1
INDICE
INTRODUCCIÓN………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
3
PROPÓSITOS GENERALES……………………………………………………………………………………………………..
3
CONTENIDO Y ORGANIZACIÓN DEL CURSO……………………………………………………………………….
4
ORIENTACIONES DIDÁCTICAS………………………………………………………………………………………………
5
EVALUACIÓN…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
6
BLOQUE I.
FAVORECIMIENTO DE LAS HABILIDADES DE COMPRENSIÓN DE LA LECTURA. ………………
9
BLOQUE II.
FAVORECIMIENTO DE LA EXPRESIÓN ESCRITA. ……………………………………………………………….
10
BLOQUE III.
DOMINIO DE LA COMPRENSIÓN AUDITIVA Y DE LA EXPRESIÓN ORAL. …………..……………….
11
BLOQUE IV.
DOMINIO DE LAS CUATRO HABILIDADES DEL LENGUAJE………………………………………………...
12
¿HOW THE STORIES HAVE BEEN CHOSEN?................................................................
14
NO SPEAK ENGLISH……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
17
POPULAR MECHANICS…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
23
THE UNICORN IN THE GARDEN……………………………………………………………………………………………..
29
SAMUEL ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
40
THE CHASER……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
47
THE BROWN HOUSE……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
52
LOVE………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
56
THE LOTTERY………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
66
A BLIZZARD UNDER BLUE SKY ……………………………………………………………………………………………
73
2
THE SENTINEL………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
79
READ & THINK
SKILL SHEETS 5………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
169
ORAL LENGUAGE EXERCISE ………………………………………………………………………………….............
206
3
INTRODUCCIÓN
Ingles IV es el último curso de inglés general de la Especialidad: Lengua Extranjera (Inglés),
y su propósito primordial es que los estudiantes alcancen el nivel de FCE, de Cambridge o
TOEFL550 que se ha establecido como nivel mínimo para lograr la titulación, garantizando
así un dominio adecuado de la lengua Inglesa para ejercer la profesión de maestro de Ingles.
Para alcanzar este nivel e ingresar a Inglés IV los estudiantes requieren:
Dominio de la lengua de nivel intermedio alto o más.
Voluntad de participar plenamente en el curso.
Autonomía en el aprendizaje.
De esta manera, se puede lograr establecer en esté curso una meta concreta y definida para
motivar a los estudiantes.
Cualquier indicio de que un estudiante no tenga los elementos necesarios para alcanzar dicha
meta debe ser un motivo de inquietud para el maestro de la asignatura, quien buscará
incentivarlo cuanto antes y animarlo a hacer su mejor esfuerzo. En caso de que un alumno
no alcanzara el nivel FCE/TOEFL550 durante este semestre, de todos modos deberá
esforzarse para lograrlo en el transcurso de los dos semestres que restan para terminar la
especialidad.
En Inglés IV habrá menos diferencia entre los estudiantes que han sido más sobresalientes
que otros en los cursos anteriores, y esto facilitará al maestro la planeación de clases. De
todos modos, habrá un fuerte elemento de individualización, ya que las necesidades de los
estudiantes variarán. En la mayoría de los casos el maestro debe poner mucha atención a la
precisión lingüística en la expresión oral y escrita puesto que los exámenes de competencia
(proficiency tests) exigen un alto grado de precisión, además de competencia comunicativa.
Al igual que en semestres anteriores, los estudiantes cursan otras materias de la
especialidad aparte de Inglés IV y es indispensable el trabajo coordinado entre los profesores
de dichas asignaturas, de tal manera que se establezcan los acuerdos necesarios para que
las formas de trabajo contribuyan al logro de los rasgos del perfil de egreso planteados para
la especialidad, además de fortalecer el dominio de la lengua Inglesa.
PROPÓSITOS GENERALES
A través del curso inglés IV se pretende:
1. Desarrollar la precisión en la expresión oral y escrita, además de las habilidades
comunicativas de los estudiantes; la atención a la precisión lingüística implica la corrección
individualizada de errores y por regla general la autocorrección.
2. Garantizar que todo estudiante avance hacia la meta de dominio del inglés equivalente a
FCE de la Universidad de Cambridge o 550 puntos en TOEFL, meta que, de ser posible, debe
alcanzarse al finalizar este semestre o antes de la titulación.
3. Fomentar la autonomía en el aprendizaje del estudiante, incluyendo la capacidad de
autoevaluarse y autocorregirse.
4
El elemento central en este curso es la meta concreta y bien definida de alcanzar el nivel de
FCE/TOEFL550. Los exámenes estandarizados de competencia, como éstos, se utilizan con
el fin de medir la aptitud de los interesados en estudiar en una universidad extranjera, ser
becario de posgrado y tomar el primer curso para maestros de Inglés de la Universidad de
Cambridge, entre otras cosas, por lo tanto, representa una evaluación confiable y reconocida
del dominio de la lengua Inglesa adecuado para un maestro de inglés profesional. Por ser en
la actualidad uno de los exámenes más completo y comunicativos, el FCE de Cambridge se
recomienda como modelo, más que TOEFL. Establecer su aprobación como meta principal,
abarca los otros propósitos: el desarrollo de la precisión lingüística, dominio del las
hablidades comunicativas y de la autonomía en el aprendizaje. Aparte de los materiales
auténticos de siempre, es conveniente trabajar con algún libro de preparación o práctica para
FCE o, en su caso, TOEFL (véase la bibliografía).
CONTENIDO Y ORGANIZACIÓN DEL CURSO
En el curso Inglés IV la selección de temas es responsabilidad del maestro y de los
estudiantes. En caso de utilizar un libro de preparación para FCE, es necesario que éste
proponga una amplia gama de temas similares a los que se incluyen en el exámen, además
de elementos lingüísticos (exponentes de nociones y funciones, gramática, lexis) y
actividades comunicativas (comprensión auditiva, comprensión de lectura, expresión oral,
redacción y composición). que también forman parte del exámen. Los libros de preparación
para TOEFL suelen tener menos contenido temáticos, más orientación hacia ejercicios
específicos del exámen y no incluyen las habilidades productoras, expresión oral y escrita.
En caso de establecer TOEFL como meta, el maestro y los estudiantes tendrán,
forzosamente, que elegir y desarrollar los temas. De todos modos, y en gran medida, el
exámen seleccionado proporcionará el contenido lingüístico y las habilidades a desarrollar; si
se opta por FCE, también brinda los tipos de actividad productiva (expresión oral y escrita) y
los temas a tratar.
En efecto, el contenido lingüístico de este curso abarca todo lo que ya se indicó en las guías
de Ingles I, II y III, así como los elementos lingüísticos que aparecen típicamente en los
ejercicios de FCE y TOEFL; en esencia "toda la lengua Inglesa en textos generalmente
accesibles". En muchos casos, será necesario aclarar las estructuras y usos, y remediar
errores arraigados, siempre que sea posible, en forma de descubrimiento guiado (guided
discovery o consciousness-raising) y no como presentación o explicación del maestro. El
aprendizaje autónomo es absolutamente imprescindible en este nivel, y muchas veces
implica trabajo individualizado.
Las habilidades comunicativas que se requieren están bien establecidas en los libros de
preparación y práctica para FCE e incluyen:
Comprensión lectora. La habilidad de leer textos auténticos informativos y de interés
general, demostrar comprensión general y detallada, y deducir significados e intenciones.
Las tareas no son exclusivamente de opción multiple artificial, sino incluyen tareas más
auténticas como decidir cuales títulos son apropiados para las secciones de un texto.
5
Expresión escrita. La habilidad de escribir textos como una carta formal, una carta
informal, un artículo para una revista o un periódico, o un breve ensayo académico.
Comprensión auditiva. La habilidad de escuchar textos auténticos (como breves
conversaciones o transacciones y entrevistas radiofónicas), demostrar comprensión
general y detallada y deducir significados e intenciones. Las tareas no son
exclusivamente de opción múltiple artificial, sino incluyen acciones más auténticas
como completar apuntes.
Expresión oral. La habilidad de expresar información, ideas y opiniones, y de
conversar con otra persona, hablando de información personal, fotografías y
conceptos abstractos.
Véase el libro especificado en el Anexo para ejemplos de materiales y tareas en FCE.
La meta de la asignatura Inglés IV, a diferencia de los otros cursos de la especialidad, es la
aprobación de un examen final, tipo proficiency test. Sin embargo, esto no significa que
todos los materiales y las actividades sean como en dicho examen, sino que habrá una
variedad que, en su mayoría, busca fortalecer en los estudiantes los conocimientos y las
habilidades en lengua Inglesa, lo que los capacitará para resolver el examen con éxito.
Conviene trabajar con un modelo del examen al inicio del curso para que los normalistas
entiendan bien la meta y el reto de la asignatura. Esto tomará varias sesiones ya que el
examen mismo de FCE tiene una duración de aproximadamente cinco horas. Luego, hacia el
final del curso, antes de la evaluacion final, conviene aplicarles un examen de práctica y
luego propiciar la retroalimentación, según sus resultados, a partir de los problemas más
generalizados de todo el grupo, y los individuales.
ORIENTACIONES DIDÁCTICAS
Los principios pedagógicos que se han planteado en los cursos anteriores -Inglés I, II y III-
son los mismos que se aplican, en términos generales, para Inglés IV, pero la preparación
para un examen estandarizado de competencia si tiene implicaciones pedagógicas. La
posibilidad de realizar las clases en forma temática y comunicativa como en los cursos
anteriores depende, hasta cierto punto, de la naturaleza del examen. Por esto se ha
recomendado FCE más que TOEFL, pues tiene menos tareas artificiales o puramente
lingüísticas y más de las que emplean el inglés fuera del aula e incluyen la expresión oral y
escrita. Sin embargo, en caso de optar por TOEFL, el maestro podrá enriquecer el curso
seleccionando temas y actividades que sean del agrado de los alumnos. La mayoría de los
libros de preparación para FCE aprovechan la posibilidad del examen, y se organizan a partir
de unidades temáticas y con actividades que integran las distintas habilidades comunicativas
y el estudio de la lengua misma (gramática, vocabulario, pronunciación, etc).
Una secuencia típica en un libro de preparación para FCE seria:
1. Discusión preliminar de una situación o tópico.
2. Comprensión de un texto hablado o escrito sobre el mismo tema.
6
3. Estudio de elementos lingüísticos en el texto: gramática, vocabulario, etcétera.
4. Una tarea basada en el texto anterior: juego de roles, respuesta escrita a la postura del
texto, etcétera.
5. Un ejercicio tipo FCE Use of English, incluyendo algunos elementos que se vieron en la
etapa 3.
Las etapas 3-4-5 podrían variar en orden, por ejemplo, primero se ven las etapas 4-5 y al
final la 3 con algo más extenso como un proyecto oral o una tareas escrita.
Si deciden trabajar sin libro, pueden diseñar secuencias de este tipo eligiendo materiales
adecuados. En caso de orientar el curso hacia TOEFL será necesario elaborar sus propias
secuencias de actividades.
Cabe recalcar que la enseñanza en este curso, más que en los cursos anteriores, se dirigirá
hacia la promoción de la autonomía de cada estudiante. El maestro debe planear, organizar
y orientar las clases para que los estudiantes "hagan el trabajo". Cada alumno aclarará o
descubrirá aspectos de la gramática, el vocabulario y el uso en general de la lengua Inglesa,
así como cada uno notará sus problemas y los resolverá. Además, cada uno debe alcanzar el
nivel propuesto y aprobar el examen. El maestro sólo puede apoyar a los estudiantes en esta
tarea.
EVALUACIÓN
La evaluación será continua, pero teniendo en cuenta que el curso se dirige hacia el examen
final. La autoevaluación de los estudiantes puede comenzar con el trabajo inicial, es decir
con un modelo del examen que se ha recomendado, sobre todo para saber lo cerca o lejos
que están en ese momento de aprobarlo. La autoevaluación puede promoverse con ciertas
estrategias recomendadas por el maestro, por ejemplo, que el estudiante apunte los 10
errores de gramática o lexis que comete con regularidad, haga un esfuerzo para corregirlos y
un mes después se evalúa su avance en esas áreas.
Este examen de práctica representa una oportunidad formal para trabajar la autoevaluación
de cada estudiante y también una especie de evaluación provisional del maestro.
No debe perderse de vista que el examen final será la evaluación normativa del curso y el
reflejo de los alcances y el trabajo de todos los cursos estudiados en la especialidad: Lengua
Extranjera (Inglés), que han contribuído a desarrollar la lengua Inglesa de los estudiantes.
Un examen de este tipo, aunque motiva y estimula a muchos alumnos, puede intimidar a
otros. Sin embargo, es el elemento más confiable que se tiene para evaluar a los futuros
maestros de inglés, y es solo un ejemplo de los muchos retos que se enfrentan en la vida y,
sobre todo, en lo profesional.
BIBLIOGRAFÍA
Libros de preparación para FCE y TOEFL
Acklam, R. y S. Burgess (1997), First Certificate Gold, Pearson/Longman.
7
Gear, J. y R. Gear (2000),Cambridge Preparation for the TOEFL Test, 3a ed. , CUP.
Haines, S. y B. Stewart (1997), New First Certificate Masterclass, OUP.
Naunton, J. (1997), Think First Certificate, edición revisada, Pearson/Longman.
Colecciones de pruebas FCE y TOEFL para práctica
Cambridge First Certificate in English 4, CUP.
Naunton, J. (1997),Think First Certificate Practice Exams, Pearson/Longman. Paran, A.
(1997), First Certificate Gold Practice Exams, Pearson/Longman.
ANEXO
Example of a first certificate in english examination
First Certificate Handbook, UCLES, 1997 (or later if available)
This appendix consists essentially of the above-mentioned book, First Certificate Handbook,
UCLES (University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate). This publication includes:
• An explanation of the principles and the design of the examination.
• A model of the complete examination.
•A guide to grading.
Obviously, for complete reliability students should take the actual Cambridge University FCE
examination, but a similar examination modeled on the FCE and carefully run by a Normal
can achieve something very close. For such an examination to be "carefully run", there
should be:
• Pre-established days and times for the various papers.
•Appropriate examination room conditions, e. g. candidates separated by at least 1. 5
metres, strict invigilation, quiet.
• Strict time duration for each paper.
• Training of oral examiners (never a candidate's own teacher).
•Objective grading (keys and criteria, names of candidates unknown, sample double
grading).
Since FCE is a British examination, you may wish to create versions that are typically
American in language and themes, or at least versions that are more neutral and
"international", perhaps including different varieties of standard English British American
written texts in the Reading Paper, and British, America, Australian and even non-native
speakers such as German or Japanese in the Listening Paper.
BIOGRAFÍA GENERAL
• Read and think skill sheets
• Oral language Exercise
• More true stories
• Very easy true stories
9
BLOQUE I. FAVORECIMIENTO DE LAS HABILIDADES DE COMPRENSIÓN DE LA
LECTURA.
Propósito. - Mejorar el nivel de competencia lingüística, para perfeccionar su pronunciación.
1. -La comprensión de la lectura dentro del aula. Basarse en el libro de la bibliografía More
true Stories.
Actividades sugeridas.
•Leer en voz alta diariamente las lecturas del libro de texto (una historia por sesión)
•Defender su punto de vista
10
BLOQUE II. - FAVORECIMIENTO DE LA EXPRESIÓN ESCRITA.
Propósito. - Que el futuro profesor de Inglés pueda escribir composiciones de cualquier tema.
1. - La expresión escrita en el aula.
•Resumir.
•Enviar mensajes.
•Cartas de negocios.
•Composiciones
•Historias
Actividades Sugeridas:
•Mostrar dibujos en acetatos y escribir acerca de los dibujos.
11
BLOQUE III. - DOMINIO DE LA COMPRENSIÓN AUDITIVA Y DE LA EXPRESIÓN
ORAL.
PROPÓSITO.
Que el futuro maestro de Inglés comprenda lo que se escucha en la radio, televisión o en
una película.
1- El dominio de la comprensión auditiva.
•Ver videos
•Extractos de programas de televisión
•Ejercicios con audio
•Canciones
ACTIVIDADES SUGERIDAS.
• Intercambiar en voz alta, para el grupo, las experiencias personales de las situaciones
parecidas a las escuchadas en audio y video o canciones y conversar en equipo sobre el
tema que se haya abordado.
•Ver películas y hacer preguntas no estructuradas.
12
BLOQUE IV. - DOMINIO DE LAS CUATRO HABILIDADES DEL LENGUAJE.
PROPÓSITO. combinar equilibradamente las cuatro habilidades del lenguaje para
superar el nivel general de competencia linguística.
1. - El idioma Inglés con enfoque comunicativo como un solo elemento de las cuatro
habilidades del lenguaje.
ACTIVIDADES SUGERIDAS.
•Comprender el Inglés
•Leer en Inglés
•Escribir en Inglés.
¿HOW THE STORIES HAVE BEEN CHOSEN?________________________________________
14
20TH CENTURY AMERICAN SHORT
STORIES REVISED EDITION VOLUME
1
INTRODUCTION
wentieth Century American Short
Stories, Volume 1, is one of three
related publications designed to
introduce English-as-a second or foreign
language students to the richness and
variety of modern American short fiction.
The complete program includes:
Twentieth Century
American
Short
Stories,
Volume 1
high intermediate
Twentieth Century
American
Short Sories,
Volume 2
advanced
Twentieth Century
American
Short Stories, An
Anthology
a collection of all of
the
stories from
Volumes 1
and 2, without the
activities
While the choices necessarily reflect the
editor's tastes, the selections are intended
to suggest the cultural and ethnic diversity
of twentieth-century American fiction.
Some of the stories in this book are
humorous; others are serious. Some are
set in large cities- New York, Chicago, Los
Angeles; others take place in suburban or
rural areas of New England, the South, the
Midwest, or the West. Together, the
stories explore universal questions of
relations within families and between the
sexes, changing customs and traditions,
and conflicts of culture that aren't always
recognized by those involved. All are
super tales that can be read again and
again with increasing pleasure.
All of the stories are relatively short,
ranging in length from approximately five
hundred to approximately six thousand
words. They are appropriate in content
and vocabulary for highintermediate
(Volume 1) or advanced (Volume 2)
students of English as a second or foreign
language. The stories are also suitable for
high school or college students whose first
language is English, though they would
probably find the "Uncommon Words or
Meanings" section unnecessary.
The selections are from all but the first
two decades of the twentieth century, with
T
¿HOW THE STORIES HAVE BEEN CHOSEN?
¿HOW THE STORIES HAVE BEEN CHOSEN?________________________________________
15
half of the stories in Volume 1 and three-
quarters of those in Volume 2 published
after mid-century. All of the twenty-four
stories represent an American point of
view, though two stories are set outside
the United States, two are by British
authors who place their stories in an
American context, and five of the twenty-
four authors spoke another language
before they learned English. While many
of the stories have been translated into
other languages, all of them were
originally written in English.
HOW THIS EDITION DIFFERS FROM
THE FIRST EDITION?
Of the nine stories in the first edition, five
have been kept for Volume 1: "The
Unicorn in the Garden" by James Thurber,
"The Chaser" by John Collier, "Love" by
Jesse Stuart, "The Use of Force" by
William Carlos Williams, and "The Lottery"
by Shirley Jackson. "The Orphaned
Swimming Pool" by John Updike appears
in Volume 2, as does Ernest Hemingway's
"Hills Like White Elephants," which has
been substituted for his story "The Killers.
"
For each author, the biographical material
has been expanded and now form part of
the introduction to the story. The glossary
now precedes the story, with no
interruption of the text to indicate glossed
words, and with objective criteria for
choosing words to be glossed. Grammar
and vocabulary exercises have been
replaced by questions concerned with
style and with connections between and
among stories.
HOW THE VOLUMES ARE ORGANIZED?
The stories in Volume 1 are, on average,
slightly shorter and simpler in structure
and vocabulary than those in Volume 2.
Within each volume, the stories have been
ordered by increasing complexity of plot
and vocabulary, with an eye to balance in
content, tone, and style. However, while
there is some crossreferencing in the
"Making Connections" questions, the
stories otherwise function as self-
contained units.
The Introduction to each story presents
the author in the context of his or her
time and previews the story. Where
appropriate, it also includes suggestions
for further reading.
Unusual Words or Meanings provides
brief explanations of words that can't
easily be found in a dictionary: cultural
references (such as brand and place
names), idioms, slang, words in languages
other than English, and words used in a
meaning other than the most common
(here defined as the first meaning listed in
the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary,
(Third Edition). Words are defined only as
they are used in the story and are pre-
sented in the order in which they appear
in the story. Nouns are glossed in their
singular form, preceded by a or an if the
noun is countable, and time-oriented
verbs are glossed in their to (infinitive)
form.
Each story is presented as the author
wrote it: nothing has been simplified; any
extra space between paragraphs was put
there by the author; the presence or
absence of quotation marks for direct
speech is the author's choice. While
words glossed in the "Unusual Words or
Meanings" section are not marked in the
¿HOW THE STORIES HAVE BEEN CHOSEN?________________________________________
16
text, line numbers have been added in the
margin to facilitate discussion. Following
the convention of many literature texts,
the original publication date appears in
square brackets at the end of the story.
Understanding the Story questions,
rather than asking for simple facts,
require synthesis and analysis. Their
purpose is to direct readers back to the
story, encouraging careful reading. This
and the following sections also provide an
opportunity for students to explore the
uses of several literary terms that are
commonly used by college-educated
speakers of English, including allusion,
connotation, foreshadowing, irony,
metaphor personification, simile, and
stereotype. The literary terms are briefly
defined the first time they are used in a
chapter, with the aim of helping readers to
become comfortable with the terms and
how they are used.
Developing a Way with Words offers a
closer look at a stylistic aspect of the
story, examining sentences that share a
common element or exploring questions of
vocabulary usage.
Making Connections provides a wide
range of options for discussion,with most
of the topics also being suitable as points
of departure for writing.
NO SPEACK ENGLISH________________________________________________________
17
n the last decade of the twentieth
century, Sandra Cisneros has
established herself as one of the
important new voices in American
literature. Cisneros, who now lives in San
Antonio, Texas, was born and raised in
Chicago. The daughter of a Mexican
father and Mexican American mother, she
grew up in a largely Spanish-speaking
neighborhood and spent her childhood
"being quiet," as was expected of a
daughter in a Latino household and of a
Latina girl in the. society atilarge.
Even in graduate school, Cisneros found
that teachers paid little attention to
women and that discussions excluded
anyone who wasn't from a white middle-
class family. When talking about the
literary symbolism of houses, for
example, one teacher spoke of attics (the
storage space under the roof) as symbols
of a family's past. Cisneros' family had
always lived in an apartment and, as she
says, "the third floor front doesn't come
with an attic. " Gradually, however, she
realized there were subjects on which she
was the expert. When other students
talked about cupolas (a tiny room with
windows on four sides on the roof of a
Victorian house), she thought about
narrow wooden back porches (a common
feature of older three-story apartment
buildings in Chicago). When others talked
of swans,, she thought about rats.
Whatever her classmates wrote about,
she presented the opposite. Gradually,
Cisneros found herself with a number of
stories about growing up in a Mexican
American community, stories that were
valuable precisely because they weren't
like anyone else's.
*These direct quotations are reconstructed
from notes taken during Cisneros' plenary
address at the twenty-seventh annual
convention of Teachers of English to Speakers
of Other Languages, Atlanta, Georgia, 1993,
Sandra Cisneros
I
NO SPEAK ENGLISH
Sandra Cisneros (born 1954)
NO SPEACK ENGLISH________________________________________________________
18
Teaching high school dropouts in Chicago
the next year, Cisneros gathered
additional stories from her students.
Soon she had a collection of forty-four,
including "No Speak English. " Several
years later, they were published by
Women of Color Press under the title The
House on Mango Street.
Although Cisneros by then really wanted
to be a writer, she took another teaching
job to support herself. Trying to be
"perfect" as a teacher brought her to
near-suicidal despair, but she was
rescued by a National Endowment for the
Arts Fellowship. "It reminded me that I
was a writer," Cisneros says, "and it gave
me attitude. " This self-confidence was
supported by critics' praise for The House
on Mango Street when it was reissued by
a major publisher in 1989. Since that
time, she has published Woman Hollering
Creek and Other Stories (1991), set
mainly in San Antonio, and My Wicked
Wicked Ways (1992), her first book of
poetry.
The stories in The House on Mango Street
are very short, some less than a page.
All of them are narrated by fourteen year-
old Esperanza Cordero, a girl whose first
name means "Hope. " Some of the stories
are about her and son are about her
girlfriend Rachel; others, including "No
Speak English," are about their neighbors.
What do you suppose that title means?
Who do you suppose says it?
UNCOMMON WORDS OR MEANINGS
Words or phrases from the story are
explained if they are cultural references
(including words in a language other than
English), idioms, or slang, or if the
meaning is not the first listed in a stan-
dard dictionary. The words or phrases
appear in their order of first use in the
story.
A note on translation: The Spanish
words in this story (marked in this list
with a star) are explained according to
their meaning in Mexican Spanish; the
meaning or implications in other Spanish-
language communities may be different.
*Mamacita ("Mamacita is the big mama")
"little mother"; a term of endearment that
shows both love and respect for the
mother's authority.
a big mama ("Mamacita is the big
mama")-(slang) a man's wife or lover, his
"number one woman. "
*Mamasota ("her name ought to be
Mamasota")-(vulgar slang) a woman with
big buttocks or "a large rear end. "
mean ("I think that's mean. ")-
deliberately unkind.
a yellow taxi ("arrived in a yellow taxi")-
an officially licensed taxicab.
fuchsia ("fuchsia roses")-a deep purplish-
red color.
*Poof!-an interjection (sometimes spelled
¡Puf! or ¡Pfffs! )
roughly equivalent to "Ouf!"; said when a
strenuous physical effort suddenly
succeeds.
lavender ("her lavender hatboxes")-a
pale purple color.
Holy smokes-(slang) an exclamation of
surprise; some say "holy smoke. "
*¿Cuando?-When?
*¡Ay, Caray!-An exclamation of
impatience, with the sense of "That
doesn't make any difference! That's how it
is. "
skinny ("the only skinny thread")-very
NO SPEACK ENGLISH________________________________________________________
19
thin.
tin ("the language that sounds like tin")-a
soft silver-white metal with a dull, flat
sound.
NO SPEAK ENGLISH
Mamacita is the big mama of the man
across the street, third-floor front. Rachel
says her name ought to be Mamasota, but
I think that's mean.
The man saved his money to bring her
here. 'He saved and 5 saved because she
was alone with the baby boy in that coun-
try. I worked two jobs. He came home
late and he left early. Every day.
Then one day Mamacita and the baby boy
arrived in a yellow taxi. The taxi door
opened like a waiter's arm. Out stepped
10 a tiny pink shoe, a foot soft as a
rabbit's ear, then the thick ankle, a flutter
of hips, fuchsia roses and green perfume.
The man had to pull her, the taxi driver
had to push. Push, pull. Push, pull. Poof!
All at once she bloomed. Huge,
enormous, beautiful to
15 look at, from the salmon-pink feather
on the tip of her hat down to the little.
rosebuds of her toes. I couldn't take my
eyes off her tiny shoes.
Up, up, up the stairs she went with the
baby boy in a blue blanket, the man
carrying her suitcases, her lavender
hatboxes,
20 a dozen boxes of satin high heels. Then
we didn't see her.
Somebody said it's because she's too fat,
somebody because of the three flights of
stairs, but I believe she doesn't come out
because she is afraid to speak English,
and maybe this is so since she only knows
eight words. She knows to say:
25 He not here for when the landlord
comes. No speak English if anybody else
comes, and Holy smokes. I don't know
where she learned this, but I heard her
say it one time and it surprised me.
My father says when he came to this
country he ate hamariddeggs for three
months. . Breakfast, lunch, and, dinner.
Harnan
30 deggs. That was. the only word he
knew. He doesn't eat hamandeggs
anymore.
Whatever her reasons, whether she is fat,
or can't climb the stairs, or is afraid
of:English, she won't come down. She
sits all clay by the window and plays the
Spanish radio show and sings.
35 all the homesick songs about her
country in a voice that sounds like a
seagull.
Home, Home, Home, is a house in a
photograph, a pink house, pink as
hollyhocks with lots of startled light.
The man paints the walls of the
apartment pink, but it's not the
same
40 you know. She still sighs for her
pink house, and then I think she
cries. I would.
Sometimes the man gets disgusted.
He starts screaming and you can
hear it all the way down the street.
Ay, she says, she is sad.
45 Oh, he says, not again.
¿Cuándo, cuándo, cuándo? she asks.
¡Ay,Caray! We are home. This is home.
Here I am and here I stay. Speak English.
Speak English. Christ!; ¡Ay! Mamacita,
who does not belong, every once in a
while
50 lets out a cry, hysterical, high, as if he
had torn the only skinny thread that kept
her alive, the only road out to that
country.
NO SPEACK ENGLISH________________________________________________________
20
And then to break her heart forever,
the baby boy who has begun to talk,
starts to sing the Pepsi commercial
he heard on T. V.
55 No speak English, she says to the
child who is singing in the language
that sounds like tin. No speak
English, no speak English, and
bubbles into tears. No, no, no as if
she can't believe her ears. [1989]
UNDERSTANDING THE STORY
These questions call for analysis and
synthesis of the story's main points.
1. From the descriptions of
Mamacita in the first six
paragraphs of the story
(lines 1-27), how do you
picture her?
2. Like many new immigrants,
Mamacita is having trouble
adjusting to life in the
United States.
a. What three different
suggestions are given
for why Mamacita never
leaves her apartment?
Which suggestion seems
most likely to you?
Why?
b. What does "No speak
English" mean the first
time it appears (line
25)? What does it mean
in the final paragraph
c. How well does
Mamacita's eight-word
vocabulary (lines 25-26)
meet her needs? What
other words might she
need if she went
outside? Why do you
think the narrator,
Esperanza, tells the
story about
"hamandeggs" (lines
28-31)?
3. Mamacita listens to Spanish music and
sings Spanish songs about homesickness.
Do you think these activities make her
feel more or less homesick? When the
man paints their apartment pink, why is
that "not the same" (line 39)? Not the
same as what?
4. What is the evidence that the man
really wanted Mamacita to join him? How
is his reaction to Chicago different from
hers?
5. What question does the man hear in
Mamacita's “Cuando” that makes him
respond, "We are, home. This is home
“(line 47)” In what ways does Mamacita
"not belong" (line 49)?
6. In the description "the only skinny
thread that kept [Mamacita] alive, the
only road out to that country" (lines 50-
51), both "thread" and "road" are
metaphors. That is, there is no real
thread or road; the-words "thread" and
"road" mean something else and they
present that meaning through an indirect
or implied comparison.
a. What do "thread" and "road" represent
in terms of Mamacita's life? How are a
thread and a road a like? What difference
between them justifies using both words?
b. What does the man do that makes
Mamacita feel that he has "torn" that
thread?
7. What is the final blow to Mamacita's
hopes? How does
she react to the blow? What does it mean
to say that
English is a "language that sounds like
tin" (line 56)?
NO SPEACK ENGLISH________________________________________________________
21
DEVELOPING A WAY WITH WORDS
For those who wish to look more closely
at how a story has been told, this section
presents either distinctive features of the
author's style or, for a few stories, a
related literary text.
1. Examine the following descriptions.
The first four use like or as to make a
direct comparison. (The literary term for
that is a simile. ) The other two are
indirectimplied-comparisons. (The literary
term for that is a metaphor, as in question
6 in the previous section. ) Which of the
five senses does each description evoke?
Does it describe how something looks,
how it sounds, how it feels, how it tastes,
or how it smells?
a. The taxi door opened like a waiter's
arm. (line 9)
b. A foot soft as a rabbit's ear (line 10)
c. A voice that sounds like a seagull (lines
35-36)
d. A pink house, pink as hollyhocks (lines
37-38)
e. Lots of startled light (line 38)
f. Bubbles into tears (line 57)
2. Write several descriptions of something
that you can see from where you are
sitting now. In two or three of the
descriptions, use like or as in a direct
comparison- simile.
In two or three, make an indirect or
implied comparison-a metaphor. Try to
use a different sense-sight, hearing,
touch, taste, or smell-in each of your
descriptions.
MAKING CONNECTIONS
These options for discussion and writing
(at varying levels of complexity) invite
readers to connect the stories with their
own experience and with other works of
literature.
1. What countries could "that country"
(line 5) refer to? Would the story be
stronger if Cisneros had specified a
particular country? Why or why not?
2. How unusual is Mamacita's situation?
Discuss that question, then write without
stopping for ten minutes on one of the
following questions. After ten minutes,
stop and discuss your answer with others
in your class.
a. What do you suppose Mamacita
expected of life in Chicago?
b. If you were in Mamacita's place, what
would you do?
c. If you were the man, what would you
do?
d. If you were Esperanza, would you try
to help? Why or why not?
3. What do you imagine will happen to
Mamacita and her family in the next two
years? Write for ten minutes on what you
think will become of her, the man, and
their son. Then compare your answer
with the answers of others in the class.
4. Have you had the experience of
moving to a new place where you dressed
differently from everyone else and didn't
know much of the language? If so:
a. What were the first words you learned?
Did you make much progress? If so, how?
NO SPEACK ENGLISH________________________________________________________
22
b. Did your change your style of dress, or
other obvious aspects of your life, to
match those of the people around you? If
so, what were some of the changes?
c. How long did you stay? (Or are you still
there?)
5. What sort of letters do you imagine the
man and Mamacita wrote to each other
after he left their country but before she
came to Chicago? What sort letters do you
suppose Mamacita wrote from Chicago to
her family at home? Write some of the
letters, as you imagine them to have
been.
6. Cisneros advises beginning writers,
"Ask yourself what makes you different
from anyone else-in your school,-your
neighborhood,your family. " She also
insists that "the things you can't talk
about-the things that are so taboo that
you can't even think about them-are what
you have to write about. " Following her
advice, write two or three stories about
your school, or neighborhood, or family
when you were growing up.
POPULAR MECHANICS________________________________________________________
23
POPULAR MECHANICS
aymond Carver identified himself
as "a full-time member of the
working poor. " Born in
Clatskanie, Oregon. Carver grew up
thinking that, like his father, he would go
to work in a lumber mill after high school.
But six months in the mills was enough;he
knew he wanted more. With his wife and
their two young children, Carver moved to
northern California, where he began
college on a partial scholarship.
One of his teachers, the novelist John
Gardner, helped Carver to revive his
childhood interest in making up stories
and encouraged him to find his own voice
as a writer. Working nights at a
succession of blue-collar jobs, Carver used
the days to learn to write. Because the
house was always noisy, he often worked
in the family car. Because his writing time
was limited, he concentrated on short
pieces-a poem or story-that could be
finished in one sitting. Carver also worked
to strip the stories down to the bare
minimum"cutting them to the bone, and
then cutting them a bit more," he joked.
His first collection of stories- “Will You
Please Be Quiet, Please” (1976)-led
reviewers to speak of "Carver country," a
fictional world in which working-class
people struggle to make sense of their
lives, or failing that, simply to get through
them. But Carver had also been troubled
bled by alcoholism, which finally led him
to stop writing and destroyed his family
life.
In 1977, realizing that he was drinking
himself to death, Carver took his last drink
and began what he later identified as his
"second life. " (He and his first wife
separated that year and were divorced
five years later. ) Carver started writing
again the following year, after meeting the
poet Tess Gallagher. His next book, What
We Talk About When We Talk About Love
(1981),brought him world-wide
recognition, with translations in more than
twenty languages. His following
collection, Cathedral (1983), marked a
new direction in his work, with much
longer stories that also carried a sense of
hope. In 1988, Carver married Gallagher,
was elected to the American Academy and
Institute of Arts and Letters, and won two
awards for his story "Errand," which is
based on the death of the Russian writer
Anton Chekov. However, he also suffered
a relapse of lung cancer, for which he had
been treated earlier, and died at home in
Port Angeles, Washington, leaving five
collections of short stories, five books of
poetry, and one collection of prose and
poetry.
"Popular Mechanics" first appeared in
What We Talk About When We Talk About
Love and was reprinted under the title
"Little Things" in Where I'm Calling From
(1988). Asked once about the sense of
menace-of impending danger-in his
R
POPULAR MECHANICS
RaymondCarver
(1938-1988)
POPULAR MECHANICS________________________________________________________
24
stories, Carver said, "The people l've
chosen to write about do feel menace, and
I think many, if not most, people feel the
world is a menacing place. . . . Try living
on the other side of the tracks for a while.
Menace is there, and it's palpable. “The
characters of Popular Mechanics” certainly
live on the wrong side of the tracks, in a
three-room house heated only by a free-
standing stove in the kitchen. For this
young couple and their baby, what do you
suppose the menace will prove to be?
Larry McCaffrey and Sinda Gregory, "An
Interview with Raymond
Carver," reprinted in Conversations with
Raymond Carver, edited by Marshall Bruce
Gentry and William L. Stull (1990).
UNCOMMON WORDS OR MEANINGS
Popular Mechanics (title)-The name of a
magazine dedicated to electronics,
automobiles, wood-working projects, and
other "manly" pursuits.
slush("Cars slushed by")-partly melted
snow; Carver has turned the noun into a
verb.
a scuffle ('In the scuffle")-a rough,
confused struggle or fight.
a fist ("Her fisted fingers")-a tightly
closed hand, with the fingers turned
under; Carver has turned the noun into an
adjective.
POULAR MECHANICS
Early that day the weather turned and the
snow was melting into dirty water.
Streaks of it ran down from the little
shoulder-high window that faced the
backyard. Cars slushed by on the street
outside, where it was getting dark. But it
was getting 5 dark on the inside too.
He was in the bedroom pushing clothes
into a suitcase when she came to the
door.
I'm glad you're leaving! I'm glad you're
leaving! she said. Do you hear?
10 He kept on putting his things into the
suitcase.
Son of a bitch! I'm so glad you're leaving!
She began to cry.
You can't even look me in the face, can
you?
Then she noticed the baby's picture on the
bed and picked it up.
15 He looked at her and she wiped her
eyes and stared at him before turning and
going back to the living room.
Bring that back, he said.
Just get your things and get out, she said.
He did not answer. He fastened the
suitcase, put on his
20 coat, looked around the bedroom
before turning off the light. Then he went
out to the living room.
She stood in the doorway of the little
kitchen, holding the baby.
I want the baby, he said.
25 Are you crazy?
No, but I want the baby. I'll get someone
to come by for his things.
You're not touching this baby, she said.
The baby had begun to cry and she
uncovered the blanket
30 from around his head
Oh, oh, she said, looking at the baby.
He moved toward her.
For God's sake!she said. She took a step
back into the kitchen.
35 I want the baby.
Get out of here!
She turned and tried to hold the baby over
in a corner behind the stove.
But he came up. He reached across the
stove and tightened
POPULAR MECHANICS________________________________________________________
25
40 his hands on the baby
Let go of him, he said.
Get away, get away! she cried.
The baby was red-faced and screaming.
In the scuffle they knocked down a
flowerpot that hung behind the stove.
45 He crowded her into the wall then,
trying to break her grip. He held on to the
baby and pushed with all his weight.
Let go of him, he said.
Don't, she said. You're hurting the baby,
she said. I'm not hurting the baby, he
said.
50 The kitchen window gave no light. In
the near-dark he worked on her fisted
fingers with one hand and with the otner
hand he gripped the screaming baby up
under an arm near the shoulder.
She felt her fingers being forced open.
She felt the baby
55 going from her
No! she screamed just as her hands came
loose.
She would have it, this baby. She
grabbed for the baby's other arm. 'She
caught the baby around the wrist and
leaned back.
60 But he would not let go. He felt the
baby slipping out of his hands and he
pulled back very hard.
In this manner, the issue was decided.
(1981]
UNDERSTANDING THE STORY
1.- Who are "he" and "she"? Would the
story be stronger if the characters had
names? Why or why not?
2.- How is the setting-the season,
weather, time of day, and location-
appropriate to the story? In what way has
the weather "turned" (line 1)? How has
the situation in the story turned?
3.- Why do you think she is crying? What
signs of emotion is he showing?
4.- What do you think the baby represents
to each of them? When do you suppose he
got the idea of taking the baby with him?
Is the baby a boy or a girl?
5.- Do you think she is correct in saying
that the man is hurting the baby (line 48)?
Why or why not?
6.- The last sentence of the story is
deliberately ambiguous; that is, the
author has intentionally left several
possibilities for its meaning. What is "the
issue"? In what "manner" is it decided?
What are the various possibilities for
answering those questions?
7.- What do you think the title means?
Why do youn suppose Carver later
changed the title to "Little Things"?
DEVELOPING A WAY WITH WORDS
1. In a story this "minimal," with so few
words, any repetition carries great weight.
Discuss the meaning-direct and indirect-of
the references to light and darkness in the
following sentences.
a. Cars slushed by on the street outside,
where it was getting dark. But it was
getting dark on the inside too. (lines
4-5)
b. He fastened the suitcase, put on his
coat, looked around the bedroom before
turning off the light. (lines 19-20)
c. The kitchen window gave no light. In
the near-dark he worked on her fisted
fingers... (lines 50-51)
2. Another aspect of Carver's stripped-
down style is that there are almost no
adjectives, so the ones that are used carry
great weight. Find the seven adjectives
POPULAR MECHANICS________________________________________________________
26
(the first is "dirty" in line 2) and comment
on their choice. How many adverbs are
there?
3. Now look at the verbs.
a. In → the → dialogue, → almost →
everything → is → "he → said, → she
said. " Therefore, "she cried" (line 42) has
great power. Where else does Carver use
a verb to indicate tone of voice?
b. Which other verbs have special power
because they are unusual? ("Slushed," line
3, is one example. )
c. For the most part, the reader is left to
imagine the emotion behind the words.
What do you think is the tone of the
woman's words in the sentence "Oh, oh,
she said, looking at the baby" (line 31)?
Choose several other statements and
discuss the emotion behind them and their
possible tone.
MAKING CONNECTIONS
1. Carver's story is reminiscent of two
legendary stories about dividing a child
between two women when each of the
women claims to be the mother. Perhaps
you will recognize one or both of them.
Read the stories aloud, then discuss the
questions following them.
THE JUDGMENT OF SOLOMON
This story is from the Bible, the First Book
of Kings, chapter 3, verses 16-27. The
story has been retold to simplify the
language.
When God offered King Solomon any gift
he wanted, Solomon asked for wisdom.
He soon had a chance to test his gift, for
two prostitutes came to him for a
judgment.
The women had two babies with them,
one alive and one dead.
5. "We live in the same house, your
majesty," the first woman said. "I
recently had a baby and three days later
this other woman also gave birth. But she
accidentally rolled over her child during
the night and he died. Then she got up
and took my baby and left me with her
dead child. "
10. The second woman said, "No, the
living child is mine and the dead one is
hers. She is trying to take my child away
from me. "
King Solomon thought for a moment, then
he called a guard to come forward with a
sword. "Cut the living child in
15 two," he said, "and gave half to each
woman. "
"No,no," cried the second woman. "Don't
harm the child.
Give it to her. "
"Not at all," snapped the first woman.
"Divide the child so that neither one of us
has it. "
20 Then Solomon said, "Give the child to
the second woman,
for she is the true mother. " And the
people knew that God had truly given
Solomon wisdom.
THE CIRCLE OF CHALK
A similar story is found in The Circle of
Chalk, a classic Chinese play of the Yuan
dynasty (1259-1368), although this story
involves not prostitutes but a concubine.
It was adapted six hundred years later by
the German playwright Bertolt Brecht as
The Caucasian Chalk Circle (1945). The
following is a summary of the Chinese
play.
A penniless family was forced by their
POPULAR MECHANICS________________________________________________________
27
poverty to sell their beautiful daughter,
Changhi-tang, to a teahouse. There the
tax collector, Mr. Ma, bought Changhi-
tang as a concubine. Within a year, she
bore him a son.
5 Mr. Ma's wife, who was childless, was
so jealous of the concubine tlat she
poisoned her husband's tea. Then she
paid her servants to say that Changhi-
tang had killed Mr. Ma and that Mrs. Ma
was the real mother of the child.
The case was brought before the new
emperor, who had
10 said that he would judge all cases
involving a murder. The emperor listened
carefully to the evidence. Then he drew a
circle with a piece of chalk, placed the
child inside the circle, and directed Mrs.
Ma and Changhi-tang to each take hold of
one of the baby's arms. "The one who
pulls the child out of the
1s circle," the emperor said, "will have
him. "
Mrs. Ma won, since only she would risk
hurting the child. The emperor was then
certain that the concubine was the rightful
mother and that Mrs. Ma had murdered
her husband. After announcing his
finding, he ordered Changhi-tang to
20 determine Mrs Ma´s punishment
"Mrs. Ma, please prepare a cup of tea for
your self," the concubine said softly. "And
let your conscience guide you in deciding
what sort of tea it will be. "
a. How are the endings of the two stories
different? What does Changhi-tang mean
when she imposes the sentence? Do you
suppose that the emperor expected her to
say that?
b. What aspects of the two stories are the
same?
c. Compare either "The Judgment of
Solomon" or "The Circle of Chalk" to
"Popular Mechanics. " Are the stories
similar or different in setting? How similar
are the characters? What about the
situation in the story and the way the
characters react? How similar are the
stories in the way the conflict is resolved?
2. What stories do you know, from the
news or from your own life, about parents
fighting over children? What effect did the
struggle have on the children? What psy-
chological, as well as physical, ways are
there for parents to tear a child apart?
3. In class, read "Popular Mechanics" as a
play. You will need a NARRATOR (12
speeches), HE (9 speeches), and SHE (12
speeches). Leave out "he said" and "she
said" when these phrases occur. You may
also want to have a DIRECTOR to help
everyone decide where to sit or stand and
when and how to speak. Several small
groups can each prepare and present their
version. To give more students a chance
to participate, there can be a change of
cast and director after "Get out of here!"
