Florida
Reading
Grade 6
Dana Henricks
AMSCO SCHOOL PUBLICATIONS, INC.
315 Hudson Street, New York, N.Y. 10013
About the Author
Dana Henricks (née Chicchelly) is a freelance writer and editor living and working in western Montana. She is a former middle school English Language Arts and French teacher and
has taught in Arizona and Texas. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and French
from Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and she received her post-baccalaureate teaching
certification from the University of Arizona.
Reviewers
Dr. Alyssa Eskin-Rosenblatt
Assistant Principal
Linda Lentin K–8 Center
North Miami, FL
Linda Kal Sander
Reading Coach
Pompano Beach Middle School
Pompano Beach, FL
Carol Vaught
Language Arts Chair/Gifted Education Teacher
Laurel Nokomis School
Nokomis, FL
Cover Design: Meghan Shupe
Compositor: Publishing Synthesis, Ltd.
Illustration: Hadel Studio and Eric Hieber
Please visit our Web site at www.amscopub.com
When ordering this book, please specify:
either R 006 W or FLORIDA READING, GRADE 6
ISBN: 978-1-56765-210-9
Copyright © 2011 by Amsco School Publications, Inc.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the
publisher.
Printed in the United States of America
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Introduction
v
About This Book
v
About the Florida Reading Standards
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Chapter 1 Reading Effectively
1
Chapter 2 Getting the Point
31
Chapter 3 The Author’s “Why”
59
Chapter 4 The Plot Thickens
97
Chapter 5 Knowing the Difference
133
Chapter 6 Why Did That Happen?
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Chapter 7 Now Featuring . . .
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Chapter 8 Looking Into It
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Practice Test
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Index
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Acknowledgments
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About This Book
The goal of this book is to help you understand and review the Grade 6
Florida Reading Standards. In this book, you will review many of the terms
and skills that you have already learned in class. You might wonder why
you need to work on the same skills over and over again. The answer is
something you’ve probably heard before, too: Practice makes perfect! Or,
as Florida Fred would say, “Practice makes purr-fect!” Oh, that’s right! You
haven’t met Florida Fred yet. Florida Fred is a cartoon cat who considers
himself to be an expert on the Florida Reading Standards. He will pop up
in each chapter with helpful tips for taking tests. The information in each
chapter, along with Florida Fred’s suggestions, will help you sharpen your
reading skills.
This book has eight chapters. Each chapter focuses on one or more of
the skills that will be assessed on the Florida Reading test. The chapters
review the skills you need to know for tests and give you many examples.
The Try It Out exercises walk you through a sample reading and test
questions. Then you will have a chance to practice the skills independently
in the On Your Own exercises. At the end of the book is a practice test.
Good wishes and good luck!
About the Florida Reading Standards
Florida’s Next Generation Sunshine State Standards identify the skills and
essential knowledge that students should possess.
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Introduction
Grade 6 Reading Benchmarks
LA.6.1.6.3
LA.6.1.6.7
LA.6.1.6.8
LA.6.1.6.9
LA.6.1.7.2
LA.6.1.7.3
LA.6.1.7.4
LA.6.1.7.5
LA.6.1.7.7
LA.6.2.1.2
LA.6.2.1.7
LA.6.2.2.1
LA.6.6.1.1
The student will use context clues to determine meanings
of unfamiliar words.
The student will identify and understand the meaning of
conceptually advanced prefixes, suffixes, and root words.
(Also assesses LA.6.1.6.11)
The student will identify advanced word/phrase
relationships and their meanings.
The student will determine the correct meaning of words
with multiple meanings in context.
The student will analyze the author’s purpose (e.g., to
persuade, inform, entertain, or explain) and perspective in
a variety of texts and understand how they affect meaning.
The student will determine the main idea or essential
message in grade-level text through inferring,
paraphrasing, summarizing, and identifying relevant
details
The student will identify cause-and-effect relationships in
text.
The student will analyze a variety of text structures (e.g.,
comparison/contrast, cause/effect, chronological order,
argument/support, lists) and text features (main headings
with subheadings) and explain their impact on meaning in
text.
The student will compare and contrast elements in
multiple texts.
The student will locate and analyze the elements of
plot structure, including exposition, setting, character
development, rising/falling action, conflict/resolution, and
theme in a variety of fiction.
The student will locate and analyze an author’s use of
allusions and descriptive, idiomatic, and figurative language
in a variety of literary texts, identifying how word choice
sets the author’s tone and advances the work’s theme.
The student will locate, use, and analyze specific
information from organizational text features (e.g., table of
contents, headings, captions, bold print, italics, glossaries,
indices, key/guide words).
The student will explain how text features (e.g., charts,
maps, diagrams, subheadings, captions, illustrations,
graphs) aid the reader’s understanding.
Introduction
LA.6.6.2.2
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The student will collect, evaluate, and summarize
information using a variety of techniques from multiple
sources (e.g., encyclopedias, websites, experts) that
includes paraphrasing to convey ideas and details from the
source, main idea(s) and relevant details.
Multiple-Choice Questions
All questions on the Grade 6 Florida Reading test will be in multiple-choice
format. Each multiple-choice question will have four possible answers, and
only one of them will be considered the best answer. The four choices will
be labeled A, B, C, D, or F, G, H, I.
Here are some strategies for choosing the right answer to a multiplechoice question:
• Read the question and try to answer it before you even read the possible
answers. If your answer is one of the four choices, it is probably correct.
• Read the possible answers and see if you can rule any of them out
because you know they are not the right answer.
• If you have time, jot down the most important information in the
reading.
• See if you can find a clue in the question that will help you figure out the
answer.
• Are you stuck on one of the questions and just can’t figure it out? Then
move on to other questions for that reading rather than spending all
your time on that one item. After you finish the other questions, go back
to the one you skipped. Sometimes questions later on in the test actually
help you figure out the answers to questions that came earlier.
• On the other hand, don’t worry if you have to spend a little extra time
on one question. Other questions will probably take less time to answer,
and you will be able to make up for the time you spent figuring out the
tough ones.
Now that you have a few basic tips under your belt, you’re ready to
begin working on the specific reading skills, one chapter at a time. Good
luck on your journey! Remember to watch for Florida Fred, who is ready to
guide you along the way.
pp
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The Plot
Thickens
Benchmark LA.6.2.1.2
The student will locate and analyze the elements of
plot structure, including exposition, setting, character
development, rising/falling action, conflict/resolution,
and theme in a variety of fiction.
Benchmark LA.6.2.1.7
The student will locate and analyze an author’s use
of allusions and descriptive, idiomatic, and figurative
language in a variety of literary text, identifying how
word choice sets the author’s tone and advances the
work’s theme.
O
kay! We’re ready to start! Everybody grab a seat!”
Lindsey said. The members of the newly formed
Riverside Book Club settled into the couch, armchair,
and beanbag in Lindsey’s living room.
“Okay, since this is our first meeting, we’re going to talk
about which book we’d like to read first. Who would like to
make a suggestion?”
“Oh, me! Me! Me!” Tori waved her arm frantically as if she
were trying to flag a taxi.
Lindsey raised her eyebrows. “Tori, you have a suggestion?”
“Well,” Tori dropped her arm and sat up straight on the
beanbag. “I think we should read that book by Vera Gordon. I
read it three months ago.”
“What’s it called?” asked Lindsey.
“Breaking Waves? Breaking Surf? Something like that.
Anyway, it’s about this boy who gets a job at the beach.”
