My Papa, Mark Twain

by

Susy Clemens

Review

1. What is a fact?

• A statement or information that can be checked or proved.

2. What is an opinion?

• A person’s judgment or belief.

3. How does Susy Clemens describe her father?

• Humorous and kind

4. What does Susy Clemens mean when she writes the following? I never saw a man with so much variety of feeling as papa has.

• Mark Twain could express many different emotions in his writing.

5. Why does Clemens mention the number of cats in the Twain home?

• It is a detail that supports the fact that Twain loves animals.

6. According to the information Susy Clemens presents, how can her father best be described?

• Humorous, absent-minded, and affectionate

7. How does Susy Clemens reveal a unique perspective about Mark

Twain? • She tells personal

stories about her father at home.

8. Why does Susy Clemens write about her father that, “he could listen to himself talk for hours without getting tired?”

• She wanted to inform us that Twain enjoyed talking more than listening to others.

9. What does Twain’s problem with the burglar alarm show about him?

• Twain has trouble understanding how such devices work.

10. What excuse does Susy Clemens give for her father’s not being able to understand how the burglar alarm works?

• He has the mind of a writer and cannot understand simple things.

11. striking

• very noticeable or impressive; unusual

12. absent-minded

• forgetful

13. incessantly

• constantly; continuously

14. consequently

• as a result

15. impatient

• feeling or showing annoyance because of delay

16. peculiar

• out of the ordinary; odd

17. A fact is information that must be __________.

• proven

18. An opinion is a person’s _________ or _________.

• judgment or belief

19. Text-Based Question: Susy Clemens creates a vivid portrait of her father. Write a short answer telling the good points and the faults that Clemens

reveals about her father.• Mark Twain is attractive and intelligent. She

suggests that he is the center of the family and that everyone, especially her mother, caters to him. He is fond of animals, humorous, and has a kind, sympathetic nature. His faults include excessive billiard playing, smoking, talking, strong language, absent-mindedness, and lack of mechanical ability.