Final Assessment

Unit 6

Final Assessment

Common Core Standards: RL.1 Cite evidence to support inferences drawn from the text. RL. 2 Determine a theme of a text RI.1 Cite evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. RI.2 Determine a central idea of a text RI.6 Analyze how an author uses rhetoric to advance a point of view or purpose RI.8 Evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text. L.1a Use parallel structure L.4a Use context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase W.5 Develop a strengthen writing by editing to ensure that it demonstrates the conventions of standard English grammar and punctuation

Directions: Read the two texts and examine the book cover. Then, answer the questions that follow.

Text #1 Short Story

“The Happy Man’s Shirt” An Italian tale Told by Italo Calvino, translated by George Martin

A king had an only son that he thought the world of. But this prince was always unhappy. He would spend days on end at his window staring into space. “What on earth do you lack?” asked the king. “What’s wrong with you?” “I don’t even know myself, Father.” “Are you in love? If there’s a particular girl you fancy, tell me, and I’ll arrange for you to marry her, no matter whether she’s the daughter of the most powerful king on earth of the poorest peasant girl alive!” “No, Father, I’m not in love.” The king tried in every way imaginable to cheer him up, but theaters, balls, concerts, and singing were all useless, and day by day the rosy hue drained from his face. The king issued a decree, and from every corner of the earth came the most learned philosophers, doctors, and professors. The king showed them the prince and asked for their advice. The wise men withdrew to think, then returned to the king. “Majesty, we have given the matter close thought and we have studied the stars. Here’s what you must do. Look for a happy man who’s happy through and through, and exchange your son’s shirt for his.” That same day the king sent ambassadors to all part s of the world in search of the happy man. A priest was taken to the king. “Are you happy? asked the king. “Yes, indeed, Majesty.” “Find. How would you like to be my bishop?” “Oh, Majesty, if only it were so!” “Away with you! Get out of my sight! I’m seeking a man who’s happy just as he is, not one who’s trying to better his lot.” This the search resumed, and before long the king was told about a neighboring king, who everybody said was a truly happy man. He had a wife as good as she was beautiful and a whole slew of children. He had conquered all his enemies, and his country was at peace. Again hopeful, the king immediately sent ambassadors to him to ask for his shirt. The neighboring king received the ambassadors and said, “Yes, indeed, I have everything anybody could possibly want. But at the same time I worry because I’ll have to die one day and leave it all. I can’t sleep at night for worrying about that!” The ambassadors thought it wiser to go home without this man’s shirt. At his wit’s end, the king went hunting. He fired at a hare but only wounded it, and the hare scampered away on three legs. The king pursued it, leaving the hunting party far behind him. Out in the open field he heard a man singing a refrain. The king stopped in his tracks. “Whoever sings like that is bound to be happy!” The song led him into the vineyard, where he found a young man singing and pruning the vines. “Good day, Majesty,” said the youth. “So early and already out in the country?” “Bless you! Would you like me to take you to the capital? You will be my friend.” “Much obliged, Majesty, but I wouldn’t even consider it. I wouldn’t even change places with the Pope.” “Why not? Such a fine young man like you . . .” “No, no, I tell you. I’m content with just what I have and want nothing more.” “A happy man at last!” thought the king. “Listen, young man. Do me a favor.” “With all my heart, Majesty, if I can.” “Wait just a minute,” said the king, who, unable to contain his joy any longer, ran to get his retinue. “Come with me! My son is saved! My son is saved! And he took them to the young man. “My dear lad,” he began, “I’ll give you whatever you want! But give me . . . give me . . .” “What, Majesty?” “My son is dying! Only you can save him. Come here!” The king grabbed him and started unbuttoning the youth’s jacket. All of a sudden he stopped, and his arms fell to his sides. The happy man wore no shirt.

Text #2 Commentary Article

Commentary

“A Story Full of the Stuff of Sorrow”

By Leonard Pitts Jr.

The Miami Herald

Friday, December 5, 2008

I like stuff as much as the next guy. My closet is stuffed with stuff, my shelves groan with stuff, boxes full of stuff jam my garage. I like stuff just fine.

But I would not kill for it.

Last week, a 34-year-old man was trampled to death by a mob rushing into a Wal-Mart to buy stuff. Jdimytai Damour was a seasonal worker manning the door of a store in Valley Stream, N.Y., as shoppers eager for so- called ''Black Friday'' bargains massed outside. The store was scheduled to open at 5 a.m., but that was not early enough for the 2,000 would-be shoppers. At five minutes before the hour, they were banging their fists and pressing their weight against the glass doors, which bowed and then broke in a shower of glass. The mob stormed in.

Four people, including a pregnant woman, were injured. And Damour was killed as people stomped over him, looking for good prices on DVDs, winter coats and PlayStations. Nor was the mob sobered by his death. As authorities sought to clear the store, some defiantly kept shopping; others complained that they had been on line since the night before.