(line 36).
4. Carver's story is told by a narrator who
isn't a character in the story. Retell it
from another point of view. How would
the story be told by a nosy neighbor who
has overheard the scene? By a police
officer who has come to investigate in
response to a call by that same neighbor?
By the woman in the story when she
writes to her mother about the incident?
How does shifting the point of view
change the story?
5. Like "No Speak English" by Cisneros,
this story is told in very simple language.
What other similarities can you see
between the two stories? What differences
are there?
6. The Public Broadcasting System (PBS)
station in Seattle, Washington, has filmed
POPULAR MECHANICS________________________________________________________
28
an interview with Raymond Carver and
Tess Gallagher. When it was shown on
PBS in New York City, the program was
titled "Raymond Carver: To Write and
Keep Kind. " The program is not presently
available for purchase on video cassette;
however, teachers in the U. S. may want
to contact their local PBS station to see if
the film is on an upcoming program
schedule.
THE UNICORN IN THE GARDEN _________________________________________________
29
ames Thurber spent his boyhood in
Columbus, Ohio, in a family that was
delightfully crazy. As he described
the family in My Life and Hard Times
(1933), his grandmother worried about
electricity leaking out of light fixtures and
wall sockets. His grandfather used to
disappear for days at time, returning with
late-breaking news of the Civil War, which
had ended forty years before. Aunt Gracie
Shoaf lived in fear of burglars. She was
sure that they would come when she was
asleep and use chloroform to keep her
from waking up. To drive them away, she
threw shoes down the hallway in the
middle of the night. ' "Some nights,"
Thurber wrote, "she threw them all. "
A childhood accident left Thurber blind in
one eye and with only limited vision in the
other. Some might say that his unusual
view of the world is reflected in the style
of his drawings, one of which appears with
this story, as well as in the content of his
stories. For over thirty years, Thurber's
cartoons and stories about his family and
other topics appeared in The New Yorker,
a witty and sophisticated American
magazine founded by Harold Ross.
Thurber presented his version of working
on The New Yorker's staff in The Years
with Ross (1959). A representative
selection of his work appears in The
Thurber Carnival (1945).
Thurber stands beside Mark Twain as one
of the most popular American humorists
and satirists of his time. He has also
joined the ancient Greek slave Aesop and
the seventeenth century French nobleman
Jean de La Fontaine as a noted writer of
fables. Fables, which often have animals
who act like human beings as the main
characters, illustrate morals that are
stated directly at the end like proverbs.
Thurber's Fables for Our Time (1940)
includes "The Unicorn in the Garden. "
This fable illustrates a recurring theme in
Thurber's work: the battle of the sexes,
pitting timid but imaginative men against
scheming and possessive women. In this
story, a typical Thurber man finds his
long-suffering existence dramatically
altered. How? By the arrival of a unicorn-
the medieval symbol of romantic love and
sexual power.
UNCOMMON WORDS OR MEANINGS
Once upon a ("Once upon a sunny
morning")-the conventional opening for a
fairy tale is "Once upon a time. " The
conventional ending is "They all lived
happily ever after. "
a breakfast nook ("sat in a breakfast
nook")-a corner of the kitchen with a
small table and chairs.
a booby ("You are a booby. ")-(slang) a
foolish or mentally retarded person.
a booby-hatch ("put in the booby
hatch")-(slang) an insane asylum, a
hospital for people who are mentally ill.
Thurber later makes a play on words with
the verb hatch, to break out of a shell.
a gloat ("a gloat in her eye")-the verb
J
THE UNICORN IN THE GARDEN
JAMES THURBER
(1894-1961)
THE UNICORN IN THE GARDEN _________________________________________________
30
gloat means to look at with selfish or
malicious pleasure; here, the verb is used
as a noun.
a straight-jacket ("got her into the
straight-jacket")-a white jacket with very
long sleeves used to control a mental
patient.
a jay bird ("as crazy as a jay bird")-a
blue jay, a common crested bird with a
harsh cry. (The usual comparison is "as
crazy as a loon. ")
Don't count . . . . ("Don't count your
chickens until they are hatched. ")-a play
on the words of the proverb the moral of
the fable
THE" UNICORN IN THE GARDEN
Once upon a sunny morning a man who
sat in a breakfast nook looked up from his
scrambled eggs to see a white unicorn
with a gold horn quietly cropping the roses
in the garden. The man went up to the
bedroom where his wife was still asleep
and woke her. "There's an unicorn in the
garden," he said. "Eating roses. " She
opened one unfriendly eye and looked at
him. "The unicorn is a mythical beast,"
she said, and turned her back on him. The
man walked slowly downstairs and out
into the garden. The unicorn was still
there; he was now browsing among the
tulips. "Here, unicorn," said the man, and
he pulled up a lily and gave it to him. The
unicorn ate it gravely. With a high heart,
because there was an unicorn in his
garden, the man went upstairs and roused
his wife again. "The unicorn," he said,
"ate a lily. " His wife, sat up in bed and
looked at him, coldly. "You are a booby,"
she said, "and I am going to have you put
in the booby hatch. " The man, who had
never liked the words "booby" and
"booby-hat'ch," and who liked them even
less on a shining morning when there was
an unicorn in the garden, thought for a
moment. “We'll see about that,” he said.
He walked over to the door. "He has a
golden horn in the middle of his forehead,"
he told her. Then he went back to the
garden to watch the unicorn; but the
unicorn had gone away. The man sat
down among the roses and went to sleep.
As soon as the husband had gone out of
the house, the wife got up and dressed as
fast as she could. She was very excited
and there was a gloat in her eye. She
telephoned the police and she telephoned
a psychiatrist; she told them to hurry to
her house and bring a straight-jacket
when the police and the psychiatrist
arrived they sat down in chairs and looked
at'her, with great interest. "My husband,"
she said, "saw a unicorn this morning. "
The police looked at the psychiatrist and
the psychiatrist looked at the police. "He
told me it ate a lily," she said. The
psychiatrist looked at the police and the
police looked at the psychiatrist. "He told
me it had a golden horn in the middle of
its forehead," she said. At a solemn signal
from the psychiatrist, the police leaped
from their chairs and seized the wife.
They had a hard time subduing her, for
she put up a terrific struggle, but they
finally subduedd her. Just as they got,
her into the straight, jacket, the husband
came back into the house.
40. "Did you tell your wife you saw an
unicorn?" asked the police. "Of course
not," said the husband. "The unicorn is a
mythical beast. " "That's all I wanted to
know," said the psychiatrist. "Take her
away. I'm sorry, sir, but your wife is as
crazy as a jay bird. " So they took her
THE UNICORN IN THE GARDEN _________________________________________________
31
away, cursing and screaming,
45 and shut her up in an institution. the
husband lived happily ever after.
MORAL: Don't count your boobies until
they are hatched. (1939)
UNDERSTANDING THE STORY
1. In the first sentence, what elements of
fairy tales and everyday life are
juxtaposed-set side by side?
2. The unicorn eats roses and lilies. Lilies
often symbolize purity; what do roses
suggest? The marl, we are told, has "a
high heart" (line 12) because of the unicor
in his garden. What do you suppose "high
heart" means? What do you think the
unicorn represents?
3. Why do you think the man wakes his
wife up the second time? Why do you
think she reacts as she does? What does
the man mean when he says (line 19),
"We'll see about that"?
4. When the man goes downstairs, he
finds the unicorn gone. Why do you
suppose he goes to sleep rather than look
for the unicorn?
5. To→ "have→ a→ gleam→ in→
one's→ eye"→ means→ to→ have→
a→ good
idea, but the wife has "a gloat in her eye"
(line 26).
a. What does "gloat" mean, and what
does the change from "gleam" to "gloat"
suggest about the wife's idea and the
motivation behind it?
b. What do you think the wife has in mind
when she calls the police and the
psychiatrist? What do you think she
expects them to do when they arrive?
c. What is the irony-the difference
between what the wife expects and what
act all happens -in the result of her plan?
6. Think about the husband's actions:
a. Surely he can hear his wife shouting.
Why do you suppose he doesn't come into
the house right away?
b. What would explain his response to the
psychiatrist's question?
c. Are you surprised that he allows his
wife to be "taken away cursing and
screaming" (line 44)?
7. What proverb is the moral based on?
What does the proverb mean? How is it
appropriate to this story?
DEVELOPING A WAY WITH WORDS
Some of the words in the story-such as
garden-are generally thought of as having
pleasant associations; that is, they have a
positive connotation. Other words-such as
cursing-have unpleasant associations, a
negative feeling; that is, they have a
negative connotation. Divide the following
words into two lists-those with positive
connotations and those with negative
connotations:
booby, curse, garden, gloat, gold, heart,
institution, lily,
police, psychiatrist, rose (n. ), scream,
shining, straight
jacket, struggle, subdue, sunny, unicorn.
a. Which list can be associated with the
THE UNICORN IN THE GARDEN _________________________________________________
32
husband? Which with the wife?
b. How do these words reflect the
differences between the husband and
wife? Why do you suppose these two
people married?
MAKING CONNECTIONS
1. Is the husband crazy? Discuss the
evidence for and against the view that he
is.
2. How is the idea of the proverb "Don't
count your chickens before they are
hatched" expressed in other languages
that you know?
3. What other fables do you know? In
what ways is Thurber's fable similar to
them? In what ways is it different?
4. Plan a dramatization of the fable.
Besides a NARRATOR, how many actors
will you need? This can be done as a class
project, with some students preparing the
script, some preparing the set, some
preparing costumes and properties, some
acting, and one directing. Ontwo or three
small groups can each prepare and
present their own simple version.
5. Arrange to see the animated film
version of this story produced by the
National Film Board of Canada. Then
discuss and write about the differences
between the way you pictured the story
and the way it is presented in the film. In
the United States, teachers can contact
the National Film Board of Canada at 1251
Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY
10020-1173; 1-212-596-1770. )
Assyrian ("an As rian who, out of
loneliness, had learned to speak
Armenian”)a citizen of Assyria, an ancient
country of Asia Minor that lost its
itdependent existence in the eighth
century B. C. In another story, Saroyan
identified a well-known Armenian as
"Assyrian. " When asked why he had done
that, Saroyan answered that "in a sense
everybody in the world is an Assyrian, a
remnant of a once-mighty race, now all
but extinct" (Letters from 74 rue Taitbout,
1969).
THE SUMMER OF THE BEAUTIFUL
WHITE HORSE
One day back there in the good old days
when I was nine and the world was full of
every imaginable kind of magnificence,
and life was still a delightful and
mysterious dream, my cousin Mourad,
who was considered crazy by everybody
who
5 knew him except me, came to my house
at four in the morning and woke me up by
tapping on the window of my room.
Aram, he said.
I jumped out of bed and looked out the
window.
I couldn't believe what I saw.
10 It wasn't morning yet, but it was
summer and with daybreak not many
minutes around the corner of the world it
was light enough for me to know I wasn't
dreaming.
My cousin Mourad was sitting on a
beautiful white horse.
I stuck my head out of the window and
rubbed my eyes.
15 Yes, he said in Armenian. It's a horse.
You're not dreaming. Make it quick if you
want to ride.
I knew my cousin Mourad enjoyed being
alive more than anybody else who had
ever fallen into the world by mistake, but
this was more than even I could believe.
20 In the first place, my earliest memories
THE UNICORN IN THE GARDEN _________________________________________________
33
had been memories of horses and my first
longings had been longings to ride.
This was the wonderful part.
In the second place, we were Poor.
This was the part that wouldn't permit me
to believe what
25 I saw.
We were poor. We had no money. Our
whole tribe was poverty-stricken. Every
branch of the Garoghlanian family was
living in the most amazing and comical
poverty in the world. Nobody could
understand where we ever got money -
enough to
30 keep us with food in our bellies, not
even the old men of the family. Most
important of all, though, we were famous
for our honesty. We had been famous for
our honesty for something like eleven
centuries, even when we had been the
wealthiest family in what we liked to think
was the world. We were proud
35 first, honest next, and after that we
believed in right and wrong. None of us
would take advantage of anybody in the
world, let alone steal.
Consequently, even though I could see the
horse, so magnificent; even though I
could smell the horse, so lovely; even
though I could hear it breathing,so
exciting; I couldn't believe the horse had
anything to do with my cousin Mourad or
with me or with any of the other members
of our family, asleep or awake, because I
knew my cousin Mourad couldn't have
bought the horse, and if he couldn't have
bought it he must have stolen it, and I
refused to believe he had stolen it.
No member of the Garoghianian family
could be a thief.
I stared first at my cousin and then
at the horse. There was a pious
stillness and humor in each of them
which on the one hand delighted me
and on the other frightened me.
Mourad, I said, where did you steal this
horse?
Leap out of the window, he said, if you
want to ride.
It was true, then. He had stolen the
horse. There was no question about
it. He had come to invite me to ride
or not, as I chose.
Well, it seemed to me stealing a horse for
a ride was not the same thing as stealing
something else, such as money. For all I
knew, may be it wasn't stealin at all. If
you were crazy about horses the way my
cousin Mourad and I were, it wasn't
stealing. It wouldn't become stealing ti
otil we offered to sell the horse, which of
course I knew we would never do.
Let me put on some clothes, I said.
All right, he said, but hurry.
I leaped into my clothes.
I jumped down to the yard from the
window and leaped up onto the
horse behind my cousin Mourad.
That year we lived at the edge of
town,on Walnut Avenue. Behind our
house was the country: vineyards,
orchards, irrigation ditches, and
country roads. In less than three
minutes we were on Olive Avenue
and then the horse began to trot.
The air was new and lovely to
breathe. The feel of the horse
running was wonderful. My cousin
Mourad who was considered one of
the craziest members of our family
began to sing. I mean, he began to
roar.
Every family has a crazy streak in it
somewhere, and my cousin Mourad
was considered the natural
descendant of the crazy streak in our
THE UNICORN IN THE GARDEN _________________________________________________
34
tribe. Before him was our uncle
Khosrove, an enormous man with a
powerful head of black hair and the
largest mustache in the San Joaquin
Valley, a man so furious intemper,
so irritable, so impatient that he
stopped anyone from
80 talking by roaring, It is no harm; pay
no attention to it That was all, no matter
what anybody happened to be talking
about. Once it was his own son Arak
running eight blocks to the barber shop
where his father was having his mustache
trimmed to tell him that their house was
on fire. This man
85 Khosrove sat up in the chair and
roared, It is no harm; pay no attention to
it. The barber said, but the boy says your
house is on fire. So Khosrove roared,
nough, it is no harm, I say.
My cousin Mourad was considered the
natural descendant of this man, although
Mourad's father was Zorab, who
90 was practical and nothing else. That's
how it is in our tribe. A man could be, the
father of his son's flesh, but that did not
mean that he was also the father of his
spirit. The distribution of the various kinds
of spirit of our tribe had been from the
beginning capricious and vagrant.
95 we rode and my cousin Mourad sang.
For all any body knew we were still in the
old country where, at least according to
some of our neighbors, we belonged. We
let, the horse run as long as it felt like
running.
At last my cousin Mourad said, Get down.
I want to ride
100 alone.
Will you let me ride alone? I said.
That is up to the horse, my
cousin said. Get down. The
horse:will let me ride, I
said.
We shall see, he said. Don't forget that I
have a way with a
105 horse.
Well, I said, any way you have with a
horse, I have also. For the sake of
your safety, he said, letus hope so.
Get
down.
All right, I said, but remember you've got,
to let me try to
110 ride alone.
I got down and my cousin Mourad kicked
his heels into the
horse and shouted, Vazire, run. The horse
stood on its hind
legs, snorted, and burst into a fury of
speed that was the loveli
est thing I had ever seen. My cousin
Mourad raced the horse
115 across a field of dry grass to an
irrigation ditch, crossed the
ditch on the horse, and five minutes later
returned, dripping
wet.
The sun was coming up.
Now it's my turn to ride, I said.
My cousin Mourad got off the horse.
Ride, he said.
I leaped to the back of the horse and for a
moment knew the awfulest fear imaginable.
The horse did not move.
Kick into his muscles, my cousin Mourad
said. What are you waiting for? We've got
to take him back before everybody in the
world is up and about.
I kicked into the muscles of the horse.
Once again it reared and snorted. Then it
began to run. I didn't know what to do.
Instead of running across the field to the
irrigation ditch the horse ran down the road
to the vineyard of Dikran Halabian where it
began to leap over vines.
THE UNICORN IN THE GARDEN _________________________________________________
35
The horse leaped over seven vines before I
fell. Then it continued running.
My cousin Mourad came running down the
road.
I'm not worried about you, he shouted.
We've got to get that horse. You go this
way and I'll go this way. If you come upon
him,be kindly. I'll be near.
I continued down the road and my cousin
Mourad went across the field toward the
irrigation ditch.
It took him half an hour to find the horse
and bring him back.
All right, he said, jump on. The whole
world is awake now. What will we do? I
said.
Well, he said, we'll either take him back or
hide him until tomorrow morning.
He didn't sound worried and I knew he'd
hide him and riot take him back. Not for a
while, at any rate.
Where will we hide him? I said.
I know a place, he said.
How long ago did you steal this horse? I
said.
It suddenly dawned on me that he had been
taking these early morning rides for some
time and had come for me this morning
only because he knew how much I longed
to ride. Who said anything about stealing a
horse? he said. Anyhow, I said, how long
ago did you begin riding every morning?
Not until this morning, he said.
Are you telling the truth? I said.
Of course noJ he said, but if we are found
out, that's what you're to say. I don't want
both of us to be liars. All you know is that
we started riding this morning.
All right, I said.
He walked the horse quietly to the barn of a
deserted vineyard which at one time had
been the pride of a farmer named Fetvajian.
There were some oats and dry alfalfa in the
barn.
We began walking home.
165 It wasn't easy, he said to get the horse
behave so nicely a first it wanted to run
wild, but,
as I've told you, I have a way with a
horse. Lean get it to want to do
anything I want it to do.
Horses understand me.
How do you do it? I said.
170 I have an understanding with a
horse, he said.
Yes, but what sort of an
understanding? I said.
A simple and honest one, he said.
Well, I said, I wish I knew how to
reach an understanding like that
with a horse.
175 You're still a small boy, he
said. When you get to be thirteen
you'll know how to do it.
I went home and ate a hearty
breakfast.
That afternoon my uncle Khosrove
came to our house for coffee and
cigarettes. He sat in the arlor,
sipping and smoking
180 and remembering the old
country. Then another visitor
arrived, a farmer named John Byro,
an Assyrian who, out of loneliness,
had learned to speak Armenian. My
mother brought the lonely visitor
coffee and tobacco and he rolled a
cigarette and sipped and smoked,
and then at last, sighing sadly, he
said, my white
185 horse which was stolen last
month is still gone. I cannot under-
stand it.
My uncle Khosrove became very
irritated and shouted, It's no harm.
What is the loss of a horse? Haven't
THE UNICORN IN THE GARDEN _________________________________________________
36
we all lost a homeland? What is this
crying over a horse?
190 That may be all right for you, a
city dweller, to say, John Byro said,
but what of my surrey?
What good is a surrey withcout a
horse'?
Pay no attention to it, my uncle
Khosrove roared.
I walked ten miles to get here, John
Byro said.
195 You have legs, my uncle
Knosrove shouted.
My left leg pains me, the farmer
said.
Pay no attention to it, my uncle
Khosrove roared.
That horse cost me sixty dollars, the
farmer said. I spit on money, my
uncle Khosrove said.
200 He got up and stalked out of the
house, slamming the screen door.
My mother explained.
He has a gentle heart, she said. It
is simply that he is homesick and
such a large man.
The farmer went away and I ran
over to my cousin Mourad's house.
He was sitting under a peach tree,
trying to repair the hurt wing of a
young robin which could not fly.
He was talking to the bird.
What is it? he said.
The farmer, John Byro, I said. He
visited our house. He wants his
horse. You've had it a month. I
want you to promise not to take it
back until I learn to ride.
It will take you a year to learn to
ride, my cousin Mourad said.
We could keep the horse a year, I said.
My cousin Mourad leaped to his feet.
What? he roared. Are you inviting
a member of the Garoghlanian
family to steal? The horse must go
back to its true owner.
When? I said.
In six months at the latest, lie said.
He threw the bird into the air. The
bird tried hard, almost fell twice,
but at last flew away, high and
straight.
Early every morning for two weeks
my cousin Mourad and I took the
horse out of the barn of the
deserted vineyard where we were
hiding it and rode it, and every
morning the horse, when it was my
turn to ride alone, leaped over
grape vines and small trees and
threw me and ran away.
Nevertheless, I hoped in time to
learn to ride the way my cousin
Mourad rode.
One Inorning on the way to
Fetvajian's deserted vineyard we
ran into the farmer John Byro who
was on his way to town.
Let rue do the talking, my cousin
Mourad said. I have a way with
farmers.
Good morning, John Byro, my
cousin Mourad said to the farmer.
The farmer studied the horse eagerly.
Good morning, sons of my friends,
he said. What is the name of your
horse?
My Heart, my cousin Mourad said in
Armenian.
A lovely name, John Byro said, for a
lovely horse. I could swear it is the
horse that was stolen from me
many weeks ago. May I look into
its mouth'?
Of course, Mourad said.
245 The farmer looked into the mouth of
THE UNICORN IN THE GARDEN _________________________________________________
37
the horse.
Tooth for tooth, he said. I would
swear it is my horse if I didn't
know your parents. The fame of
your family for honesty is well
known to me. Yet the horse is
the twin of my horse. A
suspicious man would believe his
eyes instead of his heart.
250 Good day, my young friends.
Good day, John Byro, my cousin Mourad
said.
Early the following morning we
took the horse to John Byro's
vineyard and put it in the barn.
The dogs followed us around
without making a sound.
255 The dogs, I whispered to my
cousin Mourad. I thought they
would bark.
They would at somebody else, he
said. I have a way with dogs.
My cousin Mourad put his arms
around the horse, pressed
260 his nose into the horse's
nose, patted it, and then we went
away.
That afternoon John Byro came to
our house in his surrey and
showed my mother the horse that
had been stolen and returned.
265 I do not know what to think,
he said. The horse is stronger
than ever. Better-tempered, too.
I thank God.
My uncle Khosrove, who was in
the parlor, became irritated and
shouted, Quiet, man, quiet. Your
horse has been returned. Pay no
attention to it.
[
1
9
Understanding the Story
1. Why is Aram so surprised
when his cousin invites him to
go
horse back riding? What are some
examples of his excitement?
How does he justify their having
the horse (lines 55-60)?
2. Identify the speaker and situation for
each of the following statements. How
does each statement reflect the per-
sonality of the speaker? Can you find one
or two more statements that are typical of
each of the characters?
a. "Don't forget that I have a way with a
horse. " (lines 104-5)
b. For all anybody knew we were
still in the old country where, at least
according to some of our neighbors,
we belonged. (lines 95-97)
c. "What is the loss of a horse?
Haven't we all lost a homeland?"
(lines 188-89)
d. "I walked ten miles to get here. " (line
194)
3. Aram, Mourad, and John Byro
each have a different
relationship with the horse.
a. What does the horse mean to each of
them? Why?
For example, why do you think Cousin
Mourad names the horse "My
Heart"?
b. How does the horse react to each of
them? Why?
4. Woven into the story of the boys
and the horse, the narrator describes
two other incidents.
a. What does the incident in the barber
THE UNICORN IN THE GARDEN _________________________________________________
38
shop (lines 82-87) show about uncle
Khosrove? How is that information related
to the story of the horse?
b. What does the incident of the robin with
a broken wing (lines 207-24) show about
cousin Mourad? How is that information
related to the story of the horse?
5. What do John Byro and uncle Khosrove
have in common? How are they different
from each other? Why is uncle Khosrove so
unsympathetic to the farmer?
6. When John Byro meets the boys, what
do you think he means by saying (lines
248-49), "A suspicious man would believe
his eyes instead of his heart"?
7. What provides the happy ending for this
story? From his final comment, do you
think uncle Khosrove believes in happy
endings?
DEVELOPING A WAY WITH
WORDS
1. In the following sentences, how does
Saroyan use irony (an unexpected
contrast), hyperbole (deliberate exag-
geration), and flawed logic to create
humor?
a. Every branch of the Garoghlanian
family was living in
the most amazing and comical poverty in
the world.
(lines 27-28)
b. We had been famous for`our honesty
for something like eleven centuries, even
when we had been the wealthiest family in
what we liked to think was the world.
(lines 32-34)
c. Well, it seemed to me that stealing a
horse to Gride was
not the same thing as stealing something
else, such as
money. For all I knew, maybe it wasn't
stealing at all. If you were crazy about
horses the way my cousin Mourad and I
were, it wasn't stealing. It wouldn't be
stealing until we offered to sell the horse,
which of
course I knew we would never do. (lines
55-60)
2. Throughout the story, there are
references to "the world," for example
"daybreak not many minutes around the
corner of the world" (lines 10-11) and "The
whole world is awake now" (line 141), as
well as the sentence in lb above. Go
through the story to find other examples.
What does Aram mean by "the world"?
3. Look at the opening paragraph. It's a
single sentence of sixty-eight words.
That's a normal length for a paragraph but
most unusual for a single sentence.
Divide the paragraph into several
sentences. Does that make the paragraph
easier to read? What other difference does
it make? Why do you think the author
made that sentence so long?
MAKING CONNECTIONS
1. Do you think the characters in the story
are meant to be realistic? Why or why not?
2 Do you agree with their families that the
behavior of Mourad and uncle Khosrove is
"crazy"? In what way or ways are they
different from the people around them?
How are they different from each other?
How are they alike?
3. Aram says (lines 90-92), "A man could
be the father of his son's flesh, but that did
not mean that he was also the father of his
spirit. " What do you think he means by
THE UNICORN IN THE GARDEN _________________________________________________
39
that? Could people in your family be used
to illustrate the same idea?
4. The older men in the story are
homesick for their native countries, while
the boys, who speak Armenian but are
growing up in the United States, are
enjoying all of the possibilities of their new
homeland. How typical is that of
immigrant groups?
5. When you were a child, did you ever
have a crazy adventure? If so, what was
it? What was the outcome?
6. This story is like "The Unicorn in the
Garden" in that it has an unusually long
opening sentence and is humorous in
tone. How else are the stories alike? In
what ways are they different?
SAMUEL___________________________________________________________________
40
race Paley was born in the Bronx,
one of the five boroughs of New
York City. Like many other Bronx
residents at the time, her parents wete
Russian Jewish immigrants. The family
members were lively story-tellers in three
languages-Russian, Yiddish, and English.
"I loved to listen," Paley has said of her
childhood, "and soon I loved to talk and
tell. " She entered Hunter College at the
age of fifteen and later attended New York
University but never completed a degree.
"I really went to school on poetry," Paley
later explained. "I learned whatever I
know about language and craft from
writing poems. "
Paley moved from writing poetry to writing
stories during her years as a wife, mother,
and political activist in the part of
Manhattan (another borough of New York)
called Greenwich Village. In the mid-
twentieth century, "the Village" was
favored by artists and political liberals.
The streets, were narrow, the buildings
were not more than five stories high, and
people talked comfortably with their,
neighbors. Meeting other women in the
shops, on the playgrounds, and at anti-war
demonstrations, Paley realized that they
were not represented in contemporary
literature. She began to write stories to
give these women "a voice," winning high
praise for her
first collection, The Little
Disturbances of Man (1959).
Then Paley put aside literary concerns and
devoted her energies to supporting the
peace movement and campaigning for the
nuclear freeze, environmentalism,
feminism, and prison reform. (Paley has
described herself as a "somewhat
combative pacifist and cooperative
anarchist. ")
Despite her total of only three books in
thirty years-the second and third are
Enormous Changes at the Last Minute
(1974), which includes "Samuel," and
Later the Same Day
(1985), Paley has become a writer with a
large reputation. (The three were reissued
in a single volume in 1994. ) Since the
early 1960s, Paley has taught university
courses in writing because, as she
explains, "teaching always puts you in
contact with new historical experience-not
just with people but with the nature of
their lives. " Paley has a gift for under-
standing this nature and capturing it
infiction. Beneath the "tough-kid" New
York voice of the stories is an unfailing
interest in and understanding of the
enormous variety of people who comprise
New York City. And through this
understanding, Paley identifies feelings
and experiences that every reader can
share.
For "Samuel,"Paley has chosen a location
where the widest variety of people meet-
the subway. The subway train in this story
is traveling from Manhattan (the island
G
SAMUEL
GRACE PALEY (BORN 1922)
SAMUEL___________________________________________________________________
41
that many people-including the men in the
story-mean when they refer to. "New
York")to the Bronx, the northernmost of
the city's five boroughs. To follow the
story, it's useful to know something about
the tracks and trains of the subway
system. First, the tracks are underground
in almost all of Manhattan but are elevated
in the Bronx. Second, the cars of the
subway train are joined by couplings
similar to freight trains or passenger trains.
A foot or so above these couplings are
steel platforms that allow passengers to
walk from one car to the next. (The doors
at the ends of the cars began to be locked
as air-conditioning was introduced in
preparation for the 1964 World's Fair. ) On
either side of these platforms, at waist-
height, are chains to keep passengers from
falling between the cars. Come for a
subway ride to meet Samuel and his
friends, with the warning that Paley has
the power to make her readers both laugh
and cry in the course of one story.
UNCOMMON WORDS OR
MEANINGS
to take a bow ("the ones who climb a
wall and take a bow at the top")-(idiom)
to acknowledge applause or verbal
admiration by bowing.
a super (“Where even the super hates to
go")- New York City abbreviation for
"superintendent," a building caretaker.
to jiggle ("jiggle and hop on the platform
between the locked doors of the subway
cars")-(informal) to 'move sideways and up
and down (as the subway train moves
rapidly along the tracks).
from New York to Rockeway Beach
("had ridden the tail of a speed
ing truck from New York to Rockaway
Beach")-a distance of twelve or thirteen
miles. Here "New York" means
Manhattan; Rockaway Beach is in the
borough of Queens, also part of New York
City.
Eighth Avenue and Fifteenth Street . .
. Twenty-third (Street) and
the [Hudson] river ("Starting at Eighth-
Avenue and Fifteenth Street, he would get
to some specified place, maybe Twenty-
third and the river")-a distance of slightly
over a mile. This is a commercial part of
Manhattan with many warehouses and a
lot of truck traffic.
Logging ("a film at school called The
Romance of Logging")-cutting down trees
for lumber. At the time of the film, North
American loggers, or lumberjacks, had one
of the world's most dangerous jobs: as
logs floated downriver to a sawmill, the
lumberjacks could be called on to walk
from one free-floating log to another to
locate and loosen the key log in a logjam.
way high over the Bronx ("we're out of
the tunnel and way high over
the Bronx")-The train is going north from
Manhattan, under the Harlem River, to the
Bronx, where it runs as an elevated train.
Fresh ("was afraid they'd be fresh and
laugh at her")-impolite, especially used of
children.
rat-tat-tatted ("then they rat-tat-tatted
the shatterproof glass pane like machine
guns")-made a sound like a machine gun,
shatterproof ("rat-tat-tatted the
shatterproof glass pane)-treated to resist
shattering, breaking violently into small
pieces.
a motorman ("For some reason known
only to the motorman, the train began a
SAMUEL___________________________________________________________________
42
sudden slowdown. ")- the "driver" in the
first car of a subway train.
to pound ("Samuel laughed the hardest
and pounded Alfred's back")-to hit heavily
and repeatedly.
the emergency cord ("where he pulled
the emergency cord")
the rope at the end of the subway car that
enabled a passenger to stop the train.
SAMUEL
Some boys are very tough. They're afraid
of nothing. They are the ones who climb a
wall and take a bow at the top. Not only
are they brave on the roof, but they make
a lot of noise in the darkest part of the
cellar where even the super hates to go.
5 They also jiggle and hop on the platform
between the locked doors of the subway
cars.
Four boys are jiggling on the swaying
platform. Their names are Alfred, Calvin,
Samuel, and Tom. The men and the
women in the cars on either side watch
them. They don't like
10 them to jiggle or jump but don't want to
interfere. Of course some of the men in
the cars were once brave boys like these.
One of them had ridden the tail of a
speeding truck from New York to Rockaway
Beachwithout getting off, without his sore
fingers losing hold. Nothing happened to
him then or later. He
15 had made a compact with other boys
who preferred to watch: Starting at Eighth
Avenue and Fifteenth Street, he would get
to some specified place, maybe Twenty-
third and the river, by hopping the tops of
moving trucks. This was hard to do when
one truck turned a corner in the wrong
direction and the near
20 est truck was a couple of feet too
high. He made three or four starts
before succeeding. He had gotten this
idea from a film at school called The
Romance of Logging. He had finished
high school, married a good friend, was
in a responsible job and going to night
school.
25 These two men and others looked at
the four boys jumping and jiggling on the
platform and thought, It must be fun to
ride that way, especially now the
weather is nice and we're out of the
tunnel and way high over the Bronx.
Then they thought, These kids do seem
to be acting sort of stupid. They are
little.
30 Then they thought of some of the
brave things they had done when they
were boys and jiggling didn't seem so
risky.
The ladies in the car became very angry
when they looked at the four boys. Most
of them brought their brows. together
and hoped the boys could see their
extreme disapproval. One of the
35 ladies wanted to get up and say, Be
careful you dumb kids, get off that
platform or I'll call a cop. But three of the
boys were Negroes and the fourth was
something else she couldn't tell for sure.
She was afraid they'd be fresh and laugh
at her and embarrass her. She wasn't
afraid they'd hit her, but she was afraid of
40 embarrassment. Another, lady
thought, Their mothers never know where
they are. It wasn't true in this particular
case. Their mothers all knew that they
had gone to see the missile exhibit on
Fourteenth Street.
Out on the platform, whenever the train
accelerated, the
45 boys would raise their hands and point
them up to the sky to act like rockets
SAMUEL___________________________________________________________________
43
going off, then they rat-tat-tatted the
shatterproof glass pane like machine guns,
although no machine guns had been
exhibited.
For some reason known only to the
motorman, the train
50 began a sudden slowdown, The lady
who was afraid of embarrassment saw the
boys jerk forward and backward and grab
the swinging guard chains. She had her
own boy at home. She stood up with
determination and went to the door. She
slid it open and said, "You boys will be
hurt. You'll be killed. I'm
55 going to call the conductor if you don't
just go into the next car and sit
down and be quiet. "
Two of the boys said, "Yes'm," and acted
as though they were about to go. Two of
them blinked their eyes a couple of times
and pressed their lips together. The train
resumed its
60 speed. The door slid shut, parting the
lady and the boys. She leaned against the
side door because she had to get off at the
next stop.
The, boys opened their eyes wide at each
other and laughed. The lady blushed. The
boys looked at her and laughed
65 harder. They began to pound each
other's back. Samuel laughed the hardest
and pounded Alfred's back until Alfred
coughed and the tears came. Alfred held
tight to the chain hook. Samuel pounded
him even harder when he saw the tears.
He said, "Why you bawling? You a baby,
huh?" and
70 laughed. One of the men whose
boyhood had been much more watchful
than brave became angry. He stood up
straight and looked at the boys for a
couple of seconds. Then he walked in a
citizenly way to the end of the car, where
he pulled the emergency cord. Almost at
once, with a terrible hiss, the pressure
75 of air abandoned the brakes and the
wheels were caught and held.
People standing in the most secure places
fell forward, then backward. Samuel had
let go of his hold on the chain so he could
pound Tom as well as Alfred. All the
passengers in the
80 car whipped back and forth, but he
pitched only forward and fell fiead first to
be crushed and killed between the cars.
The train had stopped hard, halfway into
the station, and the conductor called at
once for the trainmen who knew about
this kind of death and how to take the
body from the wheels
85 and brakes. There was silence except
for passengers from other cars who
asked, What happened! What happened!
The ladies waited around wondering if he
might be an only child. The men recalled
other afternoons with very bad endings.
The little boys stayed close to each other,
leaning and touching
90 shoulders and arms and legs.
When the policeman knocked at the door
and told her about it, Samuel's mother
began to scream. She screamed all ' day
and moaned all night, though the doctors
tried to quiet her with pills.
95 Oh, oh, she hopelessly cried. She did
not know how she could ever find another
boy like that one. However, she was a
young woman and she became pregnant.
Then for a few months she was hopeful.
The child horn to her was a boy. They
brought him to be seen and nursed. She
sriuiled. But immedi
l00 ately she saw that this baby wasn't
Samuel. She and her husband together
have had other children, but never again
will a boy exactly like Samuel be known.
SAMUEL___________________________________________________________________
44
]
UNDERSTANDING THE STORY
1. "Some boys are very tough. They're
afraid of nothing"(line 1). In the first two
paragraphs, what are the ways that a city
boy can show he is "tough"? Which of
these ways are harmless? Which are
dangerous? Why?
2. Both the men and the women watching
Samuel and his friends knew that riding
between subway cars is dangerous;
however, all of the adults hesitated to
interfere. Why?
a. How did the memories of their own
childhoods keep the men from saying
anything?
b. How were the women's reasons for not
interfering different from the men's?
3. At several points in the story, there is
an unexpected difference-an ironic
contrast-between someone's intention and
the result. In the following examples, how
does a well-intentioned action lead to a
dangerous result?
a. When he was a schoolboy, one of the
men in the subway car had seen an
educational film about the logging industry.
What activity did the film inspire?
b. Samuel and his friends visited a missile
exhibit. What action did they imitate in the
subway car on the way home?
c. One of the women in an, adjacent
subway car scolded the boys to make them
stop acting dangerously. How did the boys
respond?
4. Two of the women had preconceived
ideas about the boys. How accurate were
the women's ideas that the boys would
"be fresh and laugh and embarrass her"
(lines 38-39) and that "Their mothers
never know where they are" (lines 40-
41)? What was the basis for the women's
ideas?
5. Early in the story (lines 14-15), a
distinction is made between boys who are
really brave and those who aren't: "He
(the boy who jumped from one moving
truck to another] had made a compact
with other toys who preferred to watch. "
a. Which kind of boy was Samuel?
b. As a youngster, which kind of boy was
the man who finally pulled the emergency
cord?
c. What emotion led the man to pull the
cord? What result did he anticipate?
6. How did Samuel die? Would the reader
be more or less horrified if Paley had
described the sight or sound of the
accident in detail? Why?
7. How did each of the following people
or groups of people react to Samuel's
death? What might account for the
difference in their reactions?
a. The conductor and the trainmen.
b. The "passengers from other cars" who
hadn't seen the accident.
c. "The ladies" in the two cars who had
seen the accident.
d. "The men" in the two cars who had
seen the accident.
e. Samuel's friends, who, after
the accident, are for the first time
described as "little boys. " (line
89)
8. How did Samuel's mother react
to the news? Why do you suppose
we're not told of his father's
reaction?
9. How would the story be different if the
last two sentences had been left out?
SAMUEL___________________________________________________________________
45
DEVELOPING A WAY WITH WORDS
in each of the following sentences, find
the word or group of words that refers to
time. You will notice that Paley has
shifted these adverbs and adverbial
phrases from their usual place. (Adverbial
phrases commonly come at the end of a
sentence, and single adverbs ending in
often come between the subject and verb.
) When the sentences are rewritten to
make them more ordinary (the examples
in parentheses), how does the emphasis
change?
1. Then for a few months she was
hopeful. (Rewritten: Then she was
hopeful for a few months. )
2. But immediately she saw that this
baby wasn't Samuel. (Rewritten:But she
immediately saw that this baby wasn't
Samuel. )
3. She and her husband together have
had other children, but never again will a
boy exactly like Samuel be known. (
Rewritten: She and her husband have had
other children together, but there will
never be another boy just like Samuel ).
MAKING CONNECTIONS
1. Paley devotes a great deal of the story
to the differences in temperament
between boys, emphasizing the way some
boys exhibit their bravery.
a. Does she want her readers to admire
boys who take chances or, like "the
ladies," to disapprove of them? What
helps a reader to sense how she feels?
b. How do you feel about boys who, like
Samuel, like to take chances? Why?
2. In an urban setting that you know,
how do boys nowadays show that they
are tough and brave? When you were a
child, how did boys show that they were
tough and brave? What did girls need to
prove? What dangerous games do you
remember playing as a child?
3. In pairs or small groups, make a list of
people who could be considered
responsible for Samuel's death. Give the
reason for each person (or group of
people). Then order the list with "most
responsible" at the top. Finally, as a
class, compare all the lists, discussing the
reasons for the choice of people on the
list and the order in which they are
placed.
4. Which people, or groups of people, do
you think were most affected by Samuel's
death? How do you think his death
affected them? Why?
5. In class, act out the story. You will
need several NARRATORS, perhaps one
narrator for every two of the eleven
paragraphs in the story, with the last
narrator reading three paragraphs.
The other parts are FIRST LADY (read
both her thoughts, lines 35-36, and her
words, lines 54-56) and SECOND LADY
(read her thought, lines 40-41). ALFRED,
CALVIN, SAMUEL, and TOM all gesture,
make noises like machine guns, and
laugh; ALFRED also coughs (lines 66-67)
and SAMUEL speaks (line 69). The FIRST
MAN reads lines 12-24, beginning with
"One of them …"The SECOND MAN reads
the thought beginning "These kids . . . "
(line 29). Others in the class can be
PASSENGERS, the MOTORMAN, the
POLICEMAN, and SAMUEL'S MOTHER.
The teacher can serve as the DIRECTOR,
helping everyone decide where to sit or
stand and when and how to speak.
6, How is the adventure in this
story similar to and different from
that in, "The Summer of the
SAMUEL___________________________________________________________________
46
Beautiful White Horse" by
Saroyan?
7. Paley has said that everyone in her
family was a good storyteller. Who are
the best storytellers in your family or
among other people you know? Are you a
good storyteller yourself? What qualities
make a good storyteller?
THE CHASER_______________________________________________________________
47
he short stories of John Collier,
who was born and educated in
England, were regularly published
in leading American magazines from the
1930s through the 1950s. During that
time, Collier also worked as a
screenwriter in Hollywood. (He wrote the
first draft for the script of The African
Queen, which starred Humphrey Bogart
and Katherine Hepburn. ) Collier's stories
have been collected in several books
(including Fancies and Goodnights, 1951,
and The Best of John Collier, 1975) and
they continue to appear in short-story
anthologies in English and in translation.
A comprehensive study of his life and
work appears in John Collier by Betty
Richardson (1981).
As novelist Anthony Burgessnotes, in his
introduction to The Best of John Collier,
both the film' scripts and short sto ries
show Collier's skill in writing dialogue and
his gift for sharp observation. Burgess
also remarks that Collier "makes
literature out of the intrusion of fantasy,
or quiet horror, into a real world closely
observed," often making fun of both the
Hollywood films and the popular fiction of
his day, particularly their portrayal of
romantic love.
In "The Chaser," a young man adores a
woman who doesn't return his affection.
Though he is "as nervous as a kitten," the
young man goes in search of a way to win
the young woman's love. (Like many of
Collier's light-hearted heroines, she is
named Diana, after the Roman goddess of
the hunt. Diana was also the goddess of
the moon, which was believed to affect
emotions). What do you suppose the
fantasy element in this story will be?
A"'chaser" is a mild beverage drunk after
a stronger one, such as beer used to
"chase" whiskey. What do you think the
first drink will be in this story? And the
chaser?
This is a story filled with irony-an intended
or unintended contrast between what is
expected, and what actually happens, or
between what is said and what is meant.
For example, the young man wants to
change the young woman without
considering all the possible effects of the
changes. As you read, look for other
examples.
UNCOMMON WORDS OR MEANINGS
Pell Street ("in the neighbourhood of Pell
Street")-a principal street in New York's
Chinatown.
gay ("no matter how gay and giddy she
is")-light-hearted, cheerful.
giddy ("gay and giddy")-frivolously happy,
a draught ("to sit in a draught")-a
current of air (draft in American spelling).
a siren ("some sireh has caught you")-a
seductive woman; a reference to the
minor goddesses of Greek mythology who
lived on an island and used their
enchanting voices to lure sailors to their
deaths upon the rocks.
grounds ("give you the Feast . . . grounds
for-uneasiness") (usually plural) basis or
T
THE CHASER
JOHN COLLIER (1901-1980)
THE CHASER_______________________________________________________________
48
reason for a thought or action; commonly
used in the phrase "grounds for divorce. "'.
Au revoir-(French) "Good-bye until we
meet again. "
Alan Austen, as nervous as a kitten, went
up certain dark and creaky stairs in the
neighbourhood of Pell Street, and peered
about for a long time on the dim larding
before he found the name he wanted
written obscurely on one of the
5 doors.
He pushed open this door, as he had been
told to do, and found himself in a tiny
room, which contained no furniture but a
plain kitchen table, a rocking-chair, and an
ordinary chair. On one of the dirty buff-
coloured walls were a couple of shelves
10 containing in all perhaps a dozen bottles
and jars .
An old man sat in the rocking-chair,
reading a newspaper. Alan, without a
word, handed him the card he had been
given. "Sit down, Mr. Austen," said the old
man very politely. "I am glad to make your
acquaintance. "
15"Is true," asked Alan,"that you have a
certain mixture that has or quite
extraordinary effects?"
My dear sir," replied the old man,"my stock
in trade is not very large-I don't deal in
laxatives and teething mixtures but such
as it is, it is varied. I think nothing I sell
has effects
20 which could be precisely described as
ordinary. "
"Well, the fact is-" began Alan.
"Here, for example,'' interrupted the old
man, reaching for a bottle from the shelf.