“Like as a life guard?” asked Robert.
“No, he teaches windsurfing or scuba diving or something,”
Tori said.
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“So, what happens to him?” Jordan asked.
“Well, I don’t remember the story very well. I just remember
it’s really, really good.”
“Hmm . . .” Lindsey said, “Any other suggestions?”
“Well,” said Robert, “This weekend I started reading a book
called Just in Time. It’s about an astronaut who travels to another
planet where people are born, grow up, and get old, just like
on Earth, but once they reach 100 years old, they start growing
young again. Once they get down to one year old, they start
growing up all over again. Anyway, the astronaut falls in love
with a girl he meets there who is exactly his age. She falls in love
with him, too. The only problem is that she’s on her way down
from 100, so each year she gets younger and younger, while the
astronaut gets older and older.”
“Oh, wow! That’s freaky!” said Jordan.
“So he has to decide whether to bring her back to Earth
with him where she will grow old and die with him, or leave her
behind so that she can live forever.”
Which book do you think the book club decided on? Most
likely, they decided to read Just in Time. Although Tori said
that her book was “really, really good,” she didn’t give the club
enough details to make them interested in reading it. Robert, on
the other hand, explained a little bit about the book’s plot (what
happens in the book), and described the main characters. Robert
also talked about the book’s main conflict, or problem, which
made the club curious about the book: How would the astronaut
solve the problem he faced with his girlfriend growing younger
while he grew older?
Knowing the parts that make up a story—whether it’s in the
form of a book, a movie, or a TV show—will help you evaluate and
talk about it with others. It will also help you get good grades on
Language Arts papers and a high score on reading skills tests.
WHY STUDY THIS?
Understanding story elements will help you enjoy reading
stories, novels, and autobiographical essays. It will make
watching movies and seeing plays more fun, too. Or maybe
your language arts teacher will ask you to write a short story
or a play. Understanding story elements will help you include
in your writing all the features that readers expect when they
read a short story or play.
The Plot Thickens
Key Concepts: Story Elements
• Point of View: the position or relationship of the
storyteller to the events of the story. The storyteller
might be a character in the story (first-person point
of view) or someone outside of the story (thirdperson point of view).
• Setting: the place, time, and general environment
in which events in a story happen
• Descriptive Language: language that helps
the reader create mental images, or makes the
reader feel a certain way. Examples of descriptive
language are: imagery, tone, mood, alliteration,
onomatopoeia, and irony.
• Figurative Language: language that is used to
describe things, usually with comparisons that
are not supposed to be taken literally. Examples
of figurative language are: simile, metaphor,
symbolism, personification, and hyperbole.
• Characters: people (sometimes animals) who are
involved in the events of a story
• Conflict: a struggle between two forces that is
central to a story’s plot; a conflict usually has a
resolution (the outcome of the conflict)
• Plot: the chain of events in a story, usually revolves
around a conflict. A plot may include a flashback to
an earlier point in time or foreshadowing about the
future.
• Theme: the central message expressed in a story
SEEING IT IN ACTION
Point of View
Who is the storyteller? In first-person point of view, the
author uses the pronouns I and me, and the story is told as
though the author were taking part in the events.
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I crouched down in the line-up, the football
feeling slippery between my sweaty palms. This was
it! If we made this field goal, Taylor High School
would be the state football champions for the first
time in fifty years! I could not mess up this snap.
“Twenty-two! Thirty-four! Hike!”
In third-person point of view, the pronouns used are he,
she, they, and the author is a storyteller who is outside of
the events. In some stories, the point of view may be thirdperson omniscient, where the storyteller knows what all the
characters think and feel. (Note that omniscient means all
knowing.)
Jackson walked out on the field with the football,
hoping that no one in the stands, especially his father,
could see how badly his legs were shaking. His father,
remembering the pressure of his own high school
football days, felt a cold jolt of nervousness for his
son. Diana, the head cheerleader, saw Jackson’s knees
wobble. “Can he do it?” she wondered.
In other stories, the point of view may be third-person
limited, in which what the storyteller knows is limited to the
thoughts and experiences of one character at a time.
Jackson walked nervously out on the field
with the football, the coach’s words ringing in
his ears: “Don’t blow it, Jackson! This is the state
championship!” He wondered if he would ever be
able to live it down if he messed up the snap. What
would he say to Diana?
Setting
Setting is the “when and where” of a story. It involves the time
and place of the story.
The Plot Thickens
Time
Some authors tell you exactly when the action of a story takes
place. In other stories, the reader must figure out the time
period by clues in the characters’ clothing styles, modes of
transportation, or way of speaking.
Gork leaned over and checked the woolly
mammoth tracks. From experience, he knew that
the tracks were fresh. The giant beast had passed
through this area within the last cycle of the sun.
“Hruunh!” he grunted to the rest of the clan,
gesturing with his spear at the trail left by the
mammoth.
Place
Stories always take place somewhere, and that somewhere is
often very important to the story line itself.
Steve said goodnight to the others gathered
around the campfire, clambered to his feet, and
trudged through the snow to the tent he shared with
Dave. Dave had turned in an hour ago, but his body
heat had done little to warm up the inside of the
tent. As he unrolled his sleeping bag, Steve shook
his head in amazement and thought, “Tomorrow, we
reach the summit of Mount Everest. Mount Everest!”
Florida Fred Says:
On the Florida Reading test, you will find questions about setting
like: “How is the setting important to the plot?” You will learn
more about plot later in this chapter, but you can probably already
figure out in the example above that the mountain setting is very
important in this passage since it’s hard to climb a mountain if you
have no mountain!
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Descriptive Language
With the exception of comic books, graphic novels, and books
with lots of illustrations, authors can’t show real pictures
to their readers. Instead, they use descriptive language that
appeals to the senses, to “paint pictures” in the mind of the
reader. The descriptive words also give clues to the author’s
tone, or attitude toward the subject, create the mood, or
feeling, of the story or poem, and also try to make the reader
feel a certain way. Some types of descriptive language that
authors use are also known as literary devices:
Imagery
As stated above, imagery refers to descriptions that appeal to
the five senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. When
a story has vivid imagery, you feel as if you can actually see
that gold-streaked sunset, hear the thwap-thwap of a friend
walking down the street in flip-flops, taste that just-out-ofthe-oven chocolate chip cookie, smell the wet dog in the back
of a pick-up truck, or feel the tickly sensation of a spider
crawling up your arm.
Compare these two sentences:
Tucker saw the shark go by the boat.
Tucker stared wide-eyed as the enormous
hammerhead shark glided within inches of the
flimsy lifeboat.
The second sentence, with descriptions like “stared
wide-eyed,” “enormous hammerhead,” “glided,” and “flimsy
lifeboat,” creates a much more vivid image in the reader’s
mind than the first sentence.
Tone
Tone is the author’s attitude, style, or manner. The tone of
a story can be described as humorous, serious, respectful,
The Plot Thickens
sad, joyful, loving, bitter, hopeful, sarcastic, thoughtful,
or wishful. Tone is expressed mostly by word choice. The
characters’ actions may also give readers a sense of tone.
Compare these two paragraphs:
Everyone gasped when Everett’s father drove
up in the old junker. “This is the car you bought!”
Everett’s mom said angrily, pulling a strip of peeling
paint off the hood of the ancient jalopy.
Everyone caught their breath when Everett’s
father drove up in the beautifully restoredconvertible. “This is the car you bought!” Everett’s
mom said with excitement, running her hand along
the shiny, red hood of the car.
