stories from around the world

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 bestdemonstrates 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 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 sentence uses a narrative technique to develop a character?

"Maybe," Hannah smirked, "you could just tell her I'm a trapeze artist in my spare time."

Read the excerpt from "The Crab That Played with the Sea." And Pau Amma? You can see when you go to the beach, how all Pau Amma's babies make little Pusat Taseks for themselves under every stone and bunch of weed on the sands; you can see them waving their little scissors; and in some parts of the world they truly live on the dry land and run up the palm trees and eat cocoa-nuts, exactly as the girl-daughter promised. But once a year all Pau Ammas must shake off their hard armour and be soft—to remind them of what the Eldest Magician could do. And so it isn't fair to kill or hunt Pau Amma's babies just because old Pau Amma was stupidly rude a very long time ago. Oh yes! And Pau Amma's babies hate being taken out of their little Pusat Taseks and brought home in pickle-bottles. That is why they nip you with their scissors, and it serves you right! Which evidence best supports the conclusion that the narrator is telling this story with a particular child in mind?

"Pau Amma's babies hate being taken out of their little Pusat Taseks and brought home in pickle-bottles. That is why they nip you with their scissors, and it serves you right!"

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 "How the Grimm Brothers Saved the Fairy Tale." Though it is impossible to clarify fully why certain tales were deleted or placed in footnotes in later editions, we do know that "Death and the Goose Boy" was omitted because of its baroque literary features; "The Strange Feast," because of its close resemblance to "Godfather Death"; "The Stepmother," because of its fragmentary nature and cruelty; and "The Faithful Animals," because it came from the Siddhi-Kür, a collection of Mongolian tales. From the first edition in 1812/1815 to the final one in 1857, the Grimms received numerous versions of tales already in their collection and new tales from strangers, friends, and colleagues, and they often decided to replace one tale with another version, to delete some of the tales, or to include variants in their footnotes. Which key details best support the main idea in this paragraph? Select three options.

-"...'Death and the Goose Boy' was omitted because of its baroque literary features;" -"'The Stepmother' [was omitted] because of its fragmentary nature and cruelty;" -"...'The Faithful Animals' [was omitted] because it came from the Siddhi-Kür...."

Which sentences most likely belong in the resolution paragraph of a narrative? Select two options.

-"I can replace the window," he said, putting his arm around my shoulders, "but I can't replace you." -The audience stood up, cheering wildly, and I've never felt so relieved in my life.

Which questions best demonstrate how to objectively evaluate an essay for interesting and unique presentation? Select two options.

-Do I see that the writer tried to add style to the essay? -Do I notice that the writer tries to engage readers?

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.

Ruth is writing an essay about the reasons for changing a folk tale from a dark, grotesque story to a story that is appropriate for children. Which statements best describe the structure Ruth should use? Select two options.

-Ruth should use the problem-solution structure to show why the dark stories are problematic and how changing them solves the problem. -Ruth should give examples of the problems that dark stories can cause for younger audiences and the changes that can solve the problem.

Read the excerpt from "How the Grimm Brothers Saved the Fairy Tale." The stories the Brothers Grimm first collected are brusque, blunt, absurd, comical, and tragic, and are not, strictly speaking, "fairy tales." In fact, the Grimms never intended the tales to be read by children. The tales are about children and families and how they reacted to the difficult conditions under which they lived. The Grimms thought the stories and their morals emanated naturally from the German people in an oral tradition, and they wanted to preserve them before the tales were lost forever. In gathering the tales, the Grimms made a unique contribution to folklore, and their Kinder- und Hausmärchen (Children and Household Tales) is even listed by UNESCO in its Memory of the World Registry. It was in large part their first edition, published in two volumes in 1812 and 1815, that inspired folklorists in Europe and Great Britain to gather tales from their oral traditions to preserve as part of their cultural heritage. Which details best support the central idea of the excerpt? Select three options.

-The Grimms wanted to preserve German tales before the stories disappeared. -The stories and their morals come from the oral tradition of the German people. -The original stories told of the difficult lives of children and families.

Read the excerpt from Kaydee's personal narrative. "What are you doing, Kaydee?" Aunt Mary shrieked. "You're going to set the house on fire!" I couldn't help but roll my eyes. I struck another match. "Aunt Mary, I'm just trying to get the stove started. Calm down. The starter is broken again, and I just have to light the gas." Aunt Mary wrung her hands and paced back and forth in front of the door to the kitchen, up and down the hall, unable to be in the same room with a lit match. How does the dialogue develop the characters in this paragraph? Select two options

-The dialogue shows that Aunt Mary is afraid of fire. -The dialogue shows that Kaydee is a calm person.