"Here is a liquid as colourless as water,
almost tastelees, quite imperceptible in
coffee, milk, wine, or
25 any other beverage. It is also quite
imperceptible to any known method of
autopsy. "
"Do you mean it is a poison?" cried Alan,
very much horrified.
"Call it a glove-cleaner if you like," said
the old man indif-
30-ferently. "Maybe it will clean gloves. I
have never tried. One
might call it a life-cleaner. Lives need
cleaning sometimes. "
"I want nothing of that sort," said Alan.
"Probably it is just as well,"said the old
man "Do you know the price of this? For
one teaspoonful wich rs suffi
35 cient, I ask five thousand dollars.
Never less. Not a penny less. " "I hope all
your mixtures are not as expensive,"said
Alan aprehensively.
"Oh dear, no," said the old man. "It would
be no good charging that sort of price fdr
a love potion, for example.
40 Young people who need a love potion
very seldom have five thousand dollars.
Otherwise they would not need a love
potion. "
"I am glad to hear that," said Alan.
"I look at it like this," said the old man.
"Please a customer
45 with one article, and he will come back
when he needs another.
Even if it is more costly. me will save up
for it, if necessary. " "So,"said Alan, "you
really do sell love potions?"
"If I did not sell love potions,"said the old
man, reaching for another bottle,"I should
not have mentioned the other matter
50 to you. It is only when one is in a
position to oblige that one can
afford to be so confidential. "
"And these potions," said Alan. "They are
not just juster-"
"Oh, no," said the old man "Their effects
are permanent,
55 and extend far beyond the mere casual
THE CHASER_______________________________________________________________
49
impulse. But they
include it. Oh, yes, they include it.
Bountifully, insistently.
Everlastingly. " "Dear me!"said Alan atlen
rn a look of scientificdetachment. "How
very interesting.
60 "But consider the spiritual side," said
the old man. "I do indeed," said Alan.
"For indifference”, said the old man, "they
substitute devotion. For scorn, adoration.
Give one tiny mesuare of this to the young
lady-its flavour is imperceptible in orange
juice, soup,
65 or cocktails-and however gay and
giddy she is, she will
change together. She will want nothing
but solitude and you. " "I can hardly
believe it," said Alan. "She is so fond of
parties. "
"She will not like them anymore," said the
old man. "She
70 will be afraid of the pretty girls you
may meet. "
"She will actually be jealous?" cried Alan
in a rapture. "Ofme?"
"Yes, she will want to be everything to
you. " "She is already. Only she doesn't
care about it. "
75"She will, when she has taken this. She
will care intensely.
You will be her sole interest in life. "
"Wonderful!" cried Alan.
"She will want to know all you do," said
the old man. "All
that has happened to you durinng the
day. Every word of it. She will want to
know what you are thinking about, why
you smile suddenly, why you are looking
sad. "
"That is love!" cried Alan.
"Yes," said the old man. "How carefully
she will look after (you! She will never
allow you to be tired, to sit in a draught,
to neglect your food. If you are an hour
late, she will be terrified. She will think
you are killed, or that some siren has
caught you. "
"I can hardly imagine Diana like that!"
cried Alan, overwhelmed with joy.
"You will not have to use your
imagination,"said the old man. "And, by
the way, since there are always sirens, if
by any chance you should, later on, slip a
little, you need not worry. She will
forgive you, in the end. She will be
terribly hurt, of course, but she will
forgive you-in the end. "
"That will not happen," said Alan fervently.
"Of course not," said the old man. "But if
it did, you need not worry. She would
never divorce you. Oh, no! And, of
course, she herself will never give you the
least, the very least, grounds for
uneasiness. "
"And how much," said Alan, "is this
wonderful mixture?"
"It is not as dear," said the old man, "as
the glove-cleaner, or life cleaner, as I
sometimes call it. No. That is five
thousand dollars, never a penny less.
One has to be older than you are, to
indulge in that sort of thing. One has to
save up for it. "
"But the love potion?" said Alan.
"Oh, that," said the old mart, opening the
drawer in the kitchen table, and taking
out a tiny, rather dirty-looking phial.
"That is just a dollar. "
"I can't tell you how grateful I am," said
Alan, watching him fill it.
"I like to oblige," said the old man. "Then
customers come back, later in life, when
they are rather better off, and want more
expensive things. Here you are. You will
find it very effective. "
"Thank you again," said Alan. "Good-bye.
THE CHASER_______________________________________________________________
50
" "Au revoit;" said the old man. (1940)
Understanding the Story
1. Referring to Pell Street, a real place,
makes the setting seem real
What details make the setting seem
mysterious? When Alan is described
as being "as nervous as a kitten" (line 1),
what picture of him does that
create?
2. Why has Alan gone to see the old
man? How does the old man know Alan's
name? Since, as the old man says, he
sold only a few products, why doesn't he
respond directly to Alan's first question?
Doesn't he understand what Alan wants?
3. What are the four qualities of the first
product that the old man describes? What
other quality is implied? Why is the
product so expensive? Why do you think
the old man keeps coming back to it even
though Alan says he is not interested?
4. The old man refers to "the young
lady" (lines 63-64).
a. No woman has been
mentioned previously; what
"young lady" does he mean?
b. What do Alan's comments tell
the old man, and the reader, about
Diana?
c. What is the implication of her
name? (Do you think the name
"Jane" or "Mary" would have the
same effect on the reader?)
d. Why is Alan so attracted to
Diana? Why do you suppose she
isn't equally attracted to him?
5. Describe the physical and
"spiritual" effects of the love potion.
How will they change Diana's life?
How will they change Alan's life?
What is the difference between the
outcome Alan expects and that
predicted by the old man?
6. How is it ironic (providing an
unintended contradiction) that Alan is in
love with Diana as she is now but wants to
change her?
7. Discuss the meaning-direct and
indirect-of each of the following
statements. Which of them could
be described as having an
unexpected twist, as being ironic?
a. "Lives need cleaning sometimes.
"(line 31)
b. "Young people who need a love
potion very seldom have five
thousand dollars. Otherwise they
would not need a love potion. "(
lines 40-42)
c. "And, by the way, since there
are always sirens, if by' any chance
you should, later on, slip a little, you
need not worry. " (lines 91-92)
d. "She will forgive you, in the end.
She will be terribly hurt, of course,
hut she will forgive you-in the end.
" (lines 93-94)
e. "Au revoir. " (line 116)
Developing a Way with Words
Anthony Burgess has praised Collier for
having "all the script-writer's virtues-
intense economy, characterization
through speech, the sharp camera-eye of
observation. "
1. Test this story for "intense economy"
by asking two questions: Could any of the
descriptive passages be left out? Could
any of the speeches be shortened? If so,
which?
THE CHASER_______________________________________________________________
51
2. Test for "characterization through
speech" by asking this: How are the
personalities of Alan and the old man
revealed by the way they talk? Give
examples.
3. Test for "sharp camera eye of
observation" by asking this: Where is the
description of setting or behavior so clear
that the reader can see every important
detail? Give examples.
MAKING CONNECTIONS
What is Alan's idea of true love? Do you
think the old man shares the same idea?
Why or why not? In your opinion, is the
kind of love Alan believes in a good basis
for marriage? Why or why not?
2. How have American movies have
changed since the time Collier was
writing? Do they still present the view of
romantic love that Alan believes in? In the
films you have seen and books you have
read, what is the most common picture of
a love relationship?
3. If Alan could talk to the husband from
"The Unicorn-in the Garden," what do you
think the two men might say to each
other?
4. Have you ever loved someone who
didn't love you? If so, given the
opportunity, would you have given that
person a love potion like the one Alan
bought? Why or why not?
5. In class, read the story as a play.
There are three characters: the
NARRATOR (reading the first two
paragraphs), the OLD MAN (22 speeches,
leaving out the various forms of "he
said"), and ALAN (21 speeches, again
leaving out "he said"). This can be done
effectively in small groups, with "cast
changes" after every ten speeches.
6. Discuss the comments of Anthony
Burgess quoted in the introduction in
relation to this story. What elements of
"The Chaser" are realistic? What elements
are fantastic? Are there elements of
"quiet horror"? If so, what are they?
7. What do you think will become of Alan
and Diana? Write a brief scene that takes
place after the close of this story-for
example, when Alan gives Diana the love
potion, the first-time he suggests going to
a party, or a night when he comes home
late after an adventure with a siren.
THE BROWN HOUSE_________________________________________________________
52
THE BROWN HOUSE
“…and everyone knows a white-snakes
dream is a sure omen of good luck in
games of chance. ”
isaye Yamamoto, one of the
pioneers of Asian American
literature, was born in Redondo
Beach, California shortly after World War
I. At the beginning of the U. S.
involvement in World War II, which came
with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
in December 1941, both Issei (first-
generation Japanese immigrants like
Yamamoto's parents) and Nisei (their
American-born children) were suspected
of being sympathetic to Japan. Even
though they were American citizens, these
people were forced to give up their homes
and businesses-most of which were in
some way related to raising fruits and
vegetables-and to spend the war in camps
called "relocation centers" in remote areas
away from the coast. The effect on many
was devastating, for they felt betrayed by
the country they had come to love.
(Yamamoto's brother was one of the
young Japanese American men who
volunteered for the U. S. Army. Sent to
fight in Europe, the Nisei unit was among
the most decorated in the history of the U.
S. armed forces. Yamamoto's brother
was killed in action. )
In the Arizona camp where her. family
was interned, Yamamoto wrote for. the
camp newspaper and published a
serialized murder mystery. After the' war,
she became a "rewrite man" and
columnist for the Los Angeles Tribune, a
black weekly. Her first acceptance by a
literary magazine came in 1948; two
years later a John Hay Whitney Founda-
tion Fellowship provided her an
opportunity to write full-tifne for a year.
Soon she had three award-winning
stories: "Seventeen Syllables" (1949),
"Yoneko's Earthquake" (1951), and "The
Brown House" (1951). Several years
later, while volunteering at a Catholic
Worker "rehabilitation farm on Staten
Island, a part of New York City, Yamamoto
met and married Anthony DeSoto.
Together with her adopted son, they
returned to Los Angeles, where four more
sons were born to them. Yamamoto
continued to write stories that were widely
anthologized. "I guess I write (aside from
compulsion), to reaffirm certain basic
truths which seem to get lost in the
shuffle from generation to generation,"
she has said. "If the reader is entertained,
wonderful. If he learns something, that's
a bonus. " Forty years after the first
appearance of Yamamoto's work in a
literary magazine, Seventeen Syllables
and Other Stories was published by
Women of Color Press.
"The Brown . House" illustrates several
themes that are characteristic of
H
THE BROWN HOUSE
HISAYEYAMAMOTO
(BORN 1921)
THE BROWN HOUSE_________________________________________________________
53
Yamamoto's work. As these themes are
identified by King-Kok Cheung in her
introduction to Seventeen Syllables, the
first is "the interaction among various
ethnic groups in the American West. "
What ethnic groups, besides Japanese
Americans, do you suppose there will be
in the story? The second theme is "the
precarious relationship between Issei
parents and their Nisei children. " How
delicate and difficult are the relations
between the first and second generations
of any immigrant group? The final theme
is the hopes of first-generation Japanese
immigrants in contrast to the difficulties
and frustrations that they face in America.
In "The Brown House," Mr. Hattori finds
an escape from the difficulties and
frustrations of his life in gambling. What
do you suppose his problems are? Mrs.
Hattori is very likely one of the "picture
brides" sent from Japan to marry the
Japanese bachelors who had established
themselves in the U. S. What hopes do
you suppose she had at the beginning of
her marriage? What frustrations do you
suppose she faces? And what could be the
significance of the brown house?
*Quoted in Kai-yu. Hsu and Helen
Palubinskas, eds. , Asian American
Authors (1972).
UNCOMMON WORDS OR MEANINGS
a clapboard ("a large but simple
clapboard")-a wooden house with the
outer walls covered by overlapping long
narrow boards.
physic ("brand of physic")-an old-
fashioned term for medicine.
a den ("it was a gambling der;")-a secret
meeting-place, where people meet for
illegal activities.
to be up to ("did not feel her English
(was) up to the occasion") (idiom) to be
adequate.
a stake ("trying to win back his original
stake")-money risked, an amount placed
on a bet.
to spew ("began to spew out ,all kinds of
people")-to send out in
a stream.
a kurombo (". . . looked at his wife in
reproach. "A kurombo!' he said.
")(Japanese) a deroga, any term for a
Negro.
pomade ("so unstintingly app"nd was the
pomade")-a perfumed cream for the hair
and scalp.
banzai ("'banzai, yippee, banzai "')-a
Japanese battle cry.
a lottery ("'I won it! !n the lottery"')-an
activity whose outcome depends on fate
rather than chance or skill, often used to
select winners of prizes.
bleak ("with such bleak eyes"-without
hope).
THE BROWN HOUSE
In California that year the strawberries
were marvelous. As large as teacups they
were so juicy and sweet that Mrs. Hattori,
making her annual batch of jam, found
she could cut down on the sugar
considerably. "I suppose this is supposed
to be the
5 compensation," she said to her husband,
whom she always politely called Mr.
Hattori. "Some compensation!" Mr.
Hattori answered.
At that time they were still on the best of
THE BROWN HOUSE_________________________________________________________
54
terms. It was only later, when the season
ended as it had begun, with the market,
10 price for strawberries so low nobody
bothered to pick number twos, that they
began quarreling for the first time in their
life together. W~at provoked the first
quarrel and all the rest was that Mr.
Hattori, seeing no future in strawberries,
began casting around for a way to make
some quick cash. Word some
15 how came to him that there was in a
neighboring town a certain house where
fortunes were made overnight, and he
hurried there at the first opportunity.
It happened that Mrs. Hattori and all the
little Hattoris, five of them, all boys and
born about a year apart, were with hirn
20 when he paid his first visit to the
house. When he told them to wait in the
car, saying he had a little business to
transact inside and would return in a trice,
he truly meant what he said. He intended
only to give the place a brief inspection in
order to familiarize, himself with it. This
was at two o'clock in the after
25 noon, however, and when he finally
made his way back to the car, the day was
already so dim that he had to, gropes
around a bit for the door handle.
The house was a large but simple
clapboard, recently painted brown and
relieved with white window frames. It sat
30 under several enormous eucalyptus
trees in the foreground of a few acres,of
asparagus. To the rear of the house was a
ramtackle barn whose spacious b e roof
advertised in great yellow letters a
ubiquitous brand of physic Mrs. Hattori,
peering toward the house with growing
tience, could not under
35 stand what was keeping her husband.
She watched other cars either drive into
the yard or park along the highway and
she saw all sorts of people- white, yellow,
brown, and blackenter the house. Seeing
very few people leave, she got the idea
that her husband was attending a meeting
or a party.
So she was more curious than furious that
first time when Mr. Hattori got around to
returning to her and the children. To her
rapid questions Mr. Hattori replied slowly,
pensively: it was a gambling den run by a
Chinese family under cover of asparagus,
he said, and he had been winning at first,
but his luck had suddenly turned, and that
was why he had taken so long-he had been
trying to win back his original stake at
least.
"How much did you lose?" Mrs. Hattori
asked dully.
"Twenty-five dollars," Mr. Hattori said.
"Twenty-five dollars!" exclaimed Mrs.
Hattori. "Oh, Mr. Hattori, what have you
done?"
At this, as though at a prearranged signal,
the baby. in her arms began wailing, and
the four boys in the back seat began
complaming of hunger Mr. Hattori gritted
his teeth and drove on. He told himself
that this being assailed on all sides by
bawling, whimpering, and murderous
glances was no less than he deserved.
Never again, he said to himself; he had
learned his lesson.
Nevertheless, his car, with his wife and
children in it, was parked near the brown
house again the following week. This was
because he had dreamed a repulsive
dream in which a fat white snake had
uncoiled and slithered about and everyone
knows that a white-snake dream is a sure
omen of good luck in games of chance.
Even Mrs. Hattori knew this. Besides, she
felt a little guilty about having nagged him
so bitterly about the twenty-five dollars.
THE BROWN HOUSE_________________________________________________________
55
So Mr. Hattori entered the brown house
again on condition that he would return in
a half-hour, surely enough time to test the
white snake. When he failed to return
after an hour, Mrs. Hattori sent Joe, the
oldest boy, to the front door to inquire
after his father. A Chinese man came to
open she door of the grille, looked at Joe,
said, "Sorry, no kids in" and clacked it to.
When Joe reported back to his mother she
sent him back again and this time a
Chinese woman looked out and said,
What you want, boy?" When he asked for
his father, she asked him to wait, then
returned with him to the car, carrying a
plate of Chinese cookies. Joe, munching
one thick biscuit as he led her to the car,
found its flavor and texture very strange;
it was unlike either its American or
Japanese counterpart so that he could not
decide whether he liked it or not. . '
80 A1'though the woman was about Mrs.
Hattor. is age, she immediately called the
latter "mama," assuring her that Mr.
Hattori would be coming soon, very soon.
Mrs. Hattori, mortified, gave excessive
thanks for the cookies which she would
just as soon have thrown in the woman's
face. Mrs. Wu, for so
85 she introduced herself, left them after
wagging her head in amazement that Mrs.
Hattori, so young, should have so many
children and telling her frankly, "No
wonder you so skinny, mama. ” "Skinny,
ha!" Mrs. Hattori said to the boys. "Well,
perhaps.
90 But I'd rather be skinny than fat. "
Joe, looking at the comfortable figure of
Mrs. Wu going up the steps of the brown
house, agreed.
Again it was dark when Mr. Hattori came
back to the car, but Mrs. Hattori did not
say a word. Mr. Hattori made a feeble
95 joke about the unreliability of snakes,
but his, wife made no attempt to smile.
About halfway home she said abruptly,
"Please stop the machine, Mr. Hattori. I
don't want to ride another inch with you.
"
"Now, mother. . . " Mr. Hattori said. "I've
learned my lesson.
100 I swear this is the last time. "
"Please stop the machine, Mr. Hattori,"
his wife repeated.
Of course the car kept going, so Mrs.
Hattori, hugging the baby to herselfwith
one arm, opened the door with her free
hand and made as if to hop out of the
moving car.
105 The car stopped with a lurch and Mr.
Hattori, aghast, said,
"Do you want to kill yqurself?"
"That's a very good idea," Mrs. Hattori
answered, one leg out of the door.
"Now, mother . . . " Mr. Ilattori said. "I'm
sorry; I was wrong
110 to stay so long. I promise on my
word of honor never to go near that house
again. Come let's go home now and get
some supper. " "Supper!" said Mrs.
Hattori. "Do you have any money for
groceries?"
115"I have enough for groceries," Mr.
Hattori confessed.
Mrs. Hattori pulled her leg back in and
pulled the door shut. "You see!" she cried
triumphantly. "You see!"
LOVE______________________________________________________________________
56
LOVE
“A SNAKE IS AN ENEMY TO ME, MY
FATHER SNAPPED I HATE A SNAKE. ”
esse Stuart-a farmer, teacher, and
master storytellerwas born in a log
cabin in the foothills of the
Appalachian Mountains in eastern
Kentucky, one of the poorest parts of the
United States. Stuart's mother had two
years of schooling; his father was a coal
miner and farmer who never had the
opportunity to learn to read or write.
Jesse Stuart was the first in his family to
finish high school, and he then worked his
way through college. But he remained
true to his roots, returning to live on the
land where he had been raised and
celebrating his life and the lives of those
around him in fifty-seven books of poetry
and prose.
"I am a farmer singing at the plow,"
Stuart wrote in one of his early poems.
Before that, he had also been a teacher.
It wasn't an easy job, for the Kentucky
public school system paid the lowest
wages in the country and the parents
were suspicious of anything to do with
education. But the pupils were eager and
Stuart knew from experience that
education was essential to break out of
poverty. In a rural high school, Stuart
was expected to teach everything from
Latin to algebra, so he often had to work
hard to keep ahead of his pupils. In the
third week of Stuart's first year of
teaching, a pupil came to him for help
with an algebra problem. Stuart looked at
the problem, then laughed and truthfully
said that he couldn't work it. "Mr. Stuart,
I understand," the boy responded
earnestly. "You want your pupils to work
these problems, don't you?" The boy then
happily solved the problem by himself and
brought it back. "I knew he was right
after I had seen it worked," Stuart wrote
in his autobiographical memoir, The
Thread that Runs So True (1949). "But
Billie Leonard never knew that I couldn't
actually work this problem. "
To support a wife and family, Stuart had
to give up fulltime teaching in favor of
farming. But he continued writing and in
1937 won a Guggenheim Fellowship that
enabled him to spend a year living in
Scotland (his ancestral home) and visiting
twenty-five other countries. Stuart also
taught in poetry and writing programs at
several American colleges, and he spent
the 1960-61 academic year as a visiting
professor of English at the American
University in Cairo.
"Love" is characteristic of Stuart's work in
being told in the first-person and using the
"talk style" of American folklore. Just as
urban writers use the names of real
streets to provide a sense of reality, so
Stuart names specific plants and tools and
animals to present the harsh reality and
great beauty of an Appalachian hill-
country farm. This story also reflects
Stuart's love and respect for the hill
country and its people, as well as his
J
LOVE
JESSE STUART (1907-1984)
LOVE______________________________________________________________________
57
mountain-man's easy acceptance of death
as part of the natural world. Mitch Stuart
held the same attitudes, as we see in this
passage from God's Oddling (1960),
Stuart's biography of his father, who also
may have provided the idea for "Love":
"A blacksnake is a pretty thing," he once
said to me, "so shiny and black in the
spring sun after he sheds his winter skin.
"He was the first man I ever heard say a
snake was pretty. I
never forgot his saying it. I can even
remember the sumac thicket
where he saw the blacksnake.
A love story about a snake?Read on.
From God's Oddling (1960), as reprinted
in A Jesse Stuart Reader (1963).
UNCOMMON WORDS OR MEANINGS
new ground ("the edge of the new
ground") -land that hasn't ever been
cultivated.
a cornbalk ("walked in the cornbalk") -
rows of planted corn.
bull ("a big bull blacksnake")-male
(animal).
a copperhead ("killed twenty-eight
copperheads") -a poisonous
snake.
a bench ("at the bench of the hill") -a
level, narrow stretch of land.
a greenweed ("like a greenweed held
over a new-ground fire") a small shrub
with yellow flowers that shrivels and twists
when thrown on a fire.
a pellet ("hit against my legs like pellets")
-a small piece of lead for a shotgun.
Riddled ("threw her riddled body") -filled
with holes.
a quail ("about the size of a quail's egg")
-a game bird whose eggs are about onge-
third the size of a chicken's egg.
to get up with the chickens ("This
morning my father and I got
up with the chickens. ") -to get up as the
sun is rising
posthole digger,ax, spud, measuring
pole, mattock ("We got the
posthole digger, ax, spud, measuring pole
and the mattock. ")
tools used in building a fence.
I says ("'Steady,'/ says to my father. ") -
a storyteller's shift to "historic present"
tense for dramatic emphasis;"I says,"
suggesting a challenge, is also common in
that context.
to beat ("'Did you ever see anything to
beat that?"')-(informal) to excel or
surpass.
LOVE
Yesterday when the bright sun blazed
down on the wilted corn my father and I
walked around the edge of the new
ground to plan a fence. The cows kept
coming through the chestnut oaks on the
cliff acrd running over the young corn.
They bitt off
5 the tips of the corn and trampled down
the stubble.
My father walked in the cornbalk. Bob,
our Collie, walked in front, of my father.
We heard a ground squirrel whistle down
over the bluff among the dead treetops
all, the clearing's edge. "Whoop, take
him, Bob," said my father. lie lifted up a
young
10 stalk of corn, with wilted dried roots,
where the ground squirrel had dug it up
for the sweet grain of corn left on its
tender roots. This has been a dry spring
and the corn has kept well in the earth
where the grain has sprouted. The ground
squirrels love this corn. They dig up rows
LOVE______________________________________________________________________
58
of it and eat the sweet grains. The
15 young corn stalks are killed and we
have to replant the corn.
I could see my father keep sicking Bob
after the grouch squirrel. He jumped over
the corn rows. He started to run toward
the ground squirrel. I, too, started
running toward the clearing's edge where
Bob was jumping and barking. The dust
20 flew in tiny swirls behind our feet.
There was a big cloud of dust behind us.
"It's a big bull blacksnake," said my
father. "Kill him, Bob! Kill him, Bob!"
Bob was jumping and snapping all, tare
snake so as to make
25 it strike and throw itself off guard. Bob
has killed twenty-eight copperheads this
spring. He knows how to kill a snake. He
doesn't. rush to do it. He takes his time
and does the job well.
"Let's don't kill the snake," I said. "A
blacksnake is a harmless snake. It, kills
poison snakes. It kills the copperhead. It
30 catches more mice from the fields than
a cat. "
I could see the snake didn´t want to fight
the dog. The snake wanted to get away.
Bob wouldn't let, it. I wondered Why it
was crawling toward a heap of black
loamy earth at the bench of the hill. I
wondered why it had come from the chest
35 nut oak sprouts and the matted
greenbriars on the cliff. I
looked as the snake lifted its pretty head
in response to one of
Bobs jumps. `It's not a bull blacksnake. I
said. It s a shesnake. Look at the white on
tier throat. "
"A snake is an enemy to me," my father
snapped. "I hate a snake. Kill it, Bob. Go
in there and get that snake and quit play-
ing with it!"
Bob obeyed my father. I bated to see him
take this snake by the throat. She was so
beautifully poised in the sunlight. Bob
grabbed the white patch on her throat.
He cracked her long body like an ox whip
in the wind. He cracked it against the wind
only. The blood spurted from her fine-
curved throat. Something hit against my
legs like pellets. Bob threw the snake
down. I looked to see what had struck my
legs. It was snake eggs. Bob had slung
there from her body. She was going to
the sand heap to lay her eggs, where the
sun is the settinghen that warms them
and hatches them.
Bob grabbed her body there on the earth
where the red blood was running down on
the gray-piled loam. Her body was still
writhing in pain. She acted like a
greenweed held over a new-ground fire.
Bob slung her viciously many times. He
cracked her limp body against the wind.
She was now limber as a shoestring in the
wind. Bob threw her riddled body back on
the sand. She quivered like a leaf in the
lazy wind, then her riddled body lay
perfectly still. The blood covered the
loamy earth around the snake.
"Look at the eggs, won't you?" said my
father. We counted thirty-seven eggs. I
picked an egg up and held it in my hand.
Only a minute ago there was life in it. It
was an immature seed. It would not
hatch. Mother sun could not incubate it
on the warm earth. The egg I held in my
hand was almost, the size of a quail's egg.
The shell on it was thin and tough and the
egg appeared under the surface to be a
watery egg.
I"Well, Bob, I guess you see now why this
snake couldn't fight,"I said. "It is life.
Stronger devour the weaker even among
human beings. Dog kills snare kills birds.
Birds kill the butterflies. Man conquers all
LOVE______________________________________________________________________
59
Man, too, kills for sport.. "Bob was
panting. He walked ahead of us back to
the house. His tongue was out of his
mouth. He was tired. He was hot Under
his shaggy coat of hair. His tongue nearly
touched the dry dirt and white flecks of
foam dripped front it. We walked toward
the house. Neither my father nor I spoke.
I still thought of the dead snake. The sun
was going down over the chestnut ridgge.
A lark was singing. It was late for a lark
to sing. The red evening clouds floated
above the pine trees on our
80 pasture hill. My father stood beside
the path. His black hair was moved by
the wind. His face was red in the blue
wind of lay. His eyes looked toward the
sinking sun.
"Arid my father hales a snake," I thought.
I thought aboutt the agony women know
of giving birth. I
85 thought about how they will fight to
save their children. Then, I thought of the
snake. I thought it was silly of me to
think such thoughts.
This morning my father and I got up with
the chickens. He says one has to get up
with the chickens to a day's work. We
90 got the posthole digger, ax, spud,
measuring pole and the mattock. We
started for the clearing's edge. Bob didn't
go along.
The dew was on the corn. My father
walked behind with the posthole digger
across his shoulder. I walked in front. The
wind was blowing. It was a good morning
wind to breathe and
95 a wind that makes one feel like he can
get under the edge of a hill arid heave the
whole hill upside down.
I walked out the corn row where we had
come yesterday afternoon. I looked in
front of me. I saw something. I saw it
move. It was moving like a huge black
rope winds around a
100 windlass. "Steady ,"I says to my
father. "Here is the bull blacksnake. "He
took one step up beside me and stood. His
eyes grew wide apart.
"What do you know about this," he said.
"You have seen the bull blacksnake now,"
I said. "Take a',
105 good look at him! He is lying beside
his dead mate. He has come to her. He,
perhaps, was on her trail yesterday. "
The male snake had trailed her to her
doom. He had come in the night, under
the roof of stars, as the moon shed rays of
light on the quivering clouds of green. He
had found his lover
110 dead. He was coiled beside her, and
she was dead.
The bull blacksnake lifted his head and
followed us as we walked around the dead
snake. He would have fought us to his
death. He would have fought Bob to his
death. "Take a stick," said my father,
"and throw him over the hill so Bob won't
find
115 him. Did you ever see anything to
beat that? I've heard they'd
do that. But this is my firs( time to see it.
" I took, a stick arid threw him over the
bank into the dewy sprouts on the cliff.
(1901)
UNDERSTANDING THE STORY
1. Why was it important for the young
man (the narrator) and his father to put a
fence around their land? How was their
dog, Bob, helping them? Why does the
narrator refer to the dog as "he" rather
than "it"?
2. Why was it important to kill ground
squirrels? What about snakes? What
LOVE______________________________________________________________________
60
explains why the snake wasn't willing to
fight the dog (line 31)?
3. When does the narrator begin to refer
to the snake as "she" instead of "it"? Are
you surprised to find a snake described
(line 36) as having a "pretty" head? What
other complimentary descriptions of the
she-snake are there?
4. How do the following similes (a direct
comparison with like or as) help the
reader to picture the dog killing the
snake? How are the comparisons
appropriate to the setting of the story?
a. He cracked her long body like an ox
whip in the wind. (lines 44-45)
h. Something hit against my legs like
pellets. (line 47)
c. She was now limber as a shoestring in
the wind. (lines 56-57)
d. She quivered like a leaf in the lazy
wind. . . . (line 58)
5. When the narrator says "It is life" (line
69), hat does "it" refer to? How are the
setting sun and "red evening clouds" (line
79) appropriate to the event that has just
taken place?
6. What thoughts does the narrator
dismiss as "silly" (line 86)? Why does he
see them that way? Do you agree? Do you
think the author agrees?
7. In the first of the following sentences,
what pronoun and what simile are used in
describing the snake? In the second and
third sentences, how have the pronoun
and the imagery changed? How do those
changes affect the reader's feelings about
the snake?
a. It was moving like a huge black rope
winds around a windlass. (lines 99-100)
b. "He is lying beside his dead mate.
"(line 105)
c. The male snake had trailed her to her
doom. He had come in the night, under
the roof of stars, as the moon shed rays of
light on the quivering clouds of green. He
had found his lover dead. He was coiled
beside her, and she was dead. (lines 107-
110)
8. In the final paragraph, what shows
that the father has changed his mind
about every snake being “an enemy”, as
he had said earlier (line 39)? What has
caused him to change his view?
DEVELOPING A WAY WITH WORDS
This story is filled with images of birth-for
example,"It was snake eggs. "(lines 48-
49)-and death-for example,"dead treetops
at the clearing's edge" (line 8). How
many more of each can you find? What
effect do they have on the story as a
whole?
In his poetry, Stuart often celebrates the
Kentucky spring. Discuss the image he
creates in the following description (lines
93-96): "The wind was blowing. It was a
good morning wind to breathe and a wind
that makes one feel like he can get under
the edge of a hill and heave the whole hill
upside down. " Have you known days that
made you feel like that?
MAKING CONNECTIONS
1. What happens to each of the
characters as a result of the events that
take place? In this story, does
"characters"refer only to humans or does
it include the dog and the snakes as well?
2. What statement about love and hate is
Stuart making?
How, from the evidence in this story, does
each affect people?
3. How does Stuart's view of romantic
LOVE______________________________________________________________________
61
love differ from Collier's view in "The
Chaser"? What experience have you had-
or do you know of-that represents your
idea of true love?
4. In this story, Stuart suggests that
parents can make mistakes and that it's
hard for an older person to admit a
mistake to a younger one. In this story,
what mistake did the father make? How
did he show his regret? Have you had a
similar experience in your own life? If so,
what kind of mistake did the older person
make? How, if at all, did he or she admit
the mistake?
5. In "Love," the father is a farmer who
sees all snakes as enemies. In "The
Brown House" by Hisaye Yamamoto, the
Hattoris are also farmers, but they believe
that a white snake in a dream means good
luck. How common are those contrasting
ideas about snakes in American and
Japanese culture today? Ask several
people who were raised in the American
culture and several people who were
raised in the Japanese culture how they
feel about snakes. Then report how your
findings do or do not reflect these stories.
6. Three other stories in this book-"The
Unicorn in the Garden" by James Thurber,
"The Summer of the Beautiful White
Horse" by William Saroyan, and "A
Blizzard Under Blue Sky" by Pam Houston-
have animals as important characters.
What other stories do you knowin books,
movies, or real life-that have animals as
main, characters? What are the animals
like in those stories? Do any of the stories
deal with a love relationship between
animals? For a writing assignment,
compare and contrast the use of animals
as characters in this story and the
Thurber, Saroyan, or Houston story.
As it happens we had been having a
number of cases of diphtheria in the
school to which this child went, during
that month and we were all, quite
apparently, thinking of that, though no
one had as yet spoken of the thing.
Well, I said, suppose we take a look at the
throat first. I smiled in my best
professional manner and asking for the
child's first name I said, come on,
Mathilda, open your mouth and let's take
a look at your throat. Nothing doing.
Aw, come on, I coaxed, just open your
mouth wide and let me take a look. Look,
I said, opening both hands wide, I haven't
anything in my hands. Just open up and
let me see.
Such a nice man,put in the mother. Look
how kind he is to you. Come on, do what
he tells you to. He won't hurt you.
At that I ground my teeth in disgust of
only they wouldn't use the word "hurt" I
might be able to get somewhere. But I
did not allow myself to be hurried or
disturbed but speaking quietly and slowly
I approached the child again.
As I proved my chair a little nearer
suddenly with one catlike movement both
her hands clawed instinctively for my eyes
and she almost reached then too. In fact
she knocked my glasses flying and they
fell, though unbroken, several feet away
from me on the kitchen floor.
Both the mother and father almost turned
themselves inside out, in erubarrassrnent
and apology. You bad girl, said the
mother, taking her and shaking her by
one arm. Look what you've done. The
nice man…
For heaven's sake, I broke in. Don't call
me a nice man to her. I'm here to look at
her throat on the chance that she might
have diphtheria, and possibly dice of if.
LOVE______________________________________________________________________
62
But, that's nothing to her look here, I said
to the child, we're going to look al your
throat. You're old enough to understand
what I'm saying. Will you open it now by
yourself or shall we have to open it for
you?
Not a move. Even her expression hadn't
changed. Her breaths however were
coming faster and faster. Then the battle
began. I had to do it. I had to have a
throat culture for her own protection. But
first I told the parents that it was entirely
up to them. I explained the danger but
said that I would not insist on a throat
examination so long as they would take
the responsibility.
If you don't do what the doctor says you'll
have to go to the hospital, the mother
admonished her severely.
80 Oh yeah?I had to smile to myself.
After all, I had already fallen in love with
the savage brat, the parents were con-
temptible to me. In the ensuing struggle
they grew more and more abject, crushed,
and exhausted while she surely rose to
magnificent heights of insane fury of effort
bred of Irer terror
85 of me.
The father tried his best, and he was a big
man but the fact that she was his
daughter, his shame at her behavior and
his dread of hurting her made him release
her just at the critical moment several
times when I had almost achieved
success, till
90 I wanted to kill him. But his dread also
that she might have diphtheria made him
tell me to go on, go on though he himself
Was almost fainting, while the mother
proved back and forth behind us raising
and lowering her hands in all agony of
apprehension.
Put her in front of You on your lap, I
ordered, and hold
95 both her wrists.
But as soon as he did the child let out a
scream. Don't, you're hurting me. Let go
of my hands. Let them go I tell you. Then
she shrieked terrifyingly, hysterically.
Stop it! Stop it! You're killing me!
100 Do you think she can stand it,
doctor! said the mother.
You get out, said the husband to his wife.
Do you want her to die of diphtheria?
Corne on now, hold her, I said.
Then I grasped the child's head with my
left hand and tried
105 to get the wooden tongue depressor
between her teeth. She fought, with
clenched teeth, desperately! But now I
also had grown furious-at a child. I tried
to hold myself down but I couldn't, I know
how to expose a throat for inspection.
And I did my best. When finally I got the
wooden spatula behind the last
110 teeth and just the point of it into the
mouth cavity, she opened up for an
instant but before I could see anything
she came down again and gripping the
wooden blade between her molars she
reduced it to splinters before I could get it
out again.
Aren't you ashamed, the mother yelled at
her. Aren't you
115 ashamed to act like that in front of
the doctor?
Get me a smooth-handled spoon of some
sort, I told the mother. We're going
through with this. The child's mouth was
already bleeding. Her tongue was cut and
she was screaming in wild hysterical
shrieks. Perhaps I should have desisted
and
120 come back in an hour or more. No
doubt it would have been better. But I
have seen at least two children lying dead
LOVE______________________________________________________________________
63
in bed of neglect in such cases,and feeling
that I must get a diagnosis now or never I
went at it again. But the worst of it was
that I too had got beyond reason. I could
have torn the child apart in
125 my own fury and enjoyed it. It was a
pleasure to attack her. My face was
burning with it.
The damned little brat must be protected
against her own idiocy, one says to
oneself at such times. Others must be
protected against her. It is a social
necessity. And all these things
130 are true. But a blind fury, a feeling of
adult shame, bred of a longing for
muscular release are the operatives. One
goes on to the end.
In a final unreasoning assault I
overpowered the child's neck and jaws. I
forced I, he heavy silver spoon back of her
135 teeth and down her throat till she
gagged. And there it was both tonsils
covered with membrane. She had fought
valiantly to keep me from knowwirrg her
secret. She had been hiding that sore
throat for three days at least and lying to
her parents in order to escape just such
an outcome as this.
140 Now truly she was furios, she had
been on the defensive before but now she
attacked. 'Tried to get, off her father's lap
and fly at me while tears of defeat blinded
her eyes. (1938)
UNDERSTANDING THE STORY
1. What does the reader know about the
parents from the description of them in
the first three paragraphs? In what way or
ways is the daughter different from her
parents?
2. Why is it important for the doctor to
see the girl's throat? In what different
ways does the doctor tell us about the
medical danger?
How do the doctor, the father, and the
mother each try get the girl to cooperate?
How do their approaches conflict? Why do
all of the approaches fail? ( What does
Mathilda fear? What do her parents fear?)
4. Doctors are usually thought of as being
emotionally neutral toward their patients.
But the doctor in this story is certainly not
neutral when he says (lines 80-83), "I had
already fallen in love with the savage
brat,the parents were contemptible to me.
" What accounts for his very different
feelings about Mathilda and her parents?
5. When the doctor forces the girl's
mouth open, he says (lines 123-124), "But
the worst of it was that I, too, had got
beyond reason. "
a. What does it mean to be "beyond
reason"?
b. "I, too" suggests that at least one
other person was "beyond reason. " Who?
c. In the course of the story, what are the
stages in the doctor's change from feeling
calm and in control to feeling barely
controlled fury?
6. What were the logical reasons for
doing whatever was necessary to examine
the girl's throat right away? What were
the non-logical-the emotional or
instinctive-reasons?
7. Is it a surprise that, in the end, the girl
proves to have diphtheria? Why or why
not?
DEVELOPING A WAY WITH WORDS
1. In the story, there are many
references to looking, seeing, not wanting
to see, and trying to prevent seeing. In
the following sentences from the story,
LOVE______________________________________________________________________
64
what kind of looking or seeing does each
of the phrases in dark type describe?
What other references to looking and
seeing are there in the story? (This
question could also be used for discussion
and writing. )
a. I . . . took off my overcoat and started
to look things over. I could see that
they were all very nervous, eyeing me
up and down distrustfully. (lines 10-13)
b. Have you looked?
I tried to, said the mother, but I couldn't
see. (line 36)
c. . . . just open your mouth wide and let
me take a look. Look,I said, opening
both hands wide, I haven't anything in my
hands. Just open up and let me see.
(lines 47-49)
d. . . . clawed instinctively for my eyes
and she almost reached them too. In fact
she knocked my glasses flying . . . .
(lines 57-59)
e. . . . a blind fury . . . . (line 130)
f. . . . tears of defeat blinded her eyes.
(line 142)
2. When someone's exact words are used
in a story, the convention is to put the
words in quotation marks. This story
contains a good deal of such direct
speech, yet there are no quotation marks.
Choose a paragraph with direct speech
and add the standard punctuation.
How does that change the "feeling" of the
paragraph? Why do you think Williams
chose to ignore the convention of
quotation marks?
MAKING CONNECTIONS
1. What does each character in the story
fear? Which of them do you feel the most
sympathy for? Why?
2. The story is told from the doctor's
point of view. How would the story have
been different if the mother were the
narrator? the father? the girl?
3. Why do you think Mathilda had, as the
doctor said,"fought valiantly" (line 136) to
keep anyone from knowing that she was
ill? Why do people sometimes try to
conceal symptoms from others who care
about them? Have you ever known anyone
who concealed a serious illness or done
that yourself? If so, what was the result?
4. Are you surprised that Williams tells us
so much about a doctor's personal feeling?
Do you think that his medical experience
and feelings, as reflected in this story, are
unusual? Why or why not?
5. Consider these facts about the disease
of diphtheria: It is a highly contagious
disease caused by airborne bacteria.
Before inoculations were available, it often
spread rapidly through a community. The
first symptoms, a fever and sore throat,
are the same for many diseases. A more
serious symptom, membrane growing in
the throat, isn't visible without a specific
examination. A severe case may result in
death in as little as three days. Williams
has used diphtheria as a metaphor (an
implied comparison) for the "disease" of
the unreasoning anger and violence that
are released by using force against a
weaker opponent. Is the metaphor
appropriate? Why or why not?
6. When the English statesman Edmund
Burke argued in the British Parliament, in
March 1775, against declaring war on the
thirteen American colonies, he said: "The
use of force alone is but temporary. It
may subdue for a moment; but it does not
remove the necessity of subduing again:
and a nation is not governed, which is
perpetually to be conquered. "Do you
think that Burke would feel that the doctor
LOVE______________________________________________________________________
65
has "won" something through the use of
force? Would Burke believe that Mathilda's
spirit has been broken by the doctor's use
of force? Why or why not?
THE LOTTEY
To lapse ("this part. . . had been allowed
to lapse")-to pass away by neglect.
(someone's)old man("'Thought my old
man was out back"') (informal) husband.
Missus("'Here comes your Missus,
Hutchinson. "')-(informal) wife.
stoutly ("said stoutly')-with
determination.
a good sport("'Be a good sport,Tessie"')-
(idiom) someone who plays (a game)
fairly and is willing to accept defeat
without complaining.
THE LOTTERY______________________________________________________________
66
he morning of June 27th was clear
and sunny, with the fresh warmth
of a full-sununer (lay; the flowers
were blossoming profusely and the grass
was richly green. The people of the
village began to gather in the square,
between the post office
5 and the bank, around ten o'clock; in
some towns there were so many people
that the lottery took two days and had to
be started on June
26th, but in this village, where there were
only about three hundred people, the
whole lottery took less than two hours, so
it could begin at ten o'clock in the morning
and
10 still be through in time to allow the
villagers to get home for noon dinner.
The children assembled first, of course.
School was recently over for the summer,
and the feeling of liberty sat uneasily on
most of them; they tended to gather
together quietly for a while
15 before they broke into boisterous play,
and their talk was still of the classroom
and the teacher, of books and reprimands.
Bobby Martin had already stuffed his
pockets full of stones, and the other boys
soon followed his example, selecting the
smoothest and roundest stones; Bobby
and Harry Jones and Dicky
20 Delacroix-thevillagers pronounced this
name "Dellacroy"eventually made a great
pile of stones in one corner of the square
and guarded it against the raids of the
other boys. The girls stood aside, talking
among themselves, looking over their
shoulders at the boys, and the very small
children rolled in the
25 dust or clung to the hands of their
older brothers or sisters.
Soon the men began to gather, surveying
their children, speaking of planting and
rain, tractors and taxes. They stood
together, away from the pile of stones in
the corner, and their jokes were quiet and
they smiled rather than laughed. The
30 women, wearing faded house dresses
and sweaters, came shortly after their
menfolk. They greeted one another and
exchanged bits of gossip as they went to
join their husbands. Soon the women,
standing by their husbands, began to call
their children, and the children came
reluctantly, having to be
35 called four or five times. Bobby Martin
ducked under his mother's grasping hand
and ran, laughing, back to the pile of
stones. His father spoke up sharply, and
Bobby came quickly and took his place
between his father and his oldest brother.
The lottery was conducted-as were the
square dances, the
40 teen-age club, the Halloween program-
by Mr. Summers, who had time and
energy to devote to civic activities. He
was a round-faced jovial man and he ran
the coal business, surd people were sorry
T
THE LOTTERY
THE LOTTERY______________________________________________________________
67
for him, because he had no children and
his wife was a scold. When he arrived in
the square, carrying the black
45 wooden box, there was a murmur of
conversation among the villagers, and he
waved and called,"Little late today, folks. "
The postmaster, Mr. Graves, followed
him, carrying a three-legged stool, and
the stool was put in the center of the
square and Mr. Summers set the black
box down on it. The villagers kept their
50 distance, leaving a space between
them and the stool, and when Mr.
