Shades of Silence
2. What is Elijah’s main problem in the story?
A The key his mother needs is old and rusty.
B He is angry because his mother made him leave his life in the city.
C His mother no longer talks to him at dinnertime.
D He does not want to come home when his mother calls to him.
B He is angry because his mother made him leave his life in the city.
7. Read this sentence from paragraph 1:
Edmund Halley, an astronomer in the late 1600s, was very interested in comets.
The origin of the word astronomer is the Greek word astro meaning...
A comet.
B light.
C mystery.
D star.
D star.
11. The word distracted is derived from the Latin root tract, meaning “to draw.” Based on this information, the reader can tell the literal meaning of to distract is
A to be unhappy with.
B to draw poorly.
C to draw away.
D to be confused.
C to draw away.
17. Why are the words “potsherds” and “temper” written in quotation marks in paragraphs 2 and 4?
A to make sure the reader pronounces these words clearly and correctly
B to show that both words usually have other meanings
C to introduce them as words that may be unfamiliar to the reader
D to show that these words are in languages other than English
C to introduce them as words that may be unfamiliar to the reader
22. In paragraph 3, why does the author tell about Mr. Toga’s false teeth?
A to show that health care was not good enough in Berkeley during the 1930s
B to provide an interesting detail about one of the people in Yoshiko’s life and stories
C to show that Yoshiko’s young life was difficult and frightening
D to tell about a beloved relative who helped Yoshiko learn how to write
B to provide an interesting detail about one of the people in Yoshiko’s life and stories
3. The author uses details like “creaky stairs” to show that the house
A should not be lived in anymore.
B did not have very good stairs.
C was not located in the city.
D has been home to several generations.
D has been home to several generations.
8. Which of these is an opinion from this passage?
A Halley’s comet should return next in 2061.
B Halley’s comet returns about every 75 years.
C Comets are made mostly of ice, dust, and rocks.
D You’ll be thrilled by the sight of a comet.
D You’ll be thrilled by the sight of a comet.
12. What do Jamal’s parents have in common with Billy Hawkins?
A They are related to each other.
B They are friends of Ms. Sampson.
C They are interested in professional baseball.
D They want the students to understand the importance of school.
D They want the students to understand the importance of school.
18. What is the last step in making a pot?
A hollowing out a lump of clay
B adding water to the clay
C heating the pot in a kiln
D crushing old pottery to use as temper
C heating the pot in a kiln
23. Read this sentence about paragraph 4 of the story.
"As Yoshiko gazed up at the stars, she was filled with hope and excitement about her life."
As expressed in this sentence and in many other stories, stars are a symbol of
A family closeness.
B terror in the night.
C limitless possibilities.
D sacrifice to benefit others.
C limitless possibilities.
4. How does Elijah begin to solve his problem?
A He considers his mother’s feelings.
B He decides to go back to the city.
C He finds a key that opens a secret room.
D He has fun playing outside on the farm.
A He considers his mother’s feelings.
9. The timeline helps the reader to
A find out about comets throughout history.
B quickly locate events in Halley’s life.
C learn how Halley made his predictions.
D know who Halley’s friends were.
B quickly locate events in Halley’s life.
13. To help the students correctly answer all the questions, Billy Hawkins suggests that they
A go home and ask their parents.
B conduct research at the library.
C work together as a group.
D watch more baseball on television.
C work together as a group.
19. When is temper added to the clay?
A after the pot is heated
B when the clay is smoothed out
C while the pot is being decorated
D before the clay is shaped
D before the clay is shaped
24. Read this part of a sentence from the last paragraph of the story.
". . . the parade of people who marched through her young life became a part of the world she created . . ."
The phrase “people who marched through her young life” means that Yoshiko
A loved to write about parades.
B met many interesting people.
C liked to go for long walks with others.
D preferred to talk to her pets instead of to people.
B met many interesting people.
5. In paragraph 13, why are Rebeccah’s hands “trembling”?
A She is afraid of what she might find inside the wooden box.
B She hopes that the music will make Elijah happy to live on the farm.
C She is thrilled that Elijah found the music box key and gave it to her.
D She is upset that the key has become so old and rusty from being outside.
C She is thrilled that Elijah found the music box key and gave it to her.
10. Which of these is a fact from this passage?
A Comets cause catastrophes.
B Comets are beautiful and interesting.
C People are fascinated by comets.
D Halley’s comet last visited in 1985-1986.
D Halley’s comet last visited in 1985-1986.
14. What is the main problem in this story?
A Jamal is more interested in baseball than in school.
B Jamal is disappointed when he meets Billy Hawkins.
C Jamal’s parents are upset that he wants to be a baseball player.
D Jamal doesn’t fully understand how to determine baseball batting averages.
A Jamal is more interested in baseball than in school.
20. What is the main idea of this passage?
A The clues that archaeologists use to learn about the past include buildings, clothing, and coins.
B Some pots are decorated with pictures that show events from ancient myths and legends.
C Ancient pottery can teach us about the lives of the people who made and used it.
D Both detectives and archaeologists solve mysteries by using clues that have been left behind.
C Ancient pottery can teach us about the lives of the people who made and used it.
25. Which statement is a theme of this story?
A People who live in the city should spend as much time as they can in the country.
B To become a writer like Yoshiko Uchida, you must visit with many other writers.
C Those who move to the United States often miss their homelands for many years.
D Writers like Yoshiko Uchida look to the richness of their lives for material.
D Writers like Yoshiko Uchida look to the richness of their lives for material.
6. When the music box plays again, it is a symbol of
A hope.
B imagination.
C sacrifice.
D jealousy.
A hope.
15. For Jamal, the baseball at the end of the story will most likely be a symbol of
A his parents’ concern.
B his new attitude about school.
C his knowledge of history.
D his time in Ms. Sampson’s class.
B his new attitude about school.
21. By examining an ancient pot, an archaeologist can tell all of the following except
A which person made the pot.
B where the pot came from.
C roughly how old the pot is.
D what substances were added to the clay.
A which person made the pot.