SC Ready ELA Released Items: Mark Twain Reveals Stage Fright

Read the sentence from William Safire’s introduction to the speech. 
“He came and went with Halley’s Comet, which appeared in 1835 and 1910.”
What does the figurative language in the sentence mean?

• Mark Twain was born in 1835 and died in 1910.
• Mark Twain’s popularity reached its peak in 1835 and again in 1910.
• Mark Twain had the luck to witness a rare event in 1835 and in 1910.
• Mark Twain’s work had a significant influence on literature between 1835 and 1910.

In Twain’s speech, what is the main function of the first sentence of the second paragraph?

• to emphasize an internal conflict 
• to introduce an extended flashback
• to reveal the speaker’s point of view 
• to highlight the speaker’s purpose

Which words from the second paragraph of the speech best help the reader understand the meaning of the word malady?

• “knees” and “shaking”
• “whether” and “stand”
• “awful” and “seasickness”
• “fright” and “pair”

Which quotation best describes the connection between Twain’s first speech and the speech he gave in 1906?

• “By a direct process of memory I go back forty years, less one month—for I’m older than I look.”
• “I knew that nothing short of compulsion would get me to the theater. So I bound myself by a hard-and-fast contract so that I could not escape.”
• “I had stage fright then for the first and last time. I was only seasick once, too.”
• “But I shall never forget my feelings before the agony left me, and I got up here to thank you for her for helping my daughter, by your kindness, to live through her first appearance.”

Which statement best describes how Twain develops the central idea of the speech?

• Twain shows the severity of a problem by comparing it to an illness.
• Twain explains how to solve a problem by offering advice based on his life.
• Twain calls attention to his accomplishments by pointing out his failures.
• Twain illustrates a common problem by telling a story about his experiences.

What is the best description of the shift in tone that occurs in the last sentence of the speech?

• from sincere to playful
• from respectful to proud
• from humble to contented
• from formal to sentimental

16. Part One
In Twain’s first speech, what can be inferred to have happened when he delivered the “moving, pathetic part” of the speech?
 

• The governor’s wife expressed embarrassment in the author’s story.
• The governor’s wife expressed amusement toward the author’s words. 
•  The audience was moved to tears.
• The audience began to whisper.

16. Part Two
Which sentence from the speech best supports the answer in Part One? Choose one answer. 

• “I got to the theater forty-five minutes before the hour set for the lecture.” 
• “It was on a little ship on which there were two hundred other passengers.”
• “She was to watch me intently, and whenever I glanced toward her she was going to deliver a gubernatorial laugh that would lead the whole audience into applause.”
• “I had the manuscript tucked under a United States flag in front of me where I could get at it in case of need.”