All Summer In A Day Critical Reading

All Summer in a Day

Multiple Choice Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

Critical Reading Identify the letter of the choice that best answers the question.

____ 1. What are the children doing as “All Summer in a Day” opens?

a. They are teasing Margot. b. They are reciting poetry. c. They are peering out a window. d. They are pushing Margot into a closet.

____ 2. What does this passage from “All Summer in a Day” suggest about the setting?

A thousand forests had been crushed under the rain and grown up a thousand times to be crushed again. And this was the way life was forever on the planet Venus.

a. Venus was a thousand years old. b. Venus had rain most of the time. c. There had never been forests in Venus. d. There were no forests in Venus. ____ 3. What do the details in this passage tell you about Bradbury's purpose?

And this was the way life was forever on the planet Venus and this was the schoolroom of the children of the rocket men and women who had come to a raining world to set up civilization and live out their lives.

a. He wishes to inform. b. He wishes to persuade. c. He wishes to question. d. He wishes to entertain. ____ 4. What does the following passage from “All Summer in a Day” say about Margot?

She was a very frail girl who looked as if she had been lost in the rain for years and the rain had washed out the blue from her eyes and the red from her mouth and the yellow from her hair.

a. Margot has been out in the rain for years. b. Margot is pale and delicate. c. Margot's eyes have no color. d. Margot no longer wears lipstick.

____ 5. How do the children show their disrespect for Margot? a. They lose her in the tunnel. b. They force her to take a shower. c. They lock her in a closet. d. They push her out the door. ____ 6. In “All Summer in a Day,” why do the children say “Yes!” when their teacher asks, “Are we all here?”

a. They do not want to wait for Margot. b. They have forgotten about Margot. c. They are afraid to tell what they did. d. They want Margot to miss the sun. ____ 7. What does the following passage tell you about the setting of “All Summer in a Day”?

The children lay out, laughing, on the jungle mattress, and heard it sigh and squeak under them, resilient and alive.

a. The children have put their beds outside. b. Venus is covered with thick vegetation. c. The vegetation on Venus can talk. d. The vegetation on Venus is dangerous.

____ 8. If wind is slackening, which of the following statements is true?

a. It is not as windy now as it was a little while ago. b. It is windier now than it was a little while ago. c. The wind is now mixed with rain and sleet. d. The wind is creating dangerous driving conditions.

____ 9. In which of the following sentences is a personal pronoun used as the subject?

a. She would play no games with them in the echoing tunnels. b. “Now, don't go too far,” called the teacher after them. c. The door slid back and the smell of the … world came in to them. d. A few cold drops fell on their noses and their cheeks and their mouths.

____ 10. In “All Summer in a Day,” how does William show his disrespect for Margot?

a. He refuses to let her play tag with the rest of them. b. He refuses to listen when she reads her poem. c. He runs away and leaves her alone in the tunnel. d. He shoves her and tells her the sun will not shine.

____ 11. What do the details in this passage tell you about the author's purpose?

They stopped running and stood in the great jungle that covered Venus, that grew and never stopped growing, tumultuously, even as you watched it. It was a nest of octopi, clustering up great arms of fleshlike weed, wavering, flowering in this brief spring.

a. He wishes to inform. b. He wishes to persuade. c. He wishes to create an image. d. He wishes to teach a lesson. ____ 12. What does this passage from “All Summer in a Day” suggest about the setting?

They looked at everything and savored everything. Then, wildly, like animals escaped from their caves, they ran and ran in shouting circles. They ran for an hour and did not stop running.

a. Venus is full of caves. b. Venus is full of animals. c. One can feel free on Venus. d. There is much to see on Venus.

____ 13. Which details does the author of “All Summer in a Day” use to inform readers that the children feel guilty about locking Margot in the closet?

