Reading Comprehension: Family History

Which sentence best describes how much the narrator of Passage 1 knows about her family history at the beginning of the story?

• A) She knows nothing about her family’s history but wants to know more.

• B) She knows some things, but not everything, about her family’s history.

• C) She thinks she knows more than she really does about her family’s history.

• D) She knows just about everything there is to know about her family’s history.

This question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then, answer Part B. Part B Select one sentence that best supports the answer to Part A.

• A) “I recently found my grandmother’s diary in an old suitcase in the attic.” (paragraph 1)

• B) “She kept the diary in the late 1960s, when she was a hippie!”

• C) “That’s right—my grandmother was a hippie, complete with tie-dye clothes, a peace symbol around her neck, and long, flowing hair.” (paragraph 1)

• D) “I had heard about this woman before, of course, but I didn't know the whole story.” (paragraph 2)

• E) “The most amazing thing in my grandmother’s diary was a newspaper article about her grandmother.” (paragraph 2)

In Passage 1, where and when is the narrator learning about her family history?

• at a college in the 1920s

• in her grandmother’s home in the 1960s

• in the attic of a house years ago

• at a recent family get-together

What is the meaning of the sentence You’ll be like a fish out of water?

• You won’t be able to breathe properly.

• You’ll be where you weren’t meant to be.

• You won’t be able to finish what you started.

• You’ll change your mind and want to be a nurse.

What is the point of view in Passage 1?

• first person, from the point of view of Jenna

• third person, from the point of view of Dr. Mary King

• third person, from a point of view outside of the story

• first person, from the point of view of Jenna's grandmother

What is the best summary of Passage 2?

• A) A secretary in a 1940s newsroom admires the only female reporter in the office as the male reporters try to get an important interview with the governor.

• B) The editor in chief of a newspaper in the 1940s thinks that his two male reporters will get an important interview with the governor, but they disappoint him.

• C) A female reporter gets an important interview with the governor, and the male reporters in the newsroom are curious about the other kinds of stories she is working on.

• D) Two male reporters in the 1940s fail to get an important interview with the governor, and they look down on a female reporter who secretly got the interview already.

What does Mr. Hill mean by the adage Don’t count your chickens before they hatch?

• Don’t say you accomplished something before you actually have.

• Don’t think you’re the only person who can accomplish something.

• Don’t act like you know everything when you don’t know anything.

• Don’t cluck like a chicken just because you think you are important.

How would Passage 2 change if it were written as a short story?

• It would lose its surprise ending.

• It would no longer have dialogue.

• It would not include stage directions.

• It would not be clear who was talking.

Select one detail from Passage 2 that would visually show the play’s audience the different attitudes Mary and the two male reporters have about work.

• D. “REPORTER 2: Unbelievable.” (paragraph 10)

• C. “REPORTER 1: The governor of our own state announces he’s running for President, and we can’t even get near him for an interview.” (paragraph 9)

• E. “MARY: Too bad, fellas. Maybe next time.” (paragraph 11)

• B. “They sit down and put their feet up on their desks while Mary keeps typing.” (paragraph 8)

• A. “Suddenly the door of the newsroom bursts open and in come two male reporters, talking to each other.” (paragraph 8)

How do the settings of Passage 1 and Passage 2 compare?

• Passage 1 is set in the present day; Passage 2 is set in the 1940s.

• Passage 1 is set entirely outdoors; Passage 2 is set entirely indoors.

• Passage 1 is set during a single day; Passage 2 is set over several days.

• Passage 1 has only one setting; Passage 2 has several different settings.