In the first paragraph, the tone is one of shock and anger;
in the second, the tone is one of happiness and excitement.
Notice how the imagery helps create the tone of each
paragraph.
Mood
Mood is the way the author wants the reader to feel. Does
the author want the reader to feel frightened or sad? Or does
the author want to make the reader laugh and feel happy? To
figure out mood, think about how you feel while reading the
story and notice the imagery the author uses to make you feel
that way. Mood is often conveyed by the story’s setting.
Alone in the dark, musty library of the old
mansion, I began scanning the dusty shelves for a
book to pass the time until my uncle’s return. A book
called The Secret Chamber caught my eye. I removed
it from the shelf and suddenly the entire bookshelf
shifted to the left, revealing a steep, crumbling
staircase, lit by candles.
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Florida Reading
Alliteration
“She sells seashells by the seashore.” Tongue-twisters like
this use the descriptive language technique of alliteration:
repeating the same letter or sound. When authors use
alliteration, though, they’re not trying to twist anybody’s
tongue. Instead, they’re using the sound of the repeated
letter to add a special effect to their writing. In the following
sentence, repeating the letter b adds a bouncy effect.
The beach ball bubbled into the air above the boys’ heads.
Onomatopoeia
Buzz, snap, whir, swoosh, pop, smack, creak . . . ! When a
word helps you “hear” what you are reading, the author is
using descriptive language called onomatopoeia. In the two
sentences that follow, which one helps you hear the fire?
The fire burned in the fireplace.
The fire crackled in the fireplace.
Irony
Irony is descriptive language that creates a feeling of
amusement or amazement in the reader because it describes
something that is the opposite of what the reader would
expect. People in a story can say things that are ironic:
“I love this meatloaf!” Franklin said, slyly
slipping a big chunk of it to the drooling bulldog
beside his chair.
Or situations can be ironic:
Last night, the police station was robbed.
The Plot Thickens
Figurative Language
If you hear someone say, “My sister Emma eats like a horse!”
do you think he or she means, literally, that Emma walks
around a pasture and eats grass? You probably understand
that “eats like a horse” is just a “figure of speech.” What is
really meant is that Emma eats a lot, as a horse does. When
authors make comparisons or say things that aren’t meant
to be taken literally, they are using figurative language.
Figurative language techniques, like descriptive language
techniques, are also known as literary devices. Here are some
types of figurative language:
Simile
A simile is a comparison that uses the words “like” or “as.”
Nelle was quiet as a mouse.
Metaphor
A metaphor is like a simile because it draws a comparison
between two things. But unlike a simile, a metaphor doesn’t
say something is like another thing, it says that it is another
thing.
Disappointments are the anchovies on the pizza of
life.
Symbolism
A symbol is anything that represents, or stands for, an idea,
person, event, or object. Symbols are all around you. A bald
eagle is a symbol of freedom. A heart on a bumper sticker
is a symbol of love. When an author uses a symbol, he or
she doesn’t come right out and say that one thing is another,
as with a metaphor. Symbolism in writing is like a “silent
metaphor.” The author hints that something is a symbol. It is up
to the reader to figure out that one thing stands for another.
In the short passage that follows, see if you can figure out
what the symbol is and what it stands for.
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It made no sense. Every time I had to go to the
dentist as a child, my mother would say, “Do you
want to go get an ice-cream cone?”
Her voice was filled with an emotion I didn’t
understand then, but do now, As young as I was, I
knew that that ice-cream cone was what got me into
the dentist’s chair!
The full understanding came as an adult when I
took my trembling dog to the vet for his shots. After
the shots were administered and we were loaded
back up in the safety of the van, I heard myself ask,
“Do you want to go get an ice-cream cone?”
The symbol in the passage is the ice-cream cone. It
stands for the reward the author (and dog) deserved after
experiencing something painful.
Personification
Personification is when an author gives an animal or an object
human qualities or abilities.
The red sun glowered menacingly as it rose above
the horizon, promising to punish whoever had
disturbed its slumber.
Hyperbole
Hyperbole (pronounced “hi PER buh le-”) is an extreme
exaggeration used to create a humorous effect or image. Tall
tales about folk heroes, such as the giant lumberjack Paul
Bunyan, use hyperbole to entertain the reader.
Compare the two sentences that follow.
The boy made a face when he bit the pickle.
Taking a bite of the sour pickle, the boy’s face
imploded like a skyscraper being demolished.
The Plot Thickens
The second sentence creates a much more humorous
image for the reader to enjoy.
Characters
A story cannot happen without characters. Sometimes,
the words protagonist and antagonist are used to describe
characters. The protagonist is the main character, the person
most central to the events of the story. The antagonist is a
character, thing, or force that works against the protagonist,
causing conflict.
Florida Fred Says:
What would you say if someone asked you, “Which word best
describes Florida Fred?”
A. lazy
B. mean
C. boring
D. intelligent
Well, I should hope that you picked choice D! This is the kind of
question on character that you will find on the Florida Reading test.
Some other examples of character questions are: “How was Florida
Fred affected by having his food bowl moved?” (Answer: He felt lost
and confused), “What do Florida Fred’s sunglasses reveal about his
personality?” (Answer: He is too cool for words), and “How did
Florida Fred change by the end of the passage?” Answer: He became
even more cool and intelligent than before).
Conflict and Resolution
A story always has a problem that must be resolved. The
problem, or struggle between two forces, is called the conflict.
The way the problem is resolved or turns out is called the
resolution.
On the following pages are examples of types of conflicts:
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Florida Reading
Character vs. Character
In this common conflict, what one character wants conflicts
with what another character wants. Example: a play about
two young ballerinas who compete against each other for a
scholarship to a famous dance school.
Character vs. Society
The main character is someone who does not fit in with
society—who goes against what society wants or expects.
Example: a story about a boy who wants to quit his high
school basketball team and become a cheerleader instead.
Character vs. Nature
The characters in stories fight against natural forces such as
storms, cold, or extreme heat. The natural force is called an
antagonistic force. Example: a movie about a family struggling
to make their way out of the Amazon jungle after their tour
guide disappears mysteriously.
Character vs. Self
This conflict involves an internal struggle. A character must
overcome problems within himself or herself. The character
may wish to do one thing but be tempted to do another.
Example: A young man dreams of becoming a pilot, but to do
so, he must first overcome his fear of heights.
To decide the type of conflict in a story, ask
yourself:
• Is the conflict between two main characters?
• Is the conflict between a character and society?
• Is the conflict between a character and some
outside natural force?
• Is a character struggling with his or her
thoughts or emotions?
The Plot Thickens
Florida Fred Says:
On the Florida Reading test, you might find questions on conflict like
“What is the main conflict of the passage?” or “What is the main
problem Carlos faces in the passage?” The reason they use the word
“main” is that the passage might have more than one conflict or
problem. For example, let’s say I’m hungry, but going to my bowl to eat
would require getting up and walking over to my food bowl (problem
#1). I’m also somewhat tired of eating the same old cat food (problem
#2). You have to figure out which one is the most important conflict.
You can also count on seeing questions about conflict resolution.
These will typically be worded like this: “How is the main conflict
resolved?” or “How does Carlos solve the main problem he faces in
the passage?” In the example above, my main problem is being hungry.
I might resolve this problem by feigning illness so that my worried
owner would bring my food bowl to me. Main problem resolved! If
I really ham it up so that my owner tries to tempt me with tasty cat
treats, both my main problem and my other problem are resolved.
