PLOT & CHARACTERS
This is the disease Morrie is diagnosed with. It slowly takes away his ability to walk, then speak, then breathe.
ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) / Lou Gehrig's disease
Spell this 5-letter adjective. It describes someone who is weak and delicate, usually because of age or illness. Morrie is described this way as he takes small steps.
F – R – A – I – L (frail)
Tongue Twister Bonus (no points, just fun): "Frail Fred felt faint from the freezing fog."
Mitch promised to "keep in touch" with Morrie after graduation but didn't. What does this expression mean?
To stay in contact with someone / to continue communicating with someone over time.
Look at this sentence from the book: "He takes small steps, as if a strong wind could whisk him into the clouds."
What tense is "takes"? What part of speech is "small"?
"Takes" = present simple tense. "Small" = adjective (it describes the noun "steps").
A little each morning, a few tears, and that's all." — Morrie, p. 40
This is Morrie's rule for dealing with self-pity. Explain what he means and say whether you think it's a healthy approach.
Morrie allows himself a short time to feel sad every day, then he chooses to move on and be present. It is healthy because he doesn't deny his pain, but he also doesn't let it take over his life. Accept any thoughtful personal opinion.
Before reconnecting with Morrie, Mitch did this for 16 years — even though he promised to stay close after graduation.
He lost contact with Morrie / He never called or visited / He disappeared from Morrie's life.
Spell this 8-letter noun. It means a feeling of sadness or guilt about something you did — or didn't do — in the past. It is the theme of the 3rd Tuesday chapter.
R – E – G – R – E – T (regret)
Tongue Twister Bonus: "Roger rarely regrets reading the wrong road signs."
Morrie says the culture tries to "brainwash" people into wanting more money and more things. What does "brainwash" mean as an idiom?
To make someone believe something by repeating it constantly until they accept it without questioning it / to manipulate someone's thinking.
Look at this sentence: "Mitch promised to stay in touch with Morrie after graduation but disappeared for sixteen years."
Identify two simple past verbs and one noun in this sentence.
Past verbs: promised, disappeared. Noun (accept any): Mitch, touch, Morrie, graduation, years.
"Once you learn how to die, you learn how to live." — Morrie, p. 55
Explain this quote in your own words. Do you agree with it?
When you accept that life will end, you stop wasting time on things that don't matter and start focusing on what is truly important. Accept any thoughtful explanation and personal opinion.
This is how Mitch finds out that his old professor is dying — he sees him on this American TV news program late at night.
Nightline (ABC's Nightline / Ted Koppel's program)
Spell this 9-letter adjective. It describes a belief system that is not tied to organized religion. Morrie says he is this — he believes in God, but not in the traditional sense.
A – G – N – O – S – T – I – C (agnostic)
Morrie tells Mitch: "Turn on the faucet." He doesn't mean a real water faucet. What does he mean by this expression in the context of emotions?
Let your emotions flow freely / allow yourself to feel and express your feelings without holding back.
Rewrite this present simple sentence in the present progressive: "Morrie teaches Mitch about life every Tuesday."
Then identify the subject, verb, and object in your new sentence.
"Morrie is teaching Mitch about life every Tuesday." Subject: Morrie | Verb: is teaching | Object: Mitch
"I traded lots of dreams for a bigger paycheck, and I never even realized I was doing it." — Mitch, p. 26
Who says this — Mitch or Morrie? What mistake is he describing? Has this happened to anyone you know?
Mitch says this. He is describing how he gave up his real passions (music, writing) to chase financial success, without being aware of it at the time. Open-ended personal connection accepted.
Morrie gives himself a strict daily limit on this feeling — only a few minutes and a few tears each morning, then he moves on.
Self-pity
Spell this 6-letter verb. It means to separate yourself emotionally from something — to observe a feeling without being controlled by it. Morrie teaches Mitch to do this with negative emotions.
D – E – T – A – C – H (detach)
Tongue Twister Bonus: "Dave dares to detach during deeply difficult days."
Mitch says he "traded his dreams for a bigger paycheck." This is not a literal trade. Explain what this idiom-style expression means in your own words.
He gave up what he truly wanted to do (his dreams) in exchange for a higher-paying but less meaningful career / he sacrificed his passion for money.
Look at this sentence: "I traded lots of dreams for a bigger paycheck, and I never even realized I was doing it."
Find: one conjunction, one preposition, and one adverb.
Conjunction: and Preposition: for Adverb: even (or "never")
"If you don't have the support and love and caring and concern that you get from a family, you don't have much at all." — Morrie, p. 64
Do you agree that family is irreplaceable? Or can close friends fill that role just as well? Support your answer.
Accept any well-supported opinion. Strong answers will define what they mean by "family" (biological vs. chosen), give a real example, and use at least one of the vocabulary words from the week (e.g., support, concern, spiritual security).
In "The Classroom" chapter (p. 25–29), Mitch describes trading something important for a bigger paycheck without even realizing it. Name what he traded.
His dreams / his passion / what he truly wanted to do with his life
Spell this two-word noun phrase (10 letters total). It means a feeling of fear or extreme unease about something that is going to happen. Morrie uses it to describe how people feel about death.
D – R – E – A – D (dread — accept "a sense of dread" or just "dread")
Morrie says: "If the culture doesn't work, don't buy it." He is not talking about shopping. Explain what "don't buy it" means here, and give one example of a cultural message you personally "don't buy."
"Don't buy it" means don't accept it / don't believe in it / don't follow it blindly. Open-ended personal example accepted.
Look at this sentence from the book: "The culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves."
Identify at least one of the following: one article, one pronoun, one adjective, and one verb phrase (two words).
Article: the Pronoun: we / themselves Adjective: good Verb phrase: does not make / feel good (accept reasonable answers)
"The culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves. And you have to be strong enough to say if the culture doesn't work, don't buy it." — Morrie, p. 30
Name one specific cultural message from your own life that you think "doesn't work." Explain why, using at least one idiom or expression from this week's reading.
Open-ended. Award full points for: naming a specific cultural pressure (social media, gender roles, success = money, etc.), explaining clearly why it is harmful, and correctly using at least one expression (e.g., "brainwash," "keep up with," "trade dreams for a paycheck," "don't buy it").