Recall and Colon
Which small lie does the narrator tell the police following the car accident?
That Russell jumped in front of his car
That he was traveling at 35 miles per hour
That Chris pushed Russell in front of his car
That he tried but failed to swerve out of the way
That he was traveling at 35 miles per hour
Read paragraph 50 of the selection.
"There are connections in our lives that we're often not aware of. We're entwined. We intersect, like chains, or strands of DNA."
Which theme does this quote help develop?
People cannot escape the ways in which they are all linked.
People should become more aware of their connections.
People's interconnections can create obstacles in their lives.
People's differences are not as significant as their similarities.
Which quote from the story best supports the inference that the accident instilled a fear of driving in the narrator?
"With a start, I realized I knew Chris; I had played baseball against him."
"A freshman. Apparently some pathetic loser."
"I did not renew it, nor have I ever driven a car again after that day I killed Professor G."
"I can honestly say I was going about 40 miles per hour."
"I did not renew it, nor have I ever driven a car again after that day I killed Professor G."
Choose the word or phrase from the surrounding text that provides a clue to the meaning of the word discernible as used in paragraph 112.
Another faint but discernable conversation is a woman telling a friend about what a jerk her boss is.
Another
Faint
Conversation
Woman
Faint
What can the reader infer about the narrator, based on what he says in the first section of the story?
He had few friends in school.
He was a star baseball player.
The accident ruined his buisness plans.
The accident instilled in him a fear of driving.
The accident instilled in him a fear of driving.
Which sentence about the selection uses a colon correctly?
The narrator admits he was distracted while driving: by one of his favorite songs.
The narrator explains he was driving: the 1979 Impala his father gave him.
The narrator admits he was actually going around: forty miles per hour.
The narrator explains that he had another major distraction: Daria.
The narrator explains that he had another major distraction: Daria.
Which excerpt from the selection best supports the inference that the narrator is a music fan?
A song I loved, Pearl Jam’s “Alive,” came on the radio, and I took my hand off the two positions of the ten-and-two driving stance I had so recently been taught in driver’s ed. (paragraph 4)
There was a faint whiff of something burnt—my tires on the asphalt—and Pearl Jam was still playing on the radio. (paragraph 10)
Hymns were sung. Speakers came up to a makeshift stage and talked about Russ or Professor G. (paragraph 48)
There was laughter around the table, and my questioner added, quoting Johnny Cash, “When you shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die?” (paragraph 57)
A song I loved, Pearl Jam’s “Alive,” came on the radio, and I took my hand off the two positions of the ten-and-two driving stance I had so recently been taught in driver’s ed. (paragraph 4)
Read the dictionary entry.
boilerplate \boil′ər-plat′\ n 1. steel in the form of flat plates used in making steam boilers 2. journalistic material, such as syndicated features, made available by agencies in a form that is already typeset, originally in plate form, for easy incorporation into publications such as newspapers 3. hackneyed or conventional language, usually expressing a generally accepted viewpoint 4. standardized or set language that is meant to be used repeatedly, often in organizational publications or legal documents. ,
Based on context clues in the surrounding text, which definition best matches the meaning of boilerplate as it is used in paragraph 48.
1
2
3
4
3
Read paragraph 80 of the selection.
“I wanted to,” I repeated, protesting too much. Then I blurted out, “Actually, that’s not accurate. I was dreading the visit; there was nothing I wanted to do less. When my father told me we couldn’t, it was like I had gotten a reprieve.”
What does this paragraph tell the reader about the narrator’s personality?
He’s fearful.
He’s honest.
He’s talkative.
He’s intelligent
He's honest.
Daria’s decision to call the narrator advances the plot by —
giving Daria an opportunity to confess the truth about her father’s crimes
leading the narrator to learn that Chris pushed his father in front of the car
giving the narrator an opportunity to talk about memories that weigh on his mind
leading Daria to learn about the demons that haunted her brother for many years
Giving the narrator an opportunity to talk about memories that weigh on his mind.
There are two categories: character's words or actions and character's thoughts and observations.
Which of these is in the "character's thoughts and observations" category?
The narrator finds Daria very attractive
The narrator hits Russell Gramercy with his car
Daria forgives the narrator for what happened many years earlier
Chris Gramercy informs the detective that the narrator was not at fault.
The narrator finds Daria very attractive.
Which significant detail does the narrator learn after discovering the tape of Barry playing soccer?
Chris Gramercy shoved his father in front of the car.
Video footage can be manipulated by computer software.
The internet is an incredible resource for finding people and information.
Irving Beckstein is a forensic video analyst who worked for the Defense Department.
Chris Gramercy shoved his father in front of the car.
How is the theme that people are entwined with one another revealed by the actions and words of the main characters?
As characters talk to each other, they discover things that reveal that they are connected. For instance, after the narrator killed Russell, he learned that he knew him and that he was a professor at the college he went to. He also learned through video evidence that Chris pushed his own father in front of the speeding car because he knew about Russell's crimes. These things show the audience that there are multiple factors that go into every crime and situation in general. Everyone has something that connects them to another situation that they weren't even involved in. For instance, Russell's victims' families are now pulled into his death, because maybe they have peace now knowing that Russell is dead.