Deck 5: Narrating

Question 1

Read the following paragraphs and answer the questions after each paragraph.
We lived in Puerto Rico until my brother was born in 1954. Soon after, because of economic pressures on our growing family, my father joined the United States Navy. He was assigned to duty on a ship in Brooklyn Yard-a place of cement and steel that was to be his home base in the states until his retirement more than twenty years later. He left the Island first, alone, going to New York City and tracking down his uncle who lived with his family across the Hudson River in Paterson, New Jersey. There my father found a tiny apartment in a huge tenement that had once housed Jewish families but was just being taken over and transformed by Puerto Ricans, overflowing from New York City. In 1955, he sent for us. My mother was only twenty years old, I was not quite three, and my brother was a toddler when we arrived in El Building, as the place had been christened by its newest residents.
-Judith Ortiz Cofer

-What is the main point of this paragraph?

Answer 1

The author's father worked hard to bring his family over to mainland United States.

Question 2

Read the following paragraphs and answer the questions after each paragraph.
We lived in Puerto Rico until my brother was born in 1954. Soon after, because of economic pressures on our growing family, my father joined the United States Navy. He was assigned to duty on a ship in Brooklyn Yard-a place of cement and steel that was to be his home base in the states until his retirement more than twenty years later. He left the Island first, alone, going to New York City and tracking down his uncle who lived with his family across the Hudson River in Paterson, New Jersey. There my father found a tiny apartment in a huge tenement that had once housed Jewish families but was just being taken over and transformed by Puerto Ricans, overflowing from New York City. In 1955, he sent for us. My mother was only twenty years old, I was not quite three, and my brother was a toddler when we arrived in El Building, as the place had been christened by its newest residents.
-Judith Ortiz Cofer
-List and answer the six journalistic questions.

Answer 2

Who? the father and his family
What? moving to the mainland
When? 1954
Where? Puerto Rico, New York, and New Jersey
Why? to make a better life for his family
How? by working hard

Question 3

Read the following paragraphs and answer the questions after each paragraph.
We lived in Puerto Rico until my brother was born in 1954. Soon after, because of economic pressures on our growing family, my father joined the United States Navy. He was assigned to duty on a ship in Brooklyn Yard-a place of cement and steel that was to be his home base in the states until his retirement more than twenty years later. He left the Island first, alone, going to New York City and tracking down his uncle who lived with his family across the Hudson River in Paterson, New Jersey. There my father found a tiny apartment in a huge tenement that had once housed Jewish families but was just being taken over and transformed by Puerto Ricans, overflowing from New York City. In 1955, he sent for us. My mother was only twenty years old, I was not quite three, and my brother was a toddler when we arrived in El Building, as the place had been christened by its newest residents.
-Judith Ortiz Cofer

-Give two vivid details Cofer provides in this paragraph. Why are they vivid?

Answer 3

Two vivid details Cofer provides in this paragraph are the description of the Brooklyn Yard as a "place of cement and steel" and the transformation of the huge tenement that "had once housed Jewish families but was just being taken over and transformed by Puerto Ricans, overflowing from New York City." These details are vivid because they paint a clear and detailed picture of the settings. The first detail gives a sense of the industrial, harsh environment that the father had to adapt to after leaving Puerto Rico. The second detail illustrates the cultural shift and the crowded conditions in the tenement, indicating the challenges the family might have faced in their new home.

Question 4

Read the following paragraphs and answer the questions after each paragraph.
We lived in Puerto Rico until my brother was born in 1954. Soon after, because of economic pressures on our growing family, my father joined the United States Navy. He was assigned to duty on a ship in Brooklyn Yard-a place of cement and steel that was to be his home base in the states until his retirement more than twenty years later. He left the Island first, alone, going to New York City and tracking down his uncle who lived with his family across the Hudson River in Paterson, New Jersey. There my father found a tiny apartment in a huge tenement that had once housed Jewish families but was just being taken over and transformed by Puerto Ricans, overflowing from New York City. In 1955, he sent for us. My mother was only twenty years old, I was not quite three, and my brother was a toddler when we arrived in El Building, as the place had been christened by its newest residents.
-Judith Ortiz Cofer
-How does the author organize the details in this paragraph?

