Mark Twain Life on the Mississippi Excerpt

Life on the Mississippi can be identified as a memoir because it describes...

• the Mississippi River using vivid imagery & precise language

• roles that steamboat pilots played in real historical events

• author's views & feelings about experiences on Mississippi

• events may/may not have happened during the 19th century

What conclusion can you draw about the Mississippi River based on paragraph 1? Its...

• surface was clear so pilots could see the bottom of river

• features were complex but could be interpreted by anyone

• dimples were considered its most beautiful feature

• beauty attracted passengers, also hid dangerous obstacles

In paragraph 2, Twain uses the "language of the water" to refer to the...

• movements of the water that a pilot observes and interprets

• idioms and jargon that pilots use in talking to one another

• sounds the water makes as the boat passes

• songs that people sing about the river

In paragraph 4, Twain compares pilots and doctors to emphasize

• the main difference between the two professions

• why people choose one profession over another

• how some professions can lose their appreciation of beauty

• that his knowledge has come at a great personal cost to him

Using context clues, what is the best definition for the word vessel paragraph 1?

• ship

• artery

• pitcher

• container

Using context clues, what is the best definition for the word radiating paragraph 2?

• giving off hear

• emitting radiation

• glowing with light

• emerging from the center