Plot
Conflicts and resolutions, characters doing this and that
throughout a story—all are part of the plot of the story. Some
people use the term story line when referring to plot. Basically,
the plot is made up of the events that lead to the resolution of
the conflict.
When you are reading a great story or watching an
exciting movie you can’t help but wonder what’s going to
happen next. What happens is the plot.
Even if you don’t know exactly what is going to happen
next, a plot usually follows a predictable pattern: exposition,
inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling action, and
resolution.
Plot Development
Step 1: Exposition
The word exposition comes from the same root as the word
expose. To expose is “to make known.” The exposition makes
the characters and the setting known to the reader. It gives
background information that is necessary to understand the
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Florida Reading
story fully. The exposition also helps readers identify the
characters’ relationships to each other.
Here’s an example of the exposition from the story “My
Friend Fernando”:
My Friend Fernando
Jeremy fidgeted with excitement in the passenger
seat of the car. Last year was a blur, marked not by
seasons, but by the chores he did to raise money to
buy his first guitar: shoveling snow in January and
February, yard work in March and April, mowing
lawns and dog walking from May through August,
raking leaves in September and October, and back
to shoveling snow for the remainder of the year. But
today was the day! They were on their way to the
music store to pick out a guitar— an electric guitar!
He glanced over at his father and wondered how
he could be so calm. His father was the lead guitarist
in a local band called Travelin’ On. He had to
remember what it felt like to get his first guitar. But
sometimes his father was hard to figure out.
In the exposition of this story, the reader learns about
Jeremy and his father, and about the setting—which is most
likely a suburban or rural area in a part of the country where
the changing seasons would explain Jeremy’s changing
chores. The reader also learns what the story will be about:
Jeremy’s getting his first guitar.
Step 2: Inciting Incident
The word inciting comes from the same root as the word
incite. To incite is “to stir up” or “move to action.” The inciting
incident stirs things up for the protagonist so that he or she
must take action.
At last, they reached the music store. Jeremy
raced to the door, then paused and waited for his
father to catch up before going in.
The Plot Thickens
The walls of the store were lined with beautiful
guitars. Jeremy walked slowly and respectfully
through the store, as if he had entered King Tut’s
tomb filled with magnificent treasures. He stopped to
admire exquisite acoustic guitars made of fine wood
that gleamed warmly and richly, then moved on to
view the funky electric guitars in neon colors that
practically begged for someone to unleash their
screeching power.
Jeremy stopped in front of a glow-worm green
guitar.
“This one, Dad! This is the one!”
“Now, hold on a minute, bud,” his father said. “I
know you have your heart set on an electric guitar,
but this is the guitar you’re getting.”
His father held up an acoustic guitar. It was a
used guitar. Its wood gleamed, but only dully, and
there were bright spots worn on the fret board where
unknown fingers had played an unknowable number
of notes.
“Are you kidding me? That’s not an electric
guitar! That’s not even a new guitar!” Jeremy said.
“If you want to learn to play, to really play, you
should start with an acoustic. That way you’ll learn
the true sound of a guitar without all the bells and
whistles of an electric guitar. And this is a great
guitar. Son, trust me on this one.”
Jeremy knew that when his father said “trust me
on this one,” that it was the end of the discussion.
He tried to hide his disappointment as the salesclerk
found the ancient guitar’s case and rang up the sale.
There was no fidgeting on the way home. Jeremy
slumped in his seat and stared out the window.
What is the problem, or conflict, in this story? Jeremy is
excited about buying a brand new electric guitar, but he is
pressured by his father into buying a used acoustic guitar.
The incident at the music store “stirs things up” for Jeremy.
We wonder what will happen next. Will he decide he doesn’t
want to learn to play guitar after all? Will he come to love the
acoustic guitar? How will this conflict be resolved?
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Florida Reading
Step 3: Rising Action
The rising action is the sequence of events during which the
conflict develops or builds. In a good movie, you are on the
edge of your seat watching to see what will happen next.
When a book is good, you can’t stop reading because you
have to know what will happen next. Here’s more of “My
Friend Fernando”:
Alone in his room with the hated guitar lying
on his bed, Jeremy did something he hadn’t done
since he was five years old: He began to cry. Not
the free-for-all sobbing of a five-year-old, but the
angry sniffling of a fourteen-year-old. All that hard
work! All that snow he shoveled! All those lawns he
mowed! And for what? For some beat up old guitar!
Before long, the sniffling subsided.
“So, Dad thinks I’ll learn to play guitar on that
old thing?” Jeremy said aloud. “I’ll show him! I won’t
play at all! Ever! I’ll just play computer games 24
hours a day. See how he likes that!”
With that, Jeremy sat down at his computer and
logged onto a game. As the room became quiet, he
heard a muffled voice.
“¡Ay! My heart! My heart, it is breaking! It is
breaking! Oh, Segovia! Segovia!”
Jeremy looked all around the room and saw no
one. Finally, he unsnapped the latches on the guitar
case and lifted the lid.
“What are you staring at?” the guitar asked
indignantly. “You’ve never seen a guitar before?”
The part of the story you just read represents the rising
action. You want to know what happens next. Will Jeremy
run screaming out the door after finding out his new guitar
can talk?
Think of the rising action as the part that builds up your
excitement as you read. It’s like climbing up the ladder to a
high diving board for the first time. As you slowly climb the
steps you wonder, “What’s going to happen when I dive? Will
I survive?” You won’t know the answers to your questions
until you reach the next part of the story.
The Plot Thickens
Step 4: Climax
The action keeps building until it reaches a climax. The
climax is the highest point of interest or suspense. This is the
part where you approach the end of the diving board, bounce
a couple of times, and then make your dive.
Here’s the climax of “My Friend Fernando”:
Jeremy slammed the lid back down on the guitar
case.
“Open the lid! Open it!” said the guitar. “I
demand that you open the lid!”
Jeremy fearfully opened the lid of the guitar case.
“How dare you close the lid on me! ¡Qué
vergüenza! Shame on you! I am Fernando, the guitar
of the great Segovia!”
The guitar bent halfway out of the case and
peered at Jeremy. “Don’t tell me you have never heard
of the great Segovia! Segovia, the greatest classical
guitarist who ever lived!”
Fernando laid back down in the case, “May he
rest in peace! ¡Qué lástima! Oh, what a pity! Segovia
is no more, and I, too, am no more! I am no more
than a toy in the useless hands of a little boy!” The
guitar began to weep. Tears pooled on the guitar’s
scarred surface.
“Fernando! Stop crying! You’re going to ruin your
wood!”
“I don’t care! I don’t care about anything
anymore!” Fernando began to sob, tensing up his
entire body. Ploink! The tension began to break
Fernando’s strings, one by one. Ploink! “You even
said you would never play me! I am good for nothing!
¡Nada!” Ploink!
“Fernando! Stop! Your strings! I didn’t mean what
I said!” Jeremy cried out. He heard a creaking noise
in the neck of the guitar. Fernando’s neck was bent
nearly in two. Panicking, Jeremy grabbed the guitar
and cradled it in his arms.
“Don’t!” Jeremy pleaded. “I’ll play you! I know I’m
no good yet, but I’ll learn. I promise, I’ll learn.” He
felt the guitar relax somewhat.
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Florida Reading
“Oh, sure, you’ll play the heavy iron music on
me! ¡Ay!”
“Not heavy iron, heavy metal! I won’t play
heavy metal on you! If it will make you happy, I’ll
learn how to play classical guitar, flamingo guitar,
anything you want!”
