Name:___________________________Block:____________Date:___________

Reading Literature Standards Practice 1

To an Athlete Dying Young 2. Stanza two can best be summarized as the
A. E. Housman speaker alluding to the ___.
THE time you won your town the race [RL2]
We chaired you through the market-place; a. sickness of the athlete
Man and boy stood cheering by, b. death of the athlete
And home we brought you shoulder-high. c. the old age of the athlete
d. the marriage of the athlete
To-day, the road all runners come,5
Shoulder-high we bring you home, 3. What evidence WOULD NOT support the claim
And set you at your threshold down, that the tone is solemn? [RL1/4]
Townsman of a stiller town. a. early though the laurel grows/ It withers quicker
than the rose.
Smart lad, to slip betimes away b. Man and boy stood cheering by,
From fields where glory does not stay,10 c. Eyes the shady night has shut
And early though the laurel grows d. After earth has stopped the ears:
It withers quicker than the rose.
4. What evidence WOULD NOT support the claim
Eyes the shady night has shut that the tone is congratulatory? [RL1/4]
Cannot see the record cut, a. won your town the race
And silence sounds no worse than cheers15 b. Man and boy stood cheering by,
After earth has stopped the ears: c. Eyes the shady night has shut
d. Of lads that wore their honours out,
Now you will not swell the rout
Of lads that wore their honours out, 5. What does the word renown mean in the
Runners whom renown outran context of stanza five? [RL4]
And the name died before the man.20 a. ability
b. crime
So set, before its echoes fade, c. fame
The fleet foot on the sill of shade, d. nature
And hold to the low lintel up e. failure
The still-defended challenge-cup.
6. In lines seven and eight of the poem, stiller
And round that early-laurelled head25 most nearly means? [RL4]
Will flock to gaze the strengthless dead, a. lower
And find unwithered on its curls b. closer
The garland briefer than a girl's. c. quieter
___________________________ d. more secret
1. Stanza one can best be summarized e. louder
as the speaker remembering when 7. What is the meaning of the word rout in line 17
the athlete ___. [RL2] of the poem? [RL4]
a. won a race and was carried around by a. cheers
people cheering b. crowd
b. died and had to be carried to his grave c. defeat
c. was injured in a race and had to be d. path
carried to the doctor
d. tripped during a race and had to be
carried over the finish line

~1~
 8. Which of the following is the best explanation of Shoulder-high we bring you home in
stanza 2? [RL4]
a. A man is sitting on their shoulders in celebration.
b. A man wishes he was considered a hero.
c. Men are carrying a coffin for a fallen friend.
d. None of the above.

9. Two topics supported from the text could be___. [RL2]

a. remembrance and regret
b. beauty and regret
c. failure and victory
d. death and victory

10. A possible theme/thematic statement for the overall work could be__. [RL2]
a. Victory can lead to regret through the use of simile, metaphor, and verbal irony.
b. Death can lead to remembrance through the use of symbolism, imagery, and description.
c. Beauty can lead to sadness through the use of symbolism, metaphor, and simile.
d. Remembrance can lead to pain through the use of rhetorical question, imagery, and
chronological order.

11. Which literary device is MOST effectively used in support of the authors theme? Use
details from the poem to support your answer.
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12. Which of the authors diction (word choice) is MOST effectively used in support of the
authors tone? Use details from the poem to support your answer.
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Hiawatha's Path to Peace by Lance Carson

1 The greatest leaders of the Iroquois tribes gathered around a pit leading to the depths of the earth. A
mysterious peacemaker named Hiawatha uttered some rousing words. The leaders then stepped forward and
all dropped their weapons of war, which were swallowed up by the bottomless pit. The assembled leaders
then worked together to plant the Tree of Peace, the roots of which quickly reached out to embrace the
farthest corners of the world.
2 This is a legend describing the founding of the Iroquois Confederacy, a powerful alliance of American

