Unit 2 Lesson 1 Mastery Check (from Pax, HMH Into Lit Grade 6)

Read this sentence from paragraph 1:

He stretched up from his boy’s lap and sniffed at threads of scent leaking in

through the window, which told him they were now traveling into woodlands.

The figurative language in the sentence emphasizes the —

• fox’s ability to know where they are

• fox’s dislike of being in the car

• way the boy feels about the fox

• way the fox feels about the woodlands

Answer explanation

The figurative language highlights the fox's keen sense of smell, allowing it to detect the scents of the woodlands, indicating its ability to know where they are as they travel.

The word sensitive comes from the Latin word sentire, which means “to feel or perceive.” What does sensitive mean as it is used in paragraph 1?

The fox felt the car slow before the boy did, as he felt everything first.

Through the pads of his paws, along his spine, in the sensitive whiskers at his wrists.

• Able to understand how other animals feel

• Able to have deep feelings or emotions

• Able to perceive small changes in the environment

• Able to see things for a long distance

Answer explanation

In the context, 'sensitive' refers to the fox's ability to perceive small changes in the environment, such as the car slowing down. This aligns with the Latin root 'sentire', meaning to feel or perceive.

Which two inferences can be made from the information in paragraph 7? (Select 2 answers)

The car pulled to the right, and the suitcase beside them shifted. By its scent, the fox knew it held the boy’s clothing and the things from his room he handled most often: the photo he kept on top of his bureau and the items he hid in the bottom drawer. He pawed at a corner, hoping to pry the suitcase open enough for the boy’s weak nose to smell these favored things and be comforted. But just then the car slowed again, this time to a rumbling crawl. The boy slumped forward, his head in his hands.

• The boy and his father will soon be separated.

• The boy’s comfort is very important to the fox.

• The fox’s comfort is very important to the boy.

• The fox does not know the boy very well.

• The boy is going somewhere away from home.

Answer explanation

The fox's desire to comfort the boy by pawing at the suitcase shows that the boy's comfort is very important to the fox. Additionally, the content of the suitcase being items that are of importance to the boy suggests he is going somewhere away from home.

Read this sentence from paragraph 10. The car juddered to a full stop and tilted off to the right, a cloud of dust rising beyond the window. What is another correct way to write this sentence?

• The car juddered to a full stop, tilted off to the right, and a cloud of dust rising beyond the window.

• When the car juddered to a full stop and tilted off to the right, a cloud of dust rose beyond the window.

• The car juddered to a full stop and tilted off to the right. A cloud of dust rising beyond the window.

• The car juddered to a full stop and then it tilted off to the right when a cloud of dust rose beyond the window.

Answer explanation

The correct choice maintains the original meaning while improving clarity. It uses 'rose' instead of 'rising' to indicate the action of the dust, making the sentence grammatically correct and coherent.

Which two statements can be determined about the fox from his reaction in paragraphs 10–11?

10 The car juddered to a full stop and tilted off to the right, a cloud of dust rising beyond the window. The father reached over the seat again, and after saying something to his son in a soft voice that didn’t match his hard lie-scent, he grasped the fox by the scruff of the neck.

11 His boy did not resist, so the fox did not resist. He hung limp and vulnerable in the man’s grasp, although he was now frightened enough to nip. He would not displease his humans today. The father opened the car door and strode over gravel and patchy weeds to the edge of a wood. The boy got out and followed.

• He is very trusting of the boy.

• He likes the boy’s father.

• He is not easily scared or upset.

• He studies humans carefully.

• He enjoys being in the woods.

Answer explanation

The fox's lack of resistance indicates he trusts the boy, as he hangs limp despite being frightened. Additionally, his reaction suggests he observes humans carefully, as he chooses not to nip at the boy's father.

In paragraph 11, the Latin prefix dis- signifies what in the word displease?

His boy did not resist, so the fox did not resist. He hung limp and vulnerable in the man’s grasp, although he was now frightened enough to nip. He would not displease his humans today.

• Emphasis on

• Same as

• Opposite of

• More of

Answer explanation

The prefix 'dis-' in 'displease' indicates the opposite of please. Therefore, 'displease' means to not please or to cause dissatisfaction, making 'opposite of' the correct choice.

What is the point of view in paragraph 1 of the passage?

The fox felt the car slow before the boy did, as he felt everything first. Through the pads of his paws, along his spine, in the sensitive whiskers at his wrists. By the vibrations, he learned also that the road had grown coarser. He stretched up from his boy’s lap and sniffed at threads of scent leaking in through the window, which told him they were now traveling into woodlands. The sharp odors of pine—wood, bark, cones, and needles—slivered through the air like blades, but beneath that, the fox recognized softer clover and wild garlic and ferns, and also a hundred things he had never encountered before but that smelled green and urgent.

• First person, from the boy’s perspective

• First person, from the fox’s perspective

• Third-person limited, from the fox’s perspective

• Third-person omniscient, from the boy’s perspective

Answer explanation

The passage is written in third-person limited point of view, focusing on the fox's perspective. It describes the fox's sensations and thoughts, without revealing the boy's inner experiences.

The author’s word choice in paragraph 15 contributes to developing the fox’s voice by demonstrating —

And sure enough, the boy held the toy soldier aloft and then hurled it into the woods. The fox’s relief—they were only here to play the game!— made him careless. He streaked toward the woods without looking back at his humans. If he had, he would have seen the boy wrench away from his father and cross his arms over his face, and he would have returned. Whatever his boy needed—protection, distraction, affection—he would have offered.

• how helpless and frightened the fox is when he is alone

• how the fox does not trust the boy completely

• the fox’s nature to be silly and act carelessly

• the fox’s loyalty and his loving attitude toward the boy

Answer explanation

The fox's relief and willingness to rush toward the woods without looking back show his loyalty and loving attitude toward the boy, indicating he would offer protection and affection if needed.

In paragraph 20, the author uses a simile, a comparison using like or as, to illustrate the connection between the —

His boy was waiting to play the game. But birds! Hours upon hours he had watched birds from his pen, quivering at the sight of them slicing the sky as recklessly as the lightning he often saw on summer evenings. The freedom of their flights always mesmerized him.

• fox and the boy

• fox and the birds

• lightning and the fox

• lightning and the birds

Answer explanation

The simile compares the birds' flight to lightning, emphasizing their reckless freedom. This illustrates the connection between 'lightning and the birds,' as both represent a sense of wildness and beauty in nature.

Which detail first indicates to the fox that this car trip will be different from the others?

• The boy’s suitcase beside them in the car

• Unfamiliar scents from outside the car

• The boy crying but not in pain

• The boy not being as calm as usual

Answer explanation

The detail that first indicates the trip will be different is the boy not being as calm as usual. This change in his demeanor suggests something is amiss, signaling to the fox that this journey is unlike previous ones.