Fernando chuckled. “Not flamingo, flamenco!
Okay. It is a deal. I will teach you to play classical
and flamenco guitar. At least in this way, the music
of my beloved Segovia will live on. Lesson number
one: Go wash your hands! Never play a guitar with
dirty hands! Go! Go now!”
Jeremy grinned as he ran off to wash his hands.
He could see that his new teacher was going to be a
demanding one.
The climax is the moment when Jeremy realizes that
Fernando is going to break apart completely if Jeremy doesn’t
do something to stop him.
Let’s examine the last two steps of plot development.
Step 5: Falling Action
After the climax, good stories end quickly. In a very short story,
such as “My Friend Fernando,” there may be only a sentence
or even a part of a sentence after the climax. In this story, the
falling action occurs when Jeremy grabs Fernando and promises
that he will play him and learn to be a good guitarist.
Step 6: Resolution
The falling action leads the reader to the resolution. Fernando
worries that Jeremy will play “heavy iron” on him and Jeremy
assures him he will learn to play classical and “flamingo” guitar.
In the resolution, the author hints at what happens to the
characters in the future. In “My Friend Fernando,” the reader
can guess that Fernando will teach Jeremy to be an excellent
guitarist. In a fairy tale, this is the “And they lived happily
ever after” moment.
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The Plot Thickens
THINK OF IT THIS WAY
You can think of plot development as a pyramid. You can
identify six important points on the pyramid, which move the
story forward.
Climax
Rising Action
Falling Action
Inciting Incident
Exposition
Resolution
Keep in mind that authors don’t always follow this exact
order in their stories. Sometimes authors use flashbacks and
foreshadowing, which you learned about in the Organizational
Patterns section of Chapter 3. A flashback describes an event
that happened before the main events of the story. Flashbacks
can give important background information about the story
or the characters in it. The author of “My Friend Fernando”
could have used flashback by jumping back in time to
describe the day Jeremy’s dad got his first guitar.
Authors use foreshadowing when they give the reader
hints about events that will happen later in the story. In “My
Friend Fernando,” if Jeremy had tripped over Fernando’s old
guitar case while admiring all the shiny new guitars, that
would have foreshadowed the important role the old guitar
would play later in the story.
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Florida Reading
Florida Fred Says:
On the Florida Reading test you will be asked questions about plot
and conflict. A question on the plot of “My Friend Fernando” might
be: “What happened when Jeremy slammed the lid of the guitar case
on Fernando?” A question on conflict might be: “What problem did
Jeremy face when he went to buy his first guitar with his father?”
Theme
The last element of a story, but certainly not the least
important, is theme. A theme is a general statement
about life or people that is stated in a complete sentence.
For example, the theme of “My Friend Fernando” is
compassion. Another example of a theme is the idea that
love conquers all.
Notice how these two examples are lessons about life,
also known as “universal truths,” or answers to universal
questions. The word universal here means that everyone
experiences this truth or asks this question. In other words,
to be human is to wonder about things like good and evil, the
meaning of life, and so on.
When you are asked about a passage’s theme, think
about its general, overall message. Ask yourself, “What is
this story telling me about how life works, or how people
behave?”
The Plot Thickens
117
Read the passage “A Work of Art.” Then answer the questions that
follow.
A Work of Art
“Ta-dah!” Nora whipped the cloth off her
finished painting with a flourish, and then
spun around to face her husband. “Do you
like it? I want your honest opinion!”
Ted hid his astonishment by taking a
swallow of scalding hot coffee from his
mug. The resulting paroxysm1
of coughing kept him
from howling with
laughter at the sight of
his wife’s first attempt
at oil painting. It was a
portrait of their pet Mitzi
that would have been
striking in its resemblance if
Mitzi had been a 500-pound,
buck-toothed, cross-eyed crocodile and not
a ten-pound dachshund.
“It’s . . . it’s . . . remarkable!” Ted finally
sputtered. “Very nice! Good . . . good job,
honey!”
“You really like it?” Nora asked.
“Oh, yes!” said Ted, “Let’s hang it, let’s
see, where could we hang it? You know,
I have the perfect place for it: Above my
workbench in the back of the garage!”
“Oh, you are so sweet!” Nora hugged
her husband. “But you’ll have to wait
___________
1
paroxysm: fit, attack
to hang it there! Since you think it’s
so good, I’m going to enter it in the art
contest they’re holding at the gallery
downtown.”
“Enter it in the art contest!” Ted yelped.
“Oh, yes! They’re having a contest that’s
open to artists from all over the country.
The judges are all famous
artists . . .” Nora said, then
added breathlessly, “from
New York!”
“Um, er, well, . . .
honey, I’m not sure that
artists from New York
would appreciate your
peculiar, I mean, your
particular style of art. It’s
so, so . . . unique!”
“Of course they’ll appreciate it! Anyone
can appreciate a true work of art!” Nora
said. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going
to phone the gallery to see how I go about
entering the contest.”
Ted thought, It’s a work of art, all right!
What was he going to do? He couldn’t
let Nora enter that monstrosity in the art
contest. She would be the laughingstock of
their small town!
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Florida Reading
1.
What is the main problem that Ted must solve?
A. He must fix his wife’s painting and make it better.
B. He must convince his wife to paint a better painting.
C. He must keep his wife from entering her painting in a contest.
D. He must confess to his wife that he lied when he said her painting was good.
2.
Which word best describes Ted?
F. jealous
G. selfish
H. protective
I. mean
Now read how one student answered these questions.
1. The passage doesn’t discuss Ted fixing the painting or
getting Nora to paint another one or about telling her
that he lied about the painting. Choices A, B, and D are all
possible solutions to the problem itself, which is keeping
Nora from entering the painting in a contest. Therefore,
choice C must be correct.
2. Choice F can’t be correct, because Ted isn’t jealous of his
wife’s lack of talent, he’s shocked by it. He doesn’t seem
selfish, so choice G is incorrect. He is careful not to hurt her
feelings and doesn’t want people to laugh at her, so choice
H may be correct. He doesn’t say anything mean about her
painting, so choice I isn’t right. The correct answer is H.
The Plot Thickens
119
Read the passage “Eleven” before answering Numbers 1 through 8.
Eleven
by Sandra Cisneros
W
hat they don’t understand about
birthdays and what they never
tell you is that when you’re
eleven, you’re also ten, and nine, and eight,
and seven, and six, and five, and four, and
three, and two, and one. And when you
wake up on your eleventh birthday you
expect to feel eleven, but you don’t. You
open your eyes and everything’s just like
yesterday, only it’s today. And you don’t
feel eleven at all. You feel like you’re still
ten. And you are—underneath the year
that makes you eleven.
Like some days you
might say something
stupid, and that’s the
part of you that’s
still ten. Or maybe
some days you might
need to sit on your
mama’s lap because
you’re scared, and
that’s the part of
you that’s five. And
maybe one day
when you’re all
grown up maybe
you will need to
cry like if you’re
three, and that’s
okay. That’s what
I tell Mama when she’s sad and needs to
cry. Maybe she’s feeling three.
Because the way you grow old is kind of
like an onion or like the rings inside a tree
trunk or like my little wooden dolls that fit
one inside the other, each year inside the next
one. That’s how being eleven years old is.
You don’t feel eleven. Not right away. It
takes a few days, weeks even, sometimes
even months before you say Eleven when
they ask you. And you don’t feel smart
eleven, not until you’re almost twelve.
