A Quilt of a Country
Pages 2 - 10
By: Anna Quindlen
Turn to Page 2
1. Read/Sketch/Draft Academic Vocabulary
Read
Write the Word Here
Enforce
Entity
Internal
Presume
resolve
Sketch
Draft
Draw a picture that
Write a sentence using the
illustrates the meaning of the word correctly.
word.
Ex: A police officer will
enforce the law.
Read page 3
2. What recent historical event caused many to
think about what it means to be American?
3. What idea about the United States does
Daniel Boorstin’s quote in lines 4-6 support?
4. What two ideas can you expect Quindlen to
develop in the text?
Share your answer with your shoulder partner. (2 min.)
Read page 4
5. Lines 14-19: Identify the opposing viewpoint.
6. What evidence does Quindlen use to answer
the question posed in lines 37-39?
7. What ideas does Quindlen emphasize with
the rhetorical questions in lines 40-49?
8. How might our ideals and beliefs be
interwoven?
Share your answer with your shoulder partner. (2 min.)
Read page 5
Strong arguments use evidence that connects claims and other
widely accepted ideas.
9. Reread lines 50-60 and identify the connection the author
draws between the past and the present.
10. Identify the idea that Quindlen restates in lines 53-56.
Quindlen uses a public opinion poll as evidence to support her
argument.
11. Reread lines 61-71. What idea does this evidence support?
12. How could diversity strengthen and weaken a nation?
Share your answer with your shoulder partner. (2 min.)
Read page 6
13.Read Leonel Castillo’s quote from lines 79-87.
Is this quote relevant to Quindlen’s claims?
“Tolerance is a vanilla-pudding word.”
14.Look for context clues in lines 88-91 to help
you determine the meaning of the phrase
above.
15.What evidence does Quindlen use to restate
her claim in lines 97-103?
Share your answer with your shoulder partner.
16.Weekly Writing assignment