Summers said, "Some of you fellows want
to give me a hand?" there was a
hesitation before two men,Mr. Martin and
his oldest son, Baxter, came forward to
hold the box steady on the stool while Mr.
Summers stirred up the papers inside.
55 The original paraphernalia for the
lottery had been lost long ago, and the
black box now resting on the stool had
been put into use even before Old Man
Warner, the oldest man in town, was
born. Mr. Summers spoke frequently to
the villagers about making a new box, but
no one liked to upset even as
60 much tradition as was represented by
the black box. There was a story that the
present box had been made with some
pieces from the box that had preceded it,
the one that had been constructed when
the first people settled down to make a
village here. Every year, after the lottery,
Mr. Summers began
65 talking again about a new box, but
every year the subject was allowed to fade
off without anything's being done. The
black box grew shabbier each year; by
now it was no longer completely black but
splintered badly along one side to show
the original wood color, and in some
places faded or stained.
70 Mr. Martin arid his oldest son, Baxter,
held the black box securely on the stool
until Mr. Summers had stirred the papers
thoroughly with his hand. Because so
much of the ritual had been forgotten or
discarded, Mr. Summers had been
successful in having slips of paper
substituted for the chips of wood
75 that had been used for generations.
Chips of wood, Mr. Summers had argued,
had been all very well when the village
was tiny, but now that the population was
more than three hundred and likely to
keep growing, it was necessary to use
something that would fit more easily into
the black box. The night, before
80 the lottery, Mr. Summers and Mr.
Graves made up the slips of paper and put
them in the box, and it was then taken to
the safe of Mr. Summers´ coal company
and locked up until Mr. Summers was
ready to take it to the, square the next
morning. The rest of the year, the box
Was put away, somentimes one
85 place, sometimes another; it had spent
one year in Mr. Graves' barn and another
year underfoot in the post office, and
sometimes it was set on a shelf in the
Martin grocery and left there.
There was a great deal of fussing to be
done before Mr. Summers declared the
lottery open. There were the lists to
90 make up-of heads of families, heads of
households in each family, members of
each household in each family. There was
the proper swearing-in of Mr. Summers
by the postmaster, as the official of the
lottery; at one time, some people remem-
bered, there had been a recital of some
sort, performed by the
95 official of the lottery, a perfunctory,
tuneless chant that had been rattled off
duly each year; some people believed tha
THE LOTTERY______________________________________________________________
68
the official of the lottery used to stand
just so when he said or sang it, others
believed that lie was supposed to walk
among the people, but years and years
ago this part of the ritual had been
100 allowed to lapse. There had been,
also, a ritual salute, which the official of
the lottery had had to use in addressing
each person who came up to draw from
the box,but this also had changed with
time, until now it was felt necessary only
for the official to speak to each person
approaching. Mr. Summers
105 was very good at all this; in his clean
white shirt and blue jeans, with one hand
resting carelessly on the black box, he
seemed very proper and important as he
talked interminably to Mr. Graves and the
Martins.
Just as Mr. Summers finally left off talking
and turned to
110 the assembled villagers, Mrs.
Hutchinson came hurriedly along the path
to the square, her sweater thrown over
her shoulders, and slid into place at the
back of the crowd. "Clean forgot what day
it was," she said to Mrs. Delacroix, who
stood next to her, and they both laughed
softly. "Thought my old man was
115 out back stacking wood, "Mrs.
Hutchinson went on,"and then I looked
and the kids was gone and then I
remembered it was.
The box, Davy," Mr. Summers said. Davy
put his hand into the 285 box and
laughed. "Take just one paper," Mr.
Summers said. ” Harry, you hold it for
him. " Mr. Graves took the child's hand
and removed the folded paper from the
tight fist and held it while little Dave stood
next to him and looked tip at him
wonderingly.
390 "Nancy next," Mr. Summers said.
Nancy was twelve, and her school friends
breathed heavily as she went forward,
switching her skirt, and took a slip daintily
from the box. "Bill, Jr. ," Mr. Summers
said, and Billy, his face red and his feet
overlarge, nearly knocked the box over as
he got a paper out.
395 "Tessie," Mr. Summers said. She
hesitated for a minute, looking around
defiantly, and then set her lips and went
up to the box. She snatched a paper out
and held it behind her.
"Bill," Mr. Summers said, arid Bill
Hutchinson reached into the box arid felt
around, bringing his hand out at last with
the
300 slip of paper in it.
The crowd was quiet. A girl whispered, "I
hope it's riot. Nancy," and the sound of
the whisper reached the edges of the
crowd.
"It's not the way it used to be," Old Man
Warner said
305 clearly. "People ain't the way they
used to be. ""All right," Mr. Summers
said. "Open the papers. Harry, you open
little Dave's. "
Mr. Graves opened the slip of paper and
there was a general sigh through the
crowd as he held it up and everyone
310 could see that it was blank. Nancy
and Bill, Jr. , opened theirs at the same
time, and both beamed and laughed,
turning around to the crowd and holding
their slips of paper above their heads.
"Tessie," Mr. Summers said. There was a
pause, and then 315 Mr. Summers looked
at Bill Hutchinson, and Bill unfolded his
paper and showed it. It was blank.
"It's Tessie," Mr. Summers said, and his
voice was hushed. "Show us her paper,
Bill. "
THE LOTTERY______________________________________________________________
69
Bill Hutchinson went over to his wife and
forced the slip of
330 paper out of her hand. It had a black
spot on it, the black spot Mr. Summers
had made the night before with the heavy
pencil in the coal-company office. Bill
Hutchinson held it up, and there was a stir
in the crowd.
"All right, folks," Mr. Summers said.
"Let's finish quickly. "
325 Although the villagers had forgotten
the ritual and lost the original black box,
they still remembered to use stones. The
pile of stones the boys had made earlier
was ready; there were stones on the
ground with the blowing scraps of paper
that had come out of the box. Mrs.
Delacroix selected a stone so
330 large that she had to pick it up with
both hands and turned to Mrs. Dunbar.
"Come on," she said. "Hurry up. "
Mrs. Dunbar had small stones in both
hands, and she said, gasping for breath, "I
can't run at all. You'll have to go ahead
and I'll catch up with you. "
335 The children had stones already,
and someone gave little Davy Hutchinson
a few pebbles.
Tessie Hutchinson was in the center of a
cleared space by now, and she held her
hands out desperately as the villagers
moved in on her. "It isn't fair," she said.
A stone hit her on the
340 side of the head.
Old Mari Warner was saying, "Come on,
come on, everyone. " Steve Adams was in
the front of the crowd of villagers, with
Mrs. Graves beside him.
"It isn't fair, it isn't right," Mrs.
Hutchinson screamed, and
345 then they were upon her. (1948)
UNDERSTANDING THE STORY
1. Were you surprised by the ending?
When did you finally realize what was
going to happen? Looking back over the
story, what hints of what is to come-what
foreshadowing-can you find? For example,
what details in the first three paragraphs
create a picture of a peaceful rural village
and what details don't fit that picture?
(This unexpected contrast between the
setting and action of a story is an example
of dramatic irony).
2. Over the years, how has the lottery
changed? What aspects of it have
remained the same? What saying about
the lottery does Old Man Warner
remember? What connection does that
rhyme suggest with the rituals of primitive
cultures?
3. As the lottery was conducted, Mr.
Summers spoke "soberly" (line 134) while
Old Man Warner spoke "petulantly" (line
207). What difference does this show
between the two men? What contrasting
points of view on civic activities do they
represent?
4. In each of the following sentences,
what is the contrast between what the
speaker means and what the reader
understands? (These are good examples
of verbal irony. )
a. Chips of wood, Mr. Summers had
argued, had been all very well when the
village was tiny, but now that the
population was more than three hundred.
. . . (lines 75-77)
In the 1940 in the U. S. , a community of
three hundred people was still considered
very small. Why might it seem relatively
large to Mr. Summers?
b. "Bad enough to see young Joe
Summers up there joking with everybody.
" (lines 208-9)
THE LOTTERY______________________________________________________________
70
Mr. Summers is probably in his fifties;
would most people consider that "young"?
Why might Old Man Warner see him that
way?
c. "People ain't the way they used. To
be. " (line 305)
What changes does Old Man Warner
disapprove of? Do you think Old Man
Warner himself is the way he used to be?
d. "Be a good sport, Tessie. " (line 242)
In this context, what is the irony of urging
someone to be "a good sport"?
5. What makes Tessie Hutchinson stand
out from her neighbors when she first
arrives (lines 110-17)? When does she
first object to the lottery proceedings?
6. What builds tension in the final round
of the drawing? Looking back over the
story, how has the tension been built from
the beginning?
7. What explanations can you suggest for
the following contradictions in attitude?
a. The townspeople felt sorry for Mr.
Summers, we are told (lines 43-44),
"because he had no children and his wife
was a scold. " Yet no one feels sorry for
the annual victim of the lottery.
b. Many parents say that they would
gladly give their lives for their children.
Yet Tessie wants her married daughter
and the daughter's family to share the
danger of being chosen.
c. Nancy's friends hope that she will not
be chosen. Yet they evidently don't mind
that one member of Nancy's immediate
family will be killed.
d. In a small town, everyone speaks of
close-knit families and good neighbors.
Yet Tessie's husband and children, as well
as her friends, participate in stoning her to
death.
8. After Tessie has been identified as the
victim, jovial Mr. Summers says (line
324), "All right, folks. Let's finish quickly.
" What is the dramatic irony of such a
pleasant man encouraging a death by
stoning? What is the verbal irony,
considering their names, of Steve Adams
and Mrs. Graves being at the front of the
crowd?
DEVELOPING A WAY WITH WORDS
Some of the names in the story are those
of people in North Bennington (e. g. ,
Percy, from the family name Percey).
However, many names have a more
general significance. Some (e. g. , Adams
and Eva) are easy to recognize. For
others (e. g. , Tessie) you may need to
consult a special dictionary of biography,
or family names, or saints' names.
(All three kinds of dictionaries can be
found in any good English-language
library).
1. How many of the following names can
you find an association for? Graves-As an
adjective,"grave" means serious. What
does it mean as a noun?
Summers-What seasonal association
does this name have? The name is really
derived from an occupation-summoner.
What did the English summoners summon
people to do? (A dictionary of names will
provide the information).
Warner-If a summoner summons, what
does a Warner do?
Adams and Eva-What Old Testament
characters have similar names?
Little Dave/Davy-What Old Testament
character also threw small stones?
Delacroix-What does this mean in French?
What association does that have?
Harry Jones-What does harry mean as a
verb? Who is "the old Harry"? What does
the sailors' term "Davy Jones' locker" refer
THE LOTTERY______________________________________________________________
71
to?
Hutchinson-In Colonial American history,
who was Anne Hutchinson?
Tessie (nickname for Teresa or
Theresa)-Who was St. Theresa of Avila?
Who was Therese Martin (St. Therese of
Liseux)?
3. For a writing project, discuss three or
four of the names in terms of their origin
and their significagce in the story.
MAKING CONNECTIONS
1. How is the outcome of the lottery in
this story different from the outcome of
the lottery that Mr. Hattori wins in” The
Brown House"? Do you see any similarities
between the two stories?
2. Before the lottery began, the men
talked about "planting and rain, tractors
and taxes" (line 27) and the women
exchanged greetings and gossip.
a. Why do you suppose no one mentioned
what was going to happen?
Do you think that most people avoid
discussing something that they fear?
c. What similarity is there to the situation
in "The Chaser" by John Collier?
3. Jackson was frequently invited to read
"The Lottery" and discuss it with college
audiences. On those occasions, she read
experts from the letters of puzzled or
angry readers. She also told her
audiences, "People at first [after the story
appeared in The New Yorker] were not so
much concerned with what the story
meant; what they wanted to know was
where these lotteries were held, and
whether they could go there and watch. "
What connection, if any, can you see
between that reaction and the view of
human nature presented in "The Lottery"?
4. What other rituals-social, familiar,
religious-can you think of that are
followed even though people no longer
remember their origins? (Shaking hands
and having a Christmas tree with lights
are two examples). What are other ways
that people hold onto the past?
5. For a writing project, either use the
library or interview elderly people in your
community (or both) to investigate the
origins of one or more rituals that you
have taken for granted.
a. How did the ritual begin?
b. How has it changed over years?
c. What purpose does the ritual serve
that has kept it alive, even though people
have forgotten its origin?
6. Can you think of examples of other
activities that, like the lottery in this story,
benefit some people while hurting others?
Would you willingly participate in such an
activity? What examples do you know-
from history or current events or personal
experience-of one person (or group of
people) being forced to accept the blame-
being used as "scapegoats"-for either a
natural disaster or something done by
others?
7. Many different interpretations have
been offered for the story. Jackson (who,
like most authors, didn't like to be asked
to explain her work), gave at least four
different responses to questioners: (1) she
told a former teacher that the story was
based entirely on his folklore course; (2)
she accepted the interpretation of The
New Yorker's publisher that the story was
meant as an ironic contrast between an
ancient superstition and a modern setting;
(3) she told one friend that it was a
picture of real people in North Bennington;
and (4) she told another friend that it was
a comment on anti-Semitism, derived
from an unpleasant incident with a local
THE LOTTERY______________________________________________________________
72
shopkeeper. Others have suggested that
the story is about choosing a scapegoat to
assume the symbolic guilt for all of the
sins of a community. Judy Oppenheimer,
Jackson's biographer, describes "The
Lottery" as "the purest, most direct
expression [Jackson] would ever give to
that knowledge of human evil she had
carried within her since childhood. "
When that many different explanations are
possible, it's obvious that there can't be
one "right" interpretation, though an
explanation is certainly wrong if it
contradicts the evidence of the story.
a. What is your interpretation of the
story?
b. What reasoning and evidence have you
used to arrive at that interpretation?
A BLIZZARD UNDER BLUE SKY__________________________________________________
73
A BLIZZAR UNDER BLUE SKY
“When everything in your life is
uncertain, there´s nothing quite like
the clarity and precision of fresh snow
and blue
am Houston has taught creative
writing at Denison University in
Ohio, where she completed her
undergraduate studies, and her short
stories have appeared in various literary
magazines. Presently completing her
doctoral studies at the University of Utah,
Houston is also part of the world of
women's fashion magazines as a
contributing editor for Elle and a frequent
contributor to Mirabella and Mademoiselle.
For a number of years, Houston has also
worked part-time as a river guide and
hunting guide in the western United States
and has written about those activities for
the publications Outside and Travel and
Leisure.
Houston's interest in the outdoors forms
the core of the stories in Cowboys Are My
Weakness (1992), stories that have been
described as "exhilarating, like a swift ride
through river rapids," as well as
"beautifully written and funny. " In "A
Blizzard under Blue Sky," the exhilaration
comes from sharing a winter adventure in
the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, while
the beauty of the writing is exemplified by
this magical description of snow: "[it]
stopped being simply white and became
translucent, hinting at other colors,
reflections of purples and blues and grays.
" Much of the humor in the story is based
on the American fondness for believing
that pets think and act like humans.
Another feature of Houston's style is that
she reflects her generation's habit of
referring to items by brand names. She
also sometimes teases by not directly
identifying a character's gender, using a
name that could be either a man's or a
woman's and letting a simple pronoun do
the work, perhaps contradicting the
reader's expectations.
A heavy snowstorm with high winds, the
"blizzard" of the title, matches the
narrator's mood at the beginning of the
story. She tells us that "everyone in Park
City," a resort area near Salt Lake City,
Utah, was happy except her. Could that
be literally true, or is she exaggerating to
make fun of herself? What could have
caused such self-pity and depression? And
what do you suppose she did about it?
How did she find the "blue sky" that is the
proverbial symbol of happiness?
UNCOMMON WORDS OR MEANINGS
Clinically depressed ("The doctor said I
was clinically depressed. ") suffering from
a severe and continuing feeling of deep
sadness.
To run rampant ("the month in which
depression runs rampant" (to grow
P
A BLIZZARD UNDER BLUE SKY
Pam Houston (born 1962)
A BLIZZARD UNDER BLUE SKY__________________________________________________
74
without limit).
An inversion ("the inversion-cloaked Salt
Lake Valley") an increase in air
temperature with elevation that traps
particles of dust and smoke at lower
altitudes.
An ex ("weekending in the desert with his
ex") (informal) a previous romantic
partner.
A housemate ("my housemate, Alex")
someone who shares the living space in a
house.
A bivvy sack ("take my bivysack")-a
large canvas bag.
Kool-Aid ("mix Kool-Aid with your
water")-a brand of sugar and flavoring to
be mixed with water to make a drink.
Lighting paste ("don't forget lighting
paste for your stove")-a sticky, flammable
substance used to help wet wood burn.
A butt ("you are going to freeze your
butt")-(informal) buttocks, the fleshy part
of the body that one sits on.
Yin and yang ("my yin and yang of
dogs")-(Chinese philosophy) yin, the
negative element, represents the female
qualities of darkness and the sky; yang,
the positive element, represents the male
qualities of light and the earth.
A Thermarest ("My sleeping bag, my
Thermarest, my stove")-a brand of
inflatable, insulated mattress.
Mountain House ("Mountain House
chicken stew")-a brand of freeze-dried
food, eaten after boiling water is added.
Carnation instant breakfast ("Carnation
instant breakfast for morning")-a brand of
powered milk with flavoring and nutrients
added, drunk after being mixed with
water.
Miles to go ("Miles to go, Mom. ")-an
allusion (an indirect reference) to the
closing lines of the poem "Stopp'ing by
Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert
Frost: "But I have promises to keep, /and
miles to go before I sleep, /and miles to
go before I sleep. "
The fourth dimension ("swears that
Utah is the, center of the fourth
dimension")-something beyond length,
breadth, and thickness (height, width, and
depth); usually taken to be time.
Bindings ("the squeaking of my
bindings")-the foot fastenings on a ski.
A dog tag (the jangle of dog tags")-a
small metal disk attached to a dog's collar
to identify the dog's owner.
Primal ("the bass line and percussion of
some primal song")from the time of the
first humans.
Moby Dick ("I thought of MobyDick, you
know, the whiteness of the whale")-in
Herman Melville's 19th-century novel of
the same name, a huge white whale
pursued by Captain Ahab.
A fatality ("winter camping fatalities")-an
accidental death.
Couch potato ("not so with Hailey, the
couch potato")-(slang) the sort of person
who likes best to sit on a couch while
watching TV and eating.
A mummy bag ("inside my mummy
bag")-a sleeping bag that is wider at the
head than at the foot.
To chastise ("I spent half the night
chastising myself ")-to criticize severely.
Wonder Woman ("thinking I was Wonder
Woman")-a comic book character with
superhuman powers.
The Iditarod ("run the lditarod")-the
annual 1,200-mile Alaskan dog sled race
from Anchorage to Nome.
To kayak ("kayakedto Antarctica")-to
travel in a kayak, a light single-seat boat
propelled with a double paddle.
A BLIZZARD UNDER BLUE SKY
A BLIZZARD UNDER BLUE SKY__________________________________________________
75
The doctor said I was clinically depressed.
It was February, the month in which
depression runs rampant in the inversion-
cloaked Salt Lake Valley and the city
dwellers escape to Park City, where the
snow is fresh and the sun is shining and
5 Everybody is happy, except me. In
truth, my life was on the verge of more
spectacular and satisfying discoveries,
than I had ever imagined, but of course I
couldn't see that far ahead. What I saw
was work that wasn't getting done, bills
that weren't getting paid, and a man I'd
given my heart to week
10 ending in the desert with his ex.
The doctor said, "I can give you drugs. "
I said, "No way. "
She said, "The machine that drives you is
broken. You need something to help you
get it fixed. "
15 I said, "Winter camping. "
She said, "Whatever floats your boat. "
One of the things I love the most about
the natural world is the way it gives you
what's good for you even if you don't
know it at the time. I had never been
winter camping before, at least
20 not in the high country, and the
weekend I chose to try and fix my
machine was the same weekend the air
mass they called the Alaska Clipper
showed up. It was thirty-two degrees
below zero in town on the night I spent in
my snow cave. I don't know how cold it
was out on Beaver Creek. I had listened
to the
25 weather forecast, and to the advice of
my housemate, Alex, who was an
experienced winter camper.
"I don't know what you think you're going
to prove by freezing to death," Alex said,
"but if you've got to go, take my bivvy
sack; it's warmer than anything you have.
"
30"Thanks. " I said.
"If you mix Kool-Aid with your water it
won't freeze up," he said, "and don't
forget lighting paste for your stove. "
"Okay," I said.
"I hope it turns out to be worth it," he
said, "because you
35 are going to freeze your butt. "
When everything in your life is uncertain,
there's nothing quite like the clarity and
precision of fresh snow and blue sky.
120 After lunch the sun had moved behind
our backs, throwing a whole different
light, oft the path ahead of us. The snow
we moved through stopped being simply
white and became translucent,hinting at
other colors, reflections of blues and
purples, and grays. I Thought of Moby
Dick, you know, the
125 whiteness of the whale, where white
is really the absence of all color, and
whiteness equals truth, and Ahab's search
is finally futile, as he finds nothing but his
own reflection.
"Put your mind where your skis are,
"Jackson said, and we made considerably
better time after that.
130 The sun was getting quite low in the
sky when I asked Jackson if he thought
we should stop to build the snow cave,
and he said he'd look for the next good
bank. About one hundred yards down the
trail we found it, a gentle slope with erst-
ern exposure that didn't look like it would
cave in under any
135 circumstances. Jackson started to dig
first.
Let me make one thing clear. I knew only
slightly more about building snow caves
than Jackson, having never built one, and
all my knowledge coming from disaster
A BLIZZARD UNDER BLUE SKY__________________________________________________
76
tales of winter camping fatalities. I knew
several things not to do when
140 building a snow cave, but I was
having a hard time knowing what exactly
to do. But Jackson helped, and Hailey
supervised, and before too long we had a
little cave built, just big enough for three.
We ate dinner quite pleased with our
accomplishments and set the bivvy sack
up inside the cave just as the
145 Sun slipped away and dusk came over
Beaver Creek.
The temperature, which hadn't exactly
soared during the day, dropped twenty
degrees in as many minutes, and suddenly
it didn't seem like such a great idea to
change my long underwear. The original
plan was to sleep with the dogs inside
150 the bivvy sack but outside the
sleeping bag, which was okay with
Jackson the super-metabolizer, but not so
with Hailey, the couch potato. She whined
and wriggled and managed to stuff' her
entire fat body down inside my mummy
bag, and Jackson stretched out full-length
on top.
155 One of the unfortunate things about
winter camping is that it has to happen
when the days are so short. Fourteen
hours is a long time to lie in a snow cave
under the most perfect of circumstances.
And when it's thirty-two below, or forty,
fourteen hours seems like weeks.
160 I wish I could tell you I dropped right
off to sleep. In truth, fear crept into my
spine with the cold and I never closed my
eyes. Cuddled there, amid my dogs and
water bottles, I spent, half of the night
chastising myself for thinking I Was
Wonder Woman, not only risking my own
life but the lives of my dogs,
165 and other half trying to keep the
numbness in my feet from crawling up to
my knees. When I slid doze off, I'd come
back to my senses wondering if I had
frozen to death, but lire alternating pain
and numbness that started in my
extremities and worked its way into my
bones convinced me I must still be alive.
170 It was a clear night, and every now
and again I would poke my head out of its
nest of down and nylon to watch the
progress of the moon across the sky.
There is no doubt that it was longest arid
most uncomfortable night of my life.
But then the sky began to get gray, and
then it began to get
175 pink, and before too long the sun was
on my bivvy sack, not warm, exactly, but
holding fire Fructose of warmth later in
the day. And I ate apricots and drank
Kool-Aid-flavored coffee and celebrated
the rebirth of my fingers and toes, and the
survival of many more important parts of
my body. I sang "Rocky
180 Mountain High" and "If I Had a
Hammer," and yodeled and whistled, and
even danced the two-stop with Jackson
and let him lick my face. And when Hailey
finally emerged from the sleeping bag a
full hour after I did, we shared a peanut
butter and honey sandwich and she said
nothing ever tasted so good.
185 We broke camp and packed up and
kicked in the snow cave with something
resembling glee.
I was five miles down the trail before I
realized what had happened. Not once in
that fourteen-hour night did I think about
deadlines, or bills, or the man in the
desert. For the first
190 Time in many months I was happy to
see a day beginning. The morning
sunshine was like a present front the
gods. What really happened, of course, is
that. I remembered about joy.
A BLIZZARD UNDER BLUE SKY__________________________________________________
77
I know that one night out at thirty-two
below doesn't sound like much to those of
you who have climbed Everest or
195 run the Iditarod or kayaked to
Antarctica, and I won't try to convince you
that my life was like the movies where
depression goes away in one weekend,
and all of life's problems van ish with a
moment's clear sight. The simple truth of
the matter is this: On Sunday I had a
glimpse outside of the house of
200 mirors, on Saturday I couldn't have
seen my way out of a paper bag. And
while I was skiing back toward the truck
that morning a wind came up behind us
and swirled the snow around our bodies
like a blizzard under blue sky. And I was
struck by the simple perfection of the
snowflakes, and startled by the hope
205 fulness of sun on frozen trees. (1992)
UNDERSTANDING THE STORY
1. As the story opens, the narrator had
been feeling extremely sad without a
major reason ("clinically depressed," line
1) for a number of weeks.
a. What two possible causes of
depression does the narrator mention?
b. Why do you think the narrator refused
drugs as a cure? What did she decide to
try instead?
c. What did the doctor mean by her
comment "Whatever floats your boat"
(line 16)?
2. Immediately after describing her
depression, the narrator says, "my life
was on the verge of a more spectacular
and satisfying discovery than I had ever
imagined" (lines 5-7).
a. What does it mean to "be on the verge
of" a discovery?
b. Why do you think the author chose to
announce at the beginning that the story
would turn out well? From the tone of'the
first few sentences, had you thought that
the story might be an unhappy one? Why
or why not?
3. What are some of the items the
narrator planned to take on her overnight
camping trip? What was the purpose of
each item?
4. What makes Jackson and Hailey good
friends to go camping with? What do you
think the narrator means by calling them
her "yin and yang of dogs" (line 46)?
5. How do the following comments and
actions reflect the personality of each of
the dogs?
a. "Miles to go, Mom," (Jackson) said
over his shoulder. (line 71)
b. Hailey turned her belly to the sun and
groaned. (line 118)
c. "Put your mind where your skis are,"
Jackson said. (line 128)
d. (Hailey and I) shared a peanut butter
and honey sandwich and she said nothing
ever tasted so good. (lines 183-84)
6. What specific details help the reader to
imagine what it feels like to sleep outdoors
in a snow cave when the temperature is
forty degrees below zero?
7. How did the narrator's feelings change
as a result of the winter camping
experience? How is the story's title related
to the change?
DEVELOPING A WAY WITH WORDS
1. Examine the paragraph that begins
(line 90) "It was utterly quiet out there . .
. . "
a. What noises do the visitors from the
city introduce?
b. What does it mean to say (line 91) that
these sounds "intruded on the morning
A BLIZZARD UNDER BLUE SKY__________________________________________________
78
like a brass band"? (This simile-a direct
comparison-is also an example of
hyperbole-a deliberate exaggeration).
c. What does the narrator mean by her
musical metaphor (an implied comparison)
in the statement (lines 93-95),"It was the
bass line and percussion to some primal
song, and I kept wanting to sing to it, but
I didn't know the words. "
2. In lines 111-15, the narrator uses a
simile to explain how clinical depression
feels.
a. What is the simile? Read it aloud.
b. What do you understand it to mean?
c. How does the narrator return to this
simile in the final paragraph of the story?
MAKING CONNECTIONS
1. Reviewers have described Pam
Houston's women as "strong and free-
spirited" and, lean and tough, self-created
adventurers. " How well do those
descriptions fit the narrator of this story?
Houston has also been praised for the
humor of her writing. What are some of
the humorous parts of this story?
2. Find the full poem "Stopping by Woods
on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost. (It
appears in Frost's collected poems as well
as in many anthologies). Then discuss the
following questions about the poem and
the story.
a. Some readers see the woods, which
are "lovely, dark, and deep," and the idea
of "sleep" as symbolic of death. Others
argue for a more literal interpretation of
the woods and sleep as representing a
break in a busy life. What arguments can
you think of to support each point of view?
b. How does the horse make the poem's
speaker remember his or her obligations
to others?
c. How is the quotation from the poem
appropriate to Houston's story? For
example, what obligations to others does
the narrator of the story have?
3. Have you ever been deeply depressed?
What was the cause? What did you do
about it?
(This might be a good question to answer
in a tenminute free writing that no one
else will read. )
4. Have you ever gone winter camping? If
so, what sort of preparations did you
make and where did you sleep? If you are
not a camper, do you think you'd like to
try it one day? Why or why not?
5. Have you ever had a sports adventure?
If so, what details can you remember to
help someone else to share your sense of
the adventure?
6. As a small library research project,
look for newspaper or magazine accounts
either of the Iditarod dog sled race (it
began in 1974) or of attempts to climb
Mount Everest (the first men to reach the
summit were Sir Edmund Hillary and
Tenzing Norgay in 1953). To organize the
report, begin by presenting a question
about the topic that you can answer in two
or three pages.
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
79
nown for his ability to explain
scientific ideas clearly and
accurately to a popular audience,
Arthur C. Clarke is even more famous as a
master of science fiction whose work has
been translated into more than thirty
languages. He was born during the First
World War in an English seaside town and
fell in love with science fiction as a boy.
When he left school at the age of sixteen
and took a civil service job, reading and
writing science fiction remained his hobby.
Then, in what he has described as
"probably the most decisive act of my
entire life," Clarke gave up his safe job to
enlist in the British Royal Air Force at the
beginning of World War II. While training
to be a radar instructor, he taught himself
Mathematics and Electronic Theory and
continued writing.
Clarke is unique as a science fiction writer,
for he has not only dreamed of what could
be but has specified how it could be done.
In 1945, for example, he explained how a
satellite could be placed in synchronous
orbit to receive and retransmit radio
signals; eighteen years later, when the
communications satellite became a reality,
Clarke was honored for conceiving the
idea. After the war, he earned a college
degree in physics and pure and applied
mathematics and became an editor for a
technical journal. Soon, however, the
success of his books The Exploration of
Space (1952) and Childhood's End (1953)
enabled Clarke to give up the editing job
to concentrate on his own writing. While
primarily known for his science fiction
works, Clarke has also written on
underwater diving (an interest that led
him to build a home on the Indian Ocean)
and scientific mysteries.
Clarke's fiction often deals with themes of
exploration and discovery, always firmly
grounded in scientific possibility, For
example, in "The Sentinel," published in
1951, a party of scientists exploring the
moon have chosen the same landing site
as that used eighteen years later by real-
life American astronauts. Clarke makes
readers feel the wonder of scientific
inquiry as the narrator describes an
unexpected discovery, but Clarke also
enables readers to recognize their own
reality with details such as breakfast
sausages.
In the early 1960s, Clarke became a
Hollywood screen writer when film director
Stanley Kubrick asked him to collaborate
on a science fiction movie. The script,
which was four years in development,
drew in part on "The Sentinel," the
pyramidal structure turning into a black
monolith. The result, which has been
called "the most important science fiction
film ever made," was 2001: A Space
Odyssey. This film about the voyage of
the spaceship Discovery, under the control
of the computer HAL 9000, appeared in
1968. The next year, the American
K
THE SENTINEL
ARTHUR C. CLARKE
(BORN 1917)
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
80
astronaut Neil Armstrong took what he
called "one small step for man, one giant
leap for mankind" when he left the ladder
of his spacecraft to set foot on the moon's
powdery surface. Except that the powder
proved to be thicker than Clarke had
imagined and that there is no moisture to
produce hoarfrost, the moon's surface is
much as described it in "The Sentinel. "
Yes, this story is by an Englishman who
now lives in Sri Lanka. But as the
songwriter Paul Simon says in "American
Tune," the United States is "the ship that
sailed the moon. " And until someone else
plants their flag there, we're going to
claim the story.
UNCOMMON WORDS OR MEANINGS
A sentinel (title)-a sentry, someone or
something that stands guard.
Two'clock ("Round about two o'clock you
will notice")-(military) the position where
the two would be, if a clock face were
superimposed on what you are looking at.
A caterpillar tractor ("our powerful
caterpillar tractors")-a tractor with toothed
wheels covered by a circular belt; used for
heavy work on soft or uneven surfaces.
pedantic ("a geologist-or selenologist, if
you want to be pedantic")-showing off
academic knowledge.
a flank ("down the flanks of those
stupendous cliffs")-the side of a mountain.
to sit tight ("radio for help and sit
tight")-(informal) be patient and wait for
the next event.
a score ("a score of rivers")-twenty.
homely ("so normal and homely")-(British
usage) home-like.
a galley ("the corner. . . that served as a
galley")-the kitchen on a ship or airplane.
a log ("entries in yesterday's log")-a book
used on a ship or airplane for keeping a
permanent daily record of events.
Degenerate ("primitive plants and their
slightly less degenerate ancestors")-
(biology) having lost the normal or more
highly developed characteristics of its
type.
a laughingstock ("you'll he the
laughingstock of the expedition")-a person
or thing that is laughed at or made fun of.
a (wild) goose chase ("the craziest
goose chase he had ever embarked on")-
(idiom) a foolish or hopeless search (for
something or somebody that can never
he. found).
a folly ("probably be called Wilson's
Folly")-something foolish or ridiculous;
here an allusion (an indirect reference) to
"Seward's . Folly," the mocking name
given to the territory of Alaska in
1867,when Secretary of State Seward
"wasted" $7,200,000 buying it from the
Russian czar.
Haunting ("haunting doubts had driven
me forward")-returning to the mind
repeatedly.
to score ("falling meteors had pitted and
scored")-to mark with cuts, scratches, or
lines.
to ebb ("as the life of the Moon ebbed
with the dying oceans") to become weak
or faint.
to crawl ("set the scalp crawling")--to feel
as though the flesh is covered with ants or
another crawling thing.
an atomic pile ("an unshielded atomic
pile")-the early name for
a nuclear reactor.
an apparition ("crystalline apparition")-
something strange that
makes you doubt what you see.
banked ("those banked clouds of stars")-
heaped up into a flat
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
81
topped mass.
idly over the mountain walls which
covered the whole of the southern
horizon, marching out of sight to east and
west.
80 below the curve of the Moon. They
seemed only a mile or two front the
tractor, but I knew that the nearest was
twenty miles away. On the Moon, of
course, there is no loss of detail with
distance-none of that almost:
imperceptible haziness which softens and
sometimes transfigures all far-off things
on Earth.
85 Those mountains were Len thousand
feet high, and they climbed steeply out of
the plain as if ages ago some subter-
ranean eruption had smashed them
skyward through the molten crust. The
base of even the nearest was hidden front
sight by the steeply curving surface of the
plain, for the Moon
90 is a very little world, and from where I
was standing the horizon was only two
miles away.
I lifted my eyes toward the peaks which
no man had ever climbed, the peaks
which, before the coming of terrestrial life,
had watched the retreating oceans sink
sullenly into their
95 graves, taking with them the hope and
the morning promise of a world. The
sunlight was beating against. those
ramparts with a glare that hurt the eyes,
yet only a little way above them the stars
were shining steadily in a sky blacker than
a winter midnight oil Earth.
100 I was turning away when my eye
caught a metallic glitter high on the ridge
of a great promontory thrusting out into
the sea thirty miles to the west. It was a
dimensionless point. of light, as if a star
had been clawed from the sky by one of
those cruel peaks, and I imagined that
some smooth rock surface
105 was catching the sunlight and
heliographing it straight into my eyes.
Such things were not uncommon. When
the Moon is in her second quarter,
observers on Earth can sometimes see the
great ranges in the Oceanus Procellarum
burning with a blue-white iridescence as
the sunlight flashes front their slopes and
110 leaps again front world to world. But
I was curious to know what kind of rock
could be shining so brightly up there, and
I climbed into the observation turret and
swung our four-inch telescope round to
the west.
I could see just enough to tantalize me.
Clear aril sharp in
115 is the field of vision, the mountain
peaks seemed only half a mile away, but
whatever was catching the sunlight was
still too small to be resolved. Yet it,
seemed to have an elusive symmetry, and
the summit upon which it rested was
curiously flat. I stared for
a long time at that, glittering enigma,
straining my eyes into
120 space, until presently a smell of
burning from the galley told nee that our
breakfast sausages had made their
quarter-million-mile journey in vain. All
that morning we argued our way across
the Mare Crisium while the western
mountains reared higher in the sky.
125 Even when we were out prospecting
in the space suits, the discussion would
continue over the radio. It was absolutely
certain, my companions argued, that
there had never been any form of
intelligent life on the Moon. The only
living things that had ever existed there
were a few primitive plants and their
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
82
130 slightly less degenerate ancestors. I
knew that as well as any-one, but there
are times when a scientist must not be
afraid to make a fool of himself.
"Listen," I said at last, "I'm going up
there, if only for my own peace of mind.
That mountain's less than twelve thousand
135 feet high-that's only two thousand
under Earth gravity-and I can make the
trip in twenty hours at the outside. I've
always wanted to go up into those hills,
anyway, and this gives me an excellent
excuse. "
"if you don't break your no-ok said
Garnett, "you'll be the
140 laughingstock of the expedition when
we get back to Base. That mountain will
probably be called Wilson's Folly from now
on. "
"I won't break my neck," I said firmly.
"Who was the first man to climb Pico and
Helicon'?"
"But weren't you rather younger in those
days?" asked
145 Louis gently.
"That," I said with great, dignity, "is as
good a reason as any for going. "
We went to bed early that night, after
driving the tractor to within half a mile of
the promontory. Garnett was coming
150 with me in the morning; he was a
good climber, and had often been with me
on such exploits before. Our driver was
only too glad to be left in charge of the
machine. At first sight, those cliff's
seemed completely unscalable,but to
anyone with a good head for heights,
climbing is easy on
155 a world where all weights are only a
sixth of their normal value. The real
danger in lunar mountaineering lies in
overconfidence; a six-hundred-foot drop
on the Moon can kill you just as thor-
oughly as a hundred-foot fall on Earth. We
made our first halt on a wide ledge about
four thou
160 sand feet, above the plain. Climbing
had not been very difficult, but my limbs
were stiff with the unaccustomed effort,
and I was glad of the rest. We could still
see the tractor as a tiny metal insect far
down at the foot of the cliff, and we
reported our progress to the driver before
starting on the next ascent.
165 Inside our suits it was comfortably
cool, for the refrigeration units were
fighting the fierce sun and carrying away
the body thea. of our exertions. We
seldom spoke to each other, except to
pass climbing instructions and to discuss
our best plan of ascent. I do not know
what Garnet was thinking, pro
I70 bably that this was the craziest goose
chase he had ever embarked upon. I
more than half agreed with him, but the
joy of climbing, the knowledge that no
man had ever gone this way before, and
the exhilaration of the steadily widening
landscape gave me all the reward I
needed.
175 I don't think I was particularly excited
when I saw in front of us the wall of rock I
had first inspected through the telescope
from thirty miles away. It would level off
about fifty feett above our heads, and
there on the plateau would be the thing
that had lured me over these barren
wastes. It would be,
180 almost, certainly, nothing more than
a boulder splintered ages ago by a falling
meteor, and with its cleavage planes still
fresh and bright in this incorruptible,
unchanging silence,
There were no handholds on the rock face,
and we had to use a grapnel. My tired
arms seemed to gain new strength as I
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
83
185 swung the three-pronged metal
anchor round my head and sent it sailing
up toward the stars. The first time it
broke loose and came falling slowly back
when we pulled the rope. On the third
attempt, the prongs gripped firmly and
our combined weights could not shift it.
190 Garnett looked at me anxiously. I
could tell that lie wanted to go first, but I
smiled back at him through the glass of
my helmet arid shook lily head. Slowly,
taking my Iinie, I began the final ascent.
Even with lily space suit, I weighed only
forty pounds
195 here, so I pulled myself up hand over
hand without bothering to use my feet. At
the rim I paused and waved to my
companion, then I scrambled over the
edge and stood upright, staring ahead of
me. You Must understand that until this
very moment I had
200 been almost completely convinced
that there could be nothing strange or
unusual for me to find here. Almost, but
not quite; it was that haunting doubt that
had driven me forward. Well, it was doubt
no longer, but the haunting had scarcely
begun.
I was standing on a plateau perhaps a
hundred feet across.
205 It had once been smooth-too smooth
to be natural-butt falling meteors had
pitted and scored its surface through
immeasurable eons. It had been leveled
to support a glittering, roughly pyramidad
structure, twice as high as a man, that
was set, in the rock like a gigantic, many
faceted jewel.
210 Probably no emotion at all filled
my mind in those first few seconds. Then
I felt a great lifting of my heart, and a
strange, inexpressible joy. For I loved the
Moon, and now I knew that the creeping
moss of Aristarchus and Eratosthenes was
not, the only life she had brought forth in
her youth. The
215 old, discredited dream of the first
explorers was true. There had, after all,
been a lunar civilization-and I was the first
to find it. That I had come perhaps a
hundred million years too late did not
distress me; it was enough to have conic
at all.
My mind was beginning to function
normally, to analyze
220 and to ask questions. Was this it
building, a shrine- or something for which
my language had no name? If a buniding,
I then why was it erected in so inicluely
inaccessible a spot? I wondered it, if might
be a temple, and I could picture the
adepts of some strange priesthood calling
on the gods to preserve
225 them as the life of the Moon ebbed
with the dying oceans, and calling on their
gods in vain.
I took a dozen steps forward to examine
the thing more closely, but some sense of
caution kept me from going too near. I
knew a little of archaeology, and tried to
guess the cul-
230 tural level of the civilization that must
have smoothed this mountain and raised
the glittering mirror surfaces that still
dazzled my eyes. The Egyptians could
have done it, I thought, if their workmen
had possessed whatever strange materials
these far more
235 ancient architects had used. because
of t he thing's smallness, it did not occur
to me that I might be looking at the
handiwork of a race more advanced that
my own. The idea that the Moon had
possessed intelligence at all was still
almost too tremendous to grasp, and my
pride would not let me take the final,
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
84
240 humiliating plunge.
And then I noticed something that set the
scalp crawling at the back of my neck-
something so trivial and so innocent that
many would never have noticed it at all. I
have said that the plateau was scarred by
meteors' it was also coated inches
245 deep with the cosmic dust that is
always filtering down upon the surface of
any world where there are no winds to
disturb it. Yet the dust and the meteor
scratches ended quite abruptly in a wide
circle enclosing the little pyramid as
though an invisible wall was protecting it
front the ravages of time and the
250 slow but ceaseless bombardment
from space.
There was someone shouting in my
earphones, and I realized that Garnets
had been calling me for some time. I
walked unsteadily to the edge of the cliff
and signaled him to join me, not trusting
myself to speak. Then I went back
255 toward that circle in the dust. I picked
up a fragment of splintered rock and
tossed it gently toward the shining
enigma. If the pebble had vanished at
that invisible barrier, I should not have
been surprised, but it seemed to hit a
smooth, hemispheric surface and slide
gently to the ground.
260 I knew then that I was looking at
nothing that could be matched in the
antiquity of my own race. This was not a
building, but a machine, protecting itself
with forces that had challenged Eternity.
Those forces, whatever they might be,
were still operating, and perhaps I had
already come too close. I
265 thought of all the radiations man had
trapped and tamed in the past century.
For all I knew, I might be as irrevocably
doomed as if l had stepped into the
deadly, silent aura of an unshielded
atomic pile.
I remember turning then toward Garnett,
who had joined
270 me and was now standing motionless
at my side. He seemed quite oblivious to
me, so I did not disturb him but walked to
the edge of the cliff in an effort to marshal
my thoughts. There below me lay the
Marc Crisium-Sea of Crises, indeedstrange
and weird to most men, but reassuringly
familiar to ale.
275 I lifted my eyes toward the crescent
Earth, lying in her cradle of stars, and I
wondered what her clouds had covered
when these unknown builders had finished
their work. Was it the steaming jungle of
time Carboniferous, the bleak shoreline
over which the first amphibians must
crawl to conquer the land-or;
280 earlier still, the long loneliness before
the coming of life? Do not ask me why I
did not guess the truth sooner-the truth
that seems so obvious now. In the first
excitement of my discovery, I had
assumed without question that this
crystalline apparition had been built by
some race belonging to the
285 Moon's remote past, but suddenly,
and with overwhelming force, the belief
came to me that. it was as alien to the
Moon as I myself.
In twenty years we had found no trace of
life but a few degenerate plants. No lunar
civilization, -whatever its doom,
290 could have left but a single token of
its existence.
I looked at the shining pyramid again, and
the more I looked the more remote it
seemed from anything that had to do with
the Moon. and suddenly I felt myself
shaking with a foolish, hysterical laughter,
brought on by excitement and overex
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
85
295 ertion: for I had imagined that the
little pyramid was speaking
to me and was saying,"Sorry, I'm a
stranger here myself. "
It, has taken us twenty years to crack that
invisible shield and to reach the machine
inside those crystal walls. What we could
riot understand, we broke at last with the
savage might
300 of atomic power and now I have seen
the fragments of the lovely, glittering
thing I found up there on the mountain.
They are meanIngless. The mechanisms-
if indeed they are mechanisms of the
pyramid belong to a technology that lies
far beyond our horizon, perhaps to the
technology of para-
305 physical forces . The mystery haunts
us all the more now that the other planets
have been reached and we know that only
Earth has ever been the home of
intelligent life in our Universe. Nor could
any lost civilization of our own world have
built that
310 machine, for the thickness of the
meteoric dust on the plateau has enabled
us to measure its age. It was set there
upon its mountain before life had emerged
from the seas of Earth.