Question 5

I began working in journalism when I was eight years old. It was my mother's idea. She wanted me to "make something" of myself and, after a levelheaded appraisal of my strengths, decided I had better start young if I was to have any chance of keeping up with the competition.
The flaw in my character which she had already spotted was the lack of "gumption." My idea of a perfect afternoon was lying in front of the radio rereading my favorite Big Little Book, Dick Tracy Meets Stooge Viller. My mother despised inactivity. Seeing me having a good time in repose, she was powerless to hide her disgust. "You've got no more gumption than a bump on a log," she said. "Get out in the kitchen and help Doris do those dirty dishes."
-Russell Baker
-What is the main point of this paragraph?

Question 6

I began working in journalism when I was eight years old. It was my mother's idea. She wanted me to "make something" of myself and, after a levelheaded appraisal of my strengths, decided I had better start young if I was to have any chance of keeping up with the competition.
The flaw in my character which she had already spotted was the lack of "gumption." My idea of a perfect afternoon was lying in front of the radio rereading my favorite Big Little Book, Dick Tracy Meets Stooge Viller. My mother despised inactivity. Seeing me having a good time in repose, she was powerless to hide her disgust. "You've got no more gumption than a bump on a log," she said. "Get out in the kitchen and help Doris do those dirty dishes."
-Russell Baker
-List and answer the six journalistic questions.

Question 7

I began working in journalism when I was eight years old. It was my mother's idea. She wanted me to "make something" of myself and, after a levelheaded appraisal of my strengths, decided I had better start young if I was to have any chance of keeping up with the competition.
The flaw in my character which she had already spotted was the lack of "gumption." My idea of a perfect afternoon was lying in front of the radio rereading my favorite Big Little Book, Dick Tracy Meets Stooge Viller. My mother despised inactivity. Seeing me having a good time in repose, she was powerless to hide her disgust. "You've got no more gumption than a bump on a log," she said. "Get out in the kitchen and help Doris do those dirty dishes."
-Russell Baker
-Give two vivid details the author provides in this paragraph. Why are they vivid?

Question 8

I began working in journalism when I was eight years old. It was my mother's idea. She wanted me to "make something" of myself and, after a levelheaded appraisal of my strengths, decided I had better start young if I was to have any chance of keeping up with the competition.
The flaw in my character which she had already spotted was the lack of "gumption." My idea of a perfect afternoon was lying in front of the radio rereading my favorite Big Little Book, Dick Tracy Meets Stooge Viller. My mother despised inactivity. Seeing me having a good time in repose, she was powerless to hide her disgust. "You've got no more gumption than a bump on a log," she said. "Get out in the kitchen and help Doris do those dirty dishes."
-Russell Baker
-How does Baker organize the details in this paragraph?

Question 9

He then took a job in a sawmill in Clatskanie, Oregon, a little town alongside the Columbia River. I was born there, and my mother has a picture of my dad standing in front of the gate to the mill, proudly holding me up to face the camera. My bonnet is on crooked and about to come untied. His hat is pushed back on his forehead, and he's wearing a big grin. Was he going in to work or just finishing his shift? It doesn't matter. In either case, he had a job and a family. These were his salad days.
-Raymond Carver
-What is the main point of this paragraph?

Question 10

He then took a job in a sawmill in Clatskanie, Oregon, a little town alongside the Columbia River. I was born there, and my mother has a picture of my dad standing in front of the gate to the mill, proudly holding me up to face the camera. My bonnet is on crooked and about to come untied. His hat is pushed back on his forehead, and he's wearing a big grin. Was he going in to work or just finishing his shift? It doesn't matter. In either case, he had a job and a family. These were his salad days.
-Raymond Carver

-Name the six journalist questions and give three examples of them from this paragraph.

Question 11

He then took a job in a sawmill in Clatskanie, Oregon, a little town alongside the Columbia River. I was born there, and my mother has a picture of my dad standing in front of the gate to the mill, proudly holding me up to face the camera. My bonnet is on crooked and about to come untied. His hat is pushed back on his forehead, and he's wearing a big grin. Was he going in to work or just finishing his shift? It doesn't matter. In either case, he had a job and a family. These were his salad days.
-Raymond Carver

-Give two vivid details the author provides in this paragraph. Why are they vivid?

