It is a very exciting adventure

"He would think you're more beautiful than Helen. I'm almost sorry he won't be here to see it." "Almost sorry?" "Almost. At moments like this—you look so good those ancient gods are going to come alive again with envy." "What do you mean, come alive again? What are you saying about the gods?" "Vita, Greek polytheism is an extinct belief," she said, and laughed. And then she stopped and looked at me strangely. "When people stopped believing in the gods, they no longer had power. They don't exist anymore. You must have known that." Read the dialogue above. Who is speaking in the underlined sentence? a. Mr. Farfel c. Mother b. Vita d. Teacher

c. Mother

I say them over and over out loud until they blur into a litany, my own incantation: "Spanakopitamoussakaandgyro, Spanakopitamoussakaandgyro, Spanakopitamoussakaandgyro." Define the underlined word in the passage above, Use context clues to help you, a. Nonsense c. Prolonged repetition b. Literature d. Mixture

c. Prolonged repetition

This story is told in a first-person narrative to give the reader insight into the narrators thoughts and feelings. What can you infer about the narrator from the passage below? Mom and I live on West Eighty-sixth Street. We have lived in the same building, in the same apartment, my entire life. My father has been gone for almost three years. The truth is that he got struck with the wanderlust—emphasis on "lust," my mother says—and we haven't heard from him since. a. She is too young to understand the meaning of the word "wanderlust." b. She is not happy that her father left. c. She has only ever lived in a big city. d. All of the above.

d. All of the above.

But instead I write, "I am in a play about the Trojan War. I get to wear a short white tunic, and I ambush people from inside a big fake horse. Even though we win the war, it will be many, many years before I return home. Until I see my family again. In this way, we are the same. I will have many adventures. I will meet giants and witches and see strange lands. Is that what you are doing? I wish you could come to the play." Who is the narrator writing to in the passage above? a. Her Mother c. Her Brother b. Her Teacher d. Her Father

d. Her Father

There are a lot of literary allusions throughout the story, including the names of their pets. The cat was named Marlowe after Christopher Marlowe. and the two birds were named after: a. William Shakespeare c. Homer b. Helen of Troy d. John Keats

d. John Keats

I want to write "Mom is talking about the water again. I think this means she is thinking of you. We are both thinking of you, though we don't mention your name. Are you thinking of us? Do you ever sit on the shore at night and wonder what we're doing, what we're thinking? Do you miss us as much as we miss you?" But instead I write, "I am in a play about the Trojan War. I get to wear a short white tunic, and I ambush people from inside a big fake horse. Even though we win the war, it will be many, many years before I return home. Until I see my family again. In this way, we are the same. I will have many adventures. I will meet giants and witches and see strange lands. Is that what you are doing? I wish you could come to the play." Based on the passage above, how do you think Vita feels about her father? a. She hates him and never wants to see him again b. She is really angry at him for leaving c. She loves talking to him every day d. She miss him terribly

d. She miss him terribly

"I'm not," she said. "I'm on new ground. It's a very different place." "Are you thinking about Dad?" "I was thinking how we all travel differently, Vita. Some of us don't even have to leave the house." "Dad left the house." "Sometimes it's easier to look outside than in," she said. Read the dialogue above and select the speaker for the underlined sentence in the passage. a. Mother c. Brother b. Father d. Vita

d. Vita