When our world was half its present age,
something from the stars swept through
the Solar System, left this token of its
315 passage, and went again upon its
way. Until we destroyed it, that machine
was still fulfilling the purpose of its
builders; and as to that, purpose, here is
my guess.
Nearly a hundred thousand million stars
are turning in the circle of the Milky Way,
and long ago other races on the worlds
320 of other suns must have scaled and
passed the heights that we have reached.
Think of such civilizations, far back in time
against the fading afterglow of Creation,
masters of a universe so young that life as
yet had come only to a handful of worlds.
Theirs would have been a loneliness we
cannot imagine, the
325 loneliness of gods looking out across
infinity and finding none to share their
thoughts.
They must have searched the star clusters
as we have searched the planets.
Everywhere there would be worlds, but
they would be empty or peopled with
crawling, mindless
330 things. Such was our own Earth, the
smoke of the great volcanoes still staining
the skies, when that first ship of the
peoples of the dawn came sliding in from
the abyss beyond Pluto. It passed the
frozen outer worlds, knowing that life
could play no part in their destinies. It
came to rest among the inner plan
335 ets, warming themselves around the
fire of the Sun and waiting for their stories
to begin.
Those wanderers must have looked on
Earth, circling safely in the narrow zone
between fire and ice, and must have
guessed that it was the favorite of the
Sun's Children. Here, in
340 the distant future, would be
intelligence; but there were countless
stars before them still, and they might
never come this way again.
So they left a sentinel, one of millions
they scattered throughout the Universe,
watching over all worlds with the
345 promise of life. It was a beacon that
down the ages patiently signaled the fact,
that no one had discovered it.
Perhaps you understand now why that
crystal pyramid was set upon the Moon
instead of on the Earth. Its builders were
not concerned with races still struggling
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
86
up from say
350 an agery. They would be interested
in our civilization only if we proved our
fitness to survive-by crossing space and
so escaping from the Earth, out, cradle.
That is the challenge that all intelligentt
races must meet, sooner or later. It is a
double challenge, for it depends in turn
upon the conquest of atomic
355 energy and the last choice between
life and death. Once we had passed that
crisis, it was only a matter of time before
we found the pyramid and forced it open.
Now its signals have ceased, and those
whose duty it, is will be turning their
minds upon Earth. Perhaps they wish to
help our infant
360 civilization. But they must be very,
very old, and the old are often insanely
jealous of the young.
I can never look now at the Milky Way
without wondering from which of those
banked clouds of stars the emissaries are
coming. If you will pardon so
commonplace a simile, we have
365 set off the fire alarm and have
nothing to do but to wait.
I do not think we will have to wait for
long.
(1951)
UNDERSTANDIGTHE STORY
1. What is the span of time discussed in
the story? According to the story, when
did exploration on the moon begin? When
is the story being told?
2. What specific facts does the reader
learn about the narrator in the course of
the story?
3. According to the story, what difficulties
do scientists face in the lunar
environment? How are these difficulties
brought out in the story?
4. While Wilson is staring at a "glittering
enigma" on the horizon (line 119), he is
suddenly "brought back to earth" (to use
an idiom not found in the story) by an
occurrence much "closer to home"
(another idiom).
What is the occurrence?
5. Why did Wilson's companions say that
Wilson would be the "laughingstock" (line
140) of the expedition if he went to
investigate the reflected sunlight? How did
they tease him about his idea of climbing
the mountain?
6. When Wilson reached the plateau at
the top of the cliff, what was his first
analysis of what he found? What second
discovery "set the scalp crawling at the
back of (his) neck" (lines 241-42)?
7. Discuss what Wilson means by each of
the following statements.
a. I'had been almost completely
convinced that there could be nothing
strange or unusual for me to find here.
Almost, but not quite; it was that haunting
doubt that had driven me forward. (lines
199-202)
"Almost, but not quite" what? What was
the "haunting doubt"?
b. For all I knew, I might be as
irrevocably doomed as if I had stepped
into the deadly, silent aura of an
unshielded atomic pile. (lines 266-68)
If someone unknowingly came near an
unshielded nuclear reactor, what sort of
trouble would he or she be in? Why
wouldn't the person be aware of the
trouble?
c. I had imagined that the little pyramid
was speaking to me and was saying,
"Sorry, I'm a stranger here myself. " (line
296)
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
87
In what situation does someone normally
make an apology like that?
d. What we could not understand, we
broke at last with the savage might of
atomic power (lines 298-300)
What does Wilson mean by "the savage
might of atomic power"? How is it ironic
(the opposite of what one might logically
expect) to smash something that, after
long effort, you still can't understand?
e. long ago other races on the worlds of
other suns must have scaled and passed
the heights we have reached. (lines 319-
21)
What "heights" is Wilson referring to? Who
does he mean by "we"?
8. Discuss Wilson's ideas and theories
about the machine at the time he is telling
the story:
a. Why is he sure that it was not made by
any beings in Earth's solar system, "our
Universe" (line 308)?
b. Who does he think made it?
c. For what purpose does he think it was
made?
9. Wilson feels that the machine's
purpose has now been fulfilled.
a. What does he think will happen next?
b. Discuss the implications of his
statement (lines 359-61), "Perhaps they
wish to help our infant civilization. But
they must be very, very old, and the old
are often insanely jealous of the young. "
c. Could it be said that Wilson and his
companions are just "sitting tight," as
Wilson once said they could always do if
they ever "ran into trouble" (lines 40-41)?
DEVELOPING A WAY WITH WORDS
1. Like all good scientific writers, Clarke
uses context to clarify the meaning of
many words in this story. In the following
sentences, how are the words in dark type
explained by the rest of the sentence?
Where else in the story can a reader use
the context to understand the meaning of
a word?
a. one of my favorite melodies, the old
Welsh air "David of the White Rock" (lines
71-72)
b. a vast delta where a score of rivers
once found their way into the ocean (lines
49-50)
c. those cliffs seemed completely
unscalable, but to anyone with a good
head for heights, climbing is easy on a
world where all weights are only a sixth of
their normal value. (lines 153-55)
d. There were no handholds on the rock
face, and we had to use a grapnel. My
tired arms seemed to gain new strength
as I swung the three-pronged metal
anchor round my head and set it sailing
up toward the stars. (lines 183-86).
2. Many scientific words are composed of
Latin and Greek prefixes, suffixes, and
roots, some of which are listed below.
Use the information in the list to explain
the words in dark type in the examples
that follow it.
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
88
a. I was geologist-or selenologist, if
you want to be pedantic-in charge of the
group exploring the southern region of
Mare. (lines 21-23)
b. As I stood by the frying pan, waiting,
like any terrestrial housewife, for the
sausages to brown (lines 76-77)
c. some smooth rock surface was catching
the sunlight and heliographing it straight
into my eyes (lines 104-6)
d. the great ranges in the Oceanus
Procellarum burning with a blue-white
iridescence (lines 107-9)
e. I knew a little of archaeology, and
tried to guess the cultural level of the
civilization that must have smoothed this
mountain. . . . (lines 229-31)
f. The mechanisms. . . of the pyramid
belong to a technology that lies far beyond
our horizon, perhaps to the technology of
paraphysical forces. (lines 302-5)
3. As a writer, Clarke has been praised
not only for his scientific imagination but
also for his poetry. Explain the similes
(direct comparisons) and metaphors
(implied comparisons) in dark type in the
following sentences. What other similes
and metaphors did you notice in the
story?
a. as if a star had been clawed from
the sky by one of those cruel peaks
(lines 103-4)
b. see the tractor as a tiny metal insect
far down at the foot of the cliff (lines 162-
63)
c. sent it sailing up toward the stars (line
186)
d. the crescent Earth, lying in her
cradle of stars (lines 275-76)
MAKING CONNECTIONS
1. How realistic do you find the
characters in this story? What nationality
would you say they are? Do they match
your idea of scientists and space
explorers? Why or why not?
2. Human beings, as a race, have a need
to explore the unknown. What do you
think explains that need? Would you like
to be part of a scientific expedition to
outer space? Why or why not?
3. In the story, written in 1951, humans
have established and staffed a scientific
base for long-term exploration on the
moon by the year 1996. Why do you
think that hasn't happened?
4. What major scientific advances have
been made in your parents' lifetimes?
What advances have you been aware of so
far in your lifetime? What further
advances do you hope to live to see?
5. When the next full moon comes, go
outdoors one evening to look for the Mare
Crisium-the Sea of Crises. Alternatively,
find a map of the moon in an atlas. On
the "near" side, find the geographical
features-the Mare Crisium, the Mare
Serenitatis, the Oceanus Procellarum (the
Ocean of Storms), and the craters
Aristarchus and Eratosthenes-mentioned
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
89
in the story.
6. Arrange to see the film 2001: A Space
Odyssey. (It is available on video
cassette. ) Then discuss how the film
differs from this story. Alternatively, read
and discuss the novel 2001: A Space
Odyssey, which Clarke wrote while the
film was heinci made.
TEXT CREDITS
"No Speak English" : From THE HOUSE ON
MANGO STREET. Copyright 1989 by
Sandra Cisneros. Published in the United
States by Vintage Books, a division of
Random House, Inc. , New York, and
distributed in Canada by Random House of
Canada Limited, Toronto. Originally
published, in somewhat different form, by
Arte Publico Press in 1984 and revised in
1089. Reprinted by permission of Susan
Bergholz Literary Services, New York.
"Popular Mechanics": Reprinted by
permission of Tess Gallagher. Copyright
© 1978 by Tess Gallagher.
"The Unicorn in the Garden": From
FABLES FOR OUR TIME by James Thurber
(Hamish Hamilton, 1939) copyright ©
James Thurber, 1939, copyright © Helen
Thurber, 1968. Reproduced by permission
of Hamish Hamilton Ltd.
"The Summer of the Beautiful White
Horse": From MY NAME IS ARAM by
William Saroyan. Copyright © 1938 and
renewed 1966 by William Saroyan.
Reprinted by permission of Harcourt Brace
& Company. Acknowledgement to The
William Saroyan Foundation.
"Samuel": From ENORMOUS CHANGES AT
THE LAST MINUTE by Grace Paley.
Copyright © 1968, 1974 by Grace Paley.
Reprinted by permission of Farrar, Straus
& Giroux, Inc.
"The Chaser": Copyright © 1940, 1967 by
John Collier. Reprinted by permission of
Harold Matron Company, Inc.
"The Brown House": From SEVENTEEN
SYLLABLES AND OTHER STORIES by I
lisaye Yamamoto. Copyright © 1988 by I
Hisaye Yamamoto. Used by permission of
the author and of Kitchen Table: Women
of Color Press, P.0.Box 908, Latham, N. Y.
12110 on all reprinted materials.
"Love": From DAWN OF REMEMBERED
SPRINGS by Jesse Stuart. Copyright ©
1940 by Jesse Stuart. Copyright ©
renewed 1968 by Jesse Stuart Foundation.
Reprinted by permission of Jesse Stuart
Foundation, P.0.Box 391, Ashland,
Kentucky, 41114.
Quotes on Pages 84-85 used by
permission of the Jesse Stuart Foundation,
Box 391, Ashland, Kentucky 41114.
"The Use of Force": From THE FARMERS'
DAUGHTERS by William Carlos Williams.
Copyright © 1938 by William Carlos
Williams. Reprinted by permission of New
Directions Publishing Corp.
"The Lottery": From THE LOTTERY by
Shirley Jackson. Copyright © 1948, 1949
by Shirley Jackson. Copyright renewed ©
1976, 1977 by Laurence Hyman, Barry
Hyman, Mrs. Sarah Webster, and Mrs.
Joanne Schnurer. Reprinted by permission
of Farrar, Straus & Giroux, Inc.
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
90
"Biography of a Story": Front COME
ALONG WITH ME by Shirley Jackson.
Copyright 1948, 1952,© 1960 by Shirley
Jackson. Used by permission of Viking
Penguin, a division of Penguin Books USA
Inc.
"A Blizzard Under Blue Sky": Reprinted
from COWBOYS ARE MY WEAKNESS,
Stories by Pam Houston, by permission of
W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. Copyright
© 1992 by Pam Houston.
"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy
Evening": From THE POETRY OF ROBERT
FROST, edited by Edward Connery
Lathem,published by Jonathan Cape.
Reprinted by permission of the Estate of
Robert Frost.
"The Sentinel": Arthur C. Clarke.
Reprinted by permission of the author and
the author's agents, Scovil Chichak Gaden
Literary Agency, Inc.
ART CREDIT
Drawing on page 27 reprinted by
permission of James Thurber Literary
Properties. For the British
Commonwealth: Reproduced by
permission of Hamish Hamilton Ltd.
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
91
Contents
UNIT 1 Brats 2
UNIT 2 Trouble with Everyday Things 8
UNIT 3 More Alike Than Different 14
UNIT 4 The World's Largest Family 20
UNIT 5 Healthy Again 26
UNIT 6 The Buried City 32
UNIT 7 Misunderstandings 38
UNIT 8 A Real Bargain 44
UNIT 9 Black Cats and Broken Mirrors 50
UNIT 10 Mother's Camp 56
UNIT 1 1 The Treasure Hunt 62
UNIT 12 The Plain People 68
UNIT 13 Postponing Death 74
UNIT 14 An Unexpected Adventure 80
UNIT 1 5 An Unsolved Mystery 86
Answer Key 92
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
92
I. PRE-READING
Look at the picture and think about these
questions. Discuss your answers with
your classmates.
•The girl in the picture is named Lizzie.
What kind of a girl do you think Lizzie is?
Do you think she does what her parents
want her to do? Do you think she usually
behaves or misbehaves?
•If you guessed that Lizzie often
misbehaves, you were right. She threw
her mother's wedding ring into the toilet
and put ice cream into the VCR. She is a
brat. (Brat is not a polite word. )
•In this story you will read about Lizzie
and other brats. Have You ever known any
brats? What did they do when they
misbehaved?
BRATS
A FEW years ago a French toy company
had an unusual contest-a "biggest brat"
contest. The company had a prize for the
child whose behavior was the worst in the
world. Over 2,000 parents entered their
children in the contest. "Our child is the
world's biggest brat!" they wrote. The
parents made lists of all the bad things
their children had done. Judges read the
lists and chose the winner. She was a little
girl from the United States. Her name
was Lizzie, and she was four years old.
Here are a few of the things Lizzie did to
win the title, "The World's Biggest Brat":
She put a garden hose into the
gas tank of her father's car. Then
she turned on the water.
She painted a leather sofa with
spray paint.
She threw her mother's wedding
ring into the toilet. Then she
flushed the toilet.
She put an ice cream sandwich
into the VCR.
She set the table for dinner. Then
she glued the silverware to the
table. Imagine her parents'
surprise when they sat down to
eat and tried to pick up their
forks!
Lizzie may be the world's biggest brat, but
she is certainly not the world's only brat.
Alo is a five-year-old boy from
Bangladesh. One afternoon, while his
father was asleep on the sofa, Alo cut off
his father's mustache. A few days later,
he cut off his brother's eyebrows when his
brother was sleeping in the bedroom. A
few weeks after that, he cut off most of
his mother's hair when she was asleep at
night. Alo's family now keeps every pair
of scissors under lock and key and always
sleeps behind locked doors.
The behavior of a Mexican boy named
Manuel is perhaps even worse than
Lizzie's and Alo's because it is more
dangerous. Manuel likes to play with
matches. One day he found some
matches near the kitchen stove. He took
the matches, sneaked into his parents'
bedroom, and set fire to the curtains.
Fortunately, Manuel's mother walked into
the bedroom just in time. She pulled
down the curtains and put out the fire
before is spread.
Hiroshi, a young Japanese man, says that
he rarely misbehaved when he was a
young child but turned into a real brat
when he was about 13. "My friends and l
used to sneak around at night and let the
air out of tires. We were terrible," he
says. "Our parents tried to control us, but
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
93
they didn't have much success. We drove
them crazy. "
No mother or father wants to be the
parent of a brat. Parents everywhere try
to control their children's behavior. Some
parents spank their children when they
misbehave. Other parents won't let their
children watch TV or eat dessert. In
Japan, parents often send their children
outside when they misbehave and tell
them they can't come into the house. In
the United States, parents do just the
opposite: they send their children to their
bedrooms and tell them they can't go
outside.
Lizzie's parents don't know what to do
about Lizzie. Her mother says, "I keep
telling myself that Lizzie is going through
a stage, but sometimes I don't know. . . It
seems like she's always getting into
trouble. " Lizzie's father says, "One day
we'll look back on all this and laugh. "
What does Lizzie think about her
behavior? Lizzie doesn't like to talk about
it. When a reporter asked Lizzie if she
was "a bad girl," Lizzie kicked his leg.
Then she yelled, "I'm not a brat! I'm an
angel! Get out of my house!"
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
95
First, form small groups. One student in
each group is the "teacher. " The
"teacher" will write each word on a
separate small piece of paper, fold the
papers, and give one to each person in the
group. The "teacher" will take a word, too.
Hold your paper so that no one can see
your word. Make up a little story for your
word like the ones above. (Be careful not
to say your word. ) Your classmates will
listen to your story and try to guess which
word you have. Then listen to your
classmates' stories and try to guess which
words they have.
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
96
3. COMPREHENSION/READING
SKILLS
A. UNDERSTANDING THE MAIN
IDEAS
WHAT INFORMATION IS NOT IN THE
STORY? DRAW A LINE THROUGH THE
INFORMATION.
B. UNDERSTANDING DETAILS
Read the following sentences. One
word in each sentence is not correct.
Find the w, a cross it out. Write the
correct word.
1. A few years ago a french toy company
had an unusual contest.
2. The company wanted to find the child
whose behavior was the best in the world.
3. Over 200 parents entered their
children in the contest.
4. The parents made lists of all the good
things their children had done.
5. The winner of the contest was a little
boy from the United States.
Now copy three sentences from the story,
but change one word in each sentence so
that the information is not correct. Give
your sentences to a classmate. Your
classmate will find the incorrect word in
each sentence, cross it out, and write the
correct word. When your classmate is
finished, check the corrections.
4. DISCUSSION
A. Think about these questions.
Discuss your answers with your
classmates.
1. When you were a child, were you a
"brat" sometimes or were you always an
"angel"?
Can you remember am thing bad you did?
Tell your classmates about it.
2. What do you think about spanking
children who misbehave?
3. Do you know a child who often
misbehaves? What bad things does the
child do?
4. Do you think children in different
countries behave differently? Or do you
think children everywhere behave the
same way?
B. Imagine that you are a parent in
the following situations. In small
groups, read about each problem and
decide what you would do. Circle the
answers your group chooses, or write
your own answers.
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
97
I. When you return home from shopping
with your son, you discover a small toy in
his pocket. He has stolen the toy from a
department store. You
a. spank him and send him to his room.
b. let him keep the toy this time.
c. go back to the store with him and
return the toy.
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
98
Now answer one of the question in writing.
UNIT 2
1. PRE-READING
Find a partner. With your partner,
make a list of things that you or your
partner uses every day.
Here are some examples
Do not list clothes or things you use up,
like food or toothpaste. In three minutes,
try to make the longest list in the class.
•Do you think about the things you use
every day? The man in the picture does.
II says that our "everyday things"" often
give us trouble. In the next story, you will
learn why.
TROUBLE WITH EVERYDAY THINGS
Jane couldn't watch her favorite TV
programs because she worked in a
restaurant at night. She decided to buy a
VCR so that the VCR could record the TV
programs while she worked. Then she
could watch them when she came home.
Jane was excited the day she bought her
VCR. She hurried home from the store
and, after an hour's work, finally
succeeded in connecting the VCR to the
TV. Then she tried to program the VCR to
record a TV program. Two hours later she
was still trying. Jane didn't figure out how
to program her VCR that day, or the next
day. In fact, she never figured out how to
program her VCR. "I'm just not good with
machines," she thought.
Jane blamed herself when she couldn't
program her VCR. Donald Norman says
she shouldn't have. He has a degree in
electrical engineering and uses a multi-
million-dollar computer at work, and he
can't figure out his VCR either. He is the
author of The Design of Everyday Things.
In his book Dr. Norman says that if people
have trouble with the things they use
every day- VCRs stoves, watches, doors-
they shouldn't blame themselves. Instead,
they should blame the design of these
"everyday things. "
The modern stove, for example, is an
everyday thing with a poor design. Most
stoves in the United States look like this:
The four burners form a square, but the
knobs form a line. That's a bad design,
says Dr. Norman. That's why people
often turn on the wrong burner, even
though the knobs are labeled. A better
design might look like this:
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
99
The burners form a square, so the knobs
form a square, too. It's easier to see
which knob controls each burner. "Why
can't all stoves be like this?" Dr. Norman
asks.
Another everyday thing with a confusing
design is the digital watch. In the past,
watches simply told the time; now
watches often have as many as 15
different features. They beep on the hour
and show the day and date; some even
tell the temperature. Can people really
figure out how to use all those features?
Dr. Norman says that a lot of people
can't. The problem, he says, is that
generally only three buttons control all the
features on a digital watch. That design
means trouble. Simple things like doors
sometimes have confusing designs, too.
Have you ever had trouble opening a
door? Have you ever pushed on a door
that pulls open, or pulled on a door that
pushes open? When you have trouble
opening a door, it's probably because the
door is poorly designed. Well-designed
doors tell people exactly what to do. A
door with a handle tells people to pull; a
door with a bar tells people to push. If
you're pulling at a door that pushes open,
the door probably has a handle on it. The
door is giving you the wrong signal. It
has a bad design.
What should people do about all these
everyday things that are poorly designed?
"Don't buy them!" Dr. Norman says. If
you're shopping for a VCR, ask the
salesperson if you can try to program it
right in the store. If you can't program
that VCR, keep shopping until you find one
you can program. And don't buy
something just because it looks good.
Washing machines, for example, often
look impressive. Their control panels have
a dozen buttons to push and dials to turn;
they look like they came from a spaceship.
The washing machines look great, but can
you figure out how to work them? If
people continue to buy poorly designed
products, Dr. Norman says, companies
will continue to make them-and people
will continue to have trouble with
everyday things.
2. VOCABULARY
A. LOOKING AT THE STORY
Read the sentences. Then complete
the statements below each. Circle the
letter of the correct answer.
Jane finally succeeded in connecting the
VCR to the TV, but she never figured out
how to program the VCR. She blamed
herself when she couldn't program her
VCR.
1. Machines that are connected look like
this:
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
100
Don't buy something just because it looks
good. Washing machines often look
impressive. Their control panels have a
dozen buttons to push and dials to turn;
they look like they came from a spaceship.
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
101
First, form small groups of students. One
student in each group will be the "teacher.
" The "teacher" will write each word on a
separate small piece of paper, fold the
papers, and give one to each person in the
group. The "teacher" will take a word,
too. Hold your paper so that nobody can
see your word. Make up a little story for
your word like the ones above. (Be
careful not to say your word. ) Your
classmates will listen to your story and try
to guess which word you have. Then
listen to your classmates' stories and try
to guess which words they have.
3. COMPREHENSION/READING
SKILLS
A. UNDERSTANDING THE MAIN
IDEAS
What information is not in the story?
Draw a line through the information.
1. Jane
A. bought a VCR to record TV programs
while she worked.
B. succeeded in connecting the VCR to
the TV after an hour's work.
C. never figured out how to program her
VCR.
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
102
D. has worked in a restaurant for 11
years.
2. Donald Norman
A. has a degree in electrical engineering.
B. uses a multi-million-dollar computer at
work.
C. has two VCRs.
D. is the author of The Design of
Everyday Things.
3. Examples of everyday things with
poor designs are:
A. most stoves in the United States
B. microwave ovens
C. digital watches
D. some doors
4. Most stoves in the United States
have
A. Clocks that beep on the hour.
B. four burners that form a square.
C. four knobs that form a line.
D. poor designs.
5. Digital watches have
a. as many as 15 different features.
b. three buttons that control all the
features.
c. confusing designs.
d. small batteries.
6. A well-designed door
a. has the word “Exit” on it.
b. tells people exactly what to do.
c. pulls open if it has a handle
d. pushes open if it has a bar.
7. Dr. Norman gives this advice:
a. Don't buy everyday things that are
poorly designed.
b. Buy everyday things only if they're on
sale.
c. Try to program a new VCR right in the
store.
d. Don't buy something just because it
looks good.
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
103
4. DISCUSSION
A. Dr. Norman says that digital watches
often have confusing designs. Is that
true? Do an experiment. Find one person
in your class who knows how to set his or
her digital watch. Find another person who
has no experience with digital watches.
Ask the person with the watch to teach
the other person how to set the watch so
that the alarm goes off in five minutes.
Can they do it?
B. Compare designs of everyday things in
your native country and in the country
where you are living now, for example:
With a partner or in a small group,
describe or draw the everyday things that
have different designs in your native
country.
5. WRITING
Write a riddle. Describe an everyday
thing in as many sentences as you can.
Write your description so that your
classmates cannot guess what the
everyday thing is until they hear the last
sentence. For example:
What is it? (Answer: a button)
Now write your sentences. When you are
finished, read your riddle to your
classmates. They will try to guess what
the everyday thing is.
UNIT 3
1. PRE-READING
Compare gestures in your native country
with gestures in other countries. Your
teacher will ask you the questions below.
Answer the questions using only your
hands. Do not speak! As you answer each
question, look at your classmates. Which
gestures are the same? Which gestures
are different?
IN YOUR NATIVE COUNTRY HOW DO
YOU SAY. . . ?
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
104
MORE ALIKE THAN DIFFERENT
EVERYONE listened attentively as the
woman spoke.
"If you want to say 'OK,' don't make a
circle with your thumb and first finger,"
the woman began.
"That means OK here in the United States,
but in the
Soviet Union it's an obscene gesture. "
The audience of 300 Americans chuckled;
a few people took notes.
"It's all right to admire something," the
woman continued, "but don't be too
enthusiastic. Don't say, 'I really like your
tablecloth. ' Your Soviet friend will offer
you the tablecloth and will be offended if
you don't take it.
"Remember that, in general, life in the
Soviet Union is not as comfortable as life
in the United States. You might not have
hot running water, or you might have to
share a bathroom with five or six people. "
The woman was preparing the Americans
for their trip to the Soviet Union. In the
Soviet Union, the language, customs, and
food would be different. Even simple
things, like making a phone call, would be
different. The Americans wanted to learn
about these differences before their trip.
They didn't want to experience culture
shock.
When they arrived in the Soviet Union, the
Americans were glad that they had
prepared for their trip. Most of them
experienced only a little culture shock.
They enjoyed their visit and made a lot of
Soviet friends.
Making friends was, in fact, the purpose of
the trip. The trip was planned by The
Friendship Force, an international
organization that promotes world peace.
The Friendship Force believes that people
who are friends will not fight wars. So, to
help people from all over the world
become friends, it organizes exchanges of
people. The U. S. -Soviet exchange was
the largest exchange that it has ever
organized. In April 1990, 300 Americans
visited the Soviet Union, and 300 Soviets
visited the United States.
The Soviets, like the Americans, prepared
for their visit by learning about life in the
other country. Still, they, too,
experienced a little culture shock.
The Soviets knew that Americans were
found of pets, but they were shocked to
see pets inside homes. They couldn't
believe their eyes when they saw dogs
eating in the kitchen and sleeping on
people's beds.
They were surprised at the difference
between everyday life in the Soviet Union
and in the United States. The Americans'
lives, they said,were much easier. A
Soviet woman gasped when she saw an
American pour rice directly from a box
into a pan of boiling water. "You didn't
wash the rice?" she asked. She explained
that at home she had to wash the rice
carefully and pick out all the stones. "Are
you kidding?" the American said. "If
people here had to do that, nobody would
buy rice. "
The Soviets knew that Americans liked to
eat fast food in restaurants, but they were
disappointed to see that Americans ate
fast meals at home, too. In the Soviet
Union, the evening meal often lasts an
hour or two because families sit at the
table and talk. When American families
eat together-if they eat together they
often eat quickly and don't take time for
long conversations. The Soviets thought
that was a shame.
In spite of their differences in language
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
105
and culture, the Soviets and Americans
became friends. The two women in the
picture became friends, even though the
Soviet woman couldn't speak a word of
English and the American woman couldn't
speak a word of Russian. For two weeks
they communicated through sign language
and. dictionaries.
Some of the Americans who traveled to
the Soviet Union were schoolchildren from
a sixth-grade class. When they returned to
the United States, their teacher asked
them to write about their trip. One 11-
year-old girl wrote, "I have learned a lot
from this experience. I learned to adapt
to a different culture. And I learned that
people all over the world are more alike
than they are different. "
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
107
An 11-year-old girl wrote,”I learned to
adapt to new culture. And I learned that
people all over the world are more alike
than they are different.
First, form small groups. One student in
each group is the "teacher. " The
"teacher" will write each word on a
separate small piece of paper, fold the
papers, and give one to each person in the
group. The "teacher" will take a word,
too. Hold your paper so that no one can
see your word. Make up a little story for
your word like the ones above. (Be
careful not to say your word. ) Your
classmates will listen to your story and try
to guess which word you have. Then
listen to your classmates' stories and try
to guess which words they have.
3. COMPREHENSION/READING
SKILLS
A. UNDERSTANDING THE MAIN IDEAS
Circle the letter of the best answer.
1. "More Alike Than Different" is
about
a. the language, customs, and food in the
Soviet Union.
b. U. S. -Soviet exchange of people that
was organized by The Friendship Force.
c. communicating through sign language
and dictionaries.
2. The Friendship Force is
a. an international organization that
promotes world peace.
b. an organization that prepares
Americans for visiting the Soviet Union.
c. an international organization of
children who visit other countries.
3. The Friendship Force believes that
a. people who live in the Soviet Union do
not have comfortable lives.
b. people who are friends will not fight
wars.
c. people who do not speak English will
experience culture shock in the United
States.
4. To help people become friends,
The Friendship Force
a. sends language teachers all over the
world.
b. mails letters all over the world.
c. organizes exchanges of people.
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
108
5. The Americans prepared for their
visit by
a. etperiencing culture shock.
b. writing essays.
c. learning about Soviet life.
6. The soviets who visited the United
States were shocked to see
a. Americans eating rice.
b. pets in people's homes.
c. fast-food restaurants.
7. Although their languages and
cultures were different, the Soviets
and the Americans
a. are the same food.
b. became friends.
c. the same everyday lives.
B. UNDERTANDING SUPPORTING
DETAILS
Find the best way to complete each
sentence. write the letter of your answer
on the line.
1,__it´s allright to
admire
something,
but don´t be too
enthusiastic.
for example
a. they
could´believe their
eyes
when they saw
dogs eating
in the kitchen.
2. __the friendship
force
organizes
exchanges
of people. for
example,
b. the two women in
the picture
became
friends,even though
the soviet woman
could´t
speak English and
the
American woman
couldn´t
speak Russian
3. __the soviets
were
shocker to see
pets inside homes,
for example
c. don´t say ,“Í
really
like your
tablecloth´”
4. __the soviets
said that
the Americans
lives were much
easier than theirs.
for
example
d. soviets have to
wash their rice
carefully but
Americans don´t.
5. __in spite of
their
differences in
language
and culture, the
soviets
and American
became
friends. for
example,
e. in 1990 The
Friendship
force sent 300
Americans to the
soviet Union and 300
Soviets
to the United States.
4. DISCUSSION
A. Have you ever had a bad,
embarrassing, or funny experience in a
foreign country because you didn't know
the customs? Tell your classmates about
it.
B. When people move to a new country,
they often go through three stages.
These are the stages:
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
109
Are you in a new country? If so, where are
you-at stage 1, stage 2, stage 3, or
somewhere in between? Put an X to show
where you are. Then show a classmate
where you put your X. Tell your classmate
why you put your X where you did.
5. WRITING
Imagine that The Friendship Force is
sending a group of people to your native
country. What might surprise the visitors?
Prepare the visitors so that they don't
experience culture shock. Here is what
one student wrote.
Now write about your native country.
Prepare visitors so that they don't
experience culture shock.
UNIT 4
1. PRE-READING
LOOK AT THE PICTURE AND THINK
ABOUT THESE QUESTIONS. DISCUSS
YOUR ANSWERS WITH YOUR
CLASSMATES.
Do you come from a large family?
Do your classmates come from
large families? How many brothers
and sisters do they have? Which
classmate comes from the largest
family?
Your family or your classmate's
family may be large, but it is not
as large as the family of the man
and woman in the picture. They
have the world's largest family.
They are the parents of 53
children.
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
110
THE WORLD'S LARGEST FAMILY
MR. and Mrs. Albina don't know where all
their grown children are living now. Some
of them, they know, are in Argentina, but
they aren't sure where in Argentina. They
aren't sure how old all their children are,
either. Ask them, for example,"How old is
your daughter Susanna? "and they say,
"We're not sure. " They might even say,
"Which Susanna?" But it is understandable
that the Albinas can't keep track of their
children's addresses and ages. After all,
they have 53 children.
Mr. and Mrs. Albina, with 53 children,
have the world's largest family. Not one
of their children is adopted.
When people hear about the Albinas' large
family, the first question they ask is, "How
is it possible? How can one woman give
birth to 53 children in her lifetime?" The
answer is simple: Every time Mrs. Albina
gave birth, she had twins or triplets. She
was a triplet herself; she thinks that's why
she always had twins or triplets. The
Albinas married when Mrs. Albina was 12
years old and Mr. Albina was 30. The
children came quickly, in twos and threes.
The first 21 children were boys. Mrs.
Albina loved her sons, but she wanted a
daughter very much.
The Albinas spent the early years of their
marriage in Argentina. Then they decided
to move to Chile. To travel from
Argentina to Chile, they had to cross the
Andes Mountains. Mr. and Mrs. Albina
and their 21 sons made the difficult, two-
week journey on mules. One night there
was a terrible snowstorm in the
mountains. During the snowstorm, Mrs.
Albina gave birth to triplets,a boy and-two
girls! Mrs. Albina now has 16 more girls,
including twins who are 15 months old.
The oldest Albina children are in their
thirties and forties. They are on their own
now, but 18 of the Albina children still live
with their parents. The family lives in a
two-room shack in Colina, Chile. The
shack has electricity but no toilet or
running water. The children wash in a
small bowl in the dusty backyard.
At times there is very little food in the
Albinas' small house. When there is not
enough food for everyone, Mrs. Albina
makes sure the youngest children do not
go hungry. "The smallest eat first, and
then the bigger ones. We've always done
it that way," she says. Obviously, the
Albinas do not have enough money for
their big family. Why, then, do they
continue to have children?
The Albinas do not use birth control
because it is against their religion. They
could let other people take care of their
children, but Mrs. Albina will not allow it.
"When my two brothers and I were
babies," she says,"our mother left us at an
orphanage and never returned. We lived
there together until we were five. Then a
couple adopted my brothers, and I was
left behind. I was heartbroken. I
promised myself that when I became a
mother, I would never give my children
away. Even if I didn't have much money,
I would always take care of my children
myself. " Mrs. Albina has kept her
promise.
So, the Albina family continues to grow.
Mr. and Mrs. Albina have so many
children that they ran out of names for
them all and had to give some children
the same name. There are three
Susannas, three Miriams, two Estrellas,
and two Soledades. Will there be a fourth
Susanna or a third Estrella? Will the
Albinas stop at 53 children, or will there
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
111
be more? Mr. Albina is 77 years old, and
Mrs. Albina is 59. "I'm getting old," she
says with a smile. "I would like God to
think of me and consider my age. But, if
God sends more children to me, yes, there
will be more.
2. VOCABULARY
A. LOOKING AT THE STORY
Think about the story and answer the
questions.
1. Are grown children babies or adults?
2. When a woman gives birth to triples,
how many children are born at the same
time?
3. Is a journey a long trip or short trip?
4. Who are the parents of a mule-a horse
and a donkey, or a dog and a wolf?
5. Is a shack small and roughly built or
large and well built?
6. Is somenting that is obvious easy to
see or difficult to see?
7. Birth control is against the
albinas´religion. Does their religion
permit birth control,does it not permit
birth control?
8. Is an orphanage a home for children
who are sick or for children who have no
parent?
9. Did the couple who adopter Mrs.
Albina´s brother take the boys into their
family or leave them at the orghanage?
10. Mrs. Albina wants god to consider
her. does she want god to forget her age
or think about her age?
2. LOOKING AT SPECIAL
EXPRESSIONS
Find the best way to complete each
sentence. Write the letter of your answer
on the line to keep track of - to
remember; to keep a record of
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
112
B. SCANNING FOR INFORMATION
The underlined information is not correct.
Find the correct information in the story
ane write it. Work quickly; try to
complete this exercise in three minutes or
less.
1. The Albinas married when Mrs. Albina
was 12 years old and Mr. Albina was
30
29.
2. The first 24 children were boys.
3. The Albinas spent the early years of
their marriage in Peru.
4. Then they decided to move to Bolivia.
5. The Albinas and their sons made the
three-week journey across the Andes
Mountains on
mules.
6. During a snowstorm Mrs. Albina gave
birth to twins.
7. Mrs. Albina now has 14 more girls.
8. The Albinas live in a two-room shack in
Santiago, Chile.
9. Mrs. Albinas and her brothers lived
together at the orphanage until they were
four.
10. There are two Miriams.
4. DISCUSSION
A. First answer the questions
yourself. Then ask a classmate
the questions. Talk over the
answers with your classmate.
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
113
you Your
classmate
1. How many brothers and sister
does your mother have?
2. How many brothers and sisters
does your father have?
3. How many brothers and sisters
do you have?
4. If your are not married: Do you
want to have children someday? How
many?
5. How many children are in the ideal family?
(Is one child best? two children? Five children
someday? how many?
6. How many children do most families in your country
have today?
7. Are families in your country getting bigger or
smaller?
8. Does your country have too many people?
9. Does the government try control population in your
country?
Now work as a class and answer the
following questions.
1. Which classmate has the most aunts
and uncles?
2. Which classmate has, or wants to
have, the most children?
3. Do your classmates agree on the
number of children in the ideal family?
4. In which countries are families getting
bigger? Getting smaller? Staying the same
size?
5. Which countries have too many
people?
B. Talk about your family with a partner.
First, take a piece of paper. On the paper,
draw a square for each person in your
family. Do not draw inside the squares.
Now imagine that your paper is a page
from a photo album and that each square
is a photo of someone in your family.
Show your "album" to your partner. Tell
your partner about each person in your
family. Then listen while your partner
describes the people in his or her family.
5. WRITING
Write about your family or your partner's
family. Here is what one student wrote.
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
114
Now write abuot your family or your
classmate´s family.
UNIT 5
1. PRE-READING
Look at the picture and think about
these questions. Discuss your
answers with your classmates.
•The fish have needles in their backs.
Have you ever seen needles like these?
What are they used for?
•Why do you think the fish have needles
in their backs?
HEALTHY AGAIN
MR. Cho was worried. Something was
wrong with his goldfish. They had red
patches on their skin, they weren't eating,
and they didn't have much energy. Mr.
Cho thought the fish probably had an
infection. To cure the infection, he stuck
needles into the backs of the fishes. That
may seem unusual to some people, but it
didn't seem unusual to Mr. Cho. Mr. Cho is
an acupuncturist-a person who uses
needles to treat illness and pain.
Mr. Cho left the needles in the fish for
several minutes and then took them out.
During the next few days he repeated the
treatments. Soon the fish began to feel
better. They swam with more energy and
started to eat again, and the red patches
on their skin disappeared. Did the fish get
better because of the acupuncture
treatments? Mr. Cho thinks so.
Although acupuncture for goldfish is
uncommon, acupuncture for people is very
common in Asia. Acupuncturists there
help people who have medical problems
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
115
like infections, ackaches, and
stomachaches. They even use cupuncture
during operations so that patients don't
feel pain.
To see what happens during an
acupuncture treatment, let's imagine that
Ming, a man who often has headaches,
decides to go to Dr. Han, an
acupuncturist. This is what might happen
at Dr. Han's office.
First Dr. Han examines Ming and asks
him about his headaches. There are many
kinds of headaches, and Dr. Han needs to
know what kind of headaches Ming has.
Then Dr. Han decides where to insert the
needles. Ming is surprised when Dr. Han
tells him that she will insert needles in his
neck and foot, but none in his head. That
is not unusual. Often acupuncture needles
are not inserted in the place where the
patient feels pain.
Next, Dr. Han chooses the needles, which
range in size from one-half inch long to six
inches. Dr. Han chooses one-inch
needles for Ming and begins to insert
them. Ming feels a little pinch when each
needle goes in. That is not unusual, either.
Some patients say it hurts a little when
the needles go in; other patients say it
doesn't hurt at all. The needles stay in
place for 15 minutes. Then Dr. Han
removes them. Before he goes home,
Ming makes an appointment to see Dr.
Han in a week. Dr. Han says that Ming
will know in a few weeks if the treatments
are working.
Acupuncture has helped millions of people,
not only in Asia, but all over the world.
People say that acupuncture works. But
how does it work?
One explanation of how acupuncture
works is thousands of years old. The
ancient Chinese, who were the first to use
acupuncture, believed that energy flowed
through the human body. They thought
that sometimes too much energy-or too
little energy-flowed to one part of the
body. That caused pain or sickness. There
were, however, several hundred places on
the body where an acupuncturist could
change the flow of energy. Those places
were called acupuncture points. A needle
inserted into an acupuncture point on a
patient's leg, for example, changed the
flow of energy to the patient's stomach.
When the energy flowed correctly again,
the patient would feel better.
There is also a modern explanation of how
acupuncture works. Scientists point out
that the acupuncture points have many
more nerve endings than other places on
the skin. Nerve endings receive pain
messages when someone is sick or hurt.
The pain messages then travel through
the nerves. Perhaps acupuncture also
sends messages through the nerves.
These messages interrupt pain messages
that are on their way to the brain.
Because the pain messages never reach
the brain, the patient feels better.
People who have been helped by
acupuncture probably don't care which
explanation is correct. They are just happy
to be like Mr. Cho's fish-healthy again.
2. VOCABULARY
A. LOOKING AT THE STORY
Which words have the same meaning as
the words in the story? Circle the letter of
the correct answer.
1. The fish had red patches on their skin.
a. places that looked different from b.
places where acupuncturists insert
the area around them
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
116
needles
2. Mr. Cho wanted to cure the infection.
a. learn about the fish b. make the
sickness go away
3. He stuck needles into the backs of the
fishes.
a. threw b.
pushed
4. An acupuncturist is a person who uses
needles to treat illness and pain.
a. try to cure
b. cause
5. During the next few days he repeated
the treatments.
a. watched his b.
stuk needles into the backs
fish very carefull
again
6. Acupuncture for fish is uncommon.
a. difficult
b. unusual
7. Dr. Han decides where to insert the
needles.
a. put in
b. buy
8. The needles range in size from one-
half inch long to six inches.
a. The smallest b.
The needles come in two
needles are one-half sizes,
one-half
inch, the largest are six inches, and
inch and six inches.
there are other sizes in between.
9. The ancient Chinese believed that
energy flowed through the human body.
a. escaped b.
ran like a river
10. These messages interrupt pain
messages that are on their way to the
brain.
a. stop
b. help
B. LOOKING AT SPECIAL
EXPRESSIONS
Find the best way to complete each
sentence. Write the letter of your answer
on the lint to point out = to draw attention
to; to say "Look at this" or "Think about
this”
1. __Scentists point
out that
acupuncture points
a. arrived in
Chicago in the
middle of the
night.
2. __He pointed out
that the
bus we wanted to
take
b. were missing
from the
answer key.
3. __the student
pointed out
that the answer for
Unit 9
c. have many
more nerve
endings than
other places
on the skin
3. COMPREHENSION/READING
SKILLS
A. UNDERSTANDING THE MAIN IDEAS
What information is not in the story?
Draw a line through the information.
1. What was wrong with Mr. Cho's
goldfish?
a. They had red patches on their skin.
b. They weren't eating.
c. They had fevers
d. They didn't have much energy.
2. After the acupuncture treatments, Mr.
Cho's fish
a. swam with more energy.
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
117
b. started to eat again.
c. were sold for a lot of money.
d. didn't have red patches on their skin
anymore.
3. Acupuncturists in Asia use acupuncture
a. to help people with backaches.
b. to help people stop smoking.
c. to help people with stomachaches.
d. during operations so that patients don't
feel pain.
4. What happened before Dr. Han
inserted the needles?
a. She told Ming how much the treatment
would cost.
b. She examined Ming and asked him
about his headaches.
c. She decided where to insert the
needles.
d. She chose one-inch needles.
5. What happened during Ming's
acupuncture treatment?
a. Dr. Han inserted the needles.
b. Ming felt a little pinch when each
needle went in.
c. Ming walked around the office.
d. The needles stayed in place for 15
minutes.
6. What are some explanations of how
acupuncture works?
a. It corrects the energy flow in the body.
b. It interrupts pain messages on their
way to the brain.
c. It changes the flow of blood through
the body.
4. DISCUSSION
A. Think about these questions. Discuss
your answers with your classmates.
1. Do you think Mr. Cho's fish got better
because of the acupuncture treatments?
2. Have you ever had a sick pet? What
did you do? Some people take their sick
pets to animal doctors. The pets net
medicine and sometimes operations.
What do you think about that?
3. Have you ever had an acupuncture
treatment? If you have, tell your
classmates about it. If you've never had
an acupuncture treatment, would you try
it?
B. Acupunture is one type of medicine.
There are many other types of medicine,
too. Look at the seven types of medicine
below. Each type of medicine has a
treatment for headache. Read about the
treatments. If you had headaches often,
which types of medicine would you try?
For each type of medicine, check(√)"yes"
or "no. " Then ask a classmate, "Would
you try it?" Ask about each type of
medicine and check "yes" or "no. " If our
classmate answers "no," ask, "Whv not?"
