Selection: L-9

L-9

Grade level: 12

Word count: 2379 words

Author: Francois Coppee

Synopsis: A discarded crust of bread transforms the lives of two soldiers.

Excerpt: So much the worse for me! Now I am going to commence to be devoured by hunger again for, believe me friend, if you will, I have suffered from hunger all my life."

The words were startling, especially to a duke who had just been dreamily longing for the kitchen of the Cafe Anglais, and Henri de Hardimont regarded his companion in almost terrified amazement.

Question: What about Jean-Victor strikes Hardimont as "startling"?

1. Jean-Victor's struggle with starvation
2. Jean-Victor's obsession with war
3. Jean-Victor's preoccupation with poverty
4. Jean-Victor's fascination with history

Selection: L-23

L-23

Grade level: 12

Word count: 3221 words

Author: Stephen Crane

Synopsis: What will happen to the four men who have been shipwrecked for more than 30 hours?

Excerpt: The light in the north had mysteriously vanished, but the correspondent took his course from the wide-awake captain. Later in the night they took the boat farther out to sea, and the captain directed the cook to take one oar at the stern and keep the boat facing the seas. He was to call out if he should hear the thunder of the surf. This plan enabled the oiler and the correspondent to get respite together. "We'll give those boys a chance to get into shape again," said the captain. They curled down and, after a few preliminary chatterings and trembles, slept once more the dead sleep. Neither knew they had bequeathed to the cook the company of another shark, or perhaps the same shark.

Question: Read this excerpt. What two things does it tell you about the captain's perceptions of the men in the dinghy?

1. The oiler and correspondent are seen as valuable resources by the captain because they are strong.
2. The cook is seen as useful, but lacks considerable strength and skills.
3. The oiler is by far the most diligent worker in the dinghy, but he isn't as strong as the correspondent.
4. The correspondent is the strongest man in the dinghy, but is too lazy to be of much help.
5. The cook should be largely responsible for navigating the dinghy because he is the most experienced sailor.

Selection: L-10

L-10

Grade level: 12

Word count: 2596 words

Author: Edgar Allan Poe

Synopsis: Edgar Allan Poe's classic short story gives a whole new meaning to the term "solitary confinement."

Excerpt: No excerpt is available for this question.

Question: The events in this tale could best be described by the expression

1. "Stuck between a rock and a hard place."
2. "Actions speak louder than words."
3. "Don't bite the hand that feeds you."
4. "The pen is mightier than the sword."

Selection: L-12

L-12

Grade level: 12

Word count: 2364 words

Author: Diane Lang

Synopsis: After Dustyn enrolls in Graffiti Studio, his creative juices start to flow.

Excerpt: "Do you mean Jorge, the famous DP, director of photography, who has shot major movies; you ever hear of Disney or Sony pictures, where he is their main man? The Graffiti Studio's modus operandi is to snag famous or semi-famous artists to impart not necessarily their trade but their passion; do you have something you're passionate about?"

Question: The Graffiti Studio could best be described as

1. a stimulating and professional environment.
2. an exact replica of a Disney or Sony studio.
3. an alternative high school program.
4. a place to improve your academic knowledge.

Selection: L-11

L-11

Grade level: 12

Word count: 2359 words

Author: Diane Lang

Synopsis: Two techie students challenge themselves to develop an innovative means of transportation.

Excerpt: "I'm so sorry, Dad; I wish I could help." Sipping her chocolate malt, a spark ignited inside Ariel, and sitting up straight, she said, "I'm going to create a masterpiece for you, Dad! We have autopilots for airplanes, why not for cars? Brock and I are going to develop a rig for blind people!"

Question: How does Ariel react when her dad tells her he has stage four, diabetic retinopathy?

1. She was sympathetic, but hopeful that he would drive again.
2. She decided to focus on the fine arts, because masterpieces were important to him.
3. She wanted him to have an eye operation that would help him regain his vision.
4. She felt despondent because she knew he would never drive again.

Selection: L-23

L-23

Grade level: 12

Word count: 3221 words

Author: Stephen Crane

Synopsis: What will happen to the four men who have been shipwrecked for more than 30 hours?

Excerpt: The piece of life-preserver lay under him, and sometimes he whirled down the incline of a wave as if he were on a hand sled.

But finally he arrived at a place in the sea where travel was beset with difficulty. He did not pause swimming to inquire what manner of current had caught him, but there his progress ceased. The shore was set before him like a bit of scenery on a stage, and he looked at it and understood with his eyes each detail of it.

Question: At first the correspondent makes good progress as he swims to shore, but then

1. a strong current grabs hold of him.
2. a rope on the lifeboat wraps around his leg.
3. the captain's hand grabs his arm and pulls him under the waves.
4. the cook's life-belt tangles around his neck.

Selection: L-26

L-26

Grade level: 12

Word count: 2743 words

Author: Virginia Woolf

Synopsis: What goes on in a public garden on a lovely summer day? A lot more than you may think.

Excerpt: Like most people of their station they were frankly fascinated by any signs of eccentricity betokening a disordered brain, especially in the well to-do; but they were too far off to be certain whether the gestures were merely eccentric or genuinely mad.

