1. Dusk

2. 1.Why did Norman tend to believe the young man’s story at first? Because he had had a similar experience in a foreign country. He didn’t remember the name of the hotel he was staying in.

3. 2. What else made the man’s story believable? The Berkshire Hotel had indeed been torn down and replaced by a movie theater. Taxi drivers often advise their passengers about hotels. Many people don’t like hotels’ soap bars. People usually leave their money in a safe in their hotel.

4. 3.a.In what kind of mood was Norman when he met the young man? Why? “Norman was in the mood to put himself among the defeated.” ( lines 13-14)

5. 3b. How did his mood affect his decision not to believe the man’s story? Which thinking skill did you use to answer this question Inferring At the beginning Norman didn’t believe the man because he felt defeated. He was disappointed by life because he had been betrayed by someone he had trusted. As a result he doubted people’s honesty. He also felt he wasn’t very good in assessing people’s character. He preferred to be careful this time and suspect people’s intentions instead of trusting them blindly, as he used to do in the past.

6. 3b. How did his mood affect his decision not to believe the man’s story? Which thinking skill did you use to answer this question Distinguishing Different Perspectives Norman’s perspective was that of a defeated, disappointed man. At that point in his life, he was unable to trust people. His mood was dark and gloomy, like the park at dusk. What he saw around him was depressing too: People in shabby clothes hiding in the shadows. He thought that like himself, they were disappointed by life. From the perspective of the defeated Norman tended to mistrust the young man and doubt his honesty. Norman’s decision was affected by his perspective at that point.

7. 4.How did the bar of soap change Norman’ outlook on life? How did it make him trust people again? When Norman found the soap, he thought that the young man had been telling the truth. He was glad that he had met an honest man. He felt he could believe in people again. His perspective changed: he was hopeful and optimistic. He looked at life from a different angle; the values of truth and honesty do exist, therefore, he was happy to help a man in need.

8. How did it cause him not to trust people again? After giving the money to the young man, he met the old man who was looking for his bar of soap. At that moment Norman’s perspective changed. He realized he had been conned. Now he knew the truth. That knowledge caused him to retreat to his former perspective- that of the defeated and disappointed by life- a dark and gloomy perspective.

9. How did it affect his belief in himself? when he found the soap? When he found the soap, he thought he had misjudged the young man. He felt he wasn’t good at assessing people’s character. He felt guilty. His conscience bothered him because he thought he shouldn’t have suspected the young man.

10. When he met the old man the second time? When he spoke to the old man again, he realized he had assessed the young man correctly at first. As a result, he was angry at himself for falling into the trap set by the con man. He concluded that he was a failure at judging people’s characters.

11. Irony When a situation is the opposite of what we would expect. Examples When a shoemakers’ children go barefoot. A fire station burns down A pilot who has a fear of heights A teacher who failed the test

12. Why is the story ironic? When Norman asked the young man to show him the soap he had bought, the young man said he must have lost it. Norman rightly concluded that the man was lying, so he didn’t give him any money. When he found a bar of soap under the bench, he ran after the man and apologized for not believing him. This was ironic situation because the soap didn’t belong to the young man.

13. At the end of the story, when Norman found out that the soap belonged to the old man, he realized that his first decision not to believe the young man’s story had been the right one. This is ironic because what happened was the opposite of what was expected. When he thought he had misjudged the young man at first, he had, in fact assessed him correctly.

14. Metaphor A comparison in which one thing is described as if it were something else. For example: Life is a bowl of cherries the fire of love