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. He went West, and he found All-the-Beaver-there-was making a beaver-dam across the mouths of broad rivers that had been got ready for him. 'Kun?' said All-the-Beaver-there-was. 'Payah kun,' said the Eldest Magician; and he breathed upon the fallen trees and the still water, and they became the Everglades in Florida, and you may look them out on the map. Then he went South and found All-the-Turtle-there-was scratching with his flippers in the sand that had been got ready for him, and the sand and the rocks whirled through the air and fell far off into the sea. 'Kun?' said All-the-Turtle-there-was. 'Payah kun,' said the Eldest Magician; and he breathed upon the sand and the rocks, where they had fallen in the sea, and they became the most beautiful islands of Borneo, Celebes, Sumatra, Java, and the rest of the Malay Archipelago, and you can look them out on the map! Which details from the excerpt best support the conclusion that this story is about the creation of the world? Select two options.

-Things turn into geographical features of the Earth, such as the Himalayas, when the Eldest Magician blows on them. -The author refers to the animals as "All-the-Elephant-there-was," "All-the-Beaver-there-was," and "All-the-Turtle-there-was."

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.

What steps best help a reader determine the central idea of a text? Select three options.

-distinguishing between key details and minor details -citing evidence from the text to support the conclusion -restating the most important points in the text in one's own words

Which of these are part of a basic plot structure? Select three options.

-exposition -climax -falling action

Which aspects of a story best help the reader understand the author's purpose? Select three options.

-imagery -repetition -tone

Read the sentence. Levi was terrified of leaving his parents' farm and striking out on his own, but the longer he stayed, the more obvious it became that he was going to have to cut the cord, and soon. What are the best possible meanings of the euphemism "cut the cord"? Select two options.

-stop depending on parents -leave the farm

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 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 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.

How can a writer edit a narrative to include vivid imagery? Select three options.

-use specific, strong verbs in place of general ones -use descriptive words that appeal to the reader's senses -use active voice to show instead of tell the reader

Which statement best describes the rebel archetype?

A rebel archetype is someone who lives by his or her own moral code.

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 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 sufferBecause 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 excerpts from "The Royal House of Thebes" and "The Story of a Warrior Queen." 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." "Choose your own part," Antigone said. "I go to bury the brother I love." -"The Royal House of Thebes" "Is it not better to be poor and free than to have great wealth and be slaves?" she [Boadicea] asked. "And the Romans take not only our freedom but our wealth. They want to make us both slaves and beggars. Let us rise. O brothers and sisters, let us rise, and drive these robbers out of our land! Let us kill them every one! Let us teach them that they are no better than hares and foxes, and no match for greyhounds! We will fight, and if we cannot conquer, then let us die—yes, every one of us—die rather than submit." -"The Story of a Warrior Queen" How do the archetypes in these passages support the universal theme that one's values are worth risking one's life for?

Both Antigone and Boadicea are heroines who choose their values over their lives, knowing they may die in the process.

How would the end of the fairy tale "Cinderella" most likely change if the prince were not motivated to find the owner of the glass slipper?

Cinderella would continue to live a miserable life.

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.

Which sentence most likely comes from a narrative essay?

I looked up at the audience and tried to swallow my fear, wiping my sweaty hands on my skirt.

How does character motivation affect a story's plot?

It helps move the plot forward.

Read the excerpt from Mark Twain's memoir, Life on the Mississippi. I was quaking from head to foot, and I could have hung my hat on my eyes, they stuck out so far. What is the most likely meaning of the phrase "I could have hung my hat on my eyes, they stuck out so far" in this sentence?

It is hyperbole that means that the author's eyes were wide with fear.

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 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 excerpt from Rachel's narrative. (1) I sat anxiously yet still in my chair, waiting for the large door to swing open and the dentist's assistant to shout, "Rachel, Rachel, you're next!" (2) I was a bundle of nerves and could even hear the rhythmic ticking of the shiny clock above the receptionist's window. (3) I wondered what the new dentist would be like and hoped he would be as nice as Dr. Jackson. (4) Finally, the door swung open and an unfamiliar man rushed into the waiting room with a brown clipboard, yelling, "Rachel? Rachel, you're next!" (5) Here we go, I thought as I was herded into the small, yellow-walled examination room and into the large, cushioned reclining chair. (6) Finally, after a few minutes, Dr. Perez casually strolled in and I was pleasantly surprised to be instantly relaxed and comforted by her presence. (7) After a long check-up, Dr. Perez dismissed my unwarranted fears that I might have several deep, cavernous cavities. (8) The walk home was a slow, relaxing, and pleasant conclusion to a long, stressful day. Which sentence, if added after sentence 6, would bestcreate a strong, descriptive image that helps to explain why Rachel feels comforted?

She was young yet carried herself with great confidence, and her clear eyes locked onto mine and oozed kindness.