Question 12

He then took a job in a sawmill in Clatskanie, Oregon, a little town alongside the Columbia River. I was born there, and my mother has a picture of my dad standing in front of the gate to the mill, proudly holding me up to face the camera. My bonnet is on crooked and about to come untied. His hat is pushed back on his forehead, and he's wearing a big grin. Was he going in to work or just finishing his shift? It doesn't matter. In either case, he had a job and a family. These were his salad days.
-Raymond Carver
-How does Carver organize the details in this paragraph?

Question 13

A good narration must include

A) lots of details.
B) every event that occurred.
C) the most important events of the story.
D) a main point or purpose.

Question 14

What profession do you imitate when writing a narrative?

A) talk-radio host
B) journalist
C) librarian
D) anthropologist

Question 15

Which of the following is not one of the six journalist questions used in writing a well-developed narrative?

A) Who?
B) When?
C) Wherefore?
D) What?

Question 16

Why are the five Ws and one H important in writing a well-developed narrative?

A) They are important because they answer questions that the reader may ask.
B) They are important because when you run out of ideas, they can help you develop more ideas.
C) They are important because they cover the basic information that will make your narrative clear.
D) They are important because without them you would not have a narrative.

Question 17

Narration uses which other rhetorical mode the most?

A) comparison
B) example
C) analysis
D) description

Question 18

What is the most important difference between description and narration?

A) Description uses more vivid details than narration.
B) One uses the imagination more than the other.
C) They are organized differently.
D) One shows while the other tells.

Question 19

A narrative is organized using which organizational style?

A) from specific to general
B) chronologically
C) spatially
D) least important detail to most important detail

Question 20

Which of the following choices properly explains the organization typically used in narration?

A) First, I put the water in a pot on the stove. Then, I drank the hot tea. After opening the tea bag, I put it in the cup. Next, I poured the boiled water over the tea bag.
B) First, I put the water in a pot on the stove. After opening the tea bag, I put it in the cup. Next, I poured the boiled water over the tea bag. Then I drank the hot tea.
C) First, I put the water in a pot on the stove. Next, I poured the boiled water over the tea bag. After opening the tea bag, I put it in the cup. Then I drank the hot tea.
D) First, I drank the hot tea. Then, I put the water in a pot on the stove. After opening the tea bag, I put it in the cup. Next, I poured the boiled water over the tea bag.

Question 21

In the short narration by Bernard Bragg, the author's main point was

A) the speaker's questions to his mother went unanswered.
B) the speaker was unfamiliar with the building.
C) the speaker was afraid of being abandoned by his mother.
D) the speaker received an education.

Question 22

For the short narration by Bernard Bragg, fill in the missing W.

A) Who? the speaker and his mom
B) What? ____________________
C) When? in his childhood
D) Where? a home for deaf children
E) Why? because the speaker was deaf

Question 23

Narrating is ____________________.

Question 24

We probably rely more on __________________ than on any other ___________________ mode.

Question 25

Because narration is often based on ____________________ experience, it also teaches us about life.

Question 26

The ____________ specific details, the _______________ vivid your story becomes because your readers will actually be able to picture the scenes.

Question 27

Most narratives are organized ______________________, according to a time sequence.

Question 28

Are there any words in the essay that you do not understand?

Question 29

Choose the correct answer for each of the following questions about the essay.

-According to the narrator, Rachel, every year contains

A) four seasons.
B) a birthday.
C) the previous years within it.
D) both good and bad experiences.

Question 30

Choose the correct answer for each of the following questions about the essay.

-When does Rachel say you will feel "smart eleven"?

A) when you are almost twelve
B) not until you are at least twelve and a half
C) right before you turn eleven
D) a few days after turning eleven

Question 31

Choose the correct answer for each of the following questions about the essay.

-Aside from the fact that the sweater is not hers, why does Rachel not want to claim the sweater?

A) because it belongs to someone who is rich
B) because it reminds her of a bad memory
C) because an eleven-year-old would never wear such a sweater
D) because it is old, dirty, and ugly

Question 32

Choose the correct answer for each of the following questions about the essay.

