Elements of Drama: The Miracle Worker (EDG)

Read the excerpt from Between the Silver and the Ash.

XAVIER

(Alarmed) You told? You promised me you wouldn’t. Oh, man, this could be disastrous!

KENNETH

Calm down. I didn’t tell. I sneaked. I waited until Ms. Wilmore went to help somebody, then I sneaked the book off the shelf and copied the thing. Then I had to wait forever until she went to help somebody else in the newspaper section so I could sneak it back.

XAVIER

Great. Thanks. I’m sorry I panicked. I can’t risk anybody else knowing about it.

KENNETH

Yeah, I know. Anyway, why don’t you sit down by one of your precious trees and I’ll read this thing to you.

XAVIER

I can read it.

KENNETH

Not if I don’t give it to you. Just sit down, okay?

What does the dialogue reveal about Kenneth?

• He wants to control the situation.

• He appreciates Xavier’s apology.

• He recognizes the beauty of nature.

• He feels frightened of Xavier.

Read the excerpt from Between the Silver and the Ash.

They sit in silence. The sound of the brook gets louder. Suddenly, XAVIER jumps up and runs to the back of the stage between the trees.

XAVIER

The joyous sounds of spring. The joyous sounds of the spring. The spring!

KENNETH

(Jumping up) Where rocks and pebbles sing. The water going over the rocks and pebbles. And you can't get to it in wintertime because the spring is frozen then.

XAVIER

(From behind the trees) The treasure is in the spring, between the ash tree and the silver beech.

Which detail from the setting best advances the action of the scene?

• sit in silence

• brook gets louder

• back of the stage

• from behind the trees

Read the scene from Between the Silver and the Ash.

They sit in silence. The sound of the brook gets louder. Suddenly, XAVIER jumps up and runs to the back of the stage between the trees.

How do these stage directions add meaning to the play?

• by explaining the historical time period

• by describing the characters’ friendship

• by showing how Xavier reacts to Kenneth

• by providing a clue that uncovers the treasure

Read the excerpt from Between the Silver and the Ash.

The scene is a clearing in a forest. There are two or three trees toward the back of the stage. It is the middle of the day, but the tree canopy shades much of the clearing. We hear the sound of birds and a brook, and then footsteps. Kenneth enters, a sheet of paper in his hand, and looks around.

Which element of drama does the author use in this excerpt?

• dialogue that reveals personalities

• stage directions that set the scene

• stage directions that reveal emotion

• dialogue that shows background information

Read the excerpt from Between the Silver and the Ash.

KENNETH

But if she found it . . .

XAVIER

She put something else there. Just for me. She died last year, you know. She put something in the hiding place for me before she died. I've been following her clues for a year. This is the last one.

KENNETH

Why didn't she just give it to you? Whatever it is?

XAVIER

She said I needed to learn persistence. I always gave up on things. So she hid her gift in the forest so I would learn to persevere.

KENNETH

Well, it doesn't look like you're going to get it, no matter what.

Which is the best description of Xavier, based on this excerpt?

• He trusts Kenneth to help him.

• He is determined to find the treasure.

• He believes they will be unsuccessful.

• He is unwilling to assist Kenneth.

Read the excerpt from “On the Mountain.”

Jess had done enough climbing to know that most accidents happen when you're going downhill, so she was careful as she headed back. The first mile or so was easy, but during the second mile, she began to get a little nervous. As she went farther down, she began to be less frustrated with Will. He was her climbing companion, and he was supposed to stay with her, but the reverse was true, too. She had abandoned him there on the path. For all she knew, something could have happened to him. Feeling worried, Jess moved faster down the mountain.

Which statement provides the best summary of the scene?

• Jess is frustrated with Will, so she rushes down the mountain.

• Jess becomes less angry with Will and begins to think about his safety.

• Jess feels guilty for abandoning her climbing companion.

• Jess slows down as the trail unexpectedly narrows during the second mile.

Read this scene from The Miracle Worker Act 3.

(ANNIE is now alone on the stage. She turns, gazing around at the stripped room, bidding it silently farewell, impassively, like a defeated general on the deserted battlefield. All that remains is a stand with a basin of water. . . .)

How do these stage directions add meaning to the play?

• The stage directions show Annie’s manner of speaking.

• The stage directions illustrate the appearance of the room.

• The stage directions reveal the historical time period.

• The stage directions describe how characters react to Annie.

Read the excerpt from “A Journey West.”

However, from the start of our journey, misfortune followed us everywhere. Our first trouble happened in St. Louis when our guide disappeared, taking all the money we paid him!

“What are we going to do?” I asked as I kicked the dirt at my feet. “I don’t want to go back to Louisiana, but I guess we’ll have to. There’s no way for us to get to Kansas now.”

Rosetta looked up, set her shoulders, and said, “Hmmph. Well, we’ve come this far. We’ll just have to go on without him.”

What does the dialogue reveal about Rosetta?

• She believes that the family should return to Louisiana.

• She knows how to get to Kansas without the guide.

• She is angry at Nate for taking them on the journey.

• She feels confident about continuing on to Kansas.

Read this excerpt from a play.

Juan (setting down his backpack and taking a seat at the table): Mom, it’s not like I did it on purpose. I was just practicing my pitching in the yard.

Mrs. Ramirez (heaving a sigh and loudly exhaling): And what have I told you about that?

Juan: I know, I know. Wiffle balls in the yard, baseballs at the park.

Mrs. Ramirez: Well, a wiffle ball would not have broken Mr. Nguyen’s ornamental bird bath.

Juan: So, what should I do about it?

Which line from the play contains stage directions that reveal emotion?

• (setting down his backpack and taking a seat at the table)

• (heaving a sigh and loudly exhaling)

• And what have I told you about that?

• Wiffle balls in the yard, baseballs at the park.

Read the excerpt from Between the Silver and the Ash.

XAVIER

I don't understand. She wanted to be a farmer. I don't. I want to go to college. I want to be a doctor. She knew that.

KENNETH

Maybe you don't understand.

XAVIER

You're right. I don't understand. She gave me a farm. My dad's been trying to buy the Harston farm for two years. For me to farm. I keep telling him I don't want to be a farmer, but he won't listen. And now the one person I thought understood me . . .

KENNETH

Well . . . there's more than one thing you can do with a farm. You don't have to farm it.

XAVIER

Right. What else can you do with a farm besides plow it and plant it and harvest it, over and over again? What can you do with a farm besides farm it?

KENNETH

Sell it.

Which is the best description of Kenneth, based on this excerpt?

• He is impatient with Xavier for not understanding.

• He is trying to convince Xavier to sell the farm.

• He quickly figures out Xavier’s grandmother’s intentions.

• He believes that Xavier’s grandmother wanted Xavier to farm.