Context Clues
What is the meaning of the word frenetic in paragraph 1? (Brazilian Lace)
B. active
What is theme?
The author's message to the reader
How does the author order events to develop her points? (Brazilian Lace)
A. She details the various aspects of the lacemaking process.
What is figurative language?
Language that represents something other than its original meaning
What can be inferred from the fact that both Officials returned “with empty hands” in paragraphs 16–21? (Officials)
A. They did not have the necessary skills to obtain anything to eat.
What can be inferred from the fact that both Officials returned “with empty hands” in paragraphs 16–21? (Officials)
A. They did not have the necessary skills to obtain anything to eat.
How does the sentence below from paragraph 1 shape the theme of the text?
“Enjoyment was written on his face: some letters were even favorites with him; and when he encountered these, he smiled, winked, and worked with his lips, till it seemed as though each letter might be read in his face, as his pen traced it.” (The Cloak)
C. It conveys the idea that Alex’s work brings him genuine pleasure.
How does Alex’s interaction with the director in paragraph 2 advance the plot? (Cloak)
C. It emphasizes Alex’s contentment with his position and his fear of change.
What is a metaphor?
When two things are being compared without using "like" or "as".
Which statement from the text supports the author’s claim that making lace is laborious? (Brazilian Lace)
B. “As many as 50 bobbins, each holding an individual thread, might be used to work a single pattern.”
What can be inferred from the last sentence of paragraph 45 in the text? (Officials)
D. The Officials are still preoccupied with activities happening in the government.
In what way does the interaction between the two Officials develop the theme of the text? (Officials)
C. It shows the ways in which accomplished men can lack basic knowledge about how the world around them functions.
Which central idea develops over the course of the text? (Brazilian Lace)
D. “Whether watching lacemakers at work in the market, at a lace center, or in the shade of their own doorways, it’s a pleasure to witness the production of such delicate finery, inch by inch.”
How does the poet’s use of personification affect the poem? (City Planners)
B. It introduces a sense of suspense and a negative tone.
How does the poet’s use of the words sanities, levelness, and rational affect the tone of the poem? (City Planners)
D. She purposefully chooses words which sound neutral to convey the idea of uniformity in suburban life.
What impact does the author’s use of the word lot have in paragraph 5? (Cloak)
D. It indicates that Alex’s life and work are neither rewarding nor revered by other people.
How does referring to the men as “Officials” and “Your Excellency” develop the theme of the text? (Officials)
A. It provides a description of the two men that is comical since neither still works in the Government Department.
How does the author advance her purpose in the sentences below from paragraph 5?
“If you want to see lacemakers in action, take a day trip to the seaside towns of Iguape or Prainha, both of which boast lacemaking centers where you can watch women and girls making lace. Ask the lacemakers to indicate which patterns are most traditional, as each town is known for its own patterns.”
(Brazilian Lace)
A. She encourages everyone to visit Iguape and Prainha to see the authentic lacemakers.
What is the effect of the simile “like a horse in a mill” in paragraph 1? (The Cloak)
A. It emphasizes how Alex toiled ceaselessly.
How does the art of making lace represent Brazilian cultural heritage? (Brazilian Lace)
B. Lacemaking is directly related to the daily tasks performed in the seaside colonies of Brazil
What does pabulum mean in the sentences below from paragraphs 23 and 24?
“The human pabulum in its original form flies, swims, and grows on trees. Who would have thought it your Excellency?” said the one Official.
“To be sure,” rejoined the other Official. “I, too, must admit that I had imagined that our breakfast rolls came into the world just as they appear on the table.”
(Officials)
B. food
Which quote from the text supports the development of the theme? (Officials)
C. “ ‘To be sure,’ rejoined the other Official. ‘I, too, must admit that I had imagined that our breakfast rolls came into the world just as they appear on the table.’ ”
How does the poem’s structure reveal conflicts between the ideals of the speaker and those of the City Planners? (City Planners)
A. The speaker’s complaints in the opening stanzas transition to the adverse description of the City Planners in the last stanzas.
What is the purpose of the figurative language in lines 11–12?
D. to show how nature is not easily forced into a pattern
How was the art of lacemaking in the New World viewed differently than it was viewed in Europe in the seventeenth century? (Brazilian Lace)
A. Lacemaking was viewed as an everyday task in the New World; in Europe, lace was seen as a luxurious fashion accessory.