~2~
Indian groups. Hiawatha, one of the main characters in the legend, was probably based on a real person, a
peaceful hero who helped to unite the Iroquois people hundreds of years ago.
3 Long ago, many American Indian tribes lived in what is today New York State. Although these people
shared similar languages and cultures, they seldom saw eye-to-eye and most of their interactions were
hostile. They bickered and fought for so many years that their conflicts weakened them all. Neighbors didn't
trade or cooperate. Farmers didn't feel safe enough to travel to their fields to tend their crops. Every society
suffered.
4 According to the legend, a great leader known as Peacemaker began traveling among five of the hostile
tribes: the Mohawk, Seneca, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Oneida. He shared a plan for peace by which all the
tribal leaders would put aside their disagreements and form an alliance. One of Peacemaker's most important
helpers was Hiawatha, who was believed to have been a young Mohawk leader.
5 Hiawatha traveled as well, speaking to neighboring groups. He compared the five tribes to five
fingersweak on their own but powerful when combined into a single hand. Peacemaker and Hiawatha
worked together until the five tribes struck an agreement. At that point, the tribes formed the Iroquois
Confederacy. The name they called themselves was Haudenosaunee, or "People of the Longhouse," a name
that refers to these peoples' huge family homes. The Iroquois groups now acted like one giant family.
6 "Hiawatha was likely a real person," writes Dr. Rosa Onatah, a researcher of American Indian cultures.
"His work in uniting the Iroquois people was so important that he also became a character in their founding
legend, a traditional story about how their culture began." Onatah explained that a woven belt was made to
celebrate the partnership of the five Iroquois nations. Appropriately, it was called the Hiawatha Belt.
7 Hiawatha would later become a famous figure in US culturealthough in an unusual way. In 1855, poet
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote a lengthy poem about an American Indian hero. Longfellow used ideas
from many traditional tales and legends, but chose to name his main character "Hiawatha." Historians
believe Longfellow's Hiawatha has almost no similarity to the real Hiawatha. Regardless, the poem, The
Song of Hiawatha, brought great attention to Hiawatha and his people. Today, streets and schools in many
parts of the nation are named in honor of this great leader.

1. Which information is provided explicitly in the passage? [Ri1]

a. Hiawatha was a gifted and talented public speaker
b. The Iroquois people united in order to protect their crops
c. The Iroquois Confederacy is comprised of five different tribes
d. Schools are named in honor of Hiawatha, primarily in the Midwest

2. Which sentence/phrase is BEST to cite for authors word choices that suggest positive
connotations? [Ri4]
a. Peacemaker and Hiawatha worked together until the five tribes struck an agreement
b. The name they called themselves was Haudenosaunee...a name that refers to these peoples
huge family homes
c. Hiawatha...was probably based on a real person, a peaceful hero who helped to unite the
Iroquois people hundreds of years ago
d. Although these people shared similar languages and cultures, they seldom saw eye-to-eye and
most of their interactions were hostile.

3. According to the passage, to what did Hiawatha compare the five tribes? [Ri4]
a. a woven belt
b. fingers on a hand
c. pieces of a puzzle
d. five family members

~3~
 4. Which paragraph supports that the author believes there was a desperate need for the
Iroquois Confederacy? [Ri2/3/5]
a. paragraph 3
b. paragraph 4
c. paragraph 5
d. paragraph 6

5. A student is citing paragraphs 2, 6, and 7 of this passage. These sections provide strong
textual evidence that ___. [Ri1/5/3]
a. Hiawatha was not merely mythical, but a real person
b. the Iroquois now see themselves as one giant family
c. Hiawatha is an important literary figure in American culture
d. the Hiawatha Belt helped to bring together the Iroquois nations

6. The authors purpose in writing this article was to ___. [Ri6]

a. entertain the audience with a myth
b. argue the need for stricter law enforcement on Native American Reservations
c. negotiate between the five tribes
d. to inform the audience about the figure of Hiawatha

7. The author utilizes the legend of Hiawatha in order to ___[Ri3]

a. show that legends are unreliable forms of record keeping
b. set a context for the importance of the figure of Hiawatha
c. complain about the confusing nature of legends
d. show storytelling and historical record can become merged over time
8. In paragraph three, which statement is the MOST factual and least fallacious
statement? [Ri8]
a. Long ago, many American Indian tribes lived in what is today New York State.
b. Although these people shared similar languages and cultures, they seldom saw eye-to-eye
and most of their interactions were hostile.
c. Farmers didn't feel safe enough to travel to their fields to tend their crops.
d. Every society suffered.
9. The rhetorical mode/strategy MOST utilized in paragraph three and four is___. [Ri6]
a. chronological order
b. order of importance
c. problem and solution
d. spatial order

10. In paragraph six the author mentions Dr. Rosa Onatah in order to utilize which
rhetorical appeal? [Ri6]
a. ethos
b. pathos
c. logos
d. kairos
11. Which literary device is MOST effectively in support the authors central message? Use details from
the article to support your answer.
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12. The author describes Hiawathas impact on several cultures throughout history. Using information
from the text, write an introduction to a short story that will feature a Hiawatha as a major character.
Be sure your introduction establishes the storys setting, point of view, and primary conflict.

