Show:
Prose and Context
Theme
Character-eyes
Set the Tone
100
Keisha’s surname is Turner, and her middle name is Olivia. A. last name B. teacher C. street name
A. last name
100
Tammy and Sammy were both students in Mr. Morton’s reading class. Mr. Morton wasn’t too strict about deadlines, and Sammy took advantage of that. He did all of his homework in his other classes but never bothered to complete Mr. Morton’s reading assignments, figuring that he could complete them later. Tammy, on the other hand, completed each assignment Mr. Morton assigned the night that he assigned it. She had to stay up a little later, but she didn’t want to get a penalty for turning in her reading work late. Tammy knew reading was a core subject and that she had to keep “C” average for the entire year or she would have to go to summer school. When the end of the quarter came, Tammy and Sammy had both planned on going to the Enchanted Castle amusement park, but Mr. Morton called Sammy’s mother, and she grounded Sammy until he turned in all of his work. That weekend was horrible for Sammy. He stayed up until 2:00 AM each night and still couldn’t complete all of the assignments. The whole while, Tammy had a great time eating pizza at Enchanted Castle, watching movies late at night, and enjoying her weekend free of stress and pressure. At the end of the quarter, Sammy was lucky to squeak by with a “C” minus in reading while Tammy earned an “A.” Sammy still hasn’t learned his lesson and probably won’t complete this activity either.
It is better to do things right the first time. Work hard, play hard.
100
Corey came back from the bathroom and noticed that her rainbow pencil was missing. She looked around the room and saw that Beth was using a rainbow pencil. Corey started crying uncontrollably and ran out of the room. How would you characterize Corey?
emotional, crybaby, sensitive
100
Bouncing into the room, she lit up the vicinity with a joyous glow on her face as she told about her fiancé and their wedding plans.
happy, bubbly
200
The man walked down the long corridor in the dark building. A. kitchen B. staircase C. hall
C. hall
200
Even though they were sisters, Suzie and June were nothing alike. If Suzie wanted to jump rope, June wanted to play hopscotch. If June wanted to watch soap operas, Suzie wanted to watch talk shows. Tensions rose to the point that the girls could no longer stand one another’s company. It seemed that they had nothing in common, until the day that progress reports came out. While riding the bus home from school, the girls—startled by how upset the other looked—realized that they were both failing a subject. Suzie was failing math and June was failing reading. Since both girls wanted to pass their classes, they got to talking and agreed to help one another. So everyday after school for the next few weeks, Suzie tutored June in reading and then June tutored Suzie in math. By the time report cards came were distributed, Suzie and June were passing all of their classes. The girls were delighted, but their mother was happiest of all. Not just because her daughters passed their classes, but because they had learned to be good sisters.
It's better to work together, everyone can learn something from someone else, two heads are better than one, etc.
200
Kelly likes Aaron because they have many things in common. They have formed a great connection and she thinks that Aaron is very handsome, but Kelly wants to date Burt. Even though Kelly had nothing is common with Burt, he drives a fancy car and he spends a lot of money. She likes this about him. How would you characterize Kelly?
materialistic, greedy
200
He furtively glanced behind him, for hear of his imagined pursuers, then hurriedly walked on, jumping at the slightest sound even of a leaf crackling under his own foot.
fearful, paranoid
300
worked my way to westward, till I came out upon the Glasgow road. And there, to my great pleasure and wonder, I beheld a regiment marching, every foot in time. An old red-faced general on a grey horse was at the one end, and at the other the company of Grenadiers. The pride of life seemed to mount into my brain at the sight of the red coats and the hearing of that merry music. What is a regiment?
a group of soldiers
300
Nicole was hesitant to lend Lia her tea set. Though the tea set was not worth much money, it had been in the family for a long time and was pretty much irreplaceable. But Lia was persistent and since she was a dear friend, Nicole relented and agreed to lend her the tea set. As Nicole had feared, Lia did not handle the tea set with the same care that Nicole would have and consequently Lia broke or damaged several of the pieces. When Nicole asked for her tea set, Lia stalled, "Uh… I forgot it at my cousin's house. I'll get it later this week. I'm so sorry." Lia figured that she could run out and replace the missing pieces. When she got around to doing so, Lia was disappointed to find that no stores carried the antique tea set. So Lia purchased a brand new tea set, much more expensive than the old set. She then threw out the rest of Nicole's old tea set to hide the evidence of her irresponsibility. When Lia presented Nicole with the new tea set, Nicole was extremely disappointed and Lia did not understand why. "Look, Nicole, my cousin lost your tea set. I mean, he's still looking for it but it's probably gone, but this tea set is much nicer." When Nicole did not accept the new tea set, Lia shook her head in disgust and told herself, "Some people don't appreciate anything."