-What reason does Rachel give to explain why Mrs. Price is always right?

A) Mrs. Price is very smart.
B) Mrs. Price is the teacher, and she is older.
C) Mrs. Price is very old, and she has had many experiences throughout life.
D) Mrs. Price is a doctor.

Question 33

Choose the correct answer for each of the following questions about the essay.

-From Rachel's descriptions of Mrs. Price's actions, what might you think of Mrs. Price?

A) that she is a lazy teacher
B) that she cares deeply for all her students
C) that she is inconsiderate of Rachel's feelings
D) that she hates her job

Question 34

Choose the correct answer for each of the following questions about the essay.

-How does Mrs. Price respond to Rachel when Rachel tries to push the sweater to the edge of her desk?

A) Mrs. Price gets mad.
B) Mrs. Price is sympathetic and removes the sweater.
C) Mrs. Price acts as if nothing is happening.
D) Mrs. Price makes fun of Rachel.

Question 35

Choose the correct answer for each of the following questions about the essay.

-What does Mrs. Price do when the real owner of the sweater comes forward?

A) She acts as though everything is okay.
B) She apologizes to Rachel.
C) She gets angry at the real owner of the sweater.
D) She still insists that the sweater belongs to Rachel.

Question 36

Choose the correct answer for each of the following questions about the essay.

-When referring to her birthday party planned for that evening, why does Rachel say that "it's too late"?

A) Her birthday has already been ruined.
B) She no longer feels eleven.
C) No one will be at her celebration.
D) She has to stay after school as punishment.

Question 37

Choose the correct answer for each of the following questions about the essay.

-How old does Rachel wish she were?

A) ten
B) thirteen
C) one hundred and two
D) eighteen

Question 38

Choose the correct answer for each of the following questions about the essay.

-By the end of the story, why does Rachel not want to be eleven?

A) because eleven-year-olds are always picked on
B) because she wants the day to be finished
C) because she hates birthday parties
D) because she wants to be ten again

Question 39

Answer the following questions about the essay.
-The narrator is having her _____________ birthday.

Question 40

Answer the following questions about the essay.
-The teacher's name is ___________________________.

Question 41

Answer the following questions about the essay.
-The item that caused the narrator so much grief is ____________________.

Question 42

Answer the following questions about the essay.
-The item really belonged to _____________________________.

Question 43

Answer the following questions about the essay.
-The color of the sweater is ____________________________.

Question 44

Answer the following questions about the essay.

-What details does the narrator remember about the sweater?

Question 45

Answer the following questions about the essay.

-Why is the color of the sweater an important detail?

Question 46

Answer the following questions about the essay.
-What does the narrator think of Mrs. Price? What do you think Mrs. Price's motivations were?

Question 47

Answer the following questions about the essay.

-Why is it important that this event happened on the narrator's birthday?

Question 48

Answer the following questions about the essay.

-Sandra Cisneros writes from the perspective of an eleven-year-old girl. Would the essay be as effective if she had used more sophisticated vocabulary and sentence structures? Why or why not?

Question 49

Choose the correct definition for each of the following underlined words from the essay.

-I am swept away by whimsical charm of the children's book In Grandma's Arms.

A) extravagant
B) carefree
C) pointless
D) a lot

Question 50

Choose the correct definition for each of the following underlined words from the essay.

-Until recently, I rocked my daughters at bedtime (they are 3 and 6), not to sleep but to a cozy, drowsy state.

A) sleepy
B) clever
C) imaginative
D) humid

Question 51

Choose the correct definition for each of the following underlined words from the essay.

-The time had come to bid adieu to our rocking days.

A) hello
B) welcome
C) good bye
D) thank you

Question 52

Choose the correct definition for each of the following underlined words from the essay.

-My oldest confides her secrets, her fears.

A) rants
B) confesses
C) whispers
D) lists

Question 53

Choose the correct definition for each of the following underlined words from the essay.

-She took me bowling (a lot) and I was pitiful !

A) threatening
B) improving
C) pathetic
D) skilled

Question 54

Choose the correct definition for each of the following underlined words from the essay.

-She savored a good joke.

