Narrative Elements and Skills Test Unit 1

Read the excerpt from The Apprentice by Dorothy Canfield Fisher, and answer questions 1-6 on your Scantron.

1. Which phrases contribute to the tense mood in the excerpt? a. “probably asleep somewhere”; “completely hidden from the world”b. “safe to call him”; ”special piercing whistle”c. “beginning to be anxious”; “She stood, irresolutely”d. “on the way to school” ; “grazing on the river”

2. Which phrase helps you visualize the girl running frantically in search of Rollie?a. “the special piercing whistle” (lines 6-7)b. “wondering what to do next” (line 20)c. “tripping over roots, half-falling” (line 33)d. “strained her eyes to look down” (line 41)

3. Rereads lines 10-16. The description of the special place where the girl and Rollie like to go helps create a mood of

a. Eerinessb. Peacefulnessc. Nervousnessd. Tenderness

4. The description of the setting in lines 38-42 creates a mood that is a. Calmb. Fearfulc. Weary d. Lighthearted

5. The author helps you picture characters mainly througha. Detailed descriptions of her actionsb. Conversations between charactersc. Words that name the characters feelingsd. The animal’s awareness of the character

6. Which lines create a literal description of Rollie?a. Lines 13-15b. Lines 31-32 and lines 42-44c. Lines 1-2 and lines 7-8d. Lines 21-22

Read “The Old Grandfather and His Little Grandson” by Leo Tolstoy and use the short story to answer questions 7-14 on your Scantron.

7. Lines 1-5. The imagery in this paragraph was written to showa. That we should treat our elders with respectb. That the old man was embarrassing to the familyc. That there is beauty in getting oldd. That the son and wife were tired of feeding him

8. The tone of the description in lines 1-5 could bea. Pityb. Disgustc. Shame

d. Indifference9. What do the old man’s son and the wife teach the reader about life?

a. One should treat others as one would like others to treat oneselfb. Take care of your family because you will be in the same situation one dayc. Treat elders with cruelty and disrespectd. Listen to your children

10. When a story teaches us something about life it is the story’s:a. Toneb. Purposec. Themed. Imagery

11. Reread lines 15-16. What is the purpose of these line in the text?a. They show that the grandson is very smartb. They show that the old man’s son and his wife will eat out of a wooden bowlc. They show that the old man’s son and his wife are teaching the grandson to make

things for their futured. They show when the old man’s son and his wife learn that they are teaching the

grandson to be unkind to his elders12. Which lines defend the answer in question number 9.

a. Lines 1-3b. Lines 5-10 and 18-20c. Lines 5-6 and 15-18d. Lines 1-3 and 5-10

13. At the beginning of line 11 there is a transition phrase. The purpose of this transition phrase is to show

a. The passage of timeb. The shift from one idea to the nextc. The change in topicd. The shift in focus from one character to another

14. Reread lines 6-9. The tone of this passage is a. Frustration at the Old Grandfatherb. Disgust for the daughter-in-law’s treatment of the Old Grandfatherc. Shame towards the actions of the Old Grandfatherd. Regret that the Old Grandfather cannot have a regular bowl

15. To maintain subject-verb agreement in sentence 2, change the underlined verb to

A. wereB. has beenC. amD. is

16. To maintain the subject-verb agreement in sentence 5, change the underlined verb to

A. wasB. amC. areD. has been

17. In sentence 5, why are the commas used appropriately?

A. The commas mark when the reader should stop and look at the audienceB. The commas mark when one item in a list stops and the next beginsC. The commas mark the end of one dependent clause and the start of anotherD. The commas mark a FANBOY

Read the following sentences and choose the correct sentence structure type.

18. Bruno dislikes sitting on the beach; he always gets a nasty sunburn.

A. Simple Sentence

B. Compound Sentence

C. Complex Sentence

D. Compound-Complex Sentence

19. Bruno tends to get bored sitting on the beach, watching the waves, getting sand in his swimsuit, and reading detective novels for a week.

