RI 8.4

Somehow she knew it just had to be spring; the fresh bright green of new beginning and hope. The meeting at the stage door after the show; the walk together in the April rain. It wouldn’t be a primrose path. Oh no, his family would object to a gaiety girl.

What does a primrose path mean?

• a new day

• a deep love

• a smooth time

• a lack of hope

They would be in jumpers and jeans and anoraks, chattering in excited voices and claiming her attention, emergency repair with needle and thread.

In the sentence, "anorak" refers to

• a kind of car.

• a purse or handbag.

• an article of clothing.

• a cheerful smile.

The phrase “straight faced” typically means

• without emotion.

• without blinking.

• with expression.

• with sadness.

In a few moments, the actors would start to trickle in through the narrow doorway, bringing in a draught with them as the door let in the cold night air.

The word draught in this sentence means

• an icy breeze.

• a period of dryness.

• a sense of excitement.

• a feeling of dread.

“You’ve got a fire for good poets, I can see that,” he said, clasping my hand with a two-handed handshake.

How does the author use figurative language in the sentence?

• to compare her enthusiasm to fire

• to relate her fire to embarrassment

• to see if she wants to speak again

• to determine if her interest is serious

At first, I thought they were only gawking at my camera, but their eyes moved from my hair to my sweater, down to my shoes, then back and forth at each other.

What is the connotation of gawking?

• looking carefully

• admiring longingly

• inspecting judgmentally

• gazing dreamily

When Mr. McCurdy called on me, I cleared my throat. That lump was still resting there from before.

The reader can infer from this excerpt that the narrator is

• starting to catch a cold.

• nervous about being a new student.

• having trouble swallowing her food.

• trying to remember what the teacher said.

I sat down, cradling my camera in my lap. I carefully looked right, then left.

What is the connotative meaning of cradling?

• carefully uphold

• safeguard and protect

• carefully hide from view

• rock back and forth

Mr. McCurdy and I, we were on a roll?

Which sentence best describes the meaning of this sentence?

• Both Deirdre and Mr. McCurdy moved around the room.

• The student and her teacher were having continuous success.

• Deirdre and her teacher contradicted one another.

• Deirdre and her teacher were uncomfortable being in front of the class.

My fidgety heart started to beat regularly again.

What does fidgety mean as used in the sentence above?

• fearless

• guilty

• nervous

• proud