Comprehension Questions
2.) b: What is a synonym for conscious?
Aware.
2.) c: What is an antonym for conscious?
Ignorant, unaware.
2.) a: "She was conscious that other people had suitcases and even trunks..." (pg. 31).
**What is the meaning of the word conscious?
Sample Response: Aware of and responding to surroundings.
3.) "'I'm sorry about your parents,' Violet added belatedly' (pg. 39).
**Look at the affixes and root of this word. What does belatedly mean?
Sample Response: To be late with something you say or do.
1.) b: What does the artwork help you understand about this scene that the text does not?
Sample Response: The artwork makes me think that perhaps it is cold because everyone is wearing hats and coats, and that there isn't much space because there are buildings, vehicles, and people everywhere. It is very busy!
"But they were both caged in by other people's plans for them, with no hope of escape" (pg. 39).
**What does the author mean by this sentence?
Violet and Myrtle feel trapped in their societal obligations, afraid that there may be no opportunity other than getting married and becoming a maid.
1.) a: How does the illustration reflect the description in the text? Refer to details in the text.
The artwork shows New York City at night. It reflects the description, "Motorcars, streetcars, and horse-drawn wagons rumbled by, guided by electric or kerosene lamps mounted on the front."
Find a simile or a metaphor.
**Remember, a simile compares two unlike things using "like" or "as."
Sample Response: "The crowd tossed the boy around like a kernel of popcorn in a shaking pan until he popped back out" (pg. 34).
4.) How does Violet respond to Myrtle when they first meet? Why? Use details from the text to support your answer.
Sample Response: Violet isn't sure how to respond to Myrtle when they first meet because she "hasn't been introduced to a colored person before, let alone introduced herself." She becomes irritated with Myrtle because she seems so young yet seems to know so much about the city, and she speaks to Violet as though she really doesn't know much.
What is the Girls' Training Institute? Refer to details in the text.