Read the excerpt from "How the Grimm Brothers Saved the Fairy Tale." All of the tales in the first edition bear the marks of their diverse storytellers who believed in the magic, superstitions, and miraculous transformations of the tales. It may be difficult for us to understand why this is the case, but for the storytellers and writers of these tales, the stories contained truths about the living conditions of their times. The tales in the first edition were collected not from peasants, as is commonly believed, but mainly from literate people whom the Grimms came to know quite well. Evidence shows that these people often obtained their tales from illiterate or anonymous informants. Even if they did not know their informants, the Grimms came to trust almost everyone who contributed to their collection. It is this mutual trust that marks the tales as something special and endows them with a certain humanity, what Germans call Menschlichkeit, and it is this mutual trust among folklorists in the nineteenth century that marks it as the golden age of folk and fairy tales. The tales in the first edition set a certain standard that collectors began to follow and still follow even today. What is the central idea of this excerpt?

The Grimms collected stories about real living conditions from people they trusted.

Read the excerpt from "How the Grimm Brothers Saved the Fairy Tale." In contrast to the final 1857 edition, most of the tales in the first edition are shorter and sparser. They have a rawness that was later to be refined. For example, "Rapunzel" is embellished a great deal in the final edition: First Edition Once upon a time there lived a husband and wife who had been wishing for a child for many years, but it had all been in vain. Finally, the woman became pregnant. Now, in the back of their house the couple had a small window that overlooked a fairy's garden filled with all kinds of flowers and herbs. But nobody ever dared to enter it. Seventh Edition Once upon a time there was a husband and wife who for quite some time had been wishing in vain for a child. Finally, the dear Lord gave the wife a sign of hope that their wish would be fulfilled. Now, in the back of their house the couple had a small window that overlooked a splendid garden filled with the most beautiful flowers and herbs. The garden, however, was surrounded by a high wall, and nobody dared enter it because it belonged to a sorceress, who was very powerful and feared by all. Which idea does the author develop with the text example cited in the excerpt?

The Grimms embellished stories with more details in their final editions.

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

The Queen throws herself into the pit of reptiles.

Read the excerpt from an essay about fairy tales. The Grimms' fairy tales address the experiences of people who are living in difficult situations. For example, there is the story of Rapunzel. There is also the story of Hansel and Gretel, who had to escape their house in order to find food and were locked out. Which revision would best help the author support the thesis more effectively?

The author should explain how Rapunzel's story fits into the thesis.

Read the excerpt from an essay about folk tales. The majority of folk tales involve danger. Stories like "Little Red Riding Hood" are based on dangerous situations the characters have to get out of. Which revision would best help the author present the main point more effectively?

The majority of folk tales involve danger that the main character faces, which often involves family members. Stories like "Little Red Riding Hood" and "Snow White" are based on life-threatening family situations that the main characters have to escape.

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 elegant.

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 themes presented in these two passages similar?

They both express the theme that women are as capable as men.

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 the animals.

Yael is writing an essay about the development of folk tales. Read the excerpt from her essay. Every culture throughout time has had its own folk tales, which were first transmitted from person to person with the technology available at the time. Folk tales began as an oral tradition. With the invention of written language, folk tales were recorded by community scribes, until 1450, when the printing press was invented. The result was a wider distribution of folk tales, which were collected in books. Based on the beginning of Yael's essay, how does the structure support her central idea?

Yael gives details in chronological order, which supports her central idea by showing development.

What is rising action in a story?

a series of events that lead to the climax

Read the sentence. Andrea's opponent was honest and straightforward, but Andrea used her guile to win the contest. What type of context clue in the sentence can be used to determine the meaning of guile?

an antonym

Read the sentence. Sarai discovered that some of the materials she tested were malleable enough to serve as springs for her robot, while others were too hard to bend. What type of context clue can you use to determine the meaning of malleable?

an inference

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

audience and message

What details from a story best help develop the theme?

character motivation and plot

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

character motivation.

Read the excerpt from "How the Grimm Brothers Saved the Fairy Tale." When Jacob (b. 1785) and Wilhelm (b. 1786) began collecting folk tales and songs at the beginning of the nineteenth century, they were precocious students at the University of Marburg, still in their teens. They grew up quite fast, plagued by money problems and caring for their siblings—their father died in 1796, leaving the once middle-class family in poverty. Their situation was further aggravated by the rampant Napoleonic Wars. Jacob interrupted his studies to serve the Hessian War Commission, although Wilhelm passed his law exams and found work as a low-paid librarian in the royal library. In 1807, Jacob lost his position with the War Commission, when the French occupied Kassel, but he was then hired as a librarian for the new King Jérome, Napoleon's brother, who now ruled Westphalia. Amidst all the upheavals, their mother died in 1808, and Jacob and Wilhelm became fully responsible for their three younger brothers and sister. Which structure is used in this excerpt?

chronological

Which technique gives the reader information from the past to help explain a character's actions and reactions in a narrative?

flashbacks

Vivid imagery is often used to help the reader

form a mental picture.

