Name
Date
“The Sun Parlor” by Dorothy West
Selection Test A
Critical Reading Identify the letter of the choice that best answers the question.
1. What is the focus of the reflective essay “The Sun Parlor”?
A. the life of a little girl named Sis
B. a special room in the author’s home
C. the illness of the author’s favorite aunt
D. the importance of having a beautiful home
2. At the beginning of “The Sun Parlor,” West states that this “is a tale with a
moral.” What is the moral, or lesson, she teaches in this essay?
A. It is important to know that people listen.
B. People cannot stop the process of aging.
C. One must have a beautifully decorated home to impress one’s neighbors.
D. Respect for children is more important than pride in one’s home or
belongings.
3. How do visitors react to West’s childhood home?
A. They think it feels very sad.
B. They think it is quite beautiful.
C. They are horrified at the awful mess.
D. They feel it must be a child’s paradise.
4. Each section of “The Sun Parlor” has a main idea. What is the main point of the
section about West’s childhood home?
A. The author recalls that there were many visitors to her childhood home.
B. A house belongs to the children who live there, not the other way around.
C. West and her siblings were terrified that their mother would throw them out.
D. Children can destroy a home and its contents if they are allowed to run loose.
5. In “The Sun Parlor,” when does Sis visit the family’s cottage in the Highlands of
Oak Bluffs?
A. when she becomes very ill
B. just once, at Christmastime
C. during her summer breaks from school
D. only after she becomes a mother herself
Unit 3 Resources: Types of Nonfiction
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Name
Date
6. How does Sis react to the sun parlor when she first sees it?
A. She runs in excitedly to bounce on the furniture.
B. She runs right past it on her way to play outside.
C. She says that it is the most beautiful room she has ever seen.
D. She says that it looks like a stuffy and boring room for grown-ups.
7. Why does West tell Sis not to play in the sun parlor?
A. because she had just painted it
B. because it is a frightening place
C. because Sis would rather play outside
D. because a sick aunt is using the room
8. Why does West’s aunt dislike staying in the sun parlor?
A. It depresses her because someone died there.
B. She cannot sleep because the sun is so bright.
C. She feels separated from the rest of the family.
D. It is difficult to climb the stairs to get there.
9. How does West feel about the sun parlor after her aunt passes away?
A. It makes her sad, so she closes it up.
B. She becomes angry every time she sees it.
C. It reminds her of happy memories of her aunt.
D. She still does not want Sis to play in it.
10. What effect does West fear her actions will have on Sis?
A. Sis will never want to return to the cottage.
B. Sis might sneak into the room and destroy it.
C. Sis will think that West is a stuffy, selfish, and cruel woman.
D. Sis might think that rooms are more important than children.
11. Which of the following details most clearly supports the main idea of “The Sun
Parlor”?
A. Sis is one of West’s mother’s favorite children.
B. West regrets not letting Sis play in the sun parlor.
C. West’s generation becomes the oldest in the family.
D. West’s aunt keeps a secret from the rest of the family.
Unit 3 Resources: Types of Nonfiction
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Name
Date
12. What makes “The Sun Parlor” a reflective essay?
A. It tries to persuade readers to take action.
B. Its purpose is to inform readers about a topic.
C. It focuses on the writer’s personal experiences.
D. It is a fictional story meant to entertain readers.
Vocabulary and Grammar
13. Which of the following is an example of a person who is subordinate to others?
A. a new military recruit
B. the owner of a retail store
C. the principal of a high school
D. an emergency room doctor
14. Which of the following is the best antonym for the word lavished?
A. pampered
B. mistreated
C. cured
D. withheld
15. Which of the following sentences contains a predicate adjective?
A. West painted the room.
B. The sun parlor is special.
C. It has seven large windows.
D. Sis wants to play in the room.
Essay
16. Have you ever had a room or a possession of which you were particularly proud?
How did you feel about letting others use it? In an essay, explain why West felt protective of her sun parlor. Then state whether you would have forbidden Sis from
playing in the sun parlor. Why or why not?
17. Choose one of the events West describes in “The Sun Parlor,” such as her memories
of her childhood home or her aunt’s illness. Then, in an essay, state the main idea
and supporting details of the event. Finally, explain what general truth about
families the event shows.
Unit 3 Resources: Types of Nonfiction
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