Excerpt from "The Eclipse"

Which idea is supported by information in the passage?

• The author is inspired by the appearance of the stars during daytime.
  

• The author is nervous about the weather making the eclipse barely visible.
  

• The author notes that animals seem unaware of the changes that signal the eclipse.

• The author believes predictions of dangerous weather caused people to lose interest.

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.6

CCSS.RI.8.9

CCSS.RL.8.6

CCSS.RI.7.9

CCSS.RL.7.6

Which idea must be included in a summary of the passage?

• the impact of sunlight on the total effect of the eclipse
  

• the anticipation of the eclipse by the total population
  

• the sadness the narrator feels when the sky becomes dark
  

• the fading sunlight which allows viewing of the eclipse without pain

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

Which paragraph best supports the idea that some people were unsure they would get to see the eclipse?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Which quotation demonstrates the key effect of the eclipse upon the author?

• 1. “. . . the whole population was in a state of anxious expectation for weeks before the event.” (paragraph 2)

• 1. “The heavens were still absolutely cloudless, and a more brilliant day had never shone in our own bright

     climate.” (paragraph 4)

• 1. “For a second, I believed it to be an optical illusion, but in another instant, I saw that it was plainly a star.”

     (paragraph 6)

• 1. “. . . the aurora borealis, and a solar eclipse never fail to give us a peculiar feeling, different from that with

     which we observe any other spectacles on the earth.” (paragraph 8)

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.2.6

Read the sentence below from paragraph 3.

A passing cloud might veil the grand vision from our sight; . . .
Which phrase from paragraph 8 has a similar meaning as might veil the grand vision?

• “revealed in its greatest distinctness”

• “so nearly obscuring the sun”
  

• “something instinctive in the feeling”

• “man gazes at the heavens”

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

How does the structure of paragraphs 7-8 contribute to the meaning of the passage?

• 1. Paragraph 7 describes the author’s deep fear, and paragraph 8 describes the elation of seeing an eclipse.

• 1. Paragraph 7 reveals the climax of the passage, and paragraph 8 conveys the author’s personal reflections

     on the eclipse.

• 1. Paragraph 7 highlights the judgment of the author’s brother, and paragraph 8 describes the physical

     characteristics of sunlight.

• 1. Paragraph 7 asserts that rainbows are more difficult to observe than eclipses, and paragraph 8 compares

     the beauty of an eclipse to the magnificence of the sun.

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.7

CCSS.RI.8.7

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.7

CCSS.RL.7.7

Which phrase from paragraph 5 helps the author to build a tone of anticipation?

• “before the gates of our own property”
  

• “sun lay a little to the south and east”
  

• “gradual approach of darkness”
  

• “the absolutely transparent state of the heavens”

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.5.4

How does the author’s point of view influence his purpose?

• 1. His point of view is personal, so it produces a level of fear about the presence of stars during the daylight hours.

• 1. His point of view is objective, so it leads the reader to reach conclusions that contradict the evidence he produces.

• 1. His point of view is personal, so it adds credibility to his conclusions about the spectacular nature of solar eclipses.

• 1. His point of view is objective, so it encourages the reader to question the evidence that he provides about animal responses to eclipses.

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.9

CCSS.RL.8.6

CCSS.RI.8.6

CCSS.RI. 9-10.6

CCSS.RL.7.6