Marie Devers
1I usually don’t like to admit this, but at one time I disliked history. My teacher, Mr. Wittmeyer, was wonderful, and the material seemed interesting. When I listened to his lectures, however, I inevitably drifted off, got called on to answer, and had absolutely no clue what to say.
2Last month, we studied the Juch family of Poland. Jennalee Juch was a traveling musician who played her music all over the Austrian countryside. Her biography amazed me because I was a musician who played the piano, and I always wanted to travel across Europe. Suddenly, in my mind, I was a fifteenth-century troubadour packing her belongings and heading to the mountains. Next thing I knew, Mr. Wittmeyer asked me a question about whichever topic the class had moved on to, and as usual, I couldn’t answer.
3That’s how I did feel (notice the past tense) about history and social studies—that is—until Mr. Wittmeyer gave us a project that changed everything.
4The project required our whole class to visit the library and use the school computer program to research our family histories. Every year, this project is assigned to eighth graders. Everyone always gets excited that his or her family may have come from aristocracy, when in reality most of us came from farmers and commoners and people who were not much different from ourselves. I had a feeling I came from a long line of ancestors who were just like me: average.
5Mr. Wittmeyer directed my classmates and me to the computer laboratory and taught us how to use the program installed on the computers. The program allowed students to search their names to discover information about their ancestors.
6While using the software, I learned that my last name revealed that my ancestors had come from Italy. The computer quickly found links to biographies of my family members who had lived long ago. I learned that one of my relatives had been married to the brother of an Italian prime minister! Because my ancestor was a very high-profile person, information was easy to locate. My ancestor had been a musician. She played something called the harpsichord, a forerunner of the piano.
7I found it difficult to believe that one of my ancestors and I had such an authentic connection. The software showed me a picture of my ancestor, and I immediately noticed a resemblance. I daydreamed about an assembly with my fascinating relatives where we discussed the revolutionary changes between their time and mine.
8At the conclusion of our class period, after my classmates gathered around my computer to witness my gigantic discovery, I made sure to personally thank Mr. Wittmeyer because his project helped me learn to love history.
What helped the narrator believe that her ancestor was married to the brother of an Italian prime minister?
Responses
A The photograph revealed the physical resemblance of the lady and the narrator.The photograph revealed the physical resemblance of the lady and the narrator.
B The narrator already knew that she had to be related to someone who was famous.The narrator already knew that she had to be related to someone who was famous.
C The lady played the harpsichord just like the narrator loved to play the piano.The lady played the harpsichord just like the narrator loved to play the piano.
D She knew that if she looked long enough she would eventually find someone famous in her past.
1 answer
The correct response is:
A. The photograph revealed the physical resemblance of the lady and the narrator.
The narrator's belief in her connection to her ancestor is strengthened by the resemblance she notices in the photograph, which makes the historical link feel more authentic and personal.