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Reading Literature Standards Practice 2

Fathers and Children, Chapter I (excerpt) by Ivan Sergeevich Turganev
1His name was Nikolai Petrovitch Kirsanov. He had, twelve miles from the posting station, a fine
property of two hundred souls, or, as he expressed it--since he had arranged the division of his land with the
peasants, and started 'a farm'--of nearly five thousand acres. His father, a general in the army, who served in
1812, a coarse, half-educated, but not ill-natured man, a typical Russian, had been in harness all his life, first
in command of a brigade, and then of a division, and lived constantly in the provinces, where, by virtue of his
rank, he played a fairly important part. Nikolai Petrovitch was born in the south of Russia like his elder
brother, Pavel, of whom more hereafter. He was educated at home till he was fourteen, surrounded by cheap
tutors, free-and-easy but toadying adjutants, and all the usual regimental and staff set.
2His mother, one of the Kolyazin family, as a girl called Agathe, but as a general's wife Agathokleya
Kuzminishna Kirsanov, was one of those military ladies who take their full share of the duties and dignities of
office. She wore gorgeous caps and rustling silk dresses; in church she was the first to advance to the cross;
she talked a great deal in a loud voice, let her children kiss her hand in the morning, and gave them her
blessing at night--in fact, she got everything out of life she could. Nikolai Petrovitch, as a general's
son--though so far from being distinguished by courage that he even deserved to be called 'a funk'--was
intended, like his brother Pavel, to enter the army; but he broke his leg on the very day when the news of his
commission came, and, after being two months in bed, retained a slight limp to the end of his days. His
father gave him up as a bad job, and let him go into the civil service. He took him to Petersburg directly he
was eighteen, and placed him in the university.
3His brother happened about the same time to be made an officer in the Guards. The young men
started living together in one set of rooms, under the remote supervision of a cousin on their mother's side,
Ilya Kolyazin, an official of high rank. Their father returned to his division and his wife, and only rarely sent
his sons large sheets of grey paper, scrawled over in a bold clerkly hand. At the bottom of these sheets stood
in letters, enclosed carefully in scroll-work, the words, 'Piotr Kirsanov, General-Major.' In 1835 Nikolai
Petrovitch left the university, a graduate, and in the same year General Kirsanov was put on to the retired list
after an unsuccessful review, and came to Petersburg with his wife to live. He was about to take a house in
the Tavrichesky Gardens, and had joined the English club, but he died suddenly of an apoplectic fit.
Agathokleya Kuzminishna soon followed him; she could not accustom herself to a dull life in the capital; she
was consumed by the ennui of existence away from the regiment.

~5~
 1. What can the reader infer from the fact that Nikolai Petrovitch Kirsanov stopped
describing his property as made up of "two hundred souls" and started describing it as
a "farm" of "nearly five thousand acres"? [RL1/3]
a. that Nikolai Petrovitch is a communist sympathizer
b. that Nikolai Petrovitch is definitely a tsarist supporter of the monarchy.
c. that Nikolai Petrovitch is a cruel and uncompromising ruler of his peasants.
d. that Nikolai Petrovitch is progressive in his views of how to treat peasants
2. What can be assumed about Agathokleya Kuzminishna based on the details of the
description in paragraph two? [RL1/3]
a. that Agathokleya is a rather proud woman
b. that Agathokleya is a rather humble woman
c. that Agathokleya is a rather weak-minded woman
d. that Agathokleya is a rather vain and cruel woman
3. What sort of father was the man described in this passage, based upon the details
paragraph three? [RL1/3]
a. a cruel, taskmaster of a father
b. an extremely loving and attentive father
c. an incompetent father unable to be a good husband or general
d. a distant father, more concerned with his career than his family

