by Beth Gilstrap
She swore she felt the earth drop—like a hitch in an
elevator—several miles from her mother’s house. She
thought of all those bedlinens agitated, curled, heaped on
top of her mother, sunk along with everything else,
beams, roof tiles, the acrylic nails her mom wore, the
senselessness of waste. Her father had sunk, too. Years
ago, in a prefab home out on the lake. One day the lake
rose a mite and the ground dove a mite and from what
her mother said, her father was better off down there,
probably still passed out on his leather couch. Ona had
been swaddled and maneuvered into the bow of a
rowboat and, as legend tells, slept through the whole
affair. Perhaps it was this swaddling she longed for more
than anything with all this terrible sinking going on.
Ona walked for days, determined to find safety on higher
ground. If she read her instruments correctly, she was
adjacent to a national forest. The public would not stand
for the sinking of a national forest so when she found a
slate bungalow, she settled there. Though two walls were
missing, she concluded it was due to wind and rain and
the birch tree that had swindled its way up and through
the middle of the sweet, abandoned home. It wasn’t
sinking.
The kitchen still held a butcher-block table with a family of
plates. Ona piled them one on top of the other and pulled
them to her chest, sick with grief, sick with longing at the
sight of the dust-free circles left behind. After rinsing each
dish in the creek, she dried them with her shirtsleeve and
put them back in place. At dusk, fingertips numb, Ona
tore sheets of bark from the tree, building herself a
papery cradle on the uneven floorboards where she
could sleep for years.
A)
Use the passage to answer the question.
Which excerpt from the passage uses language that helps to build an informal tone? Select the two
correct answers.
(1 point)
“Though two walls were missing, she
concluded it was due to wind and rain and the
birch tree that had swindled its way up and
through the middle of the sweet, abandoned
home.”
“Ona walked for days, determined to find
safety on higher ground. If she read her
instruments correctly, she was adjacent to a
national forest.”
“At dusk, fingertips numb, Ona tore sheets of
bark from the tree, building herself a papery
cradle on the uneven floorboards where she
could sleep for years.”
“After rinsing each dish in the creek, she dried
them with her shirtsleeve and put them back in
place.”
“Ona had been swaddled and maneuvered
into the bow of a rowboat and, as legend tells,
slept through the whole affair.”
Question 10
Question 11
Question 12
A)Why does situational and dramatic irony often contribute to the development of a work’s theme?(1 point)
They cause a reader to think beyond the surface level and their own expectations.
They cause a reader to make connections between different plot elements in the work.
They cause a reader to find the literal rather than figurative meaning in a situation.
They cause a reader to look for symbols in a work of fiction.
A)Which scenarios are examples of verbal irony? Select the two correct answers.(1 point)
Laura moved to a new apartment that had a tiny garden where she could plant a few flowers. She bought
some seedling flower plants and planted them one afternoon. The next morning, she checked on them and
saw only a few short stems. “It’s good to see that the rabbits enjoyed my flowers,” she said.
Kim was a board member of a local animal rights group, and she frequently led protests against raising
animals for their fur. At the annual banquet for volunteers, Kim arrived wearing her grandmother’s mink coat.
Janeen got a credit card and had the monthly bill emailed to her. The balance quickly became uncomfortably
large because she paid only the minimum amount due. While Janeen was paying her bills online, she got up
to get a snack. Just then, her mother walked in and noticed the email from the credit card company. She was
shocked at the large balance.
Jesse took off sprinting to escape the onslaught of water balloons that were being catapulted in his direction,
when, all of a sudden!, he fell headfirst into the deep end of the pool.
Haleed put his father’s white lab coats into the washer and started the machine. When the washer stopped,
he noticed that everything was pink. He pulled out a red T-shirt and said, “I guess it’s Dad’s chance to be a
fashion trendsetter.”
Question 12
Question 13
A)What is the difference between dramatic irony and verbal irony?(1 point)
Dramatic irony is when the audience knows something that contrasts with a character’s expectations, while
verbal irony is when someone says something that is the opposite of what they mean.
Dramatic irony is when the expected outcome of an event defies normal expectations, while verbal irony is
when the audience knows something that contrasts with a character’s expectations.
Dramatic irony is when someone says the opposite of what they mean, while verbal irony is when the
audience knows something that contrasts with a character’s expectations.
Dramatic irony is when a character refers to previous memories to make sense of current situations, while
verbal irony is when two characters converse with each other through heated dialogue.
A)What is an idiom?(1 point)
a figure of speech that implies a comparison between seemingly unlike things without using “like” or “as”
the use of descriptive language that creates a vivid picture in the reader’s mind and may evoke an emotional
response
an expression whose meaning cannot be figured out from the literal meanings of the words but has a
figurative meaning as a whole
when an animal, object, or idea is given human characteristics
1 answer
Here are the answers to the questions based on the passage and the prompts provided:
A) Select the two correct answers that use language to build an informal tone:
“Though two walls were missing, she concluded it was due to wind and rain and the birch tree that had swindled its way up and through the middle of the sweet, abandoned home.”
“After rinsing each dish in the creek, she dried them with her shirtsleeve and put them back in place.”
Question 10: Why does situational and dramatic irony often contribute to the development of a work’s theme?
They cause a reader to think beyond the surface level and their own expectations.
A) Which scenarios are examples of verbal irony? Select the two correct answers.
“It’s good to see that the rabbits enjoyed my flowers,” she said. (Laura commenting after seeing her eaten flowers)
“I guess it’s Dad’s chance to be a fashion trendsetter.” (Haleed commenting on his father's lab coats turning pink)
A) What is the difference between dramatic irony and verbal irony?
Dramatic irony is when the audience knows something that contrasts with a character’s expectations, while verbal irony is when someone says something that is the opposite of what they mean.
A) What is an idiom?
an expression whose meaning cannot be figured out from the literal meanings of the words but has a figurative meaning as a whole.
If you have further questions or need additional explanations, feel free to ask!
1 answer