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
118
NOW WORK AS A CLASS AND
DISCUSS THESE QUESTIONS.
•Has anyone in the class tried these types
of medicine?
• What was the medical problem?
•Did the treatment work?
5. WRITING
A. Imagine that you receive a letter from
a friend. Your friend writes you that he
has a medical problem and is going to try
acupuncture. Your friend is afraid because
he has never had an acupuncture
treatment and doesn't know what will
happen. Write a letter to your friend. Tell
your friend what happens during an
acupuncture treatment.
B. Have you ever needed medical
treatment? What was the problem? Which
type of medicine did you choose? What
happened during the treatments? Did you
get better? Write about your experience.
Here is what one student wrote
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
119
UNIT 6
1. PRE-READING
Look at the picture and think about
these questions. Discuss your
answers with your classmates.
What do you see in the picture? What do
you think happened?
The picture was taken at Pompeit Where is
Pompeii? Do you Know what happened
there? Tell your classmates what you
know.
THE BURIED CITY
EVERY year thousands of tourists visit
Pompeii, Italy. They see the sights that
Pompeii is famous for-its stadiums and
theaters, its shops and restaurants. The
tourists do not, however, see Pompeii's
people. They do not see them because
Pompeii has no people. No one has lived
in Pompeii for almost 2,000 years.
Once Pompeii was a busy city of 22,000
people. It lay at the foot of Mount
Vesuvius, a grass-covered volcano. Mount
Vesuvius had not erupted for centuries, so
the people of Pompeii felt safe. But they
were not safe.
In August of the year 79 Mount Vesuvius
erupted. The entire top of the mountain
exploded, and a huge black cloud rose into
the air. Soon stones and hot ash began to
fall on Pompeii. Then came a cloud of
poisonous gas. When the eruption ended
two days later, Pompeii was buried under
20 feet of stones and ash. Almost all of
its people were dead.
Among the dead was a rich man named
Diomedes. When the volcano erupted,
Diomedes decided not to leave his home.
The streets were filled with people who
were running and screaming. Diomedes
was probably afraid that he and his family
would be crushed by the crowd. So,
Diomedes, his family, and their servants-
16 people all together-took some food and
went down to the basement. For hours
they waited in the dark, hoping the
eruption would end. Then they began to
cough. Poisonous gas from the mountain
was filling the city. Diomedes realized that
they had to leave. He took the key to the
door, and a servant picked up a lantern.
Together they walked upstairs. But the
poisonous gas was already filling the
house. When they were a few feet from
the door, Diomedes and his servant fell to
the floor and died. The 14 people
downstairs died embracing one another.
For centuries Diomedes and his family lay
buried under stones and ash. Then, in the
year 1861, an Italian archeologist named
Giuseppe Fiorelli began to uncover
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
120
Pompeii. Slowly, carefully, Fiorelli and his
men dug. The city they found looked
almost the same as it had looked in the
year 79. There were streets and
fountains, houses and shops. There was a
stadium with 20,000 seats. Perhaps most
important of all, there were many
everyday objects. These everyday objects
tell us a great deal about the people who
lived in Pompeii.
Many glasses and jars had a dark blue
stain in the bottom, so we know that the
people of Pompeii liked wine. They liked
bread, too; metal bread pans were in
every bakery. In one bakery oven there
were 81 round,flat loaves of bread-a type
of bread that is still sold in Italy today.
Tiny boxes filled with a dark, shiny powder
tell us that the women liked to wear eye
makeup, and the jewelry tells us that
pearls were popular in the year 79. Graffiti
is everywhere in Pompeii. On one wall
someone wrote "Romula loves Staphyclus.
" On another wall someone wrote
"Everyone writes on these walls-except
me. "
Fiorelli's discoveries tell us much about
the way the people lived. They also tell us
much about the way they died.
One day Fiorelli was helping his men dig.
When he tapped on the hard ash, he
heard a hollow sound. He suspected that
the space beneath was empty. As an
experiment, he drilled a few holes in the
ash and poured liquid plaster down the
holes. When the plaster was hard, Fiorelli
cleared away the ash. He found the
plaster form of a man. The man's body
had turned to dust long ago, but the ash
had hardened around the space where the
body had been.
During the next years Fiorelli filled dozens
of spaces with plaster. The plaster forms
show how the people of Pompeii looked in
their last moments of life. Some have
calm expressions on their faces; others
look very afraid. Some peoplee died
holding their children. Others died holding
gold coins or jewelry. Diomedes died with
a silver key in his right hand, and his
servant died holding a lantern.
Giuseppe Fiorelli, too, has died, but his
work continues. One-fourth of Pompeii
has not been uncovered yet.
Archeologists are still digging, still making
discoveries that draw the tourists to
Pompeii.
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
122
First, form small groups. One student in
each group is the "teacher. "The "teacher"
will write each word on a separate small
piece of paper, fold the papers, and give
one to each person in the group. The
"teacher" will take a word, too. Make up a
little story for your word like the ones
above. (Be careful not to say your word.
) Your classmates will listen to your story
and try to guess which word you have.
Then listen to your classmates' stories and
try to guess which words they have.
3. COMPREHENSION/READING
SKILLS
A. UNDERSTANDING CAUSE AND
EFFECT
Find the best way to complete each
sentence. Write the letter of your answer
on the line.
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
123
B. UNDERSTANDING TIME
RELATIONSHIPS
"The Buried City"describes Pompeii at
three different times: around the year
79,in the 1860s, and today. Read the
sentences from the story. Decide what
time the sentence tells about. Put a check
(√) in the right column.
4. DISCUSSION
A. Think about these questions. Discuss
your answers with your classmates.
1. Have you ever seen a volcanic
eruption? Tell your classmates about it.
Are there any volcanos in your native
country? Where are they? Do they erupt
sometimes?
2. The people of Pompeii lived at the foot
of a volcano. That was a dangerous place
to live
What cities today are in dangerous places?
Why do people live there?
3. Do you know any other places that
archeologists have uncovered or are still
uncovering?
Tell your classmates about them.
B. When the volcano erupted at Pompeii,
people who left took their most important
possessions. Imagine that your home is
on fire. Everyone who lives with you is
safe,be your home will burn to the
ground. There is time for you to save
three of your possession which
possessions will you save?
I will save
Why are the possessions on your list
important? Are they expensive? Were they
gifts from special people? Are they things
you can't buy? Show your list to a
classmate. Explain why the things on
your list are important to you.
5. WRITING
A. Write a description of one
possession that is on the list you
made in Exercise 4B. Explain why
it is important to you. Here is
what one student wrote.
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
124
NOW WRITE ABOUT A POSSESSION
THAT YOU WOULD SAVE.
B. Every year thousands of tourists visit
Pompeii. Have you ever been a tourist?
Have you ever visited a beautiful or
interesting place in your country or in
another country? Write about it. Here is
what one student wrote.
Now write your paragraph.
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
125
I. PRE-READING
Below are pairs of English words that
sound alike. Your teacher will say one
word from each pair, Circle the word that
you hear.
After you finish this exercise, your teacher
will tell you the correct answers. Was the
exercise difficult for you? If it was, don't
worry-it's difficult for native speakers of
English, too. In this story you will learn
how the last two pairs of words caused big
problems for people whose native
language is English.
MISUNDERSTANDINGS
HE had uncombed hair, dirty clothes, and
only 35 cents in his pocket. In Baltimore,
Maryland, he got on a- bus and headed
straight for the restroom. He thought that
if he hid in the restroom, he could ride to
New York without paying. But a
passenger at the back of the bus saw him.
She tapped the person in front of her on
the shoulder and said, "There's a bum in
the restroom. Tell the bus driver. " That
passenger tapped the person sitting in
front of him. "Tell the bus driver there's a
bum in the restroom," he said.
The message was passed from person to
person until it reached the front of the
bus. But somewhere along the way, the
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
126
message changed. By the time it reached
the bus driver, it was not "There's a bum
in the restroom" but "There's a bomb in
the restroom. "The driver immediately
pulled over to the side of the highway and
radioed the police. When the police
arrived, they told the passengers to get
off the bus and stay far away. Then they
closed the highway. That soon caused a
15-mile-long traffic jam. With the help of
a dog, the police searched the bus for two
hours. Of course, they found no bomb.
Two similar-sounding English words also
caused trouble for a man who wanted to
fly from Los Angeles to Oakland,
California. His problems began at the
airport in Los Angeles. He thought he
heard his flight announced, so he walked
to the gate, showed his ticket, and got on
the plane. Twenty minutes after takeoff,
the man began to worry. Oakland was
north of Los Angeles, but the plane
seemed to be heading west, and when he
looked out his window all he could see was
ocean. "is this plane going to Oakland?"
he asked the flight attendant. The flight
attendant gasped. "No,"she said. We're
going to Auckland-Auckland, New
Zealand”.
Because so many English words sound
similar, misunderstandings among
English-speaking people are not
uncommon. Not all misunderstandings
result in highways being closed or
passengers flying to the wrong continent.
Most misunderstandings are much less
serious. Every day people speaking
English ask one another questions like
these: "Did you say seventy or
seventeen?" "Did you say that you can
come or that you can't?" Similar-sounding
words can be especially confusing for
people who speak English as a second
language.
When a Korean woman who lives in the
United States arrived at work one
morning, her boss asked her, "Did you get
a plate?" "No…," she answered, wondering
what in the world he meant. She worked
in an office. Why did the boss ask her
about a plate? All day she wondered about
her boss's strange question, but she was
too embarrassed to ask him about it. At
five o'clock, when she was getting ready
to go home, her boss said, "Please be on
time tomorrow. You were 15 minutes late
this morning. " "Sorry," she said. "My car
wouldn't start, and… "Suddenly she
stopped talking and began to smile. Now
she understood. Her boss hadn't asked
her, "Did you get a plate?" He had asked
her, "Did you get up late?" English is not
the only language with similar-sounding
words. Other languages, too, have words
that can cause misunderstandings,
especially for foreigners.
An English-speaking woman who was
traveling in Mexico saw a sign in front of a
restaurant. The sign said that the special
that day was "sopa con jamón y cebollas.
" She knew that was Spanish for "soup
with ham and onions. "That sounded
good. As the woman walked to her table,
she practiced ordering. She whispered to
herself, "Soya con jamón y cebollas. Sopa
con jamón y cebollas. " Then she sat
down, and a waiter came to take her
order. "Soya con jabón y caballos," she
said. "What?" the waiter asked. No
wonder the waiter didn't understand. The
woman had just ordered a very unusual
lunch: soup with soap and horses.
Auckland and Oakland. "A plate" and "up
late. "Jamon and jabbn. When similar-
sounding words cause a
misunderstanding, probably the best thing
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
127
to do is just laugh and learn from the
mistake. Of course, sometimes it's hard
to laugh. The man who traveled to
Auckland instead of Oakland didn't feel
like laughing. But even that
misunderstanding turned out all right in
the end. The airline pad for the man's
hotel room and meals in New Zealand and
for his flight back to California. "Oh well,"
the man later said,"I always wanted to see
New Zealand. "
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
130
B. UNDERSTANDING DETAILS
Read the sentences from the story.
One word in each sentence is not
correct. Find the word and cross it
out. Write the correct word.
1. He had uncombed hair, dirty clothes,
and only 35 dollars in his pocket.
2. In Baltimore, Maryland, he got on a
train and headed straight for the
restroom.
3. He thought that if he hid in the
restroom, he could ride to Washington
without paying.
4. But a driver in the back of the bus saw
him.
5. She tapped the passenger in front of
her on the foot and said, "There's a bum
in the restroom. "
Now copy three sentences from the
story, but change one word in each
sentence so that the information is
not correct. Give your sentences to a
classmate. Your classmate will find
the incorrect word in each sentence,
cross it out, and write the correct
word. When your classmate is
finished, check the corrections.
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
131
4. DISCUSSION
A. Think about these questions. Discuss
your answers with your classmates.
1. In your country, if someone tried to
ride a bus without paying, what do you
think other passengers would do? What
would you do?
2. Have you ever confused two similar-
sounding English words? Which two words
did you confuse? What happened?
3. In your native language, are there
similar-sounding words (like seventy and
seventeen) that people sometimes
confuse? What are the words?
B. The message "There's a bum in the
restroom" changed as people passed
it to the front of the bus. Will a
message that is passed around your
classroom change, too? To find out,
play the telephone game.
One of your classmates (Classmate #1)
will whisper a message to a classmate
sitting nearby (Classmate #2). The
message can be anything, for example,
"The weather in Thailand is warmer than
the weather here" or "When are we going
to have a coffee break? "Classmate #2 will
whisper the message to Classmate #3.
Classmate #3 will whisper the message to
Classmate #4, and so on. (When a
classmate whispers the message to you,
you may not ask him or her to repeat it.
You must pass the message you hear,
even if it makes no sense. ) The last
classmate to hear the message will say it
out loud. Is it the same message that
Classmate #1 whispered?
5. WRITING
A. "I always wanted to see New Zealand,"
the man who flew to Auckland said. Is
there a place that you've always wanted
to see? Why do you want to go there?
What sights do you want to see? Write
about a place you've always wanted to
visit.
B. The woman in the story ordered soup
with soap and horses. Have you ever had
a misunderstanding about food? Have you
ever had a problem eating at someone's
house, or buying food at a supermarket,
or ordering food at a restaurant? Write
about your experience. Here is what one
student wrote.
Now write about your experience.
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
132
1. PRE-READING
Look at the picture and think about
these questions. Discuss your
answers with your classmates.
What is a thrift store?
In your native country, do you
have thrift stores or other places
where you can buy things
cheaply? Describe them to your
classmates.
The men in the picture are looking
at something that one of the men
bought at a thrift store. What do
you think it is? Why do you think
the man on the right looks so
happy?
A REAL BARGAIN
A Few years ago Ed Jones was shopping at
a thrift store in Indianapolis, Indiana. He
walked past the used clothing and stopped
at the used books. He looked at the
books and then at some old dishes. Mr.
Jones was looking for something that
might be valuable. If he found something
valuable, he would buy it cheaply and
then resell it, perhaps to an antique
dealer. But today Mr. Jones didn't see
anything he wanted, so he started walking
toward the door. Then something caught
his eye. Leaning against a wall there was
a large cardboard map.
Mr. Jones walked over for a closer look.
The map was covered with dust, so Mr.
Jones wiped it with his handkerchief.
Under the dust was a color map of Paris.
It looked old. On the back of the map,
someone had written the price: $3. Mr.
Jones was quite certain that the map was
worth more than three dollars, so he
bought it. He thought he could probably
sell it for $40.
Later, at home, Mr. Jones looked more
closely at the map. He decided it might
be very old. maybe it was worth even
more than $40.
The next day Mr. Jones took the map to a
geography professor at a nearby
university. The professor was a map
expert. After looking at the map for a few
minutes, he became very excited. "I've
read about this map!" he exclaimed. Then
he told Mr. Jones what he knew.
In 1671, the king of France, Louis XIV,
asked a cartographer to make a map of
Paris. The cartographer worked on the
map for four years. The map he drew was
beautiful-it was not just a map, but a work
of art as well. The cartographer made
several black and white copies of the map.
Then he carefully colored one of the
copies, using blue for rivers, green for
trees, and brown for buildings. The
professor said that one black and white
copy of the map was in the British
Museum in London, and another was in
the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris. "I
think," the professor told Mr. Jones, "that
you've just found the color copy of the
map-in a thrift store in Indianapolis! "The
professor suggested that Mr. Jones take
the map to New York City. Experts there
could tell Mr. Jones if the professor was
right.
The New York experts said the professor
was right. They told Mr. Jones that he
had the only color copy of the map and
that it was extremely valuable. How much
do you think it's worth? "Mr. Jones asked
the experts. "Millions," they replied. "It's
impossible to say exactly how much the
map is worth. It's worth whatever
someone is willing to pay for it. "
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
133
Soon Mr. Jones discovered how much
people were willing to pay for the map.
Someone offered him 10 million
dollars;then someone else immediately
offered him 12 million. The most recent
offer was 19. 5 million dollars. Mr. Jones
hasn't decided whether he will sell his
three-dollar map at that price or wait for a
higher offer. He is thinking it over.
But how in the world did this map find its
way to a thrift store in Indianapolis? Here
is what some experts think: The map was
probably in a museum or in the home of a
wealthy family in France. Then a thief
stole it, perhaps during the confusion of
World War I or World War II. The thief
sold the map to an antique dealer in
France. The French antique dealer, not
knowing how valuable the map was, sold
it to an antique dealer in Indianapolis.
That antique dealer, who also did not
know its value, gave it to a neighbor. For
ten years the map hung on a wall in the
neighbor's house. Then the neighbor got
tired of it and sold it to the thrift store.
The map sat in the thrift store for months.
Finally Mr. Jones discovered it.
When Mr. Jones went shopping at the
thrift store, he was looking for a bargain.
He wanted to find' something that was
worth more than the price he paid. He
paid three dollars for the map, and it is
worth at least 19. 5 million dollars. Now
that's a bargain!
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
134
B. LOOKING AT SPECIAL
EXPRESSIONS
Find the best way to complete each
sentence on p. 47. Write the letter of
your answer o the line.
5. WRITING
A. What would you do if, like Mr. Jones,
you suddenly had 19. 5 million dollars?
How would you use the money? Make a
list of what you would do.
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
135
B. Imagine that you went to a thrift store
and bought something cheaply. The
object could be jewelry, a book, a
painting, a photograph, a toy, a vase-or
anything else that you want it to be.
Imagine that later you discovered that the
object you bought is very valuable-that
it's worth much, much more than you paid
for it.
Make up a story. In the story,
describe what you bought, tell what
it's really worth, and explain why it's
valuable. Here is what one student
wrote.
Now write about the object that you
bought
1. PRE-READING
Are you superstitious? Read the
sentences. Then check "yes" or "no. "
It you checked "yes" after any of these
statements, you are probably a little
superstitious.
Who in your class is superstitious?
Who in your class is not superstitious?
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
136
BLACK CATS AND BROKEN MIRROS
Do you think that it is bad luck to walk
under a ladder or break a mirror? Do you
think that black cats and the number 13
are unlucky? The three men in the picture
don't. Every Friday the 13th they walk
under ladders, break mirrors, and open
umbrellas indoors. They want to prove
that they aren't at all superstitious. They
may be the only people in the world who
aren't. There are over one million
superstitions, and most people believe at
least one or two of them.
Many people are superstitious about
numbers. They think that there are lucky
numbers and unlucky numbers. The
number 13 is often considered unlucky.
In some parts of the world, buildings have
no 13th floor and streets have no houses
with the number 13. In Japan, 4 is
considered unlucky because in Japanese
the word "four" is pronounced the same as
the word "death. " Japanese never give
gifts of four knives, four napkins, or four
of anything. What are the lucky numbers?
Seven is a lucky number in many places,
and 8 is considered lucky in Japan and
China. In China, businesses often open on
August 8 (8-8), and many couples register
to get married at eight past eight on
August 8.
Superstitions about numbers are so
widespread that some people-called
numerologists-make a living giving advice
about numbers. In 1937, when the
Toyoda family of Japan wanted to form a
car company, they asked a numerologist if
"Toyoda" would be a good name for the
company. The numerologist said it would
not be. He explained that "Toyoda" took
ten strokes of the pen to write, and 10
was not a lucky number. "Toyota,"
however, took eight strokes to write, and
eight was a very lucky number. The
numerologist recommended "Toyota" as a
better name for the company. The family
took his advice. As a result, millions of
people drive "Toyotas" and not "Toyodas.
"
In addition to superstitions about
numbers, there are many other kinds of
superstitions. There are superstitions
about eating, sleeping, sneezing, and
itching. There are superstitions about
animals and holidays and horseshoes.
There are even superstitions about
superstitions. Those superstitions tell
people how to reverse bad luck.
For example, in many parts of the world
spilling salt is bad luck. Throwing salt,
however, is good luck. So, people who
spill salt throw a little of the spilled salt
over their left shoulder. Throwing the
spilled salt reverses the bad luck. When
the Japanese bump heads, they
immediately bump heads again.
According to a Japanese superstition, the
first bump means their parents will die,
but the second bump "erases" the first
bump. To reverse bad luck in general,
people turn around three times, turn their
pockets inside out, or put their hats on
backwards. In the United States, baseball
players sometimes wear their caps
backwards when their team is losing. It
looks silly, but the baseball players don't
mind if it helps them win the game.
Because there are so many superstitions,
it is not surprising that some of them are
contradictory. In Germany, it is good luck
when the left eye twitches and bad luck
when the right eye twitches. In Malaysia,
it is exactly the opposite: a twitching right
eye means good luck, and a twitching left
eye means bad luck. Accidentally putting
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
137
on clothes inside out brings good luck in
Pakistan but bad luck in Costa Rica. In
Chile, unmarried people won't take the
last piece of food on the plate because it
means they will never marry. In Thailand,
unmarried people take the last piece
because it means they will marry someone
good-looking.
Some superstitions have been with us for
so long that they have become customs.
In many parts of the world it is polite to
say "Health" or "God bless you" when
someone sneezes. People used to think
that the soul could escape from the body
during a sneeze. They said "God bless
you" to protect people from losing their
souls. Today we no longer believe that
people who sneeze are in danger of losing
their souls, but we say "God bless you"
anyway. We say it not because we are
superstitious, but because we are polite.
Even people who say they aren't
superstitious would probably not . do what
the men in the picture dointentionally walk
under ladders and break mirrors. Almost
everyone is at least a little superstitious.
One woman says that when she got
married, her aunt gave her white bath
towels. "Never buy purple towels," her
aunt said. "If you use purple towels, your
marriage will end. " Does the woman
believe that superstition? "No. of course
not," she says. "It's silly. " Does she use
purple towels? "Well, . no," she answers.
"Why take chances?"
2. VOCABULARY
A. LOOKING AT THE STORY
Which words or picture has the same
meaning as the words in the reading
selection? Circle the letter of the
correct answer.
1. Do you think that it is bad luck to walk
under a ladder?
2. The men walk under ladders and break
mirrors to prove that they aren't
superstitious
a. believe it is crazy
b. show it is true
3. Superstitions about numbers are
widespread.
a. found in many places
b. believed only by children
4. Some people make a living giving
people advice about numbers.
a. make money
b. make mistakes
5. "Toyota" took eight strokes of the pen
to write.
6. The family took his advice.
a. did what he suggested b. asked
for more information
7. There are superstitions that reverse
bad luck.
8. If you spill salt, immediately throw a
little of the spilled salt over your left
shoulder.
a. use too much salt
b. pour out salt accidentally
9. It looks silly, but the baseball players
don't mind if it helps them win the game.
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
138
10. Some superstitions are contradictory.
In Germany, it is good luck when the left
eye twitches. In Malaysia, it is bad luck
when the left eye twitches.
a. are very old
b. mean the opposite
11. Putting; clothes on inside out brings
good luck in Pakistan
12. People used to think that the soul
could escape from the body during a
sneeze.
a. enter
b. leave
B. LOOKING AT SPECIAL
EXPRESSIONS
Find the best way to complete each
sentence. write the letter of your answer
on the line.
As a result=because of tha
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
139
3. COMPREHENSION/READING
SKILLS
A. UNDERSTANDING THE MAIN
IDEAS
What information is not in the story? Draw
a line through the three sentences with
information that is not in the story.
•The men in the picture want to prove
they are not superstitious.
•There are over one million superstitions.
•Children are usually not superstitious.
•Many people are superstitious about
numbers.
•Numerologists make a living giving
people advice about numbers.
•It is always a good idea to take a
numerologist's advice.
•Some superstitions tell people how to
reverse bad luck.
•Some superstitions are contradictory.
•Some superstitions have become
customs.
•People who use purple towels are silly.
•Almost everyone is at least a little
superstitious.
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
140
5. WRITING
A. Make a list of superstitions that some
people in your country believe. Here is an
example from a student from Panama:
1. Always sleep with your feet facing the
door of your room.
2. If you give your sweetheart a
handkerchief or socks, you will argue.
3. If you want a visitor to leave, turn your
broom upside down'
4. If a young woman is sweeping the floor
and the broom accidentally touches her
feet, she will marry a rich old man.
5. To protect your self from evil spirits,
wear your pajamas inside out.
NOW MAKE YOUR LIST.
B. Write about something you have that
is lucky-a lucky number or a lucky hat, for
example. Why is it lucky? Can you
remember a time when it brought you
good luck? Here is what one student
wrote.
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
141
NOW WRITE ABOUT SOMETHING YOU
HAVE THAT IS LUCKY.
C. Has there ever been a time when
you've had very good-or very bad-luck?
Write about it. Here is what one student
wrote.
Now write about a time when you had
good luck or bad luck.
1. PRE-READING
Which of these statements do you
think is true? Check one.
1. ___ Women work harder than men.
2. ___ Men work harder than women.
3. ___Both men and women work hard.
NOW, AS A CLASS, ANSWER THESE
QUESTIONS.
How many people in the class
checked #1? How many checked
#2? How many checked #3?
Why did you check the statement
you did? Were you thinking about
your own family?
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
142
Were you thinking; about men and
women everywhere, or only in
your native country?
Did people from the same country
check the same statement? Did
the men in the class check the
same statement? Did the women
in the class check the same
statement?
Mother's Camp
The women in the picture have everything
they need for a wonderful vacation. They
have beautiful scenery and warm, sunny
weather. They have hotel rooms that are
just a few minutes walk from a clear blue
lake. They have time for swimming,
boating, and hiking. What they don't have
are their husbands and children-and that,
they say, is what makes their vacation
really wonderful. The women left their
husbands and children at home and are
spending a weekend at a resort called
Mother's Camp. At Mother's Camp,
husbands and children are not allowed.
Why would a woman want to take a
vacation without her family? Some
mothers say they need time to be alone.
"At home the only place where I can be by
myself is the bathroom," one woman said.
At Mother's Camp a woman has a room to
herself. She can sleep, read, or watch TV,
and no one will bother her. No children
will ask, "Mom, what's for dinner?"No
husband will say, "Honey, I can't find any
clean socks. "
Other women go to Mother's Camp not to
be alone, but to be with women who are
in similar situations. "I work full-time and
have two kids," one woman says. "I take
care of my husband, too. I'm incredibly
busy. At Mother's Camp I meet other
women who are working and raising
families. We talk and talk. It helps me to
know that other women have the same
problems I do. "
Actually, many women have the same
problems she does. Almost 50 percent of
women in the United States work outside
the home. Many of them work full-time
and then come home to a second job-
taking care of their homes and families.
These working women say fone of their
biggest problems is housework.
In the United States, working wives do
about 75 percent of the housework. Many
of their husbands say they want to help.
But then they burn the rice or they can't
find the pans. They ask so many
questions that their wives decide it is
easier to do the job themselves. Also,
many husbands don't do daily jobs, like
making dinner or washing dishes. They
do jobs they can do when they have some
free time, like washing clothes or fixing
things that are broken. Many wives think
that their husbands need to do more of
the daily housework; many husbands
admit that they aren't doing enough.
Some women go to Mother's Camp just to
get a break from housework. For two
days they don't cook, they don't clean,
and they don't do laundry. What do they
do? They relax in the sun, go for boat
rides, and sing songs around the campfire.
In the evening, they get massages and sip
champagne. Mostly, they try to escape,
at least for one weekend, the
responsibilities of being a wife and
mother.
Recently a woman who was staying at
Mother's Camp decided to spend an entire
afternoon lying on the beach. She took a
towel, her sunglasses, and a book, and
she headed for the door of the hotel. Just
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
143
as she was walking out the door, she
heard the telephone ring. She turned
around, laughing, and said, "If that's my
husband or kids, tell them you haven't
seen me!" Of course, she was just kidding.
. . wasn't she?
2. VOCABULARY
A. LOOKING AT THE STORY
Sue, a working mother, spent a weekend
at Mother's Camp. While she was there,
she wrote a letter to her friend Maria.
Some words are missing from Sue's letter.
Write the correct word(s) on the line.
scenery resort bothers raising
a family admits responsibilities
hiking allowed situation
a break sip entire
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
144
First, form small groups. One student in
each group is the "teacher. " The
"teacher" will write each word on a
separate small piece of paper, fold the
papers, and give one to each person in the
group. The "teacher" will take a word,
too. Hold your paper so that no one can
see your word. Make up a little story for
your word like the ones above. (Be
careful not to say your word. ) Your
classmates will listen to your story and try
to guess which word you have. Then
listen to your classmates stories and try
to guess which words they have.
3. COMPREHENSION/READING
SKILLS
A. UNDERSTANDING THE MAIN
IDEAS
Circle the letter of the best answer.
1. Mother's Camp is a resort where
a. the weather is always beautiful.
b. men and children are not allowed.
c. there are no single rooms.
2. Women go to Mother's Camp to
a. be alone, talk to women who are in
similar situations, or just get a break from
housework.
b. learn better ways of doing daily jobs
like making dinner and washing dishes.
c. swim, hike, go boating, and just relax
with their families.
3. Women who work full-time and have
families say one of their biggest problems
is
a. their bosses.
b. housework.
c. getting to work on time.
4. In the United States, working wives
a. sleep only six hours a night.
b. do one hour of housework every day.
c. do about 75 percent of the housewort
5. Women at Mother's Camp don't
a. swim, hike, or relax in the sun.
b. get massages or sip champagne.
c. cook, clean, or do laundry.
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
145
4. DISCUSSION
First complete the chart yourself. Read
each question and check "yes" or "no. "
Then ask a classmate the questions. After
your classmate answers "yes" or "no," ask
"Why?" or "Why not?"
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
146
NOW WORK AS A CLASS AND ANSWER
THE QUESTIONS.
1. Are there any mothers in the class?
Would they like to go to Mother's
Camp? Why or why not?
2. In which countries would a Mother's
Camp be popular? In which countries
would it not be popular?
3. Is Mother's Camp a good idea? What
did the women in the class answer?
What did the men answer?
4. Are there any fathers in the class?
Would they like to go to a Father's
Camp? Why or why not?
5. Do you know any husbands who help
with the housework? What jobs do they
do?
5. WRITING
A. Look at the chart in the discussion
exercise. Answer one of the questions in
writing. Explain why you answered the
way you did.
B. For some women, a weekend at
Mother's Camp is a "dream vacation. "
What would your "dream vacation" be?
Where would you go? How long would you
stay there? What would you do? Here is
what one student wrote.
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
147
Now write about your “dream vacation. ”
1. PRE-READING
Look at the pictures and answer the
questions. Discuss your answers with
your classrr
The small island in the picture is
off the coast of eastern Canada.
There is a deep hole of the island.
Men began digging in the hole in
1795-and men are still digging
today. whe do you think they are
trying to find?
Digging in the hole is difficult. It
is also dangerous: six men have
died in the hole. Look at the
drawing of the hole. Can you see
why digging in the hole is difficult? Can
you see why it is dangerous?
THE TREASURE HUNT
0n a summer afternoon in 1795 a teenage
boy named Daniel McGinnis was exploring
a tiny island off the eastern coast of
Canada. He was walking through a
meadow of tall grass when he noticed
something strange. In the center of the
meadow stood a huge oak tree with part
of one branch cut off. The ground beneath
that branch was lower than the
surrounding ground. Daniel knew that
pirates had once sailed in the waters
around the island. Was this, he wondered,
where they had buried their treasure?
The next day Daniel returned to the island
with shovels and two friends. The boys
began digging. Two feet down they
discovered a layer of stones. Under the
stones was a hole about 13 feet wide. It
was filled with loose dirt. The boys kept
digging for several days. Ten feet below
the ground their shovels hit an oak floor.
They broke through the floor and kept
digging. Twenty feet below the ground
they found another oak floor. They broke
through it, too, and kept digging. But
when they discovered another oak floor 30
feet below the ground, they decided that
they couldn't dig any deeper. They gave
up the search and left the island.
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
148
Eight years later Daniel McGinnis, now a
young man, returned with a group of men
to continue digging beneath the oak tree.
Day after day the men dug in the hole.
One evening, 98 feet below the ground,
their shovels hit a large wooden box. The
box had to be a treasure chest! Certain
that the treasure was almost theirs, the
men went home to rest until daylight.
When they returned in the morning, there
was an unpleasant surprise: the hole had
nearly filled with water. The men couldn't
remove the water. Once again, Daniel
McGinnis had to give up the search.
Over the years, other search groups came
to the island. They all had the same
problem: the hole filled with water. Not
until 1850 did someone discover why.
In 1850 a man from a search group was
eating his lunch on a beach not far from
the hole. The man noticed water bubbling
up through the sand. He went and got
other men from the search group. When
they saw the water coming up through the
sand, they, too, thought it was odd. The
men decided to dig on the beach. What
they found amazed them. Under the sand
there were entrances to five tunnels. All
five tunnels led to the hole.
Later search groups discovered more
tunnels leading from another beach to the
hole. Engineers examined the tunnels.
They estimated that 20 people worked two
years to build them. The tunnels were
cleverly planned. If anyone digging in the
hole dug deeper than 95 feet, ocean water
came through the tunnels andfilled the
hole.
Although the water problem made digging
almost impossible, more and more men
came to dig on the island. The tunnels
convinced them that the hole held a great
treasure. None of the men found the
treasure, however, and six men died
trying.
In 1967, a group of investors put their
money into a search for the treasure.
They brought huge drills, pumps, and
other machines to the island. After drilling
212 feet into the hole, workers sent down
a video camera. The camera took pictures
of three wooden chests and a human
hand. But then the walls of the hole
collapsed, nearly killing a worker who was
in it. The investors decided that the
search was too dangerous and gave it up.
Then, in 1989, they decided to try again.
They raised 10 million dollars for another
search. They said that this time they
would not stop digging until they found
the treasure.
But is there a pirates' treasure at the
bottom of the hole? A lot of people think
so. A brown, stringy material covered the
oak floors that search groups found every-
ten feet in the hole. That brown material
came from coconut trees. Coconut trees
do not grow in Canada; the nearest
coconut trees are over 800 miles away.
Pirate ships could have brought the
coconuts to Canada. Also, a heart-shaped
stone was found in the hole. It is very
similar to one that was found with
pirates'treasure in the Caribbean.
If there is a pirates' treasure, it won't be
easy to find. There is still the problem of
water filling the hole. And there is
another problem. During the past 200
years, dozens of search groups have dug
in the hole, and each search group made
the hole bigger. The hole that was once
13 feet wide is now enormous. The oak
tree is gone. . Where is the hole that
Daniel McGinnis found? Today nobody
knows for sure, so it is impossible to know
exactly where to dig.
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
149
The investors who paid 10 million dollars
think they will find the treasure in spite of
the problems. And they think that when
they find it, they will get every penny of
their money back, and much more. One
investor says, "This could be one of the
greatest treasures ever'found. "It could
be. Or it could be a 10-million-dollar
hole.
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
150
3. COMPREHENSION/READING
SKILLS
A. UNDERSTANDING TIME
RELATIONSHIPS
What information is not correct? Draw a
line through it.
1. Before 1795
a. a deep hole was dug on an island.
b. tunnels were built from beaches to the
hole.
c. the walls of the hole collapsed.
d. pirates sailed in the waters off the
eastern coast of Canada.
2. In 1795
a. Daniel McGinnis discovered an oak tree
with part of one branch cut off.
b. Daniel McGinnis and two friends dug
under the oak tree.
c. investors raised lots of money to
search for the treasure.
d. oak floors were found, ten, twenty,
and thirty feet below the ground.
3. Eight years after Daniel McGinnis
discovered the hole,
a. he returned with a group of men to
continue digging.
b. men digging 98 feet down hit a
wooden object with their shovels.
c. the hole filled with water.
d. six men died trying to find the
treasure.
4. I n 1850
a. a man from a search group ate his
lunch on a beach not far from the hole.
b. investors brought huge drills, pumps,
and other machines to the island.
c. a search group saw water coming up
through the sand.
d. men found tunnels that led from a
beach to the hole.
5. In 1967
a. a group of investors decided to put
their money into a search for the treasure.
b. workers drilled 212 feet and then sent
down a video camera.
c. workers discovered a layer of stones in
the hole.
d. the walls of the hole collapsed, nearly
killing a worker who was in it.
B. SCANNING FOR INFORMATION
The underlined information is not correct.
Find the correct information in the story
and write it. Work quickly; try to
complete this exercise in three minutes or
less.
1. In 1795 a teenage boy named Daniel
McDonald was exploring a tiny island off
the eastern coast of Canada.
2. In the center of the meadow stood a
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
151
huge maple tree with part of one branch
cut of
3. Two days later Daniel returned to the
island with shovels and two friends.
4. Three feet down they discovered a
layer of stones.
5. Under the stones was a hole about 12
feet wide.
6. Ten years later Daniel McGinnis, now a
young man, returned with a group of men
continue digging beneath the oak tree.
7. One afternoon, 98 feet below the
ground, their shovels hit a large wooden
box.
8. In 1860 a man from a search group
was eating his lunch on a beach not far
from the hol,
9. Under the sand the man found
entrances to four tunnels.
10. Engineers estimate that 40 people
worked two years to build them.
4. DISCUSSION
NOW WORK AS A CLASS AND ANSWER
THESE QUESTIONS.
1. How many students think that pirates
dug the hole? (If the pirates didn't dig the
hole, then who did?)
2. How many students think there is a
great treasure in the hole? What do they
think the treasure is? How much do they
think it's worth? (One investor says,
"Billions of dollars”, Is that possible?)
3. How many students would invest
$10,000 in a search for the treasure?
4. How many students would like to go to
the island and dig for the treasure? Why
do those students want to go there? Why
do some students not Want to go there?
B. Talk about other treasures. Think
about these questions and discuss
your answers with your classmates.
1. Has a great treasure ever been
discovered in your native country? What
was the treasure? Who buried it? Who
discovered it? What happened to it?
2. Do you know about any other searches
for treasure? What were the searchers
looking for? What did they find?
5. WRITING
One of the investors says, "This could be
one of the greatest treasures ever found. "
What is your greatest treasure? Write
about it. Here is what one student wrote.
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
152
Now write about your greatest treasure.
1. PRE-READING
LOOK AT THE PICTURE AND GUESS
THE ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS.
In what country was the picture
taken?
In what year was the picture
taken?
Listen while your classmates tell their
guesses. Then look in the answer key for
the correct answers. Did the answers
surprise you? Do you know anything about
the Amish? If you do, tell the class what
you know.
THE PLAIN PEOPLE
It is still dark when Elizabeth wakes up.
She gets out of bed and shivers when her
feet touch the cold, bare floor. The
bedroom is not heated, and it is so cold
that she can see her breath. She quickly
puts on her long dress, black apron, and
black shoes. Then she hurries downstairs
to the kitchen.
The only light in the kitchen comes from
kerosene lamps; Elizabeth's husband lit
the lamps earlier, before he went out to
milk the cows. Elizabeth puts a few pieces
of wood into the stove and starts the fire.
Then she begins to prepare a big
breakfast for herself, her husband, and
their six children. It is the beginning of a
typical day for Elizabeth.
Although Elizabeth's day will be typical,
her life is certainly not typical of life in the
United States in the 1990. Elizabeth
belongs to a religious group known as the
Amish. The Amish are often called the
"Plain People" because they live and dress
very simply. Their homes have no carpets
on the floors, no pictures on the walls, and
no soft, comfortable furniture. The men
wear dark pants with white or blue shirts,
and the women wear long dresses in dark
colors. The women never wear makeup or
jewlery.
The Amish have a saying:"The old way is
the best way. " Although the Amish accept
some new ideasthey use new medicines,
for example-their way of life has not
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
153
changed much in 300 years. They do not
use electricity, so Amish homes have no
electric lights, no TVs, and no kitchen
appliances like refrigerators. The Amish
don't own telephones, either. They ride in
buggies pulled by horses, and they speak
German, the language that the first Amish
people spoke.
The first Amish people lived in Germany
and Switzerland. They were called Amish
because their leader was Jacob Amman.
The Amish were persecuted in Europe, so
around 1700 they came to the New World.
They settled in what is now the state of
Pennsylvania.
Most of the Amish still live in
Pennsylvania, although there are large
communities in other states, too. All
Amish, no matter where they live, have
similar beliefs.
The Amish believe that life in the
countryside is best. Almost all Amish live
on farms. Amish farmers do not use
modern machinery, yet their farms are
successful because the Amish work hard
and take good care of their land and
animals. Their farms are always small.
The Amish think it is wrong to have more
land or more money than they need to
live. A few years ago some Amish farmers
discovered oil on their land. Was there a
lot of oil under the ground, or just a little?
The Amish farmers didn't want to know.
They immediately sold their land and
moved away, without telling anyone about
the oil. They didn't want to be rich.
The Amish, who are Christians, believe
they should follow the peaceful example of
Jesus. Amish men will not fight in wars or
serve in the army. They will not even
wear coats with buttons, because military
uniforms often have large gold or silver
buttons.
The Amish will not buy insurance of any
kind. When there is trouble, they help
one another. If an Amish farmer gets sick,
relatives and neighbors will milk his cows,
plant his fields, and harvest his crops. If a
barn burns down, as many as 200 men
will come and build a new barn in one day.
The Amish are not allowed to marry
people who are not Amish. That has
caused a peculiar problem. The 500 or so
Amish who came to the New World in the
1700s had about 40 last names. The
100,000 Amish who live in the United
States today are the descendants of those
people-and have the same 40 last names.
In one school in Pennsylvania, 95 percent
of the students-and their teacher-have the
last name "Stolzfus. " The Amish custom
of choosing first names from the Bible
adds to the problem. In one small Amish
community there are 11 men named
Daniel Miller! To avoid confusion, the
Amish give nicknames to people who have
the same name. Some nicknames have an
obvious explanation:"Chicken Dan" sells
chickens, for example;"Curly Dan" has
curly hair. But what about "Gravy Dan"?
How did he get his nickname? At dinner
one evening this Dan wanted to pour
some cream into his coffee. He reached
for the pitcher of cream but took the
pitcher of gravy by mistake and poured
gravy into his coffee. Ever since that
evening, his nickname has been "Gravy
Dan. "
People are curious about the lives of
Amish like Elizabeth and Gravy Dan.
Every year thousands of tourists visit the
part of Pennsylvania where most Amish
live. They take pictures of the black
buggies and the plain white houses. They
watch Amish children as they walk to
school and Amish men as they work in
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
154
their fields. Most Amish are not happy
about the tourists, but they tolerate them.
Perhaps the Amish understand that the
tourists want to experience, at least for a
few days, the quieter, simpler Amish way
of life.
2. VOCABULARY
A. LOOKING AT THE STORY
Which words have the same meaning
as the words in the story? Circle the
letter of the correct answer.
1. Elizabeth shivers when her feet touch
the cold, bare floor.
a. floor that is not covered with a carpet
b. floor that is painted white
2. They do not use electricity, so Amish
people have no kitchen appliances like
refrigerate.
3. The Amish were persecuted in Europe,
so they came to the New World.
4. They settled in what is now the state of
Pennsylvania.
a. found a new leader b. came to
live
5. There are large Amish communities in
other states, too.
a. groups of people who left their b.
groups of people who live together
countries because of politics
6. All Amish have similar beliefs.
a. objects that are important b. ideas
that they think are true to them
7. Amish men will not fight in wars. They
will not even wear coats with buttons
because military uniforms often have
large gold or silver buttons.
a. the clothes worn by schoolchildren
b. the clothes worn by soldiers
8. If an Amish farmer gets sick, relatives
and neighbors will harn''st his crops.
9. It a barn burns down, as many as 200
men will come and build a new barn in
one day.
10. The Amish are not allowed to marry
people who are not Amish. That has
caused a peculiar problem.
a. big b. strange
11. A man took a pitcher of gravy by
mistake and poured the gravy into his
coffee.
12. Most Amish are not happy about the
tourists, but they tolerate them.
a. allow them to come b. make
them pay
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
155
5. WRITING
Write about one of the world's religions.
Use the information you wrote in Exercise
4B, or use the information your classmate
gave you. Here is what one student
wrote.
Now write abuot one of the word´s
religions.
1. PRE-READING
THINK ABOUT THESE QUESTIONS.
DISCUSS YOUR ANSWERS WITH YOUR
CLASSMATES.
Do you know of any old person
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
156
who died soon after an important
event, like a holiday or birthday.
Do you think that people can
control the time of their own
deaths
POSTPONING DEATH
Yinlan looked at the people sitting around
the table and smiled contentedly.
Everyone in her family was there-her
children, her grandchildren, and her new
great-grandson, just one month old. Her
whole family had come to celebrate the
Harvest Moon Festival.
Yinlan had grown up in China, but she and
her family now lived in San Francisco,
California. Although they lived in the
United States, Yinlan's family celebrated
the Harvest Moon Festival just as Yinlan
had in China. At the time of the full moon
in August or September, her family
gathered at her house for dinner. After
dinner they ate moon cakes, a special
round cookie. Then, if the sky was clear,
they always walked outside to admire the
full moon.
Tonight there was not a cloud in the sky,
and the full moon shone brightly. Yinlan
suggested that they all go outside. Her
grandson helped her up from her chair. As
Yinlan and her grandson walked toward
the door, she held on to his arm and
leaned against him for support. Yinlan
was 86 years old. She had not been well
the past few months, and her family
noticed that she seemed weak.
Two days after the Harvest Moon Festival,
Yinlan died peacefully in her sleep. Her
family was sad but at the same time
grateful. They felt happy that they had
been able to celebrate the Harvest Moon
Festival with her one last time. Everyone
said it was remarkable that Yinlan had
died just two days after the holiday.