I. They cannot look into each other's eyes. II. Their faces are solemn and pale. III. They run around in the sun. IV. They look at their hands and feet.

a. I, II, III b. II, III, IV c. I, II, IV d. I, III, IV

____ 14. In “All Summer in a Day,” which setting does the author use to show the children's cruelty?

a. the shower rooms b. the jungle c. the schoolroom closet d. the underground tunnel

____ 15. Who is the author of the story?

a. Rudyard Kipling b. Richard Peck c. Shel Silverstein d. Ray Bradbury Essay: Pick One

16. In an essay, consider how the setting of “All Summer in a Day” contributes to the mood of the story. First, describe the story's setting. Include as many details about the setting as you can think of. Then, tell how the story makes you feel. How does the setting add to or create that feeling? 17. As you read “All Summer in a Day,” did you feel you were actually there on Venus, in that classroom? Did you feel the heat of the sun outside when it finally appeared? Ray Bradbury creates the experience of being there with sensory language—language that appeals to the senses by telling how something looks, how it feels to the touch, how it smells, how it sounds. In an essay, write about sensory images that you remember from the story, and describe how each made you experience the setting. 18. In “All Summer in a Day,” the other children do not accept Margot because she is different from them. In an essay, identify the ways in which Margot is different, and explain why those differences cause the children to reject her. All Summer in a Day Answer Section

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: easy OBJ: Comprehension STA: PA.LA.R.7.A.1 TOP: Critical Reading 2. ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: easy OBJ: Reading STA: PA.LA.R.7.A.1 TOP: Critical Reading 3. ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: easy OBJ: Literary Analysis STA: PA.LA.R.7.B.2.1.2 | PA.LA.R.7.B.3.1.1 TOP: Critical Reading 4. ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: easy OBJ: Reading STA: PA.LA.R.7.A.1 TOP: Critical Reading 5. ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: easy OBJ: Comprehension STA: PA.LA.R.7.A.1 TOP: Critical Reading 6. ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: easy OBJ: Interpretation STA: PA.LA.R.7.B.1.1 TOP: Critical Reading 7. ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: easy OBJ: Interpretation STA: PA.LA.R.7.B.1.1 TOP: Critical Reading 8. ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: easy OBJ: Comprehension STA: PA.LA.R.7.A.1 TOP: Critical Reading 9. ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: easy OBJ: Interpretation STA: PA.LA.R.7.B.1.1 TOP: Critical Reading 10. ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: easy OBJ: Literary Analysis STA: PA.LA.R.7.B.2.1.2 | PA.LA.R.7.B.3.1.1 TOP: Critical Reading 11. ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: easy OBJ: Vocabulary STA: PA.LA.R.7.A.1.2.1 | PA.LA.R.7.A.1.3.1 | PA.LA.R.7.A.2.1.2 | PA.LA.R.7.A.2.6.2 TOP: Vocabulary and Grammar 12. ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: easy OBJ: Grammar STA: PA.LA.W.1.7 TOP: Vocabulary and Grammar 13. ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: easy OBJ: Grammar STA: PA.LA.W.1.7 TOP: Vocabulary and Grammar 14. ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: average OBJ: Vocabulary STA: PA.LA.R.7.A.1.2.1 | PA.LA.R.7.A.1.3.1 | PA.LA.R.7.A.2.1.2 | PA.LA.R.7.A.2.6.2 TOP: Vocabulary and Grammar 15. ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: challenging OBJ: Vocabulary STA: PA.LA.R.7.A.1.2.1 | PA.LA.R.7.A.1.3.1 | PA.LA.R.7.A.2.1.2 | PA.LA.R.7.A.2.6.2 TOP: Vocabulary and Grammar 16. ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: average OBJ: Grammar STA: PA.LA.W.1.7 TOP: Vocabulary and Grammar 17. ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: challenging OBJ: Grammar STA: PA.LA.W.1.7 TOP: Vocabulary and Grammar 18. ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: average OBJ: Comprehension STA: PA.LA.R.7.A.1 TOP: Critical Reading 19. ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: average OBJ: Interpretation STA: PA.LA.R.7.B.1.1 TOP: Critical Reading 20. ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: average OBJ: Comprehension STA: PA.LA.R.7.A.1 TOP: Critical Reading 21. ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: average OBJ: Literary Analysis STA: PA.LA.R.7.B.2.1.2 | PA.LA.R.7.B.3.1.1 TOP: Critical Reading 22. ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: average OBJ: Comprehension STA: PA.LA.R.7.A.1 TOP: Critical Reading 23. ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: average OBJ: Interpretation STA: PA.LA.R.7.B.1.1 TOP: Critical Reading 24. ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: challenging OBJ: Literary Analysis STA: PA.LA.R.7.B.2.1.2 | PA.LA.R.7.B.3.1.1 TOP: Critical Reading 25. ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: challenging OBJ: Reading STA: PA.LA.R.7.A.1 TOP: Critical Reading 26. ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: challenging OBJ: Literary Analysis STA: PA.LA.R.7.B.2.1.2 | PA.LA.R.7.B.3.1.1 TOP: Critical Reading 27. ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: average OBJ: Reading STA: PA.LA.R.7.A.1 TOP: Critical Reading 28. ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: average OBJ: Reading STA: PA.LA.R.7.A.1 TOP: Critical Reading 29. ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: average OBJ: Literary Analysis STA: PA.LA.R.7.B.2.1.2 | PA.LA.R.7.B.3.1.1 TOP: Critical Reading

