Vocabulary
In the text, some passengers hesitate to get into the lifeboats. What does their reluctance most likely mean?
They were unwilling or hesitant to go.
What clues in the sentence help you understand that the “yawning blackness below” refers to something frightening?
Words like “yawning,” “blackness,” and its position beneath the lifeboats suggest a deep, dangerous drop.
In paragraph 6, what detail shows that some passengers didn’t believe the Titanic was sinking?
“Nobody was anxious to move; Titanic seemed so steady.”
What is the author’s main purpose in this excerpt?
To describe the events and emotions she personally experienced during the Titanic’s sinking.
“The icy blast… felt like a knife.” What type of figurative language is this?
Simile
The officer tells passengers that another ship’s lights are on the horizon. How does this reassure them?
It makes them feel calmer because they believe help is coming.
When the narrator calls the ship “magnificent queen of the ocean,” what can you infer about how she feels about the Titanic?
She admires the ship and sees it as grand, impressive, and majestic.
In paragraph 27, what piece of evidence shows that the situation becomes more urgent over time?
"Only three decks now, and still not a list to one side or the other."
What point of view is the text written in?
First-person point of view.
“My heart stood still.” What does this phrase most likely mean?
She felt sudden shock or fear.
When the narrator watches the Titanic sink, she says she is “fascinated.” Based on the situation, what does fascinated mean in this context?
She is unable to look away because she is intensely captivated by the scene.
The text says the steward stood “with his back to the bulkhead, hands in his pockets,” which the narrator found surprising. What can you infer?
He was unusually calm or casual for such a dangerous situation.
In paragraph 12, what evidence reveals that language barriers increased the passengers’ fear?
“They were Poles and could not understand a word of English.”
Why does the author include details like “silver slippers” lying on the floor?
To show the suddenness and chaos as passengers fled, leaving personal belongings behind.
“Like a hurt animal with a broken back” describes the sinking ship. What effect does this comparison create?
It makes the ship seem alive and suffering, increasing the emotional weight of the moment.
At the end, the passengers hear an “agonizing cry.” What feeling does agonizing communicate?
Extreme pain, emotional suffering, or torment.
When the narrator says the baby cries because the “hard cork surface of the lifebelt” was uncomfortable, what can you infer about lifebelts at that time?
They were stiff and not cushioned, making them uncomfortable to hold or wear.
In paragraph 22, which line best supports the idea that the narrator was in denial about the danger?
“I tried to make myself believe it could not be true, all this.”
How does the author’s perspective influence the tone of the scene where the band starts to play?
She sees it as eerie and strange, adding sadness and disbelief to the tone.
“A perfection of man’s handiwork” is an example of what literary device?
Irony & hyperbole
Some women cry “unrestrainedly” in the lifeboat. What does unrestrainedly mean?
Without holding back, freely or uncontrollably.
The passengers see a ship’s lights but it “seemed further away” instead of closer. What does this detail imply?
Their hope for rescue may have been misplaced; the ship likely wasn’t coming to help.
In paragraph 14, what is the strongest evidence that chaos increased as the sinking progressed?
“A man dashed to the ship’s side, and before anyone could stop him, hurled himself into the descending boat.”
How does the author’s perspective create emotional impact at the end of the passage?
Her firsthand observations of the sinking, the cries, and the helplessness make the reader feel the shock and tragedy through her eyes.
“The ship seemed to right herself like a hurt animal” is an example of what two devices working together?
Simile and personification.