Actually, the timing of Yinlan's death was
not remarkable at all. Recently
sociologists studied the death rate among
elderly Chinese women in California. They
discovered that the death rate drops 35
percent before the Harvest Moon Festival
and then rises 35 percent: Each year
there are fewer deaths than usual the
week before the festival and more deaths
than usual the week after. Sociologists
believe that these changes in the death
rate show the mind's power over the
body. The Harvest Moon Festival, when
families gather, is important to elderly
Chinese women. Apparently some women
are able to postpone their deaths so that
they can celebrate the festival one last
time.
Sociologists also studied the death rate of
elderly Jewish men around the time of
Passover,a Jewish holiday. They
discovered the same phenomenon.
During the week before Passover, the
death rate among elderly Jewish men
drops 24 percent. The week after
Passover, the death rate rises 24 percent.
Passover is a Jewish religious holiday that
is a family holiday as well. On the first
two days of Passover, families gather in
their homes for a ceremony. They sit
around a table to share a special meal and
to listen to the story of Passover.
Traditionally, the oldest man in the family
sits at the head of the table and reads the
story. It is an important event for elderly
Jewish men-so important that some men
postpone their deaths until after Passover.
The idea that people can postpone the
time of their deaths is not new. Many
families tell stories of a relative who held
on to life until after an important event.
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
157
They tell of a grandmother who died after
the birth of a grandchild, a grandfather
who died after his 92nd birthday party.
The stories people tell, however, are just
that: stories. They are not proof that
people can postpone their deaths. The
sociologists' work is important because the
sociologists studied facts, not stories. The
facts-the drop and rise in death rates-
prove that people really can postpone
their deaths.
One famous person who may have
postponed his death was Thomas
Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson wrote the
Declaration of Independence, one of the
most important U.S. documents. The
Declaration of Independence was signed
on July 4, 1776. Thomas Jefferson died
exactly 50 years later, on July 4, 1826.
He died after asking his doctor, "Is it the
Fourth?"
Historians have always thought that
Jefferson's death on the Fourth of July was
a remarkable coincidence. It now seems
quite possible that the timing of
Jefferson's death was ino coincidence at
all.
2. VOCABULARY
A. LOOKING AT THE STORY
Which words have the same meaning as
the words in the story? Circle the letter of
your answer.
1. Yinlan looked at the people sitting
around the table and smiled contentedly.
a. nervously
b. happily
2. Yinlan's family celebrated the Harvest
Moon Festival just as Yinlan had in China.
a. exactly
b. almost
3. Her family gathered at her house for
dinner.
a. came together
b. cooked
4. Her family was sad, but at the same
time grateful.
a. not surprised
b. thankful
5. It was remarkable that Yinlan had died
just two days after the holiday,
a. unusual; surprising b.
sad; depressing
6. Sociologists studied the death rate
among elderly Chinese women in
California.
7. The death rate drops 35 percent before
the Harvest Moon Festival.
a. goes up
b. goes down
8. The death rate rises 35 percent after
the festival.
a. goes up
b. goes down
9. Apparently some women are able to
postpone their deaths.
a. It seems that
b. It is lucky that
10. Sociologists who studied the death
rate of elderly Jewish men around the
time of Passover discovered the same
phenomenon.
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
158
11. Some Jewish men postpone their
deaths until after Passover.
12. The Declaration of Independence is
one of the most important U. S.
documents.
a. buildings b.
papers
13. Historians thought that Jefferson's
death on the Fourth of July was a
coincidence.
3. COMPREHENSION/READING SKLLS
A. UNDERSTANDING THE MAIN
IDEAS
What information is not in the story? Draw
a line through the information.
1. Yinlan
a. celebrated the Harvest Moon Festival
with her family.
b. was 86 years old.
c. died two days after the Harvest Moon
Festival.
d. lived in small apartment in san
Francisco.
2. Sociologists
a. studied the death rate among elderly
Chinese women in San Francisco.
b. believe that Chinese women live long
because they eat a healthy diet.
c. discovered that there are fewer deaths
before the Harvest Moon Festival and
more deaths after it.
d. believe that the changes in the death
rate show the mind's power over the
body.
3. What happens during Passover?
a. Families gather in their homes for a
ceremony.
b. Families share a special meal.
c. Parents give their children gifts of
money and chocolate.
d. The oldest man in the family reads the
story of Passover.
4. Sociologists
a. studied the death rate of elderly Jewish
men around the time of Passover
b. discovered that their death rate drops
24 percent before Passover.
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
159
c. discovered that their death rate rises
24 percent after Passover.
d. went to Jewish homes to learn how
Jews celebrate Passover.
5. The sociologists' work on death rates
a. is important.
b. was a study of facts, not stories.
c. was done in 1989.
d. proves that people really can postpone
their deaths.
6. Thomas Jefferson
a. wrote the Declaration of Independence.
b. helped plan the city of Washington, D.
C.
c. died on July 4, 1826-exactly 50 years
after the Declaration of Independence was
signed.
d. may have postponed his death.
B. SCANNING FOR INFORMATION
THE UNDERLINED INFORMATION IS
NOT CORRECT. FIND THE CORRECT
INFORMATION IN THE STORY ARID,
WRITE IT. WORK QUICKLY; TRY TO
COMPLETE THE EXERCISE IN THREE
MINUTES OR LESS.
1. Yinlan had grown up in China, but she
and her family now lived in Los Angeles'
California.
2. Five years ago sociologists studied the
death rate among elderly Chinese
women in California.
3. They discovered that the death rate
drops 24 percent before the Harvest Moon
Festiva
4. Sociologists also studied the death rate
of elderly Jewish men at the time of
Hanukkab a Jewish holiday.
5. During the week before Passover, the
death rate drops 23 percent.
6. On the first three days of Passover,
families gather in their homes for a
ceremony.
7. One famous person who may have
postponed his death was William
Jefferson.
8. Jefferson was the author of the Bill of
Rights, one of the most important U. S.
documents.
9. The Declaration of Independence was
signed on July 4,1774.
10. Jefferson died exactly 40 years later.
4. DISCUSSION
THINK ABOUT THESE QUESTIONS.
DISCUSS YOUR ANSWERS WITH YOUR
CLASSMATES.
1. One question in the pre-reading
exercise was:"Do you think people can
control the time of their own deaths?
"After reading the story, is your answer to
that question still the same, or has it
changed?
2. After reading "Postponing Death," do
you now think someone you know may
have postponed his or her death? Tell your
classmates about it.
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
160
3. Do you think the mind has power over
the body? Do you think, for example, that
people can control whether or not they get
sick or feel pain?
4. The Harvest Moon Festival is important
to the Chinese, and Passover is important
to Jews. Is there a holiday that is
important to you-so important that you
would postpone your death to experience
it one last time?
5. Thomas Jefferson died on July 4, 1826-
50 years after the Declaration of
Independence was signed. That was a
remarkable coincidence. Do you know of a
remarkable coincidence? Tell your
classmates about it.
5. WRITING
A. The sociologists believe that their
studies show the mind's power over the
body. Have you ever used your mind to
control your body? Do you know a story
that shows that the mind can control the
body? Write a paragraph or two. Here is
what one student wrote.
NOW WRITE YOUR PARAGRAPH(S).
B. Write about a holiday that is important
to you. How do you celebrate it? Here is
what one student wrote.
Now write about a holiday that is
important to you.
I. PRE-READING
Imagine that after shopping, you return to
your car, which is parked in a parking lot.
It 9 o'clock at night, and there are only a
few people in the parking lot. When you
get into your car, a man jumps up from
the back seat, holds a gun to your head,
and says, “Drivel” What would you do?
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
161
Check an answer, or write your own
answer. Then compare your answer with
those of your classmates.
I would
1. ___scream and yell to get the attention
of the people in the parking lot. 2. ___try
to grab the gun.
3. ___tell the man I'll drive him where he
wants to go, but then drive to a police
station.
4. ___drive where the man tells me to go.
5.
__________________________________
_______________________
AN UNEXPECTED ADVENTURE
0ne summer afternoon Jean and Clothilde
Lestarquit, an elderly couple, visited their
daughter at her home in Lille, France. A
few minutes before six o'clock, the
Lestarquits decided to leave. They said
goodbye to their daughter, walked to their
car, and got in. They expected a quiet,
uneventful ride home. The ride, however,
was anything but quiet and uneventful.
Mr. Lestarquit was about to start the car
when a gunman jumped up from the back
seat. He held a gun to Mr. Lestarquit's
head. "Drive me to Paris!" he demanded.
"All right, "Mr. Lestarquit replied. "I'll drive
you anywhere you want to go. But first
let my wife out of the car. "
The gunman agreed to let Mrs. Lestarquit
go. After she was safely out of the car,Mr.
Lestarquit started the engine, pulled away
from the curb, and drove down the street.
He was driving slowly, but his mind was
racing. Unarmed and 81 years old, he
knew he could not fight the gunman. He
knew he needed help. Where were the
police? As he drove through each
intersection, he looked up and down the
side streets, hoping to spot a police car.
There was none in sight. "Just my luck,"
he thought. "if I were speeding, there
would be a police car on every corner. "
Suddenly Mr. Lestarquit realized how he
could attract the attention of the police.
He pushed his foot down on the
accelerator of his Mercedes, and the car
sped forward. "What are you doing?"
shouted the gunman. "Avoiding the
police," Mr:' Lestarquit lied. "I thought I
saw a police car back there. "
Mr. Lestarquit began driving like a
madman. He drove 60 miles an hour on
side streets, ran red lights, and drove the
wrong way on one-way streets. On two
way streets he drove on the wrong side of
the road. Not one police officer saw him.
Obviously, Mr. Lestarquit's plan was not
working. He needed a new plan. But
what? Suddenly he remembered that the
Lille police station was only a few blocks
away. "All right," he thought. "If I can't
bring the police to my car, I'll bring my
car to the police. "
He turned a corner and saw the police
station ahead. Immediately his heart
sank. There was a courtyard in front of the
police station, and the two large doors
that led to the courtyard were closed. Mr.
Lestarquit hesitated for a moment. Then
he pushed the accelerator to the floor and
steered straight for the doors.
The car crashed through the doors and
stopped in the courtyard. Mr. Lestarquit
yelled, "Help! He's going to kill me!" Then
he reached back to grab the man's gun.
Just as he grabbed it, the gunman pulled
the trigger. The bullet grazed Mr.
Lestarquit's hand and went through the
windshield. Before the gunman could pull
the trigger again, Mr. Lestarquit opened
the car door and fell to the ground.
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
162
Officers from the police station, who had
come running when they heard the crash,
quickly captured the gunman. It was 6:30
P. m. exactly 35 minutes since the
Lestarquits had left their daughter's house
on a quiet street in Lille.
It seemed to Jean Lestarquit that for those
35 minutes he had stepped out of reality
and into an action movie. There were so
many things action movies have-a
gunman, a hero, a speeding car, and a car
crash. Fortunately for Jean Lestarquit,
there was one more thing most action
movies have a happy ending.
2. VOCABULARY
A. LOOKING AT THE STORY
Think about the story and answer the
questions.
1. Mr. Lestarquit pulled away from the
curb. Is the car pulling away from the
curb in picture a or in picture b?
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
163
B. LOOKING AT SPECIAL
EXPRESSIONS
Find the best way to complete each
sentence. Write the letter of your answer
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
164
on the line.
Anything but = not at all
3. COMPREHENSION/READING
SKILLS
A. UNDERSTANDING TIME
RELATIONSHIPS
What information is not correct? Draw a
line through it.
1. About six o'clock Mr. and Mrs.
Lestarquit
a. decided to leave their daughter's
house.
b. arrived home safely
c. said goodbye to their daughter.
d. walked to their car and got in.
2. Mr. Lestarquit was about to start the
car when a gunman
a. jumped up from the back seat.
b. held a gun to Mr. Lestarquit's head.
c. demanded that Mr. Lestarquit drive
him to Paris.
d. pulled the trigger.
3. After Mrs. Lestarquit was out of the
car, Mr. Lestarquit
a. started the engine.
b. pulled away from the curb.
c. got into his car.
d. tried to spot a police car.
4. After Mr. Lestarquit realized how he
could attract the attention of the police,
he
a. drove 60 miles an hour on side streets.
b. ran red lights.
c. drove the wrong way on one-way
streets.
d. said, "Let my wife out of the car. "
5. After Mr. Lestarquit crashed through
the doors leading to the courtyard,
a. the car stopped.
b. he grabbed the gun.
c. the gunman pulled the trigger.
d. the gunman shouted, "What are you
doing?"
B. UNDERSTANDING DETAILS
Read the sentences from the story. One
word in each sentence is not correct. Find
the word and cross it out. Write the
correct word.
1. Jean and Clothilde Lestarquit, an
elderly couple, visited their daughter at
her home in Lille, Spain.
2. They said goodbye to their daughter
and walked to their bicycles.
3. Mr. Lestarquit was about to start the
car when a policeman jumped up from the
back seat.
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
165
4. "Drive me to Barcelona!" the man
demanded.
5. Mr. Lestarquit said, "I'll drive you
anywhere you want to go, but first let my
daughter out of the car"
Now copy three sentences from the story,
but change one word in each sentence so
that the information is not correct. Give
your sentences to a classmate. Your
classmate will find the incorrect word in
each sentence, cross it out, and write the
correct word. When your classmate is
finished, check the corrections.
4. DISCUSSION
A. Think about these questions. Discuss
your answers with your classmates.
1. Do you think Mr. Lestarquit was brave
or foolish? Why?
2. What would you have done if you had
been in his place?
B. WITH A PARTNER OR IN SMALL
GROUPS,TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU
WOULD DO IN THE FOLLOWING
DANGEROUS SITUATIONS.
1. You are walking down the street when
suddenly a big dog runs toward you. The
dog is barking.
2. You are walking down a busy street in
a big city. A man walks up to you and
says, "Give me your money!" He has a
knife.
3. It is 11 o'clock at night. You are home
alone watching TV. There is a knock at
the door. You aren't expecting anyone.
4. You come home late at night. The
door to your house or apartment is open.
You are sure you locked the door when
you left the house. You live alone.
5. You and a friend go to a party in your
friend's car. Your friend drinks beer at the
party. When it is time to go home, you
realize that your friend has had too much
to drink.
5. WRITING
A. Write a police report. Imagine that
you were one of the police officers at the
Lille police station. After capturing the
gunman, you asked Mr. Lestarquit what
happened and then wrote down what he
told you. What is your report?
B. Have you ever had an experience like
Jean Lestarquit's? Have you ever been in a
dangerous situation where you had to
decide what to do? Write about your
experience. Here is what one student
wrote.
Now write abuot your experience
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
166
1. PRE-READING
A. the people in the picture are standing
in a field of wheat in England. What do
you this made the clacircles in the wheat?
check one more answer or write you own
answer then compare your answer with
those of your classmates.
B. Have you read or heard about these
circles? where did you read or hear about
them? tell your classmates what you know
about them.
3. COMPREHENSION/READING
SKILLS
A. UNDERSTANDING THE MAIN
IDEAS
What information is not in the story? Draw
a line through the information.
1. The circle of wheat that Ian Stevens
found in 1978
a. was about six meters across.
b. was lying flat on the ground.
c. had four smaller circles around it.
d. was made by his tractor
2. The crop circles
a. are making farmers in England rich.
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
167
b. probably form at night.
c. usually appear in fields of wheat or
corn.
d. appear only from May to September.
3. The grain inside the circles
a. always lies flat on the ground.
b. is never broken.
c. can be eaten only by farm animals.
d. can be harvested.
4. People said that the circles were made
by
a. teenagers who wanted to play a joke.
b. farmers who wanted to attract tourists.
c. animals who slept in the fields at night.
d. beings from outer space.
5. Scientists think the circles might be
caused by
a. microbursts of wind.
b. helicopters.
c. forces within the earth.
6. The problem with the scientific theories
is that it is hard to believe that any
natural for could
a. create formations like the five-dot
formation.
b. create shapes like rectangles and
triangles.
c. create crop circles during the night.
7. In the summer of 1990 some scientists
a. spent three weeks in the part of
England where many circles have
appeared.
b. had all the latest high-tech equipment.
c. did not see or hear anything when the
crop circles in the photograph formed.
d. thought of some important new
theories about crop circles.
B. SCANNING FOR INFORMATION
The underlined information is not correct.
Find the correct information in the story
and write it. Work quickly; try to
complete this exercise in three minutes or
less.
1. In the summer of 1978 an English
farmer named Ian Smith was driving his
tractor through a field of wheat when he
discovered something strange.
2. The flattened wheat formed a circle
about three meters across.
3. Around this circle were five smaller
circles of flattened wheat.
4. Two years later another farmer who
lived nearby discovered similar circles in
one of fields.
5. These circles were larger-nearly 14
meters across.
6. That same year vet another English
farmer discovered two circles of flattened
wheat o his land.
7. In 1987 farmers in England discovered
50 circles; in 1988, 108 circles; and in
1989, 270 circles.
8. In the summer of 1990 some scientists
spent four weeks in the part of England
where many circles have appeared.
9. The equipment-worth 1. 7 million
dollars-recorded nothing.
10. But on morning aas the scientists
were watching a field, crop circles formed
in the field behind then).
THE SENTINEL______________________________________________________________
168
NOW WORK AS A CLASS AND ANSWER
THE QUESTIONS.
1. How many students checked #1? How
many checked #2? #3? #4? #5? #6? #7?
What did the students who checked #7
write? Why did you check the theory you
did? Which theory got the most checks?
2. People reported seeing unidentified
flying objects (UFOs) near fields where
crop circles later appeared. Many think
the UFOs are spaceships. In your native
country, do people sometimes report that
they saw UFOs? What do you think about
UFOs?
3. Perhaps you had read or heard about
the crop circles before you read the story.
Did the story give you any new or
different information about the circles? Did
it change your opinion about what causes
them?
5. WRITING
A. What do you think causes the crop
circles? Write about a theory that you
think is correct.
B. Imagine that you are standing alone in
a field in southern England when a
spaceship lands. Beings from outer space
get out of the spaceship. Write five or six
questions that you would like to ask them.
READ & THINK
SKILL SHEETS 5____________________________________________________________
169
Directions: Use the Score Box on your
Read and Think Skill Sheet to find your
rating. Then find the number of the Skill
Sheet on the chart below. If your rating
for Skill Sheet 1 is Excellent, color in the
Excellent box for Skill Sheet 1 and also
READ & THINK
SKILL SHEETS 5____________________________________________________________
170
color in all the boxes below the Excellent
box. If your rating is Very Good, color in
the Very Good box and all the boxes below
it,and so forth. Do this for each Skill
Sheet. Soon you will have a graph of your
reading progress.
by Matilda Nordtvedt
READ & THINK
SKILL SHEETS 5
READ & THINK
SKILL SHEETS 5____________________________________________________________
171
ead and Think Skill Sheets 5
Second Edition
Edition Editors: Laurel Hicks,
Marion Hedquist, Heidi Mayfield
Copyright © 1998, 1988 Pensacola
Christian College
All rights reserved. Printed in U. S. A.
2002/2 C02
No part of this publication may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or
by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopy, recording, or any
information storage and retrieval system,
R
READ & THINK
SKILL SHEETS 5____________________________________________________________
172
or by license from any collective or
licensing body, without permission in
writing from the publisher.
A Beka book. a Christian text a book
ministry a Pensacola Christian College, is
designed to meet the need for Christian
textbooks and teaching aids. The purpose
of this publishing ministry is to help
Christian schools reach children and young
people for the Lord and train them in the
Christian way of life.
Somearticles are copyrighted by Regular
Baptist Press and used here with their
permission.
Cataloging Data
Nordtvedt, Matilda
Read & Think 5/ Matilda Nordtvedt
Second edition
Readers (Elementary)
Includes quizzes; A Beka Book Reading
Program Library of Congress: PE 1119 .
A254 gr. 5 Dewey System: 428. 6
Directions: You have 4 1/2 minutes to
read the selection and answer the
questions. Do not begin reading until your
teacher gives the signal.
Note these words before you begin.
abound: to be full of
species (spe'shez): a group of animals or
plants which share the same
characteristics
distinguish: to tell apart
Would you believe that the flashing lights
of water beetles kept English sailors from
landing on the island of Cuba in 1694?
Thinking the lights were the torches of
Spanish soldiers, the English decided to
sail on.
Many different kinds of luminous creatures
inhabit the earth. One type of beetle that
gives off light is called the "automobile
bug" because it has two large, round,
greenish-yellow lights on either side of its
back which resemble lighted headlights.
This insect is found on the islands of the
Caribbean. A luminous worm in Central
and South America is called "the railroad
worm" because it has two red headlights
and eleven pairs of greenish-yellow
lanterns along the side of its body. As the
creature crawls through the grass at night,
it looks like a miniature lighted passenger
train.
The sea abounds with luminous creatures,
too, many of which are found in the
depths of the ocean, far away from the
light of the sun. They flash their lights to
attract mates as well as prey. Each
species of the small lantern fish has a
different pattern of lighting, so they can
be easily distinguished for mating. Male
and female also have their lights at
different positions on their bodies.
The pony fish. type of shark,has no light
of its own but becomes host to luminous
bacteria which live in a cone-shaped organ
on its abdomen. A tissue stretches across
this organ to enable the fish to "turn off
the light" when it does not want to be
seen.
CIRCLE THE CORRECT ANSWER.
1. Luminous means?
a. brightly colored c.
able to see in the dark
b. giving off light d.
READ & THINK
SKILL SHEETS 5____________________________________________________________
173
giving off an odor
2. The "automobile bug" is found?
a. in Australia c.
on the Caribbean Islands
b. in Alaska d.
in the Hawaiian Islands
3. There is a luminous worm in Central
and South America that looks like?
a. alighted candle c. an
automobile
b. a lighted passenger train d. a
fire
4. Luminous creatures are found?
a. only on land c. on
both sea and land
b. only in the sea d.
only in the winter
5. Often luminous creatures flash their
lights?
a. to attract a mate c. to
show off
b. to scare enemies d. to
find their way in the dark
6. The lights on the bodies of male and
female lantern fish are?
a. exactly alike c.
hard to see
b. in different positions d.
beautiful
7. The pony fish?
a. is a luminous creature b.
hosts luminous bacteria
c. has two red headlights d. is
attracted to luminous creatures
8. In 1694, water beetles kept the English
from?
a. sailing around the world c.
conquering Peru
b. finding a route to India d.
landing on Cuba.
9. The lights of water beetles were
mistaken for?
a. fireflies c.
torches
b. flashlights d. gunfire
10. A good title for this selection would
be?
a. "Lighted Passenger Train"
b. "Lights in the Sea"
c. "Luminous Creatures"
d. "Don't Land on Cuba"
Directions: You have 4 1/2 minutes to
read the selection and answer the
questions. Do not begin reading until your
teacher gives the signal.
TO FLY LIKE A BIRD
From ancient times, man has longed to fly
like the birds. As early as A. D. 1000, a
Benedictine monk put on a pair of wings
and jumped from a tower. He broke both
of his legs when he landed.
The great Italian artist and inventor
Leonardo da Vinci drew models of
parachutes and helicopters, but it was not
until one hundred fifty years later that
inventors began to seriously explore
power sources to lift man from the
ground. The first triumph was in the
1700s when two French brothers thought
up the idea of a hot air balloon. In 1783,
two other Frenchmen accomplished the
amazing feat of soaring to three hundred
feet in the balloon the brothers had
invented and traveled in it for five miles.
READ & THINK
SKILL SHEETS 5____________________________________________________________
174
Hiram Maxim, the American who invented
the machine gun, built a steam-powered
flying machine, but it was too heavy to be
successful. A German scientist built a
glider that flew up to 250 yards, but after
2,000 successful short flights, it plunged
him to his death.
A French engineer, Henri Giffard, built the
first successful airship powered by a
steam engine. An airship is a lighter-
than-air craft that rises because of the gas
(such as hydrogen or helium) in its airbag.
Giffard's airship traveled 17 miles at 6
miles an hour. A number of years later, a
Brazilian and a German achieved a speed
of 20 miles an hour in their lighter-than-
air craft.
The Wright brothers made the first
successful powered airplane Flight at kitty
Harwk North Carolina, on December 17
,1903. Un like an airship, an airplane is a
heavier-than-air craft which rises because
of the force of air upon its wings. A short
time after their first flight, the Wright
brothers built the world's first practical
airplane, the Flyer III, which had a 16-
horsepower engine and could fly for 30
minutes. They had solved the problem of
powered flight. Man could fly at last!
CIRCLE THE CORRECT ANSWER.
1. In ancient times man?
a. never thought of flying
c. built airplanes
b. wanted to fly
d. harnessed birds
2. The Benedictine monk who jumped
from a tower in A. D. 1000 ? .
a. sailed to the ground
c. broke both his legs
b. was killed
d. invented the parachute
3. In order to fly, man needed?
a. stronger wings
c. a power source
b. a steering apparatus
d. more courage
4. Two French brothers invented a
successful?
a. airplane
c. hot air balloon
b. helicopter
d. glider
5. The first steam-powered flying
machine was invented by?
a. the Montgolfier brothers
c. a Benedictine monk
b. Hiram Maxim
d. the Wright brothers
6. The first successful airship powered by
a steam engine traveled?
a. 300 feet
c. 5 miles
b. 250 yards
d. 17 miles
7. This early aircraft traveled at the speed
of?
a. 6 miles an hour
c. 20 miles an hour
b. 15 miles an hour
d. 25 miles an hour
8. The Wright brothers built the first?
a. steam-powered airplane
c. practical airplane
b. hot-air balloon
d. helicopter
9. This event took place in the?
a. middle of the 1800s
c. early 1900s
b. end of the 1800s
d. middle of the 1900s
READ & THINK
SKILL SHEETS 5____________________________________________________________
175
10. The Wright brothers discovered the
secret of?
a. balance
c. powered flight
b. gliding
d. steam engines
Directions: You have 4 1/2 minutes to
read the selection and answer the
questions. Do not beginn reading until
your teacher gives the signal.
Note these words before you begin. oə
Peoria (pē•ôr‘ē•ə)
modified: slightly changed
Snohomish (snō•hō'mĭsh) barren:
unfruitful, not containing
Issaquah (ĭ'sə •kwä) much
plant life
Snoqualmie (snō•kwŏl'mē)
flourishing (flûr'ĭsh•ĭng): growing well
PLACE NAMES
Have you ever become curious about the
names of places you visit or pass while
traveling? Why would anyone give a
California town the name of Weed? What
happened at Whoop-it-up Creek in North
Dakota? The fascinating study of place
names is called toponymy. From it we can
learn interesting historical facts. Did you
know that the city of Chicago got its name
from the Indians and means "the place
where wild onions grow"? Peoria, a large
city south of Chicago, has a name
meaning "place of fat beasts," which tells
us that buffalo once roamed there.
Some place names describe the weather
of a town, such as Rains, Cloudy, Windy,
Frost, and Warm Lake. In the Southwest.
we find Spanish names, such as Los
Angeles, San Bernardino, Espanola, Los
Lunas. In the Northwest, Indian names
abound: Snohomish, Issaquah,
Snoqualmie. Seattle is the modified name
of Sealth, a powerful Indian chief in that
area.
The British influence in our country gave
us such names as Yorktown, Amherst,
Cornwall, and London. Some settlers
named their town after the countries from
which they came. As a result, we have
Moscow, Idaho; Norway, Michigan; New
Palestine, Indiana; Poland Mines,
Pennsylvania. Many of our cities are
named after famous presidents A
numberof estates have towns name
Lincoln, Jefferson, Monroe, and others. In
the state of Washington is a town named
George. We cannot help but wonder what
the story is behind towns such as Egg
Harbor, Bacon Park, Toast, Bean City, and
Pie Town.
When a group of settlers considered
starting a town in a barren spot of North
Dakota, onlookers thought they would fail.
They built the town anyway, naming it
Candu (Can do!), and it is still flourishing.
CIRCLE THE CORRECT ANSWER.
1. The study of place names is called?
a. geography
c. toponymy
READ & THINK
SKILL SHEETS 5____________________________________________________________
176
b. typography
d. calligraphy
2. Chicago got its name from the?
a. Spanish
c. English
b. French
d. Indians
3. "The place of fat beasts" is the
meaning of the name of?
a. Chicago
c. Jeffersonville
b. Los Angeles
d. Peoria
4. We find Spanish names mostly in the?
a. southeast
c. northeast
b. southwest
d. northwest
5. The city of Seattle was named after?
a. a French explorer
c. an Indian chief
b. an American statesman
d. an early pioneer
6. Such names as Yorktown and Cornwall
are from the?
a. French
c. Indians
b. British
d. Russians
7. Immigrants to the United States
sometimes named their towns after?
a. relatives
c. animals
b. their countries
d. food
8. Many towns in our country are named
after famous?
a. movie stars
c. kings
b. sport heroes
d. Presidents
9. Los Angeles is a name from?
a. the Spanish
c. the Dutch
b. the Indians
d. the English
10. The people who named their town
Candu expressed?
a. fear
c. stubborness
b. determination
d. intelligence
Directions: You have 4 minutes to read
the selection and answer the questions.
Do not begin reading until your teacher
gives the signal.
Note these words before you begin.
economic: having to do with money
editorial: a newspaper or magazine
article expressing an opinion
precede: to come before
turmoil: a state of confusion and unrest
SARAH HALE
Sarah Hale, who was born in Newport,
New Hampshire, in 1788, longed for an
education. Because schools for girls were
rare in those days, her mother and
college-educated brother agreed to teach
the eager young girl. When Sarah was
eighteen, she started a school for girls
where reading and writing were taught
along with the usual sewing and social
READ & THINK
SKILL SHEETS 5____________________________________________________________
177
graces.
After marrying David Hale, Sarah
continued her education by studying with
her husband for two hours each evening.
After nine years of marriage, David Hale
died, leaving his wife with five children to
support.
Sarah put her education to work and
eventually became the first woman editor
in the United States, editing The Ladies'
Magazine for many years. She did many
things to help women raise their social
and economic standards. For example, an
editorial she wrote inspired the invention
of the washing machine. She encouraged
Elizabeth Blackwell to become the first
woman doctor in the United States. In
her spare time, she wrote the well-known
poem "Mary Had a Little Lamb. "
Perhaps Sarah Hale's greatest
achievement, however, was to persuade
President Lincoln to establish a national
Thanksgiving Day on the fourth Thursday
of November. She was seventy-five years
old at the time, and she had tried to
persuade the three Presidents who
preceded Lincoln, but without success.
Even though the Civil War was raging and
the country was in turmoil, President
Lincoln took time to declare a national day
of Thanksgiving to thank and praise God
for His many blessings. At last Sarah Hale
had achieved her goal.
CIRCLE THE CORRECT ANSWER.
1. Sarah Hale was born in?
a. 1840
c. 1680
b. 1788
d. 1900
2. She could not go to college because?
a. she was not smart enough
c. she was too sickly
b. she had no money
d. schools for women were rare
3. Sarah received her education from?
a. the family doctor
c. a minister
b. her mother and brother
d. an editor
4. At 18 years of age, Sarah started a
school for girls to teach them? as well as
sewing and the social skills.
a. cooking
c. politics
b. reading and writing
d. mathematics
5. After nine years of marriage, Sarah's
husband died, leaving her?
a. a fortune
c. five children to support
b. a school
d. a magazine company
6. Sarah Hale was the first woman in the
United States to become?
a. a doctor
c. an editor
b. an inventor
d. a college president
7. Through her writing, Sarah Hale helped
especially?
a. children
c. prisoners
b. soldiers
d. women
8. Sarah's best-known achievement was
to persuade President Lincoln to?
a. set the slaves free
b. start a school for girls
c. declare a national Thanksgiving Day
d. invent a washing machine
9. At the time she did this, Sarah Hale
was?
READ & THINK
SKILL SHEETS 5____________________________________________________________
178
a. 35 years old
c. 75 years old
b. 40 years old
d. 90 years old
10. This happened dug ing?
a. the Revolutionary War
b. the Spanish-American War
c. the Civil War
d. World War I
Directions: You have 4 minutes to read
the selection and answer thequestions. Do
not begin reading until your teacher gives
the signal.
Note these words before you begin.
dominion: control; rule
persistence: not giving up; continuing
It took many years for Canada to become
the nation it is today. At first it consisted
of only four provinces in the east: Quebec
Ontario, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick.
The leaders of the new Dominion of
Canada dreamed of the time when their
nation would reach from the Atlantic to
the Pacific Oceans. The motto they chose
for their country was from Psalm 72:8-"He
shall have dominion also from sea to sea.
"
In order to establish dominion from the
Atlantic to the Pacific, transportation had
to be developed. Waterways proved to be
the best "roads" at first. The United States
and Canada worked together to improve
the St. Lawrence River and Great Lakes
water system by building locks and canals
to bypass dangerous rapids and the
Niagara Falls. They deepened the channel
so that large ocean ships could travel to
the inland cities bordering the Great
Lakes. As trade increased, settlers came
to make their homes.
But what of the western half of Canada,
the dream to reach from sea to sea?Only
a railroad could solve this problem. It took
much courage and persistence to build
such a long railroad across swamps and
prairies and through the Rocky Mountains.
Finally, in 1885, after years of hard work,
the railway was finished. Canadians could
travel from one coast of their country to
the other. People from the United States,
eastern Canada and Europe
began: moving into western Canada, and
new towns sprang up.
The settlers of British Columbia, Canada's
most westerly province, came mostly by
sea. At last the people of Canada realized
their dream: their country stretched from
sea to sea.
Directions: You have 4 minutes to read
the selection and answer the questions.
Do not begin reading until your teacher
gives the signal.
Note this word before you begin.
diaphragm(dĭ´•frăm'): a thin disk that
vibrates in response to sound waves
READ & THINK
SKILL SHEETS 5____________________________________________________________
179
SENDING SPEECH OVER ELECTRIC
WIRES
Like his father before him, Alexander
Graham Bell taught deaf-mutes, people
who can neither hear nor talk. Bell left his
homeland of Scotland for Canada when he
was twenty-three and later moved to
Boston. He taught deaf-mutes during the
day and experimented with electricity in
the evenings. While Bell was trying to
design a telegraph machine for
communicating with the deaf, he
discovered the basic principles for the
telephone.
Thomas Watson, a workman in an
electrical shop, became Bell's friend and
partner in his experiments. Bell and
Watson discussed the possibility of
sending speech over electric wires. Bell
discovered that the human voice sent
through a wire could make an iron
diaphragm vibrate. A nearby magnet with
a wire coil created a current that could be
sent along a cable to another iron
diaphragm.
The two men worked many hours before
they were able to send a message through
the wire that could be understood. The
first message to be transmitted in this way
was a cry for help. As Bell was testing his
invention, he accidentally spilled acid on
his clothes. Watson, waiting in the attic,
heard these words plainly: "Mr. Watson,
come here! I want you!" The telephone
had been invented!
Much work had to be done before the
invention was perfected. Thirty-nine
years after that first sentence had been
transmitted over the telephone in Boston,
the first telephone line between New York
and San Francisco was opened. Among
Alexander Graham Bell's other inventions
is the electric eye, a device used to open
doors and set off burglar alarms. He is
best known, however, as the inventor of
the telephone.
CIRCLE THE CORRECT ANSWER.
1. Alexander Graham Bell was born in?
a. the United States
c. Canada
b. England
d. Scotland
2. He was a teacher of?
a. electrical engineers
c. the blind
b. deaf-mutes
d. inventors
3. Bell discovered the principles of the
telephone when he was?
a. reading
c. working on a telegraph machine
b. teaching about electricity
d. inventing the electric eye
4. Bell was assisted in his invention of the
telephone by Thomas Watson, who was?
a. his uncle
c. a scientist
b. a fellow teacher
d. a workman in an electrical shop
5. Bell discovered that a human voice
could make an iron diaphragm?
a. rust
c. melt
b. squeak
d. vibrate
6. When Bell was testing his invention,
he?
a. broke his finger
c. spilled acid on his clothes
b. dropped the telephone
READ & THINK
SKILL SHEETS 5____________________________________________________________
180
d. became ill
7. How many years after the telephone
was invented was it before a line was
opened between New York and San
Francisco?
a. sixty days
c. twenty years
b. two years
d. thirty-nine years
8. Bell invented the telephone while living
in?
a. New York
c. Toronto
b. San Francisco
d. Boston
9. Alexander Graham Bell also invented
the?
a. locomotive
c. electric light
b. electric eye
d. telegraph
10. The inventions we enjoy today were
perfected
a. quickly
c. with much hare work
b. with little effort
d. with loss of life
Directions: You have 4 minutes to read
the selection and answer the questions.
Do not begin reading until your teacher
gives the signal.
Note these words before you begin.
light: to come to rest
mottled: spotted
Clever Disguises
One way creatures escape from their
enemies is to use disguises. Some
animals, such as rabbits and many birds,
"freeze" when pursued. By standing
perfectly still, they cannot be easily seen
in their surroundings. Bitterns and herons
have another protective habit as well: as
the wind rustles over the cattails, the
birds sway right along, with these plants
and become almost impossible to detect.
The glass-winged butterfly of the South
American jungle can hide behind her
wings, which are completely transparent.
Her enemies look right through her wings
at the tree or leaf behind her and do not
see her at all.
The dead-leaf butterfly of the Far East
flashes deep blue and orange wings while
in flight; but when she lights on a branch
among dead leaves and closes her wings,
she looks like a dead leaf, too, and thus is
very difficult to see.
Many sea creatures, such as crabs, fish,
and shrimp, pretend to be pieces of coral,
sea fans, or sea lilies. Some shrimp
disguise themselves as sea grasses, and
angler fish often disguise them-selves as
rocks. Since the pipefish has a green-
mottled body, he naturally pretends to be
a piece of eelgrass. He carries his
disguise so far that he even swims and
rests in an upright position.
Leaf-shaped fish which swim near the
surface of the water sink to the bottom in
times of danger as if they were nothing
more than waterlogged leaves. Their
READ & THINK
SKILL SHEETS 5____________________________________________________________
181
wonderfully designed disguise serves as
an excellent protection.
CIRCLE THE CORRECT ANSWER.
1. Creatures use disguises mainly to?
a. get more food
c. have fun
b. escape from enemies
d. produce young
2. Bitterns and herons avoid detection
by?
a. hiding under logs
c. swaying with the wind
b. swimming underwater
d. flying high
3. One way animals such as rabbits
escape when pursued is to?
a. make aloud noise
c. change colors
b. stand perfectly still
d. run around in circles
4. The glass-winged butterfly avoids
detection by her enemies because her
wings are
a. strong
c. drab
b. beautiful
d. transparent
5. The dead-leaf butterfly looks like a
dead leaf?
a. always
c. when she lights on a branch
b. when in flight
d. after she dies
6. The pipefish rests and swims in an
upright position so it will look like a piece
of?
a. pipe
c. coral
b. eelgrass
d. wood
7. When in danger, some leaf-shaped fish
pretend to be leaves and?
a. float on the surface
c. attack their pursuers
b. sink to the bottom
d. hide
8. Some angler fish disguise themselves
as?
a. seaweed
c. sponges
b. anemones
d. rocks
9. A disguise is a way to?
a. distress enemies
c. attack enemies
b. be a guide
d. hide one's identity
10. These clever disguises are a result of?
a. God's master design
c. hard work
b. chance
d. the seasons
Directions: You have 4 minutes to read
the selection and answer the questions.
Do not begin reading until your teacher
gives the signal.
Note these words before you begin.
bout: a time of illness
MISSIONARY WIFE
READ & THINK
SKILL SHEETS 5____________________________________________________________
182
Mary Moffat, the daughter of missionaries
Robert and Mary Moffat, grew up in Africa
and was therefore well suited to become a
missionary wife. She did not know when
she married David Livingstone, however,
that she would have to endure long,
painful separations from him because of
his work.
At first the young couple carried on
missionary work much as other
missionaries had-teaching the Africans the
Word of God and also reading, writing,
and other skills. Soon, however, David
Livingstone was planning journeys of
exploration into the vast uncivilized
regions of Africa to open the way for
missionaries to bring the gospel. Although
Mary and their children accompanied him
on some of his trips, they soon discovered
that such a life was impossible for them.
Repeated bouts of fever among the
children finally made it necessary for Mary
to take them back to England.
Four and a half years went by before
Livingstone returned to England to be
reunited with his family. Mary
accompanied him back to Africa, but
because of illness she could not go with
him on his expeditions as she had hoped,
and thus she decided it would be better to
return to England.
After four years, she again joined her
husband in Africa. For three happy
months they lived and worked together,
but the unhealthful climate and other
strains were too much for Mary. At the
end of three months, after only seventeen
years of marriage, this brave, self-
sacrificing woman died at her husband's
side.
CIRCLE THE CORRECT ANSWER.
1. Mary Livingstone was the daughter of?
a. a lawyer
c. missionaries
b. a businessman
d. Africans
2. Mary was fitted to be the wife of David
Livingstone because?
a. she was strong
c. she liked traveling
b. she was a teacher
d. she had grown up in Africa
3. At first the missionary couple's work
consisted mostly of?
a. translation
c. teaching
b. nursing
d. agriculture
4. David Livingstone's dream was to?
a. go to Egypt
c. explore new areas
b. found a Bible school
d. go back to England
5. The end result of David Livingstone's
work was?
a. new geography books
b. opening up Africa for the gospel
c. freeing of slaves
d. founding a geographical society
6. When Livingstone went on his
exploration trips, Mary and their children?
a. refused to go along
c. went along whenever they could
b. became angry
d. went to Capetown
7. Mary and their children could not
continue to travel with Livingstone
because?
a. they were bored
c. there were too many snakes
b. they became ill
d. there was no school for them
READ & THINK
SKILL SHEETS 5____________________________________________________________
183
8. The Livingstones' first long separation
was?
a. four and a half months
c. four and a half years
b. two years
d. six years
9. Mary moved back to England?
a. once
c. three times
b. two different times
d. four times
10. The hardest thing for Mary to endure
was?
a. the unhealthful climate
c. the difficult sea voyages
b. caring for live children
d. African customs
Directions: You have 4 minutes to read
the selection and answer the questions.
Do not begin reading until your teacher
gives the signal.
Note these words before you begin.
Plutarch (ploo'tark')
antics: playful acts
endears: to make lovable
The Friendly Dolphin
It has been said that the friendliest of all
creatures is the playful dolphin. Plutarch
of ancient Greece wrote,"The dolphin is
the only creature who loves man for his
own sake. " Most creatures love the
people who feed and care for them. Not
so the dolphin; his friendliness bears no
price tag.
In New Zealand, a dolphin began playing
in the bay with the children of some
fishermen. The villagers named the
friendly dolphin Opa. She played ball with
the children in the water and gave one girl
short rides on her back. People from all
over New Zealand came to watch the
antics of the friendly dolphin.
Some dolphins are captured and trained to
be entertainers. They quickly learn to
jump through hoops, shake hands, wave
with their flippers, and even play
basketball. Dolphins often swim beside
ships and amuse the passengers with their
antics.
Besides entertaining and amusing people,
dolphins can be very helpful. Sometimes
they drive fish into a fisherman's net.
They have been known to rescue drowning
people by giving them a push toward
shore. For many years a dolphin acted as
a guide for ships through treacherous
waters near New Zealand.
The dolphin appears to be smiling
whenever he has his mouth closed. His
apparent cheerfulness endears him to
everyone.
Are you, like the dolphin, willing to be
friendly, to give and expect nothing in
return? Are you, too, known for your
cheerfulness and helpfulness?
CIRCLE THE CORRECT ANSWER.
1. Dolphins are best known as?
a. good swimmers
c. friendly entertainers
READ & THINK
SKILL SHEETS 5____________________________________________________________
184
b. fierce creatures
d. poor jumpers
2. Who wrote,"The dolphin is the only
creature who loves man for his own
sake"?
a. Shakespeare
c. Benjamin Franklin
b. Plutarch
d. Solomon
3. Most creatures love people because
they?
a. are inferior to people
c. want to be helpful
b. are naturally loving
d. get food and care from them
4. What did Opa do?
a. jumped through a hoop
c. gave a girl rides
b. helped fishermen
d. rescued a drowning person
5. Opa was a dolphin of?
a. Australia
c. New Zealand
b. Indonesia
d. the Philippines
6. When being taught tricks, dolphins
are?
a. slow to learn
c. quick to learn
b. stubborn
d. angry
7. Dolphins have been known to rescue
drowning people by?
a. calling for help c.
pushing them into a fish net
b. giving them a ride
d. pushing them to shore
8. Near New Zealand a dolphin for many
years?
a. guided ships through dangerous waters
b. swam beside boats
c. waved at passing boats
d. pushed boats to shore
9. The dolphin always looks as if he is ? .
a. angry
c. sad
b. smiling
d. nervous
10. The dolphin teaches us to?
a. learn tricks
c. be friendly
b. learn to swim well
d. be cautious
Directions: You have 4 minutes to read
the selection and answer the questions.
Do not begin reading until your teacher
gives the signal.
CLEVER ENGINEERS
Beavers are clever builders and engineers.
These rodents (gnawing mammals) cut
down trees with their teeth to build dams
and homes. Working with other beavers,
they build strong dams of logs and twigs
weighted down with stones and plastered
with mud. The dams create quiet pools in
which they can build their homes.
That messy-looking pile of branches,
stones, and mud on the little island in the
middle of the pond is a skillfully built
beaver home. Did you know that beavers
build their homes with three rooms, two
small and one large, and have more than
one underwater entrance for their safety?
READ & THINK
SKILL SHEETS 5____________________________________________________________
185
After his swim, the beaver enters one of
the two small rooms to shake off the
water, and then steps into the large, dry
middle room, where he eats and sleeps.
Because of air bubbles trapped in his fur,
a beaver can stay under water as long as
fifteen minutes! When he does need air,
he can simply enter his home. Holes
between the branches in the roof of his
home provide good ventilation.
The beaver's lodge is skillfully plastered
with mud and is too strong for any other
animal to break into. Just outside the
beaver's house is an underwater
storehouse where he piles young, leafy
branches to eat during the winter.
