A
What is explicit information?
Information that is stated and visible.
What is implicit information?
Information that is not stated and must be inferred.
Which is easier to find, explicit or implicit information?
Explicit information.
Which is harder to find, explicit or implicit information?
Implicit information.
What do the words "wonder," "paradise," and "world-class" suggest about Rio de Janeiro?
It's a place worth a visit. It's an outstanding place.
What does the word "desperate" entail in the sentence, "But I only ... arriving in Brazil" (lines 3-4.)
The author is extremely interested in hang-gliding. It has become an item on the author's bucket list. The author will perform the activity, no matter what.
Why does the author say that he signed "his life away"? (line 9)
What stylistic device is he using?
It is a perilous activity that could very well cost him his life, yet he was willing to take the risk for the sake of having the experience.
He makes his death sound inevitable.
He makes it sound like a death sentence.
Hyperbole (Extreme exaggeration)
In, "I looked over the edge and saw nothing but a vast carpet of trees," what is entailed by the word "carpet"?
What is the literary device used?
The trees were covering the land, the ground could not be seen. The author was so high up that the trees looked flat and s/he could only see the uninterrupted leafy and lush forest top.
It's a metaphor.
What intonation do you think the next phrase would have if spoken out loud?
"I love jumping off mountains having no idea of what's going on."
The word "looove" would be over-stressed and long, and intonation would fall steadily from there.
What is the author trying to convey with, "... I would be getting my money's worth while drifting helplessly around thousands of meters up in the air"?
What's the word that helps you feel the tone?
"Helplessly" is the key word. You don't usually pay money to feel helpless. He also mentions the enormous height from the ground. He justifies his uneasiness and nervousness with the money he paid to go hang-gliding.
Read paragraph 6 and answer: What is the answer to the question in the last line of the previous paragraph?
The answer is that there is no explanation. He simply likes to feel the danger and put his life on the line, even when his subconscious is always having him second-guess himself.
How do you think the author felt after the initial scare? (paragraph 6)
He felt free, at peace, accomplished. After all, it was something he had been wanting to do for a long time.
What do you think is the author's intention with this text?
To describe his experience and recommend hang-gliding to other people.
Is there a conflict in this descriptive text?
Yes, between the writer and himself. It is an inner conflict that is surmounted with a leap of faith.
"This seemed pretty logical: just run and jump off a sheer cliff" is an instance of what literary device? What word is key?
It's irony. "Logical" is the keyword, with "pretty" intensifying its meaning as it contrasts with the following sentence.
Why did the writer feel sad to land?
Because he loves the thrill of adventure and the peacefulness and freedom of flying high up in the sky with the birds.