Honesty is the best policy; treat other people's property with respect; money isn't everything.
300
Ms. Roberts noticed that Tierney had not been herself recently. She participated less in class, dressed in darker colors, and didn't want to associate with the friends that she had at the beginning of the school year. Noticing these changes, Ms. Roberts scheduled a conference after school with Tierney so that they could talk in private. How would you characterize Ms. Roberts?
perceptive, concerned, dedicated
300
The laughing wind skipped through the village, teasing trees until they danced with anger and cajoling the grass into fighting itself, blade slapping blade, as the silly dog with golfball eyes and flopping, slobbery tongue bounded across the lawn.
playful, mischievous
400
For a long time he lived in the toy cupboard or on the nursery floor. No one thought very much about him. He was naturally shy. Being only made of velveteen, some of the more expensive toys quite snubbed him. The mechanical toys were very superior and looked down upon everyone else. They were full of modern ideas, and they pretended they were real. What is the definition of "snubbed"? A. ignored B. talked about C. slapped D. liked
A. ignored
400
Some dogs famished with hunger saw a number of cowhides steeping in a river. Not being able to reach them, they agreed to drink up the river, but it happened that they burst themselves with drinking long before they reached the hides.
Do not attempt the impossible.
400
It was gym class and the boys decided to play a fun pickup game of basketball, nothing too serious. They weren't even going to keep score, until Clive insisted on it. The game was pretty close, but soon Clive's team dropped behind a few points. Clive pretty much lost it. He started throwing elbows and fouling people. He pushed one player to the ground while he was attempting a layup, at which point Clive claimed that the player was doing it for attention. After losing the game, Clive punched his hand against the wall and cursed. How would you characterize Clive?
competitive, angry, poor sportsman
400
Why do these things always happen to me?, Brad wondered. First I forget an important meeting, and nobody reminds me until it’s over. Then my boss dumps a big project on my desk and wants it done by yesterday. And to top everything off, I leave my wallet on the bus. a. comic b. self-pitying c. optimistic
b. self-pitying
500
For a long time he lived in the toy cupboard or on the nursery floor. No one thought very much about him. He was naturally shy. Being only made of velveteen, some of the more expensive toys quite snubbed him. The mechanical toys were very superior and looked down upon everyone else. They were full of modern ideas, and they pretended they were real. What can you infer about velveteen material?
It is not a very expensive material.
500
An old monkey on the point of death summoned his sons around him to give them some parting advice. He ordered them to bring in a bundle of sticks, and said to his eldest son: "Break it." The son strained and strained, but with all his efforts was unable to break the sticks. The other sons also tried, but none of them was successful. "Untie the bundle," said the father, "and each of you take a stick." When they had done so, he called out to them: "Now, break," and each stick was easily broken. "You see my meaning," said their father.
There is strength in unity.
500
Javier was shopping at the grocery store for some olives. He needed a lot of olives, so he grabbed the large jar off of the shelf. Then he noticed the price. The large jar contained 20 oz. of olives and it cost $3.99. He looked at the small jar of olives. It contained 10 oz. of olives and cost $1.49. Javier put the large jar back and purchased two small jars of olives. How would you characterize Javier?
shrewd, attentive, intelligent
500
Each year in the middle of February, when slush is underfoot and the sky is a depressing gray, I begin dreaming of warm beaches, tropical fruits and sunsets. If only I could save enough for a winter vacation! Maybe next year I’ll win the lottery. Meanwhile, I’ll read travel brochures and sigh. a. unsure b. joyous c. longing
c. longing