30. ANS: Students should point to Margot's pale skin, and the washed-out colors of her eyes, lips, and hair. They might also mention her ghostlike voice. Margot is also weak willed—she allows herself to be shoved by one of the boys in her class. In addition, she does not like to play, she shuns the others' games, and she comes alive only when talking about, writing about, or looking forward to seeing the sun.

PTS: 1 DIF: easy OBJ: Essay STA: PA.LA.W.1.4.8.B 31. ANS: Students should state that the setting is the planet Venus, where it rains incessantly for years on end, with the sun shining for only a couple of hours every seven years. They might mention the forests, the underground city, and the constant noise of the rainfall. In describing the mood, they will likely describe a gloominess. Finally, students should recognize that the setting in effect creates the mood of the story.

PTS: 1 DIF: easy OBJ: Essay STA: PA.LA.W.1.4.8.B 32. ANS: Expect students to refer to images but not to use direct quotations from the story. Students should include in their essays a statement relating the images to their experience of the setting. Some images (including direct quotations) are presented here: For sight, they might refer to gold, “a yellow crayon or a coin large enough to buy the world with,” Margot's washed-out appearance, the trembling closet door, the sun “very large” and “the color of flaming bronze,” the sky “a blazing blue tile color,” the jungle “a nest of octopi, clustering up great arms of fleshlike weed, wavering,” “the color of rubber and ash,” “the color of stones and white cheeses and ink,” “the color of the moon,” the jungle as a “mattress,” the children standing “like so many stakes,” and the “blue and terrible” lightning. For sound, they might remember the children stirring at night, “the tatting drum, the endless shaking down of clear bead necklaces upon the roof,” and so on, Margot's ghostlike voice, her screams in the shower rooms, her “muffled cries” from behind the closet door, the absence of sound when the rain stops, the children's laughter, the “sigh and squeak” of the jungle vegetation, the “boom of thunder,” “the gigantic sound of the rain falling in tons and avalanches,” the silence behind the closet door. For touch, they might refer to “a warmness, like a blushing in the face,” and so on, “the sun on their cheeks like a warm iron,” the cold drops of rain on their noses, cheeks, and mouths.

PTS: 1 DIF: challenging OBJ: Essay STA: PA.LA.W.1.4.8.B 33. ANS: Students should refer to some of these differences: Margot has lived on Earth, while they have lived on Venus all their lives; she remembers what the sun looks and feels like, while they cannot recall it; she does not want to play their games because she misses the sun so much; she is pale and silent and thin. They resent her for setting herself apart from them; they resent that she knows what the sun is like; they resent that her parents will take her back to Earth while they must remain on Venus.

PTS: 1 DIF: average OBJ: Essay STA: PA.LA.W.1.4.8.B