One morning when the beaver wakes up,
he finds that the pond is covered over
with ice. He doesn't mind. He has a cozy
home and plenty of food stored up for the
cold days. He is prepared.
CIRCLE THE CORRECT ANSWER.
1. Beavers are known for their building
of?
a. bridges
c. underground homes
b. dams and homes
d. sandcastles
2. Rodents are animals that use their
teeth to?
a. chew
c. tear
b. gnaw
d. grind
3. The beaver's home consists of?
a. many rooms
c. three rooms
b. one room
d. tunnels
4. A beaver can stay underwater?
a. for three minutes
c. for fifteen minutes
b. as long as he likes
d. not at all
5. The beaver plasters his house with
mud to make it?
a. warm
c. strong
b. private
d. hidden
6. The beaver builds dams to?
a. prevent floods
c. help farmers
b. make a pool for his home
d. keep busy
7. Beavers belong to the family of?
a. meat-eating mammals
c. gnawing mammals
b. egg-laying mammals
d. odd-toe mammals
8. When the pond freezes over in the
winter, the beaver?
a. dies
c. gnaws his way out
b. becomes ill
d. stays in his home
9. During the cold winter the beaver?
a. does not eat
b. eats the food in his storehouse
c. looks for food under the ice
d. becomes thin
10. We can learn from the beaver to be?
a. attractive
c. prepared
b. friendly
d. thankful
READ & THINK
SKILL SHEETS 5____________________________________________________________
186
Directions: You have 4 minutes to read
the selection and answer the questions.
Do not begin reading until your teacher
gives the signal.
Note these words before you begin.
emit: to give off
EXCITING DISCOVERY
Marie and Pierre Curie were scientists who
became fascinated by the discovery that
the element uranium gives off peculiar
rays. These rays are not caused by heat
or sunlight but by the uranium itself.
Were there other substances which also
emit strange rays? Marie was determined
to find out.
She began by testing every known
element and many minerals. Marie
discovered that only one other known
element, thorium, also emits rays. To
describe the rays, she coined the term
"radiation. "
As she tested various minerals,Marie Curie
discovered a puzzling fact. A mineral
called pitchblende, which contains
uranium and thorium, gave off far more
radiation than Marie believed it should.
Carefully, Marie checked her work, not
once or twice, but twenty times. Her
calculations were correct. A thought
flashed into her mind. Since she had
already tested every known element,
there must be an unknown element in the
pitchblende. She must find it and prove
its existence!
Realizing the importance of his wife's
discovery, Pierre Curie set aside his own
work to assist Marie. Their laboratory was
a shed with a leaky roof. They took
money from their own small savings to
buy the large quantities of pitchblende
needed for their experiments.
Three years and nine months after their
experiments, Pierre and Marie Curie finally
saw the new element, radium. Radium
emits rays and produces heat. Doctors
became excited when they realized that
radium could be used to burn away cancer
cells. The dedicated work of the Curies
resulted in great advancements in science
and new hope for the victims of cancer.
CIRCLE THE CORRECT ANSWER.
1. Marie Curie named the rays emitted by
uranium?
a. thorium
c. x-rays
b. radium
d. radiation
2. Pierre and Marie Curie were?
a. wealthy
c. dedicated
b. selfish
d. lazy
3. The substance with which Marie and
Pierre Curie worked to discover radium is
called?
a. tin
c. helium
b. pitchblende
d. phosphorus
4. The Curies did their research with
radium in a?
a. school
c. hospital
b. science laboratory
READ & THINK
SKILL SHEETS 5____________________________________________________________
187
d. shed
5. The Curies got the money for their
experiment from?
a. their own savings
c. a wealthy patron
b. a friend
d. their parents
6. How long did the Curies experiment
with radium before they succeeded in
finding it?
a. one year
c. nearly four years
b. two years
d. nearly six years
7. Why did Pierre help Marie?
a. He realized the importance of her
work.
b. He saw a chance to become famous.
c. He was not working on any project of
his own at the time.
d. He hoped to become wealthy.
8. Pierre was Marie's?
a. brother
c. husband
b. father
d. son
9. What causes radioactive elements such
as uranium and radium to send out rays?
a. sunlight
b. something within the element itself
c. increase in temperature
d. chemicals added to the element
10. Because radium can burn away
diseased cells, it is useful in the treatment
of ?
a. heart trouble
c. tuberculosis
b. boils
d. cancer
Directions: You have 4 minutes to read
the selection and answer the questions.
Do not begin reading until your teacher
gives the signal.
Note these words before you begin.
Emerge: to come out of
consistency: firmness or thickness
Bee Smart starts her life as a tiny egg and
hatches three days later into a pale grub,
or larva. For the first few days of her life
as a larva, she is fed over one thousand
meals a day by older worker bees and
grows so rapidly that she must shed her
skin every twenty-four hours.
In five days, Bee Smart, who is still a
grub. is ready to spin a cocoon for herself
with silk that comes from glands in her
mouth. Round and round she turns, about
one hundred fifty times, before she is
completely wrapped up in her cozy
covering.
During her twelve days in the cocoon,
amazing changes take place in the bee
larva. When she emerges from the
cocoon, she has changed from a grub to
an adult insect with a head, thorax, and
abdomen.
As soon as Bee Smart emerges from the
cocoon, she is given food. But the next
day she is expected to begin working for
her living. Perhaps her job will be to feed
the larvae. Perhaps she will guard the
entrance of the hive from intruders or
READ & THINK
SKILL SHEETS 5____________________________________________________________
188
form a blanket with other bees to keep the
larvae warm.
Another duty of Bee Smart's is to produce
wax for the honey-combs. The wax
comes from glands on the underside of
her body. To make one pound of wax, the
bee must eat seven pounds of honey. She
chews the wax thoroughly until it is of the
proper consistency to be placed on the
comb being built by her sister bees.
CIRCLE THE CORRECT ANSWER.
1. Another word for a larva is?
a. cocoon
c. pupa
b. grub
d. insect
2. The bee larva sheds its skin every?
a. twenty-four hours
c. month
b. week
d. sixty days
3. During this time of growth the larva?
a. is left alone
c. sleeps
b. is fed constantly
d. searches for food
4. The larva spins a cocoon for itself when
it is?
a. five days old
c. two weeks old
b. ten days old
d. a month old
5. The silk from which she spins her
cocoon comes from?
a. older bees
c. her mouth
b. the honeycomb
d. her legs
6. The bee larva stays in the cocoon?
a. two days
c. two months
b. twelve days
d. all winter
7. Bees make wax to?
a. eat
c. build honeycombs
b. chew
d. give to the larvae
8. In order to prepare the wax for use,
the bee must?
a. warm it
c. walk on it
b. chew it
d. cool it
9. How many pounds of honey must a
bee eat to make one pound of wax?
a. one
c. seven
b. three
d. ten
10. A good title for this selection would
be?
a. Making a Cocoon
c. How Bees Make Honey
b. Bee Smart Grows Up
d. Feeding the Larvae
Directions: You have 4 minutes to read
the selection and answer the questions.
Do not begin reading until your teacher
gives the signal.
BEE SMART'S WORK
READ & THINK
SKILL SHEETS 5____________________________________________________________
189
Bee Smart explores the fields outside the
hive to gather pollen and nectar with
which to feed the larvae and to make
honey for use in the winter. (The bees
don't really make their honey for man,
you see). Bee Smart deposits pollen in the
tiny pollen baskets on the inside of her
hind legs. The nectar which she sips from
the flowers goes into her honey sac inside
her thorax. Before she gets back to the
hive, the nectar has begun to turn to
honey in her body. Bee Smart transfers
the honey from her sac to the cells of the
comb.
After depositing the honey in the comb,
Bee Smart fans it with her wings until it is
cooled to the proper thickness, something
like the way you cool and beat fudge to
make it hard. Then she seals the honey
by putting a wax lid over the cells of the
comb.
Bee Smart makes many trips to the fields
for pollen and nectar, but amazingly she
and the other workers usually gather from
only one kind of flower at a time. If the
bees are making clover honey, they
bypass the other blossoms and suck
nectar only from clover. This is important,
because flowers will not produce seeds
unless they receive pollen from the same
kind of plant as themselves. The bees
bring them this pollen as they go from
blossom to blossom.
Bee Smart is wise because God has made
her that way. She is doing the work God
has created her for.
CIRCLE THE CORRECT ANSWER.
1. Your skin wears away little by little
when it comes in contact with?
a. dirt c. pressure
b. air d. sun
2. The layer of skin beneath your outer skin is
called the?
a. fatty tissue c. epidermis
b. dermis d. sweat glands
3. This layer of skin?
a. causes sweat c. lubricates
b. produces new skin d. cools
4. Your skin protects you from?
a. hunger c. germs and dirt
b. carbon dioxide d. indigestion
5. The third layer of skin is made up of?
a. oil glands c. follicles
b. fatty tissue d. dead cells
6. You get a new set of skin ?
a. once a year c. twice a year
b. everyday d. every few weeks
7. How many sweat glands does every square
inch of skin contain?
a. 100 c. 500
b. 700 d. 300
S. The sweat glands are useful to?
a. heat the body c. cool the body
b. provide new skin d. lubricate the skin
9. When the skin is harmed in some way, it
receives an "ouch" signal from?
a. the dermis c. nerve endings beneath it
b. the fatty tissue d. the oil glands
10. When a person becomes old, his skin
wrinkles because he loses?
a. his sweat glands c. his nerve endings
b. his dermis d. his layer of fatty tissue
Directions: You have 4 minutes to read
the selection and answer the questions.
Do not begin reading until your teacher
gives the signal.
READ & THINK
SKILL SHEETS 5____________________________________________________________
190
Note this word before you begin.
cumbersome: awkward
LOUIS BRAILLE'S DESIRE
Louis Braille became blind at the age of
three as a result of an accident in his
father's leather shop. His father made a
cane for him which he used to tap his way
around his neighborhood near Paris,
France.
Louis was lonely because he could not do
many of the things other boys did. He
attended the village school when he
became old enough and learned eagerly,
but the teacher had no way to teach him
to read and write.
In the early 1800s, when Louis lived, the
only way for blind people to earn money
was to beg. The Brailles, however, did not
want their son to become a professional
beggar.
One day the village priest told the Braille
family about a school in Paris where blind
children were taught to do useful things,
even to read. So Mr. Braille took ten-
year-old Louis to this school and left him
there.
At first, Louis was homesick and unhappy
at the Institute for Blind Youth, but he
gradually adapted to his new situation.
He learned to find his way around the
school by counting steps. He studied
history, grammar, math, and geography,
and he learned to play the piano.
He also learned to read. The reading
system for the blind was called
embossing. Large, raised letters were put
on thick sheets of paper to be identified by
the fingers. Reading this way was ex-
tremely slow, however and the books
were large and cumbersome because
there was room for only a few sentences
on each page.
Because Louis knew that the stores of
knowledge he longed for could never be
opened to him through this clumsy
method of reading, he wanted to find a
better way.
CIRCLE THE CORRECT ANSWER.
1. The inventor of night writing was?
a. the village priest c.Charles Barbier
b. Louis Braille d. the head of the
Institute for the Blind
2. Night writing was first devised as?
a. a game for blind people
b. a criminal code
c. a secret code for soldiers
d. musical notations
3. Night writing consisted of?
a. embossed letters c. engraved letters
b. raised dots d. sounds
4. The school authorities thought that night
writing was too?
a. complicated c. simple
b. simple d. small
5. Louis Braille started to experiment with
night writing when he was?
a. ten c. fifteen
b. twelve d. twenty
6. Which of these words describes the kind of
reading and writing system Louis was striving
for?
a. brilliant c. simple
b. complicated d. dramatic
7. Louis Braille worked on his invention?
a. occasionally c. quickly
b. haphazardly d. intensely
8. How long did he work before he perfected
his system?
a. six months c. nearly three years
b. nearly two years d. five years
9. Louis Braille's invention enabled blind people
to read and?
a. speak c. write
READ & THINK
SKILL SHEETS 5____________________________________________________________
191
b. sing d. spell
10. What is the most important result of
Braille's invention?
a. It made him famous.
b. It gave status to the blind.
c. More schools for the blind were started.
d. It opened up knowledge to the blind.
Directions: You have 3 1/2 minutes to
read the selection and answer the
questions. Do not begin reading until your
teacher gives the signal.
Note these words before you begin.
Aeolus (ē'ə-lǐs)
whim: a sudden desire
capricious (kə•prǐsh'əs): quick to change
one's mind
vengeful: wanting revenge
WINDY TALES
Ancient peoples held many superstitions
about the wind. The Greeks and Romans
believed that their imaginary god Aeolus
kept the winds in bags and set them free
as he chose. The American Indians
believed in four wind gods who each lived
in a corner of the earth. Finnish sailors
used to buy windropes from the wizards.
Undoing the three knots on the rope was
supposed to make the wind blow.
Even in modern times people in some
non-Christian lands have believed they
can start or stop a wind by using magic.
In some Pacific islands the people have
marched out as an army with clubs and
torches to frighten away a stot my wind.
Natives in Australia have used
boomerangs for the same purpose. In
New Guinea people have believed they
can start the wind by striking a special
"wind-stone" with a stick. Some people in
West Africa have believed that on one of
their high mountains, a god named Bagba
keeps the winds in huge pots and lets
them out at his whim.
We know that wind is moving air and very
much a part of our weather. It is not
controlled by some capricious or vengeful
god but by our Creator, the Heavenly
Father, who has only good. in mind for His
children. When Jonah ran away from
God's will for him, God hurled a € neat
wind on the sea to chasten the
disobedient prophet. ,Jesus stopped the
wind for His disciples on the Sea of
Galilee; "the wind ceased, and there was a
great calm. " It is comforting to know that
our God is in control of even the wind!
CIRCLE THE CORRECT ANSWER.
1. Which pagan god was believed to keep the
winds in bags?
a. Vulcan c. Diana
b. Jupiter d. Aeolus
2. Which people believed in four wind gods
who each lived in a corner of the earth?
a. Aztecs c. American Indians
b. Mexicans d. Aborigines
READ & THINK
SKILL SHEETS 5____________________________________________________________
192
3. What did Finnish sailors buy from wizards to
make the wind blow?
a. windmills c. umbrellas
b. windropes d. sails
4. Why do you think the Finnish sailors wanted
the wind to blow?
a. to cool them c. to move their ships
b. to bring rain d. to bring them water
5. People in some Pacific Islands have tried to
frighten away a stormy wind by?
a. praying to their gods
b. making a sacrifice
c. marching against it with clubs and torches
d. chanting
6. Boomerangs are native to?
a. Finland c. Borneo
b. Australia d. India
7. People in? have believed in a god named
Bagba who supposedly keeps the winds in pots.
a. Europe c. West Africa
b. Indonesia d. Tibet
8. People in New Guinea have believed they
can start the wind by?
a. praying to the spirits c. forgiving their
enemies
b. striking a wind-stone d. shouting
9. God sent a great wind to chasten?
a. David c. Jonah
b. Joseph d. Peter
10. What does the Christian realize about the
wind?
a. God controls it.
b. No one controls it.
c. Jonah stopped the wind.
d. Windropes are the best protection against
the wind.
Directions: You have 3 1/2 minutes to
read the selection and answer the
questions. Do not begin reading until your
teacher gives the signal.
Note these words before you begin.
wick: the threads or cord in a candle
which one lights
apprentice: one who learns a job by
working with someone experienced in that
field
submit: to offer something to a person
for him to look over
WHEN BENJAMIN FRANKLIN WAS A
BOY
Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston, the
fifteenth of seventeen children. His father
took him out of school when he was ten
years old to learn the trade of
candlemaking. Bored with dipping candles
and cutting wicks all day, Benjamin talked
about going to sea and exploring faraway
places. His father decided to interest him
in the printing business so he would not
run away to be a sailor.
When Benjamin was twelve, he became an
apprentice to his older brother, who was a
printer. At first he did the cleanup jobs,
but eventually he was allowed to set type
and print. He prepared his own meals
instead of eating with the other workers
so that he could spend meal time reading.
One day Benjamin secretly wrote a letter
to the editor of the newspaper (who was
his older brother), signing it "Widow
Dogood. "Unaware that it was Benjamin's
work, his brother praised the writer and
printed the letter in his newspaper.
Benjamin continued to submit articles
under the name of "Widow Dogood" until
his brother found out and became angry.
READ & THINK
SKILL SHEETS 5____________________________________________________________
193
Benjamin, seventeen years old by then,
ran away to Philadelphia.
Hired by a Philadelphia printer, Benjamin
Franklin quickly became known as a good
worker. Because he was well read and
witty, he became popular at social
gatherings, even attracting the attention
of the governor. This gentleman urged
Benjamin to go back home to ask his
father's forgiveness for running away.
Benjamin realized his mistake in not
honoring his father. After eight months in
Philadelphia, he returned home to his
father, who readily forgave him.
CIRCLE THE CORRECT ANSWER.
1. How many brothers and sisters did
Benjamin Franklin have?
a. twelve
c. sixteen
b. fifteen
d. seventeen
2. His father took him out of school when
he was?
a. ten
c. fourteen
b. twelve
d. sixteen
3. Benjamin first learned the trade of?
a. shoemaking
c. boat building
b. candlemaking
d. tailoring
4. Benjamin dreamed of?
a. becoming rich
b. becoming famous
c. experiencing adventures in faraway
places
d. going into politics
5. When Benjamin was twelve, his father
put him to work in his older brother's?
a. bakery c.
print shop
b. grocery store d.
paper mill
6. Benjamin was very fond of?
a. music c.
eating
b. reading d.
sports
7. Benjamin wrote letters to the editor of
the newspaper?
a. angrily c.
secretly
b. proudly d.
meekly
8. When his brother became angry with
him, Benjamin ran away to?
a. sea
c. Philadelphia
b. England
d. Canada
9. There he became?
a. successful
c. tired
b. poor
d. homesick
10. Of what Bible character does
Benjamin remind you?
a. the Good Samaritan
c. the Prodigal Son
b. Noah
d. Samson
READ & THINK
SKILL SHEETS 5____________________________________________________________
194
Directions: You have 3 1/2 minutes to
read the selection and answer the
questions. Do not begin reading until your
teacher gives the signal.
A GREAT AMERICAN
Benjamin Franklin started his own print
shop in Philadelphia while still a young
man. There he began the magazine that
eventually became the well-known
Saturday Evening Post. He also published
a book full of interesting information
called Poor Richard's Almanac. In it he
put many of his wise sayings, such as
"Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man
healthy, wealthy, and wise. "
Besides printing, Benjamin Franklin
conducted scientific experiments and
worked on inventions. Flying a kite in a
thunderstorm, he discovered that lightning
is electricity. He invented bifocal glasses
and the Franklin stove.
Benjamin Franklin was also a patriot who
served his country well. First he
concentrated his effort in the colony of
Pennsylvania, and later he helped all the
colonies by representing them in Europe.
One of this statesman's greatest deeds
was to help write the Declaration of
Independence that brought freedom to the
colonies. Later he assisted in writing the
Constitution of the United States.
The churches of Philadelphia would not
allow the evangelist George Whitefield to
preach in the pulpits, forcing him to
conduct his meetings in the open air.
Benjamin Franklin, together with other
admirers of Whitefield, erected a building
in which the great evangelist could preach
to the huge crowds that gathered to hear
him. That structure became the first
building of the University of Pennsilvania.
Thus Benjamin Franklin, together with his
many other achievements, had an
influence upon religion and education in
the United States.
CIRCLE THE CORRECT ANSWER.
1. Benjamin Franklin started printing the
magazine that became the?
a. Atlantic Monthly c. Saturday Evening Post
b. New Yorker d. Popular Science Monthly
2. His Poor Richard's Almanac contains many
of his?
a. predictions c. inventions
b. wise sayings d. recipes
3. Benjamin Franklin learned about electricity
by flying a kite?
a. at the World's Fair c. during a thunderstorm
b. over the ocean d. on a still night
4. Benjamin Franklin was called a? who served
his country well.
a. soldier c. traitor
b. patriot d. President
5. When Benjamin Franklin first lived in
Pennsylvania, it was?
a. a state c. Indian territory
b. a British colony d. Dutch territory
6. Benjamin Franklin invented?
a. spectacles c. contact lenses
b. bifocals d. the telescope
7. Besides working for the colonies in America,
Benjamin Franklin represented them in?
a. South America c. Europe
b. Japan d. Russia
8. Benjamin Franklin helped to write?
a. the Gettysburg Address c. the Declaration
of Independence
b. Whitefield's sermons d. the Mayflower
Compact
9. An admirer of the evangelist George
Whitefield, Benjamin Franklin helped to
erect for him a?
a. statue
c. home
READ & THINK
SKILL SHEETS 5____________________________________________________________
195
b. building to preach in
d. church
10. Benjamin Franklin influenced our
country?
a. in education only
c. in politics only
b. a little
d. in many different ways
Directions: You have 3 1/2 minutes to
read the selection and answer the
questions. Do not begin reading until your
teacher gives the signal.
Note these words before you begin.
canopy: overhead covering
mythical: imaginary
constellation: a definite star group
STARS
Did you know that some ancient people
thought that stars were merely holes in
the canopy of space? They believed these
holes permitted man to see, on a clear
night, the eternal brightness that lay
beyond.
It is true that there is eternal brightness
where God dwells, but we know that the
stars are not holes to let this brightness
through; they are created bodies of light.
We read in Genesis 1 that when God
created the sun and the moon, "He made
the stars also. "
Some ancient peoples believed that the
stars were the lanterns of their mythical
gods and that the heroes of their stories
lived in the constellations of stars.
From ancient times men have used stars
in navigation. You remember that wise
men from the East, about whom we read
in Matthew 2, were guided to the Christ
Child by an unusual star.
Not until the telescope was invented in the
1600s did people realize that there were
billions of stars besides the ones they
could see with the naked eye.
Astronomers tell us that there are 100
billion stars in our galaxy alone, while
some other galaxies contain even more.
Astronomers estimate that there are at
least 80 billion galaxies in the universe.
We cannot even imagine the billions of
stars in the universe. The amazing thing
is that God has not only created them all
but also calls them all by name.
CIRCLE THE CORRECT ANSWER.
1. Charles Dickens was brought up?
a. in wealth
b. in poverty
c. with educational advantages
d. in prison
2. How many children were in the Dickens
family?
a. 6 c. 8
b. 7 d. 9
3. Mr. Dickens was put into prison for?
a. stealing c. murder
b. not paying his debts d. treason
4. Charles was on his own at the age of?
a. nine c. sixteen
b. eleven d. eighteen
READ & THINK
SKILL SHEETS 5____________________________________________________________
196
5. Charles worked at a?
a. bakery c. cobbler shop
b. bookstore d. blacking establishment
6. Roaming the streets of London
prepared Charles for?
a. a life of crime c. his life's work of writing
b. marriage d. prison reform
7. When Charles attended school, he was
known for his?
a. jokes c. good looks
b. athletic ability d. storytelling ability
8. In order to be a good reporter, Charles
studied?
a. typing c. poetry
b. shorthand d. law
9. Charles Dickens's first outstanding literary
success was?
a. A Christmas Carol c. Oliver Twist
b. David Copperfield d. Pickwick Papers
10. Charles Dickens proved that success comes
from?
a. wealth
b. luck
e. being in an important family
d. hard work
Directions: You have 3 1/2 minutes to
read the selection and answer the
questions. Do not begin reading until your
teacher gives the signal.
Note these words before you begin.
critic: a judge of literary works
pathos (pā'dhōs'): a quality that awakens
pity or sympathy
conceive: to form in one's mind
FAME COMES TO CHARLES DICKENS
Charles Dickens became famous overnight
when his Pickwick Papers came out in the
newspaper. The adventures of Mr.
Pickwick and his friends were humorous
and true to life. It seemed as if everyone
read and talked about them.
Charles continued to write, amazing his
critics with the number of works he wrote.
Many of his stories, such as Oliver Twist,
showed the lives of the children of the
slums, with whom he had close
acquaintance. England had never had
such books that presented the pathos of
everyday life while at the same time em-
phasizing home, love, and honor. Most of
his books were novels, although he wrote
a number of plays and other books as
well.
Dickens was the first great English
novelist to visit America, where he was
received with such admiration that he
enjoyed no privacy whatsoever. Back in
England, he conceived the idea of writing
an annual Christmas story. A Christmas
Carol is still giving inspiration and joy to
readers all over the world. For several
years Dickens wrote a new Christmas
story for his readers every Christmas, but
he is best known for his story of Scrooge
and Tiny Tim.
Charles Dickens walked one hour for every
hour he wrote. It is estimated that his
walks in the country and on the streets of
London during his lifetime numbered over
200,000 miles.
This great writer obtained satisfaction, not
from the riches his writing brought him,
but from doing his work well and inspiring
better living conditions, especially for little
READ & THINK
SKILL SHEETS 5____________________________________________________________
197
children. His books are classics-they live
on even today although their author died
many years ago.
CIRCLE THE CORRECT ANSWER.
I. Pickwick Papers first appeared as?
a. a play c. a newspaper serial
b. poetry d. a book
2. The people of England enjoyed the
adventures of Mr. Pickwick because they were?
a. sophisticated c. fanciful
b. far-fetched d. humorous and true to life
3. Many of Dickens's stories portray?
a. royalty c. extreme poverty
b. wealth d. knights and ladies
4. Most of Dickens's writings were?
a. articles c. poems
b. plays d. novels
5. Mr. Dickens was the first great English
writer to visit?
a. France c. Australia
b. Norway d. America
6. The people of this country received him
with?
a. criticism c. great admiration
b. indifference d. hostility
7. When not writing, Charles Dickens spent
much time?
a. riding c. playing rugby
b. walking d. traveling
8. Charles Dickens wrote?
a. an annual Christmas story
b. Christmas plays
c. operettas
d. stories about religious freedom
9. Through his writings, Charles Dickens
brought about reforms especially for?
a. libraries c. elderly people
b. children d. workers
10. A classic book is a book that?
a. is popular c. lives on
b. is only for schools d. is hard to read
Directions: You have 3 1/2 minutes to
read the selection and answer the
questions. Do not begin reading until your
teacher gives the signal.
Note these words before you begin.
obsolete: out of date
circuit: a journey in a circle
accurate: correct
ACCURACY OF THE BIBLE
Would you believe that in Paris there is a
library containing three miles of science
books, the facts of which are already
obsolete? Old books are important for
their historical value but not for scientific
information, which is constantly changing
as new discoveries are made.
Would you believe that the Bible, parts of
which were written at least three thousand
years ago, is up to date scientifically?
Galileo discovered in 1630 that air has
weight, but Job talked about this many
years before that: "To make the weight
for the winds," we read in Job 28:25.
Until the Phoenicians were bold enough to
sail around Africa, people insisted that the
earth was flat and that to go beyond the
Mediterranean would result in certain
disaster. Yet 2,500 years ago, Isaiah
stated that the earth is round (Isaiah
40:22). Galileo discovered in 1630 that
winds have regular circuits, but Solomon
spoke of this principle many years before
READ & THINK
SKILL SHEETS 5____________________________________________________________
198
Christ, as recorded in Ecclesiastes 1:6.
Although the Bible is not a science book,
when it speaks of scientific laws it is 100
percent accurate -not like the three miles
of outdated science books in Paris based
on man's ideas!
CIRCLE THE CORRECT ANSWER.
1. In a Paris library there are three miles of
science books that are?
a. up to date c. interesting
b. no longer accurate d. moldy
2. Old books are important for?
a. historical information c. antique dealers
b. scientific information d. old people
3. Scientific information constantly changes
because of?
a. computers c. new discoveries
b. new books d. television
4. The only ancient writings that are
scientifically accurate are?
a. historical novels
b. the works of the Phoenicians
c. the Scriptures
d. Greek mythology
5. Galileo's discovery in 1630 that air has
weight was mentioned in the Bible many years
before by?
a. Abraham c. Daniel
b. Job d. Paul
6. Who were the first people to sail around
Africa?
a. the Chinese c. the Vikings
b. the Romans d. the Phoenicians
7. Isaiah stated that the earth was round?
a. 2,500 years ago c. during the days of Jesus
b. 1,000 years ago d. during the Dark Ages
8. Solomon spoke of wind circuits many years
before Christ in the book of?
a. Proverbs c. Psalms
b. Song of Solomon d. Ecclesiastes
9. The Bible is scientifically accurate?
a. sometimes c. always
b. never d. often
10. You can put your confidence in?
a. the latest scientific discoveries
b. old theories
c. television reports
d. the Bible
Directions: You have 3 1/2 minutes to
read the selection and answer the
questions. Do not begin reading until your
teacher gives the signal.
YOUNG MAN WITH A PURPOSE
William Booth of Nottingham, England,
had to quit school and go to work at a
pawnshop when he was thirteen years old.
He felt sorry for the poor people who had
to pawn their treasures in order to get
necessary money.
When he was fifteen, his father died,
leaving William the man of the family.
William thought often about death after
his father died. If he died, where would
he go? His mother told him not to worry-
he was a good boy and would go to
Heaven-but William was not convinced.
He began to attend services at a chapel,
where he learned that nobody is good
enough to go to Heaven. Only those who
trust in Jesus' sacrifice for them can be
saved. William gladly did this, telling God
that He could have all of William Booth.
As soon as he was converted, William
began to share his faith with others. He
READ & THINK
SKILL SHEETS 5____________________________________________________________
199
preached on the streets to all who would
listen. Soon he had a following of ragged
boys. When he took them to church with
him, the well-dressed worshipers were
displeased. A deacon told William to seat
his ragged friends where the respectable
people could not see them.
William Booth began to dream of starting
a church for poor folks. Besides preaching
the gospel to the poor, he also wanted to
help them with their daily problems.
Many years passed before his dream came
true, but finally he began the gospel
organization known as the Salvation
Army. He and his fellow workers eventu-
ally provided lodging houses for the
homeless, jobs for the unemployed, and
food for the hungry. He waged war
against evils such as liquor. The Salvation
Army spread to many countries of the
world and gave aid to millions.
CIRCLE THE CORRECT ANSWER.
1. William Booth grew up in the English city of?
a. London c. Birmingham
b. Bristol d. Nottingham
2. He had to quit school and go to work when
he was?
a. twelve c. fifteen
b. thirteen d. seventeen
3. He worked at a?
a. bakery c. factory
b. pawnshop d. blacksmith shop
4. His father died when he was?
a. thirteen c. sixteen
b. fifteen d. seventeen
5. After that William worried about?
a. making money c. death
b. his education d. his family
6. At the chapel he learned he could go to
Heaven by?
a. being good c. supporting his family
b. preaching d. trusting in Jesus
7. After he was converted, William began?
a. to attend school c. to take music lessons
b. to preach on the streets d. to write a book
8. When he took a group of ragged boys to
church with him, the other worshipers were?
a. glad c. unconcerned
b. upset d. jealous
9. William's dream was to?
a. get rich c. start a church for poor people
b. start an orphanage d. get married
10. Besides preaching to people, the Salvation
Army?
a. supports museums
b. gives scholarships
c. operates travel agencies
d. helps people with daily problems
Directions: You have 3 1/2 minutes to
read the selection and answer the
questions. Do not begin reading until your
teacher gives the signal.
Note these words before you begin.
staff: a support
nobility: people with titles, such as dukes
and lords
gentry: landowners; in rank, just below
the nobility friar: a monk ,
THE STAFF OF LIFE
If you could have only one kind of food,
which should you choose? Probably bread.
Bread is called "the staff of life"because it
is such an important food.
The ingredient in bread that makes it light
is yeast, thought to have been discovered
READ & THINK
SKILL SHEETS 5____________________________________________________________
200
by the Egyptians many years ago. Yeast
causes the dough to get bigger, or
expand, making it light.
Since china dishes were not known during
the Middle Ages, slices of bread were used
as plates by the rich and after dinner were
thrown to the dogs or given to the
servants. During part of the Middle Ages,
only royalty were allowed to eat fresh
bread. Those of the nobility were
permitted day-old bread, gentry ate two-
day-old bread, and scholars and friars got
three-day-old bread; the poor peasants
had to be content with bread four days
old.
The English baked bread without yeast to
take on ocean voyages because bread
without yeast does not mold. We are told
that this bread was made in huge batches
and mixed by a man jumping on it in his
bare feet. How would you like a
trampoline like that?
In order for the yeast to do its work,
bread dough must be kept warm. Long
ago, French farm families mixed their
dough in long troughs. To keep the dough
warm, the farmer's wife covered it with a
sheet and slept on top of it.
The Bible frequently mentions bread. In
John 6:51 we learn that as bread can
meet our physical needs, the Living Bread
can meet our spiritual needs. Jesus
said,"I am the living bread which came
down from Heaven: if any man eat of this
bread,he shall live for ever. " Even more
than we need the staff of life in our
stomachs, we need the Bread of Life in
our hearts.
CIRCLE THE CORRECT ANSWER.
1. What is bread often called?
a. the rod and staff c. prisoner's fare
b. a staple d. the staff of life
2. Yeast makes the dough?
a. get smaller c. dry out
b. get bigger d. spoil
3. Yeast gives bread?
a. taste c. nutrition
b. lightness d. color
4. Yeast was first used by the ancient?
a. Babylonians c. Egyptians
b. Greeks d. Romans
5. During the Middle Ages, rich people used
bread for?
a. bird feed c. money
b. ornaments d. plates
6. During part of the Middle Ages, the only
ones, allowed to eat freshly baked bread were?
a. royalty c. gentry
b. nobles d. friars
7. The English baked bread without yeast to
take on sea voyages because it? a. took up
less space c. was tastier
b. didn't mold d. cost less
8. The way the English mixed large batches of
this bread reminds us of a?
a. bicycle c. trampoline
b. diving board d. bed
9. In olden days, French women covered their
bread and lay on it?
a. because it was soft c. because they were tired
b. to hide it d. to keep it warm
10. What is the Bread of Life that we need in
our hearts?
a. angels c. Jesus
b. blood d. nutritious foods
READ & THINK
SKILL SHEETS 5____________________________________________________________
201
Directions: You have 3 1/2 minutes to
read the selection and answer the
questions. Do not begin reading until your
teacher gives the signal.
Note these words before you begin.
intent: determined
occupant: one who lives in a place
A Worm Who Lives in a House
The caddis worm, which turns into a
caddis fly or moth, would be quite
unprotected were it not for his house. The
amazing thing is that the tiny white worm
carries his house about with him. No, it is
not a shell such as the snail has, but
rather something like a mobile home or a
house boat.
Down on the bottom of the pond, the
worm manufactures a structure like a
wicker basket from stiff, peeled roots.
After making a framework, he saws the
roots into little sticks with his jaws. He
plasters these sticks on his basketlike
structure until he has a neat little log
cabin in which to live.
Although the caddis worm's house cannot
float at first, when the worm sticks part of
his body out of his front door, the empty
part of the house fills with air. Slowly the
house and the worm begin to float up to
the top of the pond.
Floating about on the top of the pond, the
caddis worm uses the front part of his
body as a paddle and rudder to steer
himself. When he wants to return to the
bottom of the pond, all he has to do is
wriggle back into his house, and down he
goes! When water beetles pounce upon
the caddis worm's house, intent on tearing
it to shreds and eating the occupant, the
tiny white worm slips out his front door
and escapes right between the legs of his
enemy.
CIRCLE THE CORRECT ANSWER.
1. The caddis worm builds his house of?
a. mud c. weeds
b. shell d. peeled roots
2. His house looks like a miniature?
a. church c. coffin
b. log cabin d. bell
3. His protection is his?
a. color c. house
b. odor d. sting
4. The caddis worm?
a. turns into a moth c. turns into a water
beetle
b. stays a worm d. turns into a tadpole
5. This interesting creature builds his house?
a. at the bottom of the pond c. In a hollow log
b. in a tree d. at the top of the pond
6. The caddis worm is?
a. red c. black
b. tan d. white
7. To build his house, he uses his?
a. saliva c. feet
b. jaws d. friends
8. When the caddis worm sticks part of his
body out of his house, the house?
a. sinks c. floats
b. flies d. crumbles
9. The caddis worm's enemies are?
a. fishermen c. water beetles
b. children d. birds
10. He escapes from his enemy by?
a. fighting
b. slipping out his front door
c. sinking to the bottom of the pond
d. hiding in the weeds
READ & THINK
SKILL SHEETS 5____________________________________________________________
202
Directions: You have 3 1/2 minutes to
read the selection and answer the
questions. Do not begin reading until your
teacher gives the signal.
Note these words before you begin.
Roentgen (rĕnt'gən)
denounce: to express disapproval of
ridicule: to make fun of
pelt: to throw things at
clergy: ministers
NEW INVENTIONS
Would you believe that a man named
Joshua Coppersmith was arrested in New
York for promoting the idea of
transmitting voices over a wire and trying
to raise money for the project?
Would you believe that the first baby
buggy, invented by Charles Burton, was
outlawed as a traffic hazard?
Would you believe that the German
scientist William Roentgen, who
discovered X-rays, was denounced as a
man who wanted to invade the privacy of
people and see into their bedrooms?
Would you believe that it took one
hundred years after the fork was adopted
in Italy for England to accept its use? The
English ridiculed the Italians as sissies
who could not bear to get their hands
greasy.
Would you believe that the first man to
walk down a London street carrying an
umbrella was ridiculed and pelted with
garbage?
Would you believe that spectacles, in spite
of their usefulness, were not readily
accepted by people at first? Doctors
believed them to be harmful to the eyes.
The clergy believed wearing them in an
effort to restore failing eyesight was an
act of rebellion toward God.
Would you believe that when the Wright
brothers flew their first airplane, they
could not even get the newspaper to print
the news at first? The story was just too
unbelievable.
CIRCLE THE CORRECT ANSWER.
1. People thought Joshua Coppersmith's idea of
transmitting voices over a wire was?
a. unlawful c. interesting
b. ingenious d. sensible
2. The first baby buggy invented was outlawed
as being?
a. afire hazard c. a waste of money
b. a traffic hazard d. unhealthful
3. The English were how many years behind
the Italians in adopting the use of the fork?
a. two years c. fifty years
b. ten years d. one hundred years
4. The first man to walk down a London street
carrying an umbrella was?
a. cheered c. arrested
b. pelted with garbage d. chased
5. When spectacles were first invented, doctors
believed they were?
a. a wonderful invention c. unsanitary
b. only for looks d. harmful to the eyes
6. Preachers thought that trying to restore
failing eyesight with spectacles was?
a. impossible c. useless
b. defiance against God d. ridiculous
7. The German scientist William Roentgen
READ & THINK
SKILL SHEETS 5____________________________________________________________
203
discovered?
a. spectacles c. X-rays
b. the microscope d. the telephone
8. Why did newspapers fail to print the story of
the first airplane?
a. They were jealous.
b. They did not believe it.
c. They were afraid of being ridiculed.
d. They ran out of ink.
9. The first X-rays were denounced as
destroying people's?
a. cells c. tissues
b. privacy d. personality
10. The main point of this article is that often
people?
a. dislike inventors
b. are slow to accept new ideas
c. lie to reporters
d. immediately praise new inventions
Directions: You have 3 1/2 minutes to
read the selection and answer the
questions. Do not begin reading until your
teacher gives the signal.
Note these words before you begin.
loam: rich soil
silt: mud deposits
humus (hū'məs): the part of soil resulting
from decayed plants and animals
remnant: the part left over
ORDINARY SOIL
We take some of the wonders of God's
creation for granted, not stopping to
consider what miracles they are. One of
these is the soil that produces our food.
There are different kinds of soil, each one
particularly suited to certain crops: sandy
soil, sandy loam, silt loam, clay, and
humus.
Soil is a combination of ground-up
particles of rock mixed with the decayed
remnants of plants and animals. When
plants and animals die, they are received
back into the earth and become a part of
the soil. They then serve as a natural
fertilizer for new plant life.
Soil is so common that we do not stop to
think of the miracles taking place in it
every day. For six thousand years or
more, it has produced grains, vegetables,
fruit, trees for lumber, and a multitude of
other products. Look around your home
or school and you will discover that nearly
everything you see is made from products
of the soil. The amazing thing is that even
after producing these many products, the
soil remains to do its job over and over
again.
Windstorms and floods move topsoil from
one place to another, but the basic soil
remains the same year after year, quietly
doing the work God created it to do.
Mountains of food and other necessary
products are produced annually from the
soil that we take for granted.
God promised that soil would continue to
produce food year after year. "While the
earth remaineth, seedtime and
harvest…shall not cease" (Genesis 8:22).
We should be thankful for ordinary soil. It
is one of the wonders of God's creation.
CIRCLE THE CORRECT ANSWER.
READ & THINK
SKILL SHEETS 5____________________________________________________________
204
1. We tend to take soil for granted because it
is?
a. common c. a nuisance
b. dirty d. useful
2. The production of food from the soil is?
a. the result of man's cleverness
b. a miracle of God
c. an accident of nature
d. the result of science
3. Dead animals and plants?
a. ruins the soil c. make the soil richer
b. clog the soil d. disappear
4. The desk you are writing on originated in?
a. man's mind c. the soil
b. the sea d. space
5. How many kinds of soil are there?
a. one kind c. three kinds
b. two kinds d. more than three kinds
6. In God's careful management of His creation
nothing is ever?
a. used twice c. wasted
b. certain d. necessary
7. Which of the following is a kind of soil?
a. asteroid c. okra
b. humus d. cumulus
8. What force moves topsoil?
a. heat c. wind and floods
b. snow d. freezing temperatures
9. Over hundreds of years the soil?
a. completely changes
b. remains basically the same
c. stops producing crops
d. disappears
10. God promised that as long as the earth
remains so will?
a. travel c. Schools
b. the growing of food d. fishing
Directions: You have 3 1/2 minutes to
read the selection and answer the
questions. Do not begin reading until your
teacher gives the signal.
Note these words before you begin.
inhabitant: one that lives in a place
recast: remade by pouring the liquid
metal into a mold again
Over one million people a year go to
Liberty Bell Pavilion in Philadelphia to see
the famous Liberty Bell, which is three
feet tall and weighs over a ton. The bell
was made in England and then brought to
America in 1752 to be put in the new
State House (now called Independence
Hall) in Philadelphia. Around the top of
the bell was inscribed the verse from
Leviticus,"Proclaim liberty throughout all
the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.
"The Pennsylvania Assembly purchased
the bell in celebration of William Penn's
charter of privileges.
Unfortunately, when the huge bell was
first rung, it cracked and had to be recast.
Since the recast bell clanged instead of
rang, it was taken down again for
recasting. At last the bell rang clearly,
calling the people of Philadelphia to
sessions of leg slature, funerals, and other
important events.
No one thought to ring the bell on July 4,
1776, when the Declaration of
Independence was adopted, but four days
later it rang out with other bells all over
the nation announcing the Declaration to
all.
During the War for Independence, the
READ & THINK
SKILL SHEETS 5____________________________________________________________
205
British silenced the Liberty Bell by taking it
out of its tower and carting it to
Allentown, Pennsylvania. There for nearly
a year it was hidden under the floor of a
church.
Afert the wan the bell was returned to its
tower in Philadelphia and rung faitlifuily
every Fourth of July and on other
important occasions until it severely
cracked again in 1846. Too brittle to ring
any longer, the bell rested at
Independence Hall until January 1, 1976,
when it was moved to the pavilion. This
great bell serves to remind thousands of
Americans each year of their "liberty
throughout all the land. "
ORAL LENGUAGE EXERCISE__________________________________________________
206
LANGUAGE
A. BEKA BOOK PUBLICATIONS
AMINISTRY OF PENSACOLA
CHRISTIAN COLLEGE PENSACOLA.
FLORIDA 3252223.
. Beka Book Publications
a ministry of Pensacola Christian
College
Pensacola, Florida 32522
Copyright 1982 Williams A. Kappele
all rights reserved. printed in U. S. A
2001 C00
No part of this publications may be
reproducer or transmited in any form or
by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including, photocopy, recording, or any
information storage and retrieval system,
or by license from any collective or
licensing body, without permission in
writing from the publisher.
A. Beta book, a Christian textbook
ministry of pensacola Christian college is
desinneg to meet the need for Christian
textbook and teaching aids. the purpose of
this publishing ministry is to help Christian
schools reach children and young people
for the lord and train them in the
christian way of life.
EXERCISE 4. 2
1 . Bill writes very badly.
6. Sue's dress had a bad stai
2. Bill's writing is very bad.
7. Molly feels well today.
3. Terry writes very well.
8. Sharon feels bad today.
4. Terry's writing is very good.
9. He hit the ball badly.
5. Sue's dress was badly stained
10. He is a bad hitter.
EXERCISE 4. 3
1 . That is a very bad painting.
6. How good was the job?
2. The artist did the painting badly.
7. How bad was her injury?
3. How well did he do the job?
8. Was she hurt badly?
4. Did he do a good job?
9. Was it a good job?
5. Did he do the job well?
10. Was the job done well?
EXERCISE 4. 4
1. Is Joan feeling well?
6. The tennis match was plak
2. Is Joan feeling bad?
7. John's leg was badly brok
3. His sweater was badly torn.
A
ORAL LENGUAGE EXERCISE
Grades One throgh Six
ORAL LENGUAGE EXERCISE__________________________________________________
207
8. The break in his leg was i
4. How bad a tear was it?
9. He did a good job.
5. That was a good tennis match.
10. The job was done well.
EXERCISE 4. 5
1. Did you do well on the test?
6. It was a very bad wreck.
2. Did you make a good grade?
7. Jerry doesn't feel well tod
3. Were you treated badly?
8. He has not been well for
4. How bad was your treatment?
9. Is that a good painting?
5. The car was badly wrecked.
10. The painting was done ve