Read the sentence from "The Crab That Played with the Sea." Now, while the two were talking together, Pau Amma the Crab, who was next in the game, scuttled off sideways and stepped into the sea, saying to himself, 'I will play my play alone in the deep waters, and I will never be obedient to this son of Adam.' The underlined words are an example of

imagery

Read the passage. Hana's ambivalence about the trip was understandable. She wanted to visit her parents' country of birth, but she was worried that it would be difficult for her family to get back into the country when they came home. Based on context clues in the excerpt, what is the most likely meaning of ambivalence?

indecisiveness

Which element of a text best helps the reader determine the central idea?

key details

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.

Which punctuation serves to set dialogue apart from the rest of the text in a narrative?

quotation marks

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 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 sentence. Kazim likes to watch romantic films with happy endings, but Hannah is such a cynic that she never goes to the movies with him. What does the word cynic imply?

that Hannah is negative about most things

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 "How the Grimm Brothers Saved the Fairy Tale." Despite difficult personal problems and meager financial support from 1805 to 1812, the brothers proved themselves to be innovative scholars in the new field of German philology by publishing articles and books on medieval literature. In fact, they would be surprised to learn that they are more famous today for their tales than for their superb philological studies, which include pioneering work on German sound shifts, and the founding of the voluminous German Dictionary in 1854. But it was their training in philology and the demands that they placed on themselves as researchers that assisted their collecting and editing the tales. Which idea does the author introduce first?

the brothers' ability to overcome difficulties to succeed as scholars

Read the excerpt from Abra's narrative. I fell asleep to the sound of the dog snoring at my feet. The next day, I woke up to discover it had worked its way up the bed to tuck its head under my arm. When my mother put down a dish of food for the dog, it looked at me as if to ask me if I thought it should eat. It became clear to all of us that this new, unexpected addition to the household would become my dog, so I'd have to think up a name for it. What is the logical structure Abra uses for her narrative?

the chronological order

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

Which is the best definition of the word tone?

the narrator's attitude toward the subject matter and audience

Read the excerpt from "The Story of a Warrior Queen." When Boadicea saw that all hope was gone, she called her daughters to her. "My children," she said sadly, as she took them by the hand and drew them towards her, "my children, it has not pleased the gods of battle to deliver us from the power of the Romans. But there is yet one way of escape." Tears were in her blue eyes as she kissed her daughters. She was no longer a queen of fury but a loving mother. Which archetype does Boadicea, the queen of the Britons, best represent?

the tragic heroine

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

The ________ of a story can be applied to other works of literature or to life.

theme

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 "How the Grimm Brothers Saved the Fairy Tale." Between 1812 and 1857, seven editions of their tales appeared, each one different from the last, until the final, best-known version barely resembled the first. Given that the first edition has recently been honored in bicentenary celebrations throughout the world, it is perhaps a good time to reexamine what we think we know about the original tales of the Brothers Grimm. What is the author's purpose in writing this paragraph?

to inform the reader that the text will take a second look at the Grimms' original tales

When a text encourages the reader to believe or do something, the author's purpose is

to persuade.

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

Read the sentence. The clouds gathering on the horizon were an inauspicious sign for the outdoor class, so rather than risk getting caught in a downpour, Dara decided to bring the class indoors. Based on context clues in the sentence, what is the most likely meaning of inauspicious?

unfavorable

Read the sentence. When he gave his speech to younger audiences, Jake knew that it would be prudent to avoid sharing stories that might be considered inappropriate for children. Based on context clues in the passage, what is the most likely meaning of prudent? Select three options.

using good judgment being cautious ensuring appropriateness

What is the best definition of the term imagery?

vivid language that appeals to the senses

Read the excerpt from "How the Grimm Brothers Saved the Fairy Tale." Turning to the tales of the first edition, a reader might notice that many of the stories such as "The Hand with the Knife," "How Some Children Played at Slaughtering," and "The Children of Famine," have nothing to do with fairies or happy endings. Instead, these are stark narratives about brutal living conditions in the nineteenth century. For instance, "The Children of Famine" begins this way: Once upon a time there was a woman with two daughters, and they had become so poor that they no longer had even a piece of bread to put in their mouths. Their hunger became so great that their mother became unhinged and desperate. Indeed, she said to her children, "I've got to kill you so that I can get something to eat." How does the author support the main idea in this paragraph?

with an example that shows a specific brutal living condition