Unit 2 Week 4 “The Sacred Salmon” “The Rug Maker”

Read the passage “The Sacred Salmon” before answering Numbers 1 through 10. Now answer Numbers 1 through 10. Base your answers on “The Sacred Salmon.”

1. How does Neil most likely feel at the beginning of the passage? A. He is excited about going to the ceremony because there is a feast. B. He is interested in going to the ceremony but does not understand it. C. He is unhappy about going to the ceremony because he misses his friends. D. He is unhappy about going to the cermony but wants to please his grandmother.

2. Read this sentence from the passage. His grandmother had great powers of persuasion, especially since she knew he was a pushover when it came to food. The Latin suffix -sion means “state of.” Someone with great power of persuasion is able to F. convince people. G. argue with people. H. make people angry. I. tell people what to do.

3. Read this excerpt from the passage. Many of them were wearing traditional Native American clothing with beads and feathers. In his jeans and tee shirt, Neil was like a kid sitting at the grown-up’s table. What does the simile in this sentence suggest? A. Neil is bored. B. Neil is very young. C. Neil feels out of place. D. Neil is dressed like a child.

4. Read this sentence from the passage. Then several people stepped forward and utilized special knives to cut the salmon into small pieces. The Greek suffix -ize means ”to make.” When the people utilized their knives, they F. used the knives. G. forgot the knives. H. watched the knives. I. removed the knives.

5. Read this sentence from the passage. Neil could tell that his grandmother thought it was miraculous. The Latin suffix -ous means “full of.” If something is miraculous it is A. full of expectation B. frightening. C. proven. D. full of surprise.

6. How does the author’s use of third-person point of view help the reader better understand the salmon ceremony? F. by telling why Joy started the ceremony G. by showing how the ceremony is celebrated H. by telling what Neil feels about the ceremony I. by explaining the ceremony from a single viewpoint

7. If the passage were written from Joy’s point of view, the readers would most likely know more about. A. the life cycle of the salmon. B. why the ceremony was restarted. C. how Neil feels about the ceremony. D. the heritage of Neil’s grandmother.

8. What happens after Neil watches the ceremony? F. His grandmother explains the ceremony. G. He and his grandmother sit down for the feast. H. His grandmother tells him to save the skin and bones. I. He and his grandmother drive to a park near their home.

9. Read this sentence from the passage. “We have more optimism for the future of the salmon now - and hope for the future of our people.” The base word optimum means “best,” and the suffix -ism means “state of.” If people have optimism, they A. think things cannot improve. B. believe they can do anything. C. believe things will turn out well. D. think they are better than others.

10. How does Neil’s attitude toward the ceremony change by the end of the passage? F. He wonders why people come to ceremonies like this. G. He is happy he came because he was hungry for a feast. H. He decided that he would like to help the ceremony continue. I. He is glad he came because his grandmother is pleased with him.

Read the passage “The Rug Maker” before answering Numbers 11 through 20. Now answer Numbers 11 through 20. Base your answers on “The Rug Maker.”

11. If the passage were written from a third-person point of view, the reader most likely would know less about A. why the spider has its own chant. B. how the narrator feels about shearing sheep. C. why a mistake is included in every Navajo rug. D. how Grandmother spins wooly fleece into yarn.

12. Read this sentence from the passage. Trying not to seem rebellious, I respectfully disagreed with her. In the word rebellious, the latin suffix -ous means “full of.” Knowing this suggests that a person who is victorious in a game is F. the loser. G. the winner. H. a good player. I. a lucky player.

13. Read this excerpt from the passage. I insisted that I was as patient as a rock. Well, maybe a nervous rock. Why is the narrator comparing herself to a rock? A. to show that she is hard-hearted B. to show that she thinks she can sit still C. to show that she will not change her mind D. to show that she cannot see another point of view

14. Read this sentence from the passage. “But the loom,” she said with conviction in her voice, “is not the starting place.” The base word of conviction is “convince.” The narrator’s grandmother speaks with conviction because she F. cannot be convinced. G. wants to be convinced. H. in convinced she is right. I. is being convinced by the narrator.

15. Read this sentence from the passage. “Perhaps,” Grandmother added with a smile, “you can weave a rug that symbolizes your journey from a girl to a woman.” The Greek suffix -ize means “to make.” A rug that symbolizes a journey is one that is woven to A. bring on the journey. B. represent the journey. C. tell the story of the journey. D. help remember the journey.

16. What happens after Grandmother and the narrator shear the sheep but before they begin to weave? F. Grandmother spins the wool into yarn. G. The narrator learns to include a mistake. H. Grandmother tells the narrator about chants. I. The narrator asks Grandmother about the spider.

17. What text evidence from the passage shows the narrator’s feelings about weaving? A. Still, I despised hiking and shearing those smelly old sheep. B. That sounded like a challenge, but I was willing to give it a try! C. Grandmother promised that next, we would string the loom just for me. D. The fleece did not look like anything you could make a rug from, though, and I voiced my opinion.

18. Read this sentence from the story. The rocky trail was more hazardous than I had expected. The Latin suffix -ous can mean “having” or “full of.” A hazardous hike is one that F. is likely to be fun. G. takes energy to do. H. is full of obstacles. I. has to do with mountains.

19. How does the narrator’s attitude toward weaving change during the passage? A. She memorizes the Navajo chants for weaving. B. She learns to make mistakes when she weaves. C. She wants to learn more modern methods of weaving. D. She gains patience to learn the Navajo way of weaving.

20. Telling the story from a third-person point of view would most likely help the reader better understand F. what the narrator’s first finished rug looks like. G. how the narrator changes by the end of the story. H. the history and purpose of different songs and chants. I. how Grandmother feels about teaching her granddaughter.

Essay Compare and contrast the plots of “The Sacred Salmon” and “The Rug Maker.” Which parts in the passages are similar? How do the main characters change as they respond to events in the plot? Include accurate, explicit text evident from both passage to show how the plots unfold.