A. Simple Sentence

B. Compound Sentence

C. Complex Sentence

D. Compound-Complex Sentence

20. Bruno went to the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and Pauline went to Cape Cod.

A. Simple Sentence

B. Compound Sentence

C. Complex Sentence

D. Compound-Complex Sentence

21. Although they are 250 miles apart, they keep in constant contact on the internet.

A. Simple Sentence

B. Compound Sentence

C. Complex Sentence

D. Compound-Complex Sentence

23. In the line “For every clump of foxfire flaming in the Limberlost, there is a cardinal glowing reader on a bush above it” why is the comma in the correct place?

A. The dependent clause is at the beginning of the sentence and must be followed by a comma

B. The independent clause is at the beginning of the sentence and must be followed by a comma

C. The sentence begins with a prepositional phrase and needs a comma near it

D. The sentence is a compound-complex sentence and needs a comma in it

Answer the following questions on your separate sheet of paper. Starting with question #21. Insert transition words into the paragraph to make it cohesive.

Why I Don't Make My Bed

Ever since I moved into my own apartment last fall, I have gotten out of the habit of making my bed--except on Fridays, of course, when I change the sheets. Although some people may think that I am a slob, I have some sound reasons for breaking the bed-making habit. In the first place, I am not concerned about maintaining a tidy bedroom because no one except me ever ventures in there. If there is ever a fire inspection or a surprise date, I suppose I can dash in there to fluff up the pillow and slap on a spread. (21.)_________________, I am not bothered. In addition, I find nothing uncomfortable about crawling into a rumpled mass of sheets and blankets.(22.) _________________ I enjoy poking out a cozy space for myself before drifting off to sleep. Also, I think that a tightly made bed is downright uncomfortable: entering one makes me feel like a loaf of bread being wrapped and sealed. (23.)_________________, and (24.)_________________, I think bed-making is an awful way to waste time in the morning. I would rather spend those precious minutes checking my email or feeding the cat than tucking in corners or snapping the spread.

25. What two ideas are connected by your transition choice for number 22. Use complete sentences.

26.

Part II

On your separate sheet of paper, write The Apprentice. Use the excerpt from The Apprentice to answer the following questions on your separate piece of paper.

15. Reread the first paragraph. What is the mood of this paragraph? List it.16. Reread the last paragraph. What is the mood of this paragraph? List it.17. What is the author’s purpose for creating those moods at those moments in the story?

(One paragraph maximum)18. Write a simile to show the difference of the beginning of the excerpt to the end of the

excerpt. Provide some rationalization. (two sentences maximum)

On your separate sheet of paper, write “The Old Grandfather and His Little Grandson.” Use the excerpt from “The Old Grandfather and His Little Grandson“ to answer the following questions on your separate piece of paper.

19. What lines support your choice of tone in question 14? Explain why they create that tone. (One paragraph maximum)

20. Create a metaphor for the Old Grandfather and provide a rationale (reason) for your metaphor choices. (two sentences maximum)

Part III

Why I Don't Make My Bed

Ever since I moved into my own apartment last fall, I have gotten out of the habit of making my bed--except on Fridays, of course, when I change the sheets. Although some people may think that I am a slob, I have some sound reasons for breaking the bed-making habit. In the first place, I am not concerned about maintaining a tidy bedroom because no one except me ever ventures in there. If there is ever a fire inspection or a surprise date, I suppose I can dash in there to fluff up the pillow and slap on a spread. Otherwise, I am not bothered. In addition, I find nothing uncomfortable about crawling into a rumpled mass of sheets and blankets. On the contrary, I enjoy poking out a cozy space for myself before drifting off to sleep. Also, I think that a tightly made bed is downright uncomfortable: entering one makes me feel like a loaf of bread being wrapped and sealed. Finally, and most importantly, I think bed-making is an awful way to waste time in the morning. I would rather spend those precious minutes checking my email or feeding the cat than tucking in corners or snapping the spread.