That’s the way it is.
Only today I wish
I didn’t have only
eleven years rattling
inside me like
pennies in a BandAid box. Today I
wish I was one
hundred and two
instead of eleven
because if I was
one hundred
and two I’d have
known what to
say when Mrs.
Price put the red
sweater on my
desk. I would’ve
known how to tell
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Florida Reading
her it wasn’t mine instead of just sitting
there with that look on my face and
nothing coming out of my mouth.
“Whose is this?” Mrs. says, and she
holds the red sweater up in the air for all
the class to see. “Whose? It’s been sitting in
the coat-room for a month.”
“Not mine,” says everybody. “Not me.”
“It has to belong to somebody,” Mrs. Price
keeps saying, but nobody can remember.
It’s an ugly sweater with red plastic
buttons and a collar and sleeves all
stretched out like you could use it for a
jump rope. It’s maybe a thousand years old
and even if it belonged to me I wouldn’t
say so.
Maybe because I’m skinny, maybe
because she doesn’t like me, that stupid
Sylvia Saldivar says, “I think it belongs
to Rachel.” An ugly sweater like that, all
raggedy and old, but Mrs. Price believes
her. Mrs. Price takes the sweater and puts
it right on my desk, but when I open my
mouth nothing comes out.
“That’s not, I don’t, you’re not . . . Not
mine,” I finally say in a little voice that was
maybe me when I was four.
“Of course it’s yours,” Mrs. Price says.
“I remember you wearing it once.” Because
she’s older and the teacher, she’s right and
I’m not.
Not mine, not mine, not mine, but Mrs.
Price is already turning to page thirty-two,
math problem number four. I don’t know
why but all of a sudden I’m feeling sick
inside, like the part of me that’s three wants
to come out of my eyes, only I squeeze
them shut tight and bite down on my teeth
real hard and try to remember today I am
eleven, eleven. Mama is making a cake for
me for tonight, and when Papa comes home
everybody will sing Happy birthday, happy
birthday to you.
But when the sick feeling goes away
and I open my eyes, the red sweater’s still
sitting there like a big red mountain. I
move it to the corner of my desk with my
ruler. I move my pencil and books and
eraser as far from it as possible. I even
move my chair a little to the right. Not
mine, not mine, not mine.
In my head I’m thinking how long till
lunchtime, how long till I can take the red
sweater and throw it over the schoolyard
fence, or leave it hanging on a parking
meter, or bunch it up into a little ball and
toss it in the alley. Except when math
period ends Mrs. Price says loud and in
front of everybody, “Now, Rachel, that’s
enough,” because she sees I’ve shoved the
red sweater to the tippy-tip corner of my
desk and it’s hanging all over the edge like
a waterfall, but I don’t care.
“Rachel,” Mrs. Price says. She says it like
she’s getting mad. “You put that sweater on
right now and no more nonsense.”
“But it’s not—”
“Now!” Mrs. Price says.
This is when I wish I wasn’t eleven,
because all the years inside of me—ten,
nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two,
and one—are pushing at the back of my eyes
when I put one arm through one sleeve of
the sweater that smells like cottage cheese,
then the other arm through the other, and
stand there with my arms apart like if the
sweater hurts me and it does, all itchy and
full of germs that aren’t even mine.
That’s when everything I’ve been
holding in since this morning, since
when Mrs. Price put the sweater on my
desk, finally lets go, and all of a sudden
I’m crying in front of everybody. I wish I
was invisible but I’m not. I’m eleven and
The Plot Thickens
it’s my birthday today and I’m crying like
I’m three in front of everybody. I put my
head down on the desk and bury my face
in my stupid clown-sweater arms. My face
all hot and spit coming out of my mouth
because I can’t stop the little animal noises
from coming out of me, until there aren’t
any more tears left in my eyes, and it’s just
my body shaking like when you have the
hiccups, and my whole head hurts like
when you drink milk too fast.
But the worst part is right before the bell
rings for lunch. That stupid Phyllis Lopez,
who is even dumber than Sylvia Saldivar,
says she remembers the red sweater is hers!
I take it off right away and give it to her,
only Mrs. Price pretends like everything’s
okay.
Today I’m eleven. There’s a cake Mama’s
making for tonight, and when Papa comes
home from work we’ll eat it. There’ll be
candles and presents and everybody will
sing Happy birthday, happy birthday to
you, Rachel, only it’s too late.
I’m eleven today. I’m eleven, ten, nine,
eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, and
one, but I wish I was one hundred and two.
I wish I was anything but eleven, because I
want today to be far away already, far away
like a runaway balloon, like a tiny o in the
sky, so tiny-tiny you have to close your eyes
to see it.
Now answer Numbers 1 through 8. Base your answers on the passage “Eleven.”
Which word best describes Rachel?
A. shy
B. sneaky
C. stuck-up
D. confident
What is the main conflict in the passage?
F. Rachel is humiliated when classmates make fun of her sweater.
G. Rachel is angry when her classmates tease a girl about her sweater.
H. Rachel is embarrassed when a teacher insists that the sweater is hers.
I. Rachel is ashamed when people find out the sweater really belongs to her.
Who is the main antagonist in the passage?
A. Rachel
B. Mrs. Price
C. Phyllis Lopez
D. Sylvia Saldivar
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Florida Reading
Read the following sentence from the passage.
But when the sick feeling goes away and I open my eyes, the red sweater’s
still sitting there like a big red mountain.
What type of literary device is used in the italicized words of the sentence above?
F. simile, comparing the sweater to a mountain
G. irony, using unexpected words to describe the sweater
H. hyperbole, describing the sweater as bigger than it really is
I. alliteration, repeating the same letter to show her dislike of the sweater
How does Rachel try to solve her problem with the sweater?
A. by throwing the sweater to the floor
B. by pushing the sweater to one corner of her desk
C. by trying on the sweater to show that it doesn’t fit
D. by talking another girl into saying the sweater belongs to her
Why does Rachel think about the birthday celebration her parents will have for her
that night?
F. to remind herself that people love her and think she is special
G. to remind herself that she must not get her clothes dirty before the party
H. to make herself remember that she is better than the other girls in her class
I. to make herself remember that some kids do not come from loving families
What does Rachel mean when she says that when you’re eleven, you’re also ten, nine,
eight, and all the other ages?
A. As you get older, you become more mature.
B. As you get older, you get better at speaking up for yourself.
C. Even though you get older, you can still remember other birthdays.
D. Even though you get older, you can still feel like a little kid sometimes.
If the passage needed a new title, which of these would be best?
F. “A Birthday Wish”
G. “A Birthday Promise ”
H. “A Birthday to Forget”
I. “Happy Birthday to Me”
The Plot Thickens
123
Read the passage “Becoming an Artist” before answering Numbers 1 through 8.
Becoming an Artist
by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan
Step into Chuck Close’s studio. You find yourself
in a long white room with a thirteen-foot-high
ceiling. Except for the colorful paintings lining
the wall, the space is bare. The floor is cement,
painted gray. Light pours in through a skylight.
The studio is stripped for action, a place where
work is done. Two unmatched chairs wait for
Chuck’s interviewers. A big bear of a man with
a gentle manner, the artist talks about his work
in an open yet carefully considered way. After
pointing out a recently completed portrait of
his thirteen-year-old daughter, Maggie, he
discusses his own childhood. “When I was
eight, I took art lessons from a woman in the
neighborhood. I learned to draw from life
models. It made me the envy of all my friends.”
o the people who knew Chuck Close
when he was growing up in Tacoma,
Washington, still remember him?
