Unit 4.2 Stack C Practice

This question has two parts. First answer Part A. Then, answer Part B.

 

Part A

How does the author develop Melodious’ perspective about her musical talent?

• The author includes actions, such as Melodious winning the county music contest and making the town proud, to explain how competitive Melodious was when it came to singing.

• The author includes thoughts to explain that Melodious practiced her singing even in dangerous weather.

• The author includes actions, such as Melodious winning the county music contest and making the town proud, to show how talented she was at singing and how she enjoyed sharing her talents with the town.

• The author includes events, such as Melodious tossing up a tornado and blowing away a blizzard, to explain how the weather provided Melodious her musical talent.

Answer explanation

Ⓐ While Melodious did win music contests in the text, there is no evidence to support the idea that this action proved she was a competitive singer. 

Ⓑ The author did include thoughts about her singing and the town’s bad weather, but did not show that she practiced singing in dangerous weather.

Ⓒ The author did include these actions in the story to show readers what a talented singer Melodious was and how much she enjoyed sharing her talents with others.

Ⓓ While the author did discuss an event where Melodious protected the town from bad weather, the text did not show that the weather was the reason for her singing talent.

Part B

Select evidence from the text that supports the development of Melodious’ perspective about her musical talent.

• “Melodious loved to sing, and won the county singing contest every year, which made the whole town pretty proud and was something she felt good about.” (Paragraph 3)

• “After that, Melodious could not make a sound.” (Paragraph 5)

• “Believe me, they were pretty good before, but after Melodious carved them bigger, those were five really GREAT lakes.” (Paragraph 11)

• “All the wind she had deep down inside her from the chimney episode came out in a rush that blew that blizzard way up north. (Paragraph 9)

Answer explanation

Ⓐ This answer supports the fact that Melodious was a talented singer who enjoyed making her town proud.

Ⓑ This answer does not support the Melodious’ perspective on her talents as it only discusses an event where she was unable to sing,

Ⓒ  This detail shows that Melodious was kind and used her talent to carve lakes to help the town, however this does not show her perspective about her musical talent.

Ⓓ This detail describes an event that happened to Melodious does not provide evidence about how it developed her perspective about her musical talents.

This question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then, answer Part B. 

Part A 

How does the characterization of Melodious contribute to the plot?

• Melodious is courageous and kind to others which allows her to take action in the face of danger and save her community.

• Melodious is clever and desperate which leads to her giving up when faced with a challenge.

• Melodious is selfish and has a negative attitude which leads to her using the weather to control the town.

• Melodious is intelligent but shy which leads to her understanding what needs to be done to save the town but being unable to do it.

Answer explanation

Ⓐ Throughout the text, Melodious is characterized as brave as she attempts to save the town from dangerous weather. She is also kind when her voice returns and she is able to carve out beautiful lakes with her voice.

Ⓑ Melodious does show that she is clever in the text, however there is no evidence that she was desperate or that she ever gave up on saving the town from the dangerous weather. 

Ⓒ Melodious was not selfish  or negative in the story. She doesn’t allow the weather to control the town. Rather, she saves the town from the weather.

Ⓓ Melodious shows her intelligence in the story, but there is no evidence she was shy and she was able to save the town.

Part B

Select two details from the text that support the contribution from Part A.

• “Melodious kept growing faster than a weed in a patch of peppers, but it was her sweet voice that got people clucking like hens. ” (Paragraph 2) 

• “So she grabbed hold and tossed that tornado up so high, it had to fight with the clouds to get back down.” (Paragraph 7) 

• “That girl was so small, her mama had to use a sunflower-seed shell as a cradle.” (Paragraph 2)

• “Melodious loved to sing, and won the county singing contest every year, which made the whole town pretty proud.” (Paragraph 3)

• “After I blew that blizzard up north, I went up there and carved a few lakes a little bigger. That way, when the snow melts it has a place to go,” said Melodious.” (Paragraph 11)

Answer explanation

In row one, the detail describes how quickly Melodious grew when she was a baby and how beautiful her voice was. While these things did happen, they are not examples of her bravery or her kindness.

In row two, the detail describes a heroic act that happened in the story that involved Melodious catching a tornado and fighting to keep it from hurting the town. This detail supports the characterization tha she is courageous and kind.

In row three, the detail discussed how she was so small that her mother had to use a shell as a cradle. This does not support the characterization of her being courageous or kind.

In row four,  the detail tells the reader how much Melodious loved to sing and how proud the town was when she won singing contests. While this did happen and shows that she is talented, this detail does not provide evidence to support she was courageous or kind.

In row five, this detail shows that Melodious not only saved the town from the blizzard but that she also carved lakes so that another blizzard does not hurt the town. This detail is evidence of her courage to fight the weather and the kindness she showed to the town by working to prevent another disaster.

Select two details that should be included in the summary of the text.

• Melodious was the most incredible person who showed courage and kindness to others.

•  Melodious carved new lakes to avoid flooding when the snow melts again.

• Melodious lost her voice when she sucked up the wind from the chimney to save her parents.

• The wind came howling one night and blew right into the cabin where the Carlsons lived.

• When the county singing contest came to town Melodious did not encourage other singers because she was unable to sing herself.

Answer explanation

In the first row, this summary statement includes an opinion and should be eliminated.

In the second row,  this detail is an important event that shows how kind Melodious was to the people in her town. It should be included.

In the third row, this detail shows how she risked her life to save her parents.

In the fourth row, the detail describes the strength of the wind which is not a significant event in the story.

In the fifth row, the statement is untrue. She did encourage the other singers when she was unable to sing.

Number the events in chronological order (first, second, third, fourth):

___ Melodious blew away a blizzard using the air she sucked up from the chimney.

___ Melodious lost her voice when she sucked up the wind from the chimney to save her parents.

___ Melodious carved lakes so the snow had a place to go and would not hurt the town. Like Melodious, the reader learns that by using the power of your voice you may be able to overcome many challenges.

___ Melodious loved to sing and made her town proud every time she won a singing contest.