The First Tears Based on an Inuit Folktale by Elizabeth Kibler

1
Once, a very long time ago, a man named Amak awoke in the morning and was very hungryhe wanted some dinner.
Before the sun rose over the mountains, he left his family and promised to bring food home to them. Amak, whose
stomach growled, knew his family was famishedand so was he. As he trudged along, Amak realized he had been
walking for a long time. He wanted to find food quickly and take it home to his family.
2
Amak walked through the forest to find food. He looked into the trees to find birds and scoured bushes hoping to
find a rabbit. He became frustrated when he found nothing. Amak knew he had to keep searching, though, because his
family was counting on him.
3
Hoping that he would have better luck there, Amak decided to walk down beside the ocean. The smell of the salty
air made the man feel a little better. He had almost forgotten about his grumbling stomach. Suddenly, Amak espied a large
group of seals lying beside the ocean. The man was gleeful at the sight of mammoth, brown sealssurely he could take
one of these large animals home for dinner! Amak knew he would make his family proud.
4
Standing far away from the seals, Amak pondered how to catch one of the seals and lug it home as a prize to his
family. The man became giddy at the thought. Then, he crept toward the large creatures; however, as he inched forward,
the animals dove into the depths of the water and wiggled away from his grasp.
5
Amak became exasperated as he watched the seals swim away into the dark water. However, Amaks spirits rose
when he saw a lone seal sitting alone near the edge of the water. Sure that the seal did not see him, he advanced stealthily
and stayed as quiet as possible. At the last moment, and with a burst of energy, Amak sprang toward the remaining seal;
however, he was too late, as the animal jumped into the water to join the rest. He collapsed onto the ground in sorrow. As
Amak got up, he felt a feeling he did not recognize. Water started running down the sides of Amaks face. He touched the
warm water and tasted it. It was as salty as the ocean flowing in front of him. Amak felt himself making strange noises and
choking as the water flowed from his eyes.
6
Amak's wife and son heard the strange noises and came to find him. When they finally caught sight of him, he still
had water pouring from his eyes. His wife and child were very afraid because they did not understand. After Amak told the
story of the seals and how they eluded his grasp, water began to flow from his wifes and sons eyes, too. Amak and his
family wept because of the seals. That is how people learned to cry.

4. What is the primary purpose of this passage? [RL6]

a. to highlight the struggles of impoverished families
b. to inform readers about a fathers responsibilities
c. to present an explanation for why seals are endangered

~6~
 d. to present an explanation for how people learned to cry
5. Which detail from the passage DOES NOT provide a reason for his search? [RL]
a. Amak knew he would make his family proud
b. He wanted to find food quickly and take it home to his family.
c. Amak knew he had to keep searching, though, because his family was counting on him
d. Amak felt himself making strange noises and choking as the water flowed from his eyes
6. How does the author help readers understand Amak's point of view? [RL6]
a. The author uses firs person point of view and vivid details in the voice of a narrator
b. The author develops Amaks growing anger and resentment through examples of Amaks
struggles
c. The author tells the story through a narrator who knows Amaks actions, thoughts, and feelings.
d. The author reveals the storys conflict through a narrator who uses descriptive dialogue to reveal
Amaks feelings
7. In the quote, As he trudged along, Amak realized he had been walking for a long time,
which BEST describes trudge as it is used in section one? [RL4]
a. The word trudge has a negative connotation and means to walk slowly and with heavy steps
because of harsh conditions or exhaustion
b. The word trudge has a negative connotation and means to walk angrily and with resentful steps
because of unfair conditions or savagery
c. The word trudge has a positive connotation and means to walk carefully and with certain steps
because of harsh conditions or exhaustion
d. The word trudge has a positive connotation and means to walk quickly and with light steps
because of springlike conditions or excitement.

