I have a few questions. It was a long assignment and most of the questions were easy but a few I'm nervous about.

Question

Short story "The Olympic Swimmer"

Who will be the winner bold?
Athletes from both far and near
Train and strain to be the best.
But who will win the medal gold?

(First stanza^^^)
Which is the BEST paraphrase of the first stanza of "The Olympic Swimmer?"

A. Athletes from across the globe train to compete in the Olympics, but only one can win. ***My choice
B. Whenever an Olympic event is held, there is always a question about who will be the champion.
C. Though Olympic athletes train all year long to compete, winning the gold medal is never a sure thing.
D. Olympic athletes try hard to do their best at every event, but sometimes they walk away disappointed.

Which of the following lines from the second stanza best supports the image of swimming as a competative sport?
A. "Swimmers swivel, splash and kick."
B. "Like fish at play in Neptune's sea."
C. "Swimming relaxed, and calm, and free."
D. "These stars, like sharks, cut the waves--" ***my answer

Read the following sentences from Forbidden Fruit
I was all prepared to divulge my sister's crime, but I realized that this was not the proper time for my exposure. Nevertheless, I looked at my sister from time to time and pretended I was going to tell. I even opened my mouth but said something else instead. As soon as I opened my mouth, she dropped her eyes and bent her head as though expecting a blow. I discovered that keeping her on the verge of exposure was even more fun than exposing her right away possibly could be.

Which of the following best describes the speaker's tone?"

A. Surprised
B. Suspicious
C. Teasing
D. Triumphant ***my answer (his actions are teasing but his tone is triumphant?)

What does the narrator of "Forbidden Fruit" learn at the end of the story?
A. Envy, if left unchecked, can lead to mean behaviour. ***my answer
B. People should bever betray their moral and religious principles.
C. Family is the most important thing we have in life.
D. Rules should be transgressed once in a while to keep one's sanity.

Read the following from "The Black Sheep."

Meanwhile, the ones who had become rich got into the honest man's habit of going to the bridge at night to watch the water flow by beneath it. This increased the confusion because it meant lots of people became rich and lots of others became poor. Now, the rich people saw that if they went to the bridge every night, they'd soon be poor. And they thought: "Let's pay some of the poor to go and rob for us." They made contracts, fixed salaries, percentages: they were still theives of course, and they still tried to swindle each other. But as tends to happen, the rich got richer and the poor got poorer.

In this section ^ the narrator seems to suggest that
A. the people admire the honest man's hobbies.
B. most people try and cheat others in some way ***my answer
C. Societal structures are built on values and hard work.
D. Society does not reward those who perform good deeds.

Please check my work!

Answer 1

Hello Im an English teacher from Australia so let me start by saying Good afternoon / morning . Here are my reasons for answers

The line "But who will win the medal gold?" expresses uncertainty implying that of the entrants can win which , in my opinion rules out option A because it provides an answer Option C and D do not address the question of who so that leaves this one

B. Whenever an Olympic event is held, there is always a question about who will be the champion.
It addresses the uncertainty and the questions raised .

D. "These stars, like sharks, cut the waves--" ***my answer IS CORRECT as it describes the hunger they have and the way they caress the pool

C. Teasing is the answer suggested by the line " I discovered that keeping her on the verge of exposure was even more fun than exposing her right away possibly could be. " because he is not actually claiming victory (triumphant) he has worked out that he can hold his sister at ransom by making her think every time that he is going to tell so he has that tone as well .

He could be seen as triumphant tone when(if) he actually does tell

A. Envy, if left unchecked, can lead to mean behaviour. ***my answer I WOULD MARK CORRECT IF YOU HANDED IT IN TO ME IN CLASS

I will accept your answer . I would also consider that because it states "Meanwhile, the ones who had become rich got into the honest man's habit of going to the bridge at night to watch the water flow by beneath it." is admiring the good work ethic of society and answer C. However im not 100% certain that I have a stronger argument that would overrule your answer. I am going to say C for that reason but I would certainly consider B as a chance . Its the 'seems to suggest' that causes me to go to C implying there is an underlying meaning

Hope you find those responses useful

Regards

Mr Mcalpin

Answer 2

I love dis dude ^

Answer 3

right!!!^

Answer 4

While I appreciate Mr. McAlpin's reasoning, if you are a Connexus student the answer to the "best paraphrase" question is
A. Athletes from across the globe train to compete in the Olympics, but only one can win.
and the "Forbidden Fruit" question is
D. Triumphant

Answer 5

It is not by any means "teasing", I believed this on the chance that I was incorrect. It is triumphant, since the brother is feeling a sense of joy, and a power OVER the sister. He could use this torment to his advantage, it's a game with benefits rather than simple teasing if he has a motive.