If his teachers come across his name in
the newspapers or art magazines, do
they recognize this celebrated artist as
the uncoordinated kid in their classes
with the Coke-bottle eyeglasses and the
expectant smile? They didn’t think he’d
amount to much, let alone become famous.
“I was ‘dumb,’ a ‘shirker,’ ‘lazy’; my ‘mind
wandered.’ This was written on my report
cards.”
Today he realizes that his school
problems were caused by serious learning
D
Painter Chuck Close poses with self portrait.
disabilities, but he wasn’t tested and
diagnosed until his own children were
in school. During his childhood, in the
1940s, most educators didn’t know about
learning disabilities or dyslexia. A student
who had Chuck’s trouble reading, spelling,
concentrating, or paying attention was
labeled slow or just plain difficult.
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Florida Reading
He spent hours by himself, drawing.
“When every kid on the block wanted to
become a policeman or fireman, I wanted
to be an artist. It was the first thing that I
was good at, the first thing that really made
me feel special. I had skills the other kids
didn’t have. Art saved my life.”
Chuck’s big present one Christmas was
an artist’s easel. Then he saw a wooden box
of “Genuine Artist’s Oil Paints” advertised
in a Sears, Roebuck catalog. “I bugged
my parents for weeks until they bought it
for me. To this day I can smell that cheap
linseed oil in those tubes of paint.”
Close’s father, a sheet-metal worker
and inventor, made many of Chuck’s toys.
“World War Two was going on, and a lot of
stuff wasn’t available in stores. He built me
a bicycle from scratch and a pedal-powered
Jeep I could drive around. He made all my
model railroad mountains and bridges,
too.”
When Chuck was eleven, his father
died. “Before that, I’d never picked up a
hammer. After he died, I became very
handy.” His mother had taught piano at
home, but now she took a full-time sales
job to support the family.
At school Chuck’s learning disabilities
made studying an ordeal. But instead of
giving up he figured out his own way to
concentrate. “I filled the bathtub to the
brim with hot water. A board across the
bathtub held my book. I would shine a
spotlight on it. The rest of the bathroom
was dark. Sitting in the hot water, I would
read each page of the book five times
out loud so I could hear it. If I stayed up
half the night in the tub till my skin was
wrinkled as a raisin, I could learn it. The
next morning I could spit back just enough
information to get by on the test.”
Told by his school adviser not to bother
with college preparatory classes, Close
ended up at a junior college near his home
after high school graduation. “The open
enrollment policy meant anyone could sign
up. Even someone like me who had never
taken algebra, physics, or chemistry.”
There he got lucky. The pride of the
school was the art department. “The
football team got new jerseys only if the art
classes didn’t need new supplies.” Chuck
had hoped to be an illustrator, designing
magazine covers or cartooning for Disney,
but after he took his first commercial art
classes, he changed his mind. He would be
a painter.
He went on to the University of
Washington, and then this young man
who had once been labeled “dumb” was
accepted by the Yale University School
of Art. The learning disorders had not
disappeared. But the painstaking discipline
he had developed to get through school
became the beginnings of a detailed system
to organize his art.
“Almost every decision I’ve made as
an artist is an outcome of my particular
learning disorders. I’m overwhelmed by
the whole. How do you make a big head?
How do you make a nose? I’m not sure!
But by breaking the image down into small
units, I make each decision into a bite-sized
decision. I don’t have to reinvent the wheel
every day. It’s an ongoing process. The
system liberates and allows for intuition.
And eventually I have a painting.”
The Plot Thickens
125
Now answer Numbers 1 through 8. Base your answers on the passage “Becoming an
Artist.”
Which phrase best describes the tone of the passage?
A. respectful, showing how the author admires the artist
B. angry, describing how teachers can discourage talented kids
C. serious, explaining how learning disabilities can go untested
D. humorous, giving examples of how the artist overcame challenges
How did Chuck deal with his problem at school?
F. by working to help support his family
G. by spending lots of time with his friends
H. by spending time alone, learning to draw
I. by learning to fix things around the house
Chuck did his schoolwork in the bathtub because it was the only way he could
A. find any privacy.
B. relax enough to study.
C. find enough time to study.
D. make himself concentrate.
Which pair of words best describes Chuck as a student?
F. lazy and uncaring
G. gifted and talented
H. angry and frustrated
I. hard-working and determined
Which statement states the main theme of the passage?
A. It is important to follow your dreams.
B. It is good to be talented in many different areas.
C. It is impossible to predict how your life will turn out.
D. It is important to work hard and to develop your talents.
What part of Chuck’s early life might explain why he keeps his art studio bare and
“stripped for action”?
F. his having to study in the bathtub
G. his needing to go to a junior college
H. his mother having to support the family
I. his father dying when he was only eleven
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Florida Reading
Read the following excerpt from the passage.
Then he saw a wooden box of “Genuine Artist’s Oil Paints” advertised in a Sears,
Roebuck catalog. “I bugged my parents for weeks until they bought it for me. To
this day I can smell that cheap linseed oil in those tubes of paint.”
What can you infer about this experience in Chuck’s life?
A. It is a sad memory because it makes him think of his parents.
B. It is a bad memory because it reminds him of hard times growing up.
C. It is a funny memory because it makes him see how silly he was as a boy.
D. It is a good memory because it reminds him of his first real artist’s paints.
How do Chuck’s learning disorders affect him today as an artist?
F. They make him feel too overwhelmed to work on art.
G. They make him look at the whole and not at the details.
H. They make him struggle very hard to get anything done.
I. They make him work on his art in a very organized way.
Read the passage “The Lottery Ticket” before answering Numbers 1 through 8.
The Lottery Ticket
by Anton Chekhov
I
van Dmitritch, a middle-class man who
lived with his family on an income of
twelve hundred a year and was very
well satisfied with his lot, sat down on the
sofa after supper and began reading the
newspaper.
“I forgot to look at the newspaper
today,” his wife said to him as she cleared
the table. “Look and see whether the list of
drawings is there.”
“Yes, it is,” said Ivan Dmitritch; “but
hasn’t your ticket lapsed?”
“No; I took the interest on Tuesday.”
“What is the number?”
“Series 9,499, number 26.”
“All right . . . we will look . . . 9,499 and
26.”
Ivan Dmitritch had no faith in lottery
luck, and would not, as a rule, have
consented to look at the lists of winning
numbers, but now, as he had nothing else
to do and as the newspaper was before his
eyes, he passed his finger downwards along
the column of numbers. And immediately,
as though in mockery of his scepticism,
no further than the second line from the
top, his eye was caught by the figure 9,499!
Unable to believe his eyes, he hurriedly
dropped the paper on his knees without
looking to see the number of the ticket,
The Plot Thickens
and, just as though
some one had
splashed him with
cold water, he felt an
agreeable chill in the
pit of the stomach;
tingling and terrible
and sweet!
“Masha, 9,499 is
there!” he said in a
hollow voice.
His wife looked at
his astonished and panic-stricken face, and
realized that he was not joking.
“9,499?” she asked, turning pale and
dropping the folded tablecloth on the table.
“Yes, yes . . . it really is there!”
“And the number of the ticket?”
“Oh yes! There’s the number of the
ticket too. But stay . . . wait! No, I say!
Anyway, the number of our series is there!
Anyway, you understand. . . .”
