Savvas: Snowstorm

In “Snowstorm,” why are there few people around?

• They are staying inside due to the weather.

• They have left the campus for winter break.

• They are in the library studying for their final exams.

• They have gone to dinner without inviting the narrator.

In “Snowstorm,” why is the narrator’s mother interested in the snowstorm?

• She lives in a warm place and has never experienced snow.

• She believes that cold weather has the power to cure illnesses.

• She is planning to visit the campus and hopes for good weather.

• She hopes her daughter will get tired of the snow and come home.

In “Snowstorm,” what details suggest that the mother misses her daughter? Choose two options.

• She asks her daughter if she can return home for a visit.

• She wants to talk to her daughter for a long time on the phone.

• She suggests that she might move so she can live near her daughter.

• She requests that her daughter send a photograph of herself in her dorm.

• She says that touching her daughter’s handwriting is like touching her hand.

In “Snowstorm,” how does the mother respond when she looks at the package from her daughter?

• She tells her daughter that she hopes to see her at the next holiday.

• She tells her daughter to be careful how much money she spends.

• She says she does not recognize her daughter’s handwriting.

• She says she does not want to accept her daughter’s gift.

Which of the following examples could best be used to illustrate the meaning of tinge?

• a photograph that has become a bit yellow with age

• a large tree that is casting a shadow over a yard

• a pool that is filled with perfectly clear water

• a room that has been painted a bright color

If a food is notable for its blandness, then which of the following must be true? Based your answer on the meaning of blandness.

• It is unlikely to spoil.

• It is unlike any other food.

• It does not look appetizing.

• It does not have a strong flavor.

Which of the following examples could best be used to illustrate the meaning of blur?

• a sky filling with thick smoke from a fire

• a fallen branch that makes a road unpassable

• a car going by so quickly it can barely be seen

• a wave crashing so powerfully it drenches the shore

Part A: Read the following excerpt from “Snowstorm.” 

I sat in front of the computer, wondering what I should do next, now that  I was alone. The Victorian novels I had to read for the upcoming semester sat unopened on my desk. I felt it would take too much effort to  enter their world that night, to move between Brazil and the United  States and then England in the course of a day. 

What does the narrator most reveal about herself in this excerpt?

• The snowstorm has reduced her motivation for learning.

• She has more in common with American culture than British culture.

• Existing in an unfamiliar environment is emotionally draining for her.

• She does not enjoy reading literature but considers it an unpleasant chore.

Part B: Which phrase from the passage best supports the answer to Part A?

• I sat in front of the computer, wondering what I should do next

• now that I was alone

• The Victorian novels I had to read for the upcoming semester sat unopened

• I felt it would take too much effort to enter their world that night

Part A: Read the following excerpt from “Snowstorm.”

From the middle of the soccer field, in the dark, I could see into my bedroom on the third floor, and into the bedrooms of my neighbors. A shadow moved across a room. Two girls laughed together in another, tilting back their heads, with no sound. In my room, the window framed a perfect image of stillness. The whole world seemed to quieten down for that moment, for me to look at what my life looks like.

What is the most likely reason the narrator includes this description of looking through her window?

• to emphasize her feeling of being an observer

• to show that her life appears perfect to others

• to express her wish that she had more friends

• to indicate that she is afraid of the darkness