~7~
Reading Informational Standards Practice 2
Newton Minow's Speech to National Association of 8. hat type of appeal is being used in the
W
Broadcasters third paragraph? [RL6]
speech by Newton Minow a. to highlight the struggles of
1
Newton Minow (1926 ) was appointed by President impoverished families
John Kennedy as chairman of the Federal b. to inform readers about a fathers
CommunicPations Commission, the agency responsible responsibilities
for regulating the use of the public airwaves. On May 9, c. to present an explanation for why
1961, he spoke to 2,000 members of the National seals are endangered
Association of Broadcasters and told them that the daily d. to present an explanation for how
fare on television was "a vast wasteland." Minow's people learned to cry
indictment of commercial television launched a national
debate about the quality of programming. After Minow's
speech, the television critic for The New York Times
wrote: "Tonight some broadcasters were trying to find
dark explanations for Mr. Minow's attitude. In this matter
the viewer possibly can be a little helpful; Mr. Minow has
been watching television."

2
Ours has been called the jet age, the atomic age, the
space age. It is also, I submit, the television age. And just
as history will decide whether the leaders of today's world
employed the atom to destroy the world or rebuild it for
mankind's benefit, so will history decide whether today's
broadcasters employed their powerful voice to enrich the
people or debase them. . . .

3
Like everybody, I wear more than one hat. I am the
chairman of the FCC. I am also a television viewer and the
husband and father of other television viewers. I have seen
a great many television programs that seemed to me
eminently worthwhile, and I am not talking about the
much-bemoaned good old days of "Playhouse 90" and
"Studio One."

4
I am talking about this past season. Some were
wonderfully entertaining, such as "The Fabulous Fifties,"
the "Fred Astaire Show" and the "Bing Crosby Special";

~8~
some were dramatic and moving, such as Conrad's
"Victory" and "Twilight Zone"; some were marvelously
informative, such as "The Nation's Future," "CBS
Reports," and "The Valiant Years." I could list many
moreprograms that I am sure everyone here felt
enriched his own life and that of his family. When
television is good, nothingnot the theater, not the
magazines or newspapersnothing is better.

5
But when television is bad, nothing is worse. I invite you
to sit down in front of your television set when your
station goes on the air and stay there without a book,
magazine, newspaper, profit-and-loss sheet, or rating book
to distract youand keep your eyes glued to that set until
the station signs off. I can assure you that you will observe
a vast wasteland.

6
You will see a procession of game shows, violence,
audience participation shows, formula comedies about
totally unbelievable families, blood and thunder, mayhem,
violence, sadism, murder, Western badmen, Western good
men, private eyes, gangsters, more violence and cartoons.
And, endlessly, commercialsmany screaming, cajoling,
and offending. And, most of all, boredom. True, you will
see a few things you will enjoy. But they will be very,
very few. And if you think I exaggerate, try it.

7
Is there one person in this room who claims that
broadcasting can't do better?. . .

8
Why is so much of television so bad? I have heard many
answers: demands of your advertisers; competition for
ever higher ratings; the need always to attract a mass
audience; the high cost of television programs; the
insatiable appetite for programming materialthese are
some of them. Unquestionably these are tough problems
not susceptible to easy answers.

9
If parents, teachers, and ministers conducted their
responsibilities by following the ratings, children would
have a steady diet of ice cream, school holidays, and no
Sunday school. What about your responsibilities? Is there
no room on television to teach, to inform, to uplift, to
stretch, to enlarge the capacities of our children? Is there
no room for programs deepening their understanding of
children in other lands? Is there no room for a children's
news show explaining something about the world to them
at their level of understanding? Is there no room for
reading the great literature of the past, teaching them the
great traditions of freedom? There are some fine children's
shows, but they are drowned out in the massive doses of
cartoons, violence, and more violence. Must these be your

~9~
trademarks? Search your consciences and see if you
cannot offer more to your young beneficiaries whose
future you guide so many hours each and every day.

10
Let me make clear that what I am talking about is
balance...

11
We all know that people would more often prefer to be
entertained than stimulated or informed. But your
obligations are not satisfied if you look only to popularity
as a test of what to broadcast. You are not only in show
business; you are free to communicate ideas as well as
relaxation. You must provide a wider range of choices,
more diversity, more alternatives. It is not enough to cater
to the nation's whimsyou must also serve the nation's
needs. . . .

12
What you gentlemen broadcast through the people's air
affects the people's taste, their knowledge, their opinions,
their understanding of themselves and of their world. And
their future. The power of instantaneous sight and sound is
without precedent in mankind's history. This is an
awesome power. It has limitless capabilities for
goodand for evil. And it carries with it awesome
responsibilitiesresponsibilities which you and I cannot
escape....

~10~