Looking at his wife, Ivan Dmitritch gave
a broad, senseless smile, like a baby when
a bright object is shown it. His wife smiled
too; it was as pleasant to her as to him that
he only mentioned the series, and did not
try to find out the number of the winning
ticket. To torment and tantalize oneself
with hopes of possible fortune is so sweet,
so thrilling!
“It is our series,” said Ivan Dmitritch,
after a long silence. “So there is a
probability that we have won. It’s only a
probability, but there it is!”
“Well, now look!”
“Wait a little. We have plenty of time to
be disappointed. It’s on the second line from
the top, so the prize is seventy-five thousand.
That’s not money, but power, capital! And in a
minute I shall look at the list, and there—26!
Eh? I say, what if we really have won?”
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Ivan Dmitritch, holding the paper in his
hand, walked several times from corner to
corner, and only when he had recovered
from the first impression began dreaming a
little.
“And if we have won,” he said—“why, it
will be a new life, it will be a transformation!
The ticket is yours, but if it were mine I
should, first of all, of course, spend twentyfive thousand on real property in the shape
of an estate; ten thousand on immediate
expenses, new furnishing . . . traveling . . .
paying debts, and so on. . . . The other forty
thousand I would put in the bank and get
interest on it.”
And pictures came crowding on his
imagination, each more gracious and
poetical than the last. And in all these
pictures he saw himself well-fed, serene,
healthy, felt warm, even hot! Here, after
eating a summer soup, cold as ice, he lay
on his back on the burning sand close to a
stream or in the garden under a lime-tree.
. . . It is hot. . . . His little boy and girl are
crawling about near him, digging in the
sand or catching ladybirds in the grass. He
dozes sweetly, thinking of nothing, and
feeling all over that he need not go to the
office today, tomorrow, or the day after.
“Yes, it would be nice to buy an estate,”
said his wife, also dreaming, and from her
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face it was evident that she was enchanted
by her thoughts.
Ivan Dmitritch stopped and looked at
his wife.
“I should go abroad, you know, Masha,”
he said.
And he began thinking how nice it
would be in late autumn to go abroad
somewhere to the South of France . . . to
Italy . . . to India!
“I should certainly go abroad too,” his
wife said. “But look at the number of the
ticket!”
“Wait, wait! . . .”
He walked about the room and went on
thinking. It occurred to him: what if his wife
really did go abroad? It is pleasant to travel
alone, or in the society of light, careless
women who live in the present, and not
such as think and talk all the journey about
nothing but their children, sigh, and tremble
with dismay over every farthing.
“She would begrudge me every
farthing,” he thought, with a glance at
his wife. “The lottery ticket is hers, not
mine! Besides, what is the use of her going
abroad? What does she want there? She
would shut herself up in the hotel, and not
let me out of her sight. . . . I know!”
And for the first time in his life his
mind dwelt on the fact that his wife had
grown elderly and plain, and that she was
saturated through and through with the
smell of cooking, while he was still young,
fresh, and healthy, and might well have got
married again.
And he looked at his wife, not with a
smile now, but with hatred. She glanced at
him too, and also with hatred and anger.
She had her own daydreams, her own
plans, her own reflections; she understood
perfectly well what her husband’s dreams
were. She knew who would be the first to
try to grab her winnings.
“It’s very nice making daydreams at
other people’s expense!” is what her eyes
expressed. “No, don’t you dare!”
Her husband understood her look;
hatred began stirring again in his breast,
and in order to annoy his wife he glanced
quickly, to spite her at the fourth page
on the newspaper and read out
triumphantly:
“Series 9,499, number 46! Not 26!”
Hatred and hope both disappeared at
once, and it began immediately to seem
to Ivan Dmitritch and his wife that their
rooms were dark and small and lowpitched, that the supper they had been
eating was not doing them good, but lying
heavy on their stomachs, that the evenings
were long and wearisome. . . .
Now answer Numbers 1 through 8. Base your answers on the passage “The Lottery Ticket.”
How does Ivan feel about his life at the beginning of the passage?
A. a little sad
B. fairly happy
C. slightly angry
D. completely overjoyed
The Plot Thickens
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When Ivan begins to imagine what he would do with his winnings, the tone of the
passage changes to one of
F. seriousness
G. irony
H. sorrow
I. cheerfulness
Why does Ivan wait before reading the final number of the lottery ticket?
A. to tease his wife
B. to enjoy the excitement longer
C. to take a moment to calm down
D. to plan how he and his wife will share the money
Which pair of words best describes Ivan by the end of the passage?
F. kind and loving
G. mean and cruel
H. greedy and selfish
I. helpful and concerned
What problem does Ivan face after hearing that his wife, too, would go abroad?
A. He is afraid his wife will ruin his fun.
B. He is worried his wife might lose her love for him.
C. He is certain that his wife would spend the money carelessly.
D. He is convinced that his wife would leave him after going abroad.
In the paragraph that begins “And for the first time in his life his mind dwelt on the
fact . . .,” the author uses imagery to show how he
F. now sees his wife.
G. once loved his wife.
H. forgets his wife’s needs.
I. feels distrustful of his wife.
How do Ivan’s feelings about his life change by the end of the passage?
A. He is much happier.
B. He is no longer happy with his life.
C. He is more appreciative of his wife.
D. He is more grateful for what he has.
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Which statement best expresses the theme of the passage?
F. We should never take what we have for granted because it might be taken away
from us.
G. Wealth that comes from working hard is more valuable than wealth that comes to
us from luck.
H. Only by placing someone else’s happiness above our own can we find true
happiness.
I. Dreaming about what our life could be like can hurt us by making our real life
seem shabby in comparison.
MAKING SENSE OF IT
You can remember the terms you learned in this chapter
by using them when you talk with friends and family about
books and stories you have read and movies, TV shows, and
plays you have seen. Here are some questions you might ask
yourself to clarify the elements of a story:
Point of View: Is the narrator outside the action (third
person), or does the narrator take part in the action (first
person)?
Setting: Where and when do events happen?
Descriptive Language: Do the descriptions create images
in my mind’s eye? Does the language try to make me feel
a certain way?
Imagery: Can I almost see, hear, smell, taste, or feel
what is being described?
Tone: Do the descriptions hint at the author’s tone or
attitude? What manner of expression or style does the
author use to suggest attitudes about characters, places,
or events?
Mood: What overall feeling does the reader get when
reading the story? What is the feeling or atmosphere
suggested by the setting of the story?
Alliteration: Is one letter or sound being repeated?
What effect does that create?
The Plot Thickens
Onomatopoeia: Do words sound like the objects
they are describing? Can I “hear” the things being
described?
Irony: Am I reading about a situation that is the
opposite of what I would expect? Does the author or a
character say something the opposite of what he or she
means?
Figurative Language: Are there descriptions that I
should not take literally?
Simile: Is the author comparing two things using the
words like or as?
Metaphor: Is the author making a comparison by
saying that one thing is another thing?
Symbolism: Does one thing represent something else?
Personification: Is the author giving human traits and
actions to things that are not human?
Hyperbole: Are there descriptions that are extreme
exaggerations?
Characters: Who is the story about? What are their
personalities like? How are they involved in what
happens?
Conflict: What is the problem? Against whom or what
is the character struggling? Is it character vs. character,
character vs. society, character vs. nature, or character vs.
himself or herself? How is the conflict resolved?
Plot: What happens in the story? What major events take
place? Does the plot use flashback to describe an earlier
event or foreshadowing to hint at future events?
Theme: What is the big message about life in the story?
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