Question: Based upon the following excerpt, the word "betokening" most closely means

1. indicating.
2. denying.
3. practicing.
4. discarding.

Selection: L-23

L-23

Grade level: 12

Word count: 3221 words

Author: Stephen Crane

Synopsis: What will happen to the four men who have been shipwrecked for more than 30 hours?

Excerpt: When he achieved safe ground he fell, striking the sand with each particular part of his body. It was as if he had dropped from a roof, but the thud was grateful to him. It seems that instantly the beach was populated with men with blankets, clothes, and flasks, and women with coffeepots and all the remedies sacred to their minds. The welcome of the land to the men from the sea was warm and generous, but a still and dripping shape was carried slowly up the beach, and the land's welcome for it could only be the different and sinister hospitality of the grave.

Question: Based on this excerpt, which expression would you expect to see on the correspondent's face when he reaches the shore?

1. pained but relieved
2. calm and confident
3. anguished and angry
4. nervous but satisfied

Selection: L-27

L-27

Grade level: 12

Word count: 2369 words

Author: Miguel de Cervantes

Synopsis: This selection is the first chapter of a classic work by Miguel de Cervantes.

Excerpt: He debuted his first published works when he moved to Rome in 1569. Soon after, the young writer joined a Spanish military unit in Italy and served as a soldier for several years.

After laboring as a soldier, de Cervantes began working as a commissary tasked with collecting grain supplies from rural communities for the Spanish Armada. Unfortunately, he was charged with job mismanagement and was forced to spend time in prison. It was during his time in prison that de Cervantes began to work on what was to be later deemed some of literature's greatest works, and what is now considered the world's first modern novel.

Question: Put these events in the adult life of author Miguel de Cervantes in order, from first to last.

1. He moved to Rome and debuted his first published works.
2. He joined a Spanish military unit in Italy and served as a soldier for several years.
3. He worked as a commissary and collected grain supplies for the Spanish Armada.
4. He was imprisoned and began to write what would become the world's first modern novel.

Selection: L-24

L-24

Grade level: 12

Word count: 2818 words

Author: Geoffrey Chaucer

Synopsis: The General Prologue is the first part of a text written by Geoffrey Chaucer. Here, the first half of the Prologue is presented.

Excerpt: There was also in our company a nun, a PRIORESS, called Madam Eglantine, a demure and simply-smiling lady; she could chant by heart the whole of the divine service, sweetly entuning it through her nose; she spoke French well and properly as it is spoken at the school of Stratford-le-Bow, but the French of Paris was to her unknown. Her table manners were precisely well bred and delicate; she never let a morsel fall from her lips nor let a stain of sauce drip upon her napkin; she was very cheerful, pleasant, and amiable in bearing, and took great pains to behave in impeccable fashion, to be stately in manner, and to appear worthy of reverence. She kept several little dogs, which she fed with roast meat, or milk, and fine bread, but she wept if one of them died or if someone hit it smartly with a stick; so charitable and piteous was her nature that a dead or bleeding mouse in a trap would wring her heart. Her cloak was exquisitely sewn; on her arm was a pair of beads of small coral, garnished with green, from which depended a handsome gold brooch, with a great A engraved upon it, and underneath, the motto, "Amor vincit Omnia" ("Love conquers all").

Question: The Prioress was the head of a priory, or a religious house. In this excerpt, Chaucer included descriptions of her "well-bred and delicate" table manners, her "impeccable fashion," and her devotion to her little dogs to whom she fed "roast meat, or milk, and fine bread" to imply

1. she was more concerned about appearing aristocratic than being pious.
2. her dedication to charity was surpassed only by her dedication to prayer.
3. most religious leaders did not know how to behave in a social setting.
4. a person who mistreats animals is very likely to mistreat other people.

Selection: L-11

L-11

Grade level: 12

Word count: 2359 words

Author: Diane Lang

Synopsis: Two techie students challenge themselves to develop an innovative means of transportation.

Excerpt: Right before February recess, Ariel's physics teacher approached her after class. "Hey, here's something you might find interesting," he said, handing her a pamphlet. "It's a national competition; so winning is probably a long shot, but with your talent, you've got a decent chance."

Question: When Ariel's teacher approached her about the contest, his tone could be described as

1. straightforward and encouraging.
2. vague and discouraging.
3. demanding and confident.
4. cautious and indifferent.

Selection: L-27

L-27

Grade level: 12

Word count: 2369 words

Author: Miguel de Cervantes

Synopsis: This selection is the first chapter of a classic work by Miguel de Cervantes.

Question: In this selection, de Cervantes used an image to make an analogy. According to de Cervantes, this image represents

1. a knight-errant without love.
2. an uncontrollable horse.
3. an unattainable goal.
4. a protective force.

Selection: L-23

L-23

Grade level: 12

Word count: 3221 words

Author: Stephen Crane

Synopsis: What will happen to the four men who have been shipwrecked for more than 30 hours?

