Reading Comprehension
How does the narrator finally get the microscope she wants?
Her parents give it to her for Christmas.
If a medical test shows that a patient’s liver is enlarged, what must be true about the liver?
Answer: The liver is ___ than usual.
The liver is bigger than usual.
What did the author most want to see under her microscope?
The famous amoeba.
Which of the following best describes the interaction between the narrator and her parents at the dining table?
A. The narrator is eager; the parents are cold and distant.
B. The narrator is excited; the parents are pleasant but uninvolved.
B. The narrator is excited; the parents are pleasant but uninvolved.
Which word is renamed by the underlined appositive in this sentence?
I like to visit my sister’s college, St. John's University.
college
What is supposed to happen when the narrator adds water to the hay infusion?
She should see one-celled animals.
Which description is most likely to apply to an amoeba?
A. It has many long legs and small wings.
OR
B. It can rarely be seen with the naked eye
B. It can rarely be seen with the naked eye
The text states, "She [Mother] did not say, but I understood at once, that they had their pursuits (coffee?) and I had mine." What does the author mean by this?
She understands that her parents have different interests than her, and that's okay.
In the selection from An American Childhood, what is the narrator’s attitude toward microscopes?
She thinks that they are essential. (A must have!)
Which of these sentences contains an underlined appositive phrase?
A. The greenhouses on campus stay warm, even in winter.
B. Beautiful orchids, delicate tropical flowers, grow in my garden.
B. Beautiful orchids, delicate tropical flowers, grow in my garden.
When the narrator rushes upstairs to invite her parents to see the amoeba, what is their reaction? Choose two options.
A. They ignore her.
B. They express happiness.
C. They decline to go see it.
D. They urge her to play outside.
E. They scold her for interrupting.
B. They express happiness.
C. They decline to go see it.
The word tissue has more than one meaning. In which of the following sentences does tissue mean “specialized cells of which animals and plants are made”?
A. Please deposit your used tissue in the trash can under the sink.
B. Use tweezers to peel the tissue from the underside of the slice of onion.
B. Use tweezers to peel the tissue from the underside of the slice of onion.
The text states, "He [the amoeba] lived outside in warm ponds and streams, too, but I lived in Pittsburgh, and it had been a cold winter." What does this mean?
The weather was too cold for her to find the amoeba.
The author states, "Everybody needed a microscope." How does this show the author's feelings toward microscopes?
She loves microscopes. She thinks they are essential and everyone needs to have one.
If an appositive phrase is essential to understanding the meaning of a sentence, it should not be set off with commas. In which of the following sentences should the comma or commas be removed?
A. This laboratory focuses on botany, the study of plant life.
B. Have you read the amazing book, The Outsiders?
B. Have you read the amazing book, The Outsiders?
How does the narrator feels toward her parents, as expressed in the selection from An American Childhood?
She feels they freed her to be who she wanted to be.
How can the prefix en- change a word’s part of speech?
It can change an adjective into a verb.
The narrator describes the materials that come with her microscope kit. She concludes, “It was years before I saw a recognizable, whole diatom. The kit’s diatomaceous earth was a bust.” What does she mean?
The diatomaceous earth sample in the microscope kit does not look as promised.
As the narrator of An American Childhood reflects on her experience with the microscope and her interaction with her parents, what major conclusion does she draw?
She is allowed to be her own person outside of her parents’ influence.
Which word is renamed by the underlined appositive in this sentence?
Have you read the amazing book, The Outsiders?
book
What are some examples of “things at hand” that the narrator observes during the winter? Choose two options.
A. cork
B. blood
C. coffee
D. volvox
E. amoeba
A. cork
B. blood
Using your understanding of the prefix en-, choose the best definition of the word "encrust".
A. to cause to have a crust
B. to exist between two crusts
C. to be like a crust
D. to lack a crust
A. to cause to have a crust
The narrator learns that “you do what you do out of your private passion for the thing itself.” What is another way to state this idea?
People should follow their interests without expecting other people toshare them.
Why must the narrator wait a long time before she sees the “famous amoeba”?
Local water is not yet warm enough for amoebas to survive.
Which of these sentences contains an underlined appositive phrase?
A. I like to read when I have free time, even on Sundays.
B. Annie loved the amoeba, a single celled organism, more than any else she'd seen under her microscope.
B. Annie loved the amoeba, a single celled organism, more than any else she'd seen under her microscope.