A) remembered
B) enjoyed
C) told
D) considered

Question 55

Choose the correct definition for each of the following underlined words from the essay.

-My grandma was a mere 59 years old when my grandpa unexpectedly died of a brain aneurysm .

A) stroke
B) weak blood vessel in the brain
C) blood clot
D) damage to the brain

Question 56

Choose the correct definition for each of the following underlined words from the essay.

-Below is her manifesto .

A) proposal
B) will
C) article
D) statement

Question 57

Choose the correct definition for each of the following underlined words from the essay.

-Be strong, realistic, and a little hardboiled .

A) bouncy
B) stubborn
C) persistent
D) tough

Question 58

Choose the correct definition for each of the following underlined words from the essay.

-Learn to cope with problems.

A) ignore
B) boast
C) deal
D) grow

Question 59

Choose the correct answer for each of the following questions about the essay.

-What is the name of the book Maliszewski reads?

A) The Happy Butterfly
B) Bowling for Beginners
C) Grandma and Me
D) In Grandma's Arms

Question 60

Choose the correct answer for each of the following questions about the essay.

-Why did Maliszewski stop rocking her daughters to sleep?

A) they got too old
B) Maliszewski was too busy
C) the chair broke
D) their father started rocking them to sleep

Question 61

Choose the correct answer for each of the following questions about the essay.

-What was a part of Maliszewski's bedtime routine with her daughters?

A) snuggling
B) rocking
C) saying prayers
D) all of the above

Question 62

Choose the correct answer for each of the following questions about the essay.

-How long ago did Maliszewski's grandmother die?

A) three years ago
B) two weeks ago
C) ten years ago
D) yesterday

Question 63

Choose the correct answer for each of the following questions about the essay.

-What sport did Maliszewski's grandmother teach her?

A) tennis
B) chess
C) bowling
D) soccer

Question 64

Choose the correct answer for each of the following questions about the essay.

-How old was Maliszewski's grandmother when her grandfather died?

A) 70 years old
B) years old
C) 35 years old
D) 62 years old

Question 65

Choose the correct answer for each of the following questions about the essay.

-What year did Maliszewski's grandmother write her "Rules for Happiness"?

A) 1950
B) 2000
C) 1985
D) 1978

Question 66

Choose the correct answer for each of the following questions about the essay.

-What did Maliszewski do after she wrote her rules?

A) went on a hot streak of bowling
B) published a novel
C) climbed Mt. Everest
D) toured the United States

Question 67

Choose the correct answer for each of the following questions about the essay.

-What is Maliszewski's favorite keepsake?

A) a bowling squirrel pin
B) miniature Russian nesting dolls
C) giraffe bookends
D) ceramic bulldog

Question 68

Choose the correct answer for each of the following questions about the essay.

-What is the last remark Maliszewski makes to her grandmother?

A) I love you!
B) Cheers!
C) Good bye.
D) will remember you forever.

Question 69

Answer the following questions about the essay.
-Maliszewski's daughters's ages are ____________________ and ____________________.

Question 70

Answer the following questions about the essay.
-Before she died, Maliszewski's grandmother smiled a huge ____________________.

Question 71

Answer the following questions about the essay.
-Maliszewski felt honored that her mother said she was like her ____________________.

Question 72

Answer the following questions about the essay.
-Maliszewski's grandmother wrote her rules for happiness to _____________________.

Question 73

Answer the following questions about the essay.
-Maliszewski's grandmother's first rule is "Don't dwell on the ________________________".

Question 74

Answer the following questions about the essay.
-Maliszewski begins her essay by quoting an Italian proverb. Why do you think she chooses to do this? Is it effective?

Question 75

Answer the following questions about the essay.
-Although this essay is primarily about Maliszewski's grandmother, she also narrates her relationship with her daughters. Is this significant? Why or why not?

Question 76

Answer the following questions about the essay.
-Describe the role that bowling plays in Maliszewski and her grandmother's relationship.

Question 77

Answer the following questions about the essay.
-Which of Maliszewski's grandmother's rules is most meaningful to you? Why?

Question 78

Answer the following questions about the essay.

-What is the effect of the photograph of Maliszewski's keepsake? What does it add to the essay?