Excerpt: Later the correspondent spoke into the bottom of the boat. "Billie!" There was a slow and gradual disentanglement. "Billie, will you spell me?"

"Sure," said the oiler.

This plan enabled the oiler and the correspondent to get respite together. "We'll give those boys a chance to get into shape again," said the captain.

"Boys," said the cook, with the notes of every reluctance in his voice, "she's drifted in pretty close. I guess one of you had better take her to sea again."

"Billie? Billie, will you spell me?"

"Sure," said the oiler.

Question: The author of this selection used the four men in the dinghy to represent different groups that make up a larger society: leaders, followers, decent working men, and philosophical men. Which of the following represented the decent working man?

1. the oiler
2. the correspondent
3. the captain
4. the man on the beach

Selection: L-24

L-24

Grade level: 12

Word count: 2818 words

Author: Geoffrey Chaucer

Synopsis: The General Prologue is the first part of a text written by Geoffrey Chaucer. Here, the first half of the Prologue is presented.

Excerpt: A SERGEANT-AT-LAW, cautious and shrewd, who had been often at consultation, was there also. A prudent and judicious man, or so he seemed as his words were so wise, he had been frequently appointed as a justice in trials by appointment and commission; many were the fees and robes with which he had been presented on account of his great legal knowledge and renown. There was no greater purchaser of land than him, and his dealings were above suspicion; he was the busiest of men, and yet he seemed more busy than he was. He had at his fingertips all the exact terms, cases, and judgments from the time of William the Conqueror; he knew all the statutes by heart, and no man could detect a flaw in his knowledge.

There was a SHIPMAN too, a West-countryman from Dartmouth; he rode upon a horse as well as he was able. He wore a gown of coarse stuff which came down as low as his knee, also a dagger suspended by a lace from his neck under his arm. The hot summer had made his face all brown; he was a fine, hearty-looking fellow. He was not remarkable for tenderness of conscience, seeing that if he were engaged at sea and had got the upper-hand, he always sent his prisoners home by water, but for his skill in reckoning the tides, for knowing the currents, shallows, and sandbanks, for calculating the exact place of the sun and age of the moon, and for his complete art of piloting, there was not his equal between Hull and Carthage. He was a brave and hardy man whose beard many a tempest had shaken, and was well versed with every harbor from Gothland to Cape Finisterre and every creek in Spain and Brittany. His ship was called the Magdalen.

Question: Read these two excerpts. In what way were the Sergeant and the Shipman similar?

1. Both were excellent at their respective trades.
2. Both had been appointed as justices in trials.
3. Both were West-countrymen from Dartmouth.
4. Both had been suspected of illegal dealings.

Selection: L-10

L-10

Grade level: 12

Word count: 2596 words

Author: Edgar Allan Poe

Synopsis: Edgar Allan Poe's classic short story gives a whole new meaning to the term "solitary confinement."

Excerpt: My outstretched hands eventually encountered some solid obstruction: a wall, seemingly of stone masonry, very smooth, slimy, and cold. I followed it up, a process which afforded me means of ascertaining the dimensions of my dungeon, that I might make its circuit and return to the point of commencement. My clothes had been exchanged for a wrapper of coarse serge; I tore part of the hem from the robe and placed the fragment at full length at right angles to the wall. In groping my way around the prison, I would encounter this rag upon completing the circuit, or so I calculated. I staggered onward for some time when I stumbled and fell, excessive fatigue induced me to remain prostrate, and sleep overtook me where I lay.

Upon awaking, I found beside me a loaf and a pitcher with water; I was too drowsy to reflect upon this circumstance, but ate and drank with frantic avidity. I resumed my tour around the prison, with much toil coming at last upon the fragment of serge. Up to the period when I fell, I had counted fifty-two paces, upon resuming my walk I had counted forty-eight more when arriving at the serge. There were in all a hundred paces; I presumed the dungeon to be fifty yards in circuit, I had encountered, however, many depressions in the wall, and thus couldn't guess the shape of the dungeon.

Regarding its size I was greatly mistaken, as the entire circuit of its walls did not exceed twenty-five yards. The truth at length flashed upon me -- in my first attempt at exploration I had counted fifty-two paces, I must have been within a few paces of the serge when I fell -- in fact, I had nearly performed the circuit of the dungeon. I then slept, and upon awaking, must have missed the serge, thus supposing the circuit nearly double what it actually was.

I had been deceived, too, in respect to the shape of the enclosure. The angles were simply slight depressions, or niches, at odd intervals, the general shape of the prison was square. What I had taken for masonry revealed itself as iron, or some metal, in massive plates. I noticed the floor, too, which was stone, in the center of which yawned the circular pit from whose jaws I fortuitously, albeit unwittingly, escaped.

Question: The purpose of these two excerpts is to

1. illustrate how disoriented the narrator was in his initial examination of the dungeon.
2. demonstrate how the narrator's excessive fatigue aided his ability to notice subtle details.
3. expose the varied weaknesses of the cell, which were obscured in the initial darkness.
4. analyze the construction of the cell, whose design suggested it was originally intended for animals.