And here, it seems appropriate to observe the obvious irony: Black Friday is the traditional beginning of the Christmas shopping season, Christmas being the holiday when, Christians believe, hope was born into the world in the form of a baby who became a man who preached a gospel of service to, and compassion for, our fellow human beings.

It is hard to see evidence of either in the mob's treatment of Jdimytai Damour, and if your inclination is to heap scorn upon them, I don't blame you. But I would caution against regarding them as freaks or aberrations whose callous madness would never be seen in sane and normal people like ourselves. That would be false comfort.

You may think I'm talking about mob psychology and to a degree, I am. From soccer riots to the Holocaust itself, human beings have always had a tendency to lose individual identity and accountability when gathered in groups. You will do things as part of a crowd that you never would as an individual. Theoretically, anyone who lacked a strong-enough moral center and sense of self could have been part of that mob in Valley Stream.

But it's not just our common vulnerability to mob psychology that ties the rest of us to last week's tragedy. It is also our common love of stuff. Indeed, it is hard to imagine a starker illustration of our true priorities. Oh, we pay lip service to other things. We say children are a priority, but when did people ever press against the door for Parents' Night at school? We say education is a priority, but when did people ever bang against the windows of the library? We say faith is a priority, but when did people ever surge into a temple of worship as eagerly as they do a temple of commerce?

No, sale prices on iPods, that's our true priority. Jdimytai Damour died because too many of us have bought, heart and soul, into the great lie of American consumerism: acquiring stuff will make you whole. ''You, Happier,'' is how a sign at my local Best Buy puts it. As if owning a Jonas Brothers CD, an Iron Man DVD, a Sony HDTV, will elevate you to a level of joy otherwise impossible to attain. Hey, you may be a total loser, may not have a friend, may not have an education, may not have a job, may not have a clue, but it will all be OK as soon as you get that new Canon digital camera, especially if you get it for 50 percent off.

It would be nice to think -- I will not hold my breath -- that Damour's death would lead at least some of us to finally see that for the obscene lie it is, to realize that seeking wholeness in consumer goods is an act of emptiness, not joy.

You, Happier? No.

Just you, with more stuff.

Text #3 Text #3 Book Cover Reading Comprehension Questions

Directions: Use the “The Happy Man’s Shirt” (Text #1) to answer questions 1-13.

1. One theme of “The Happy Man’s Shirt” is that –

a. People should solve their problems themselves

b. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again

c. True happiness is not something you can buy

d. True friendship is the most thing there is

2. The unhappy prince is a symbol for –

a. Courage in illness

b. Greed

c. Pride

d. Respect

3. This story is an example of –

a. A fable

b. A realistic story

c. Historical fiction

d. A nonfiction story

4. The wise men advise the king to –

a. Find the prince a bride

b. Have the prince wear a happy man’s shirt c. Throw a party for the prince

d. Let the prince grow out of this mood

5. In the paragraph from the story below, the word hue means –

“The king tried in every way imaginable to cheer him up, but theaters, balls, concerts, and singing were all useless, and day by day the rosy hue drained from his face.” a. Color

b. Hair

c. Makeup

d. Voice

6. The word philosophers in the sentence from the story below comes from the Greek words philos, which means “loving,” and sophos, which means “wise.” Therefore a philosopher is a –

“The king issued a decree, and from every corner of the earth came the most learned philosophers, doctors, and professors.” a. Lover of people

b. Lover of flattery

c. Wise elder

d. Lover of wisdom

7. In the story the king says to the priest “I’m seeking a man who’s happy just as he is, not one who’s trying to better his lot.” What does he mean by this?

a. People want what they cannot have

b. Things and titles cannot bring a person happiness

c. He is happy with his own life

d. The search for love

8. The prince and the neighboring king are alike because –

a. Both seem to have everything they could want, but they are not happy b. Both are in love, which makes them unhappy

c. Both are worried about dying, which makes them unhappy

d. Both are sad and do not know why

9. In the paragraph below, the king goes hunting because he –

At his wit’s end, the king went hunting. He fired at a hare but only wounded it, and the hare scampered away on three legs. The king pursued it, leaving the hunting party far behind him. Out in the open field he heard a man singing a refrain. The king stopped in his tracks. “Whoever sings like that is bound to be happy!” The song led him into the vineyard, where he found a young man singing and pruning the vines.

a. Was hungry and needed something to eat

b. Needed a new trophy in the castle

c. Wanted to visit the fields

d. Didn’t know what else to do

10. When the king finds him, the happy young man is –

a. Singing to his sweetheart

b. Counting his money

c. Pruning grape vines

d. Plowing a field

11. The kind decides that the young many is truly happy because the young man is –

a. Working outdoors

b. Healthy and young

c. Satisfied with his life

d. A good farmer

12. The author uses dialogue – a. To establish a setting

b. To describe the prince as unhappy

c. To reveal the complicating incident

d. To show how the king tried cheer up his son

13. The story’s ending is ironic because –

a. The shirt is a symbol of material wealth

b. The wise men are proven right

c. The wise men learn a lesson

d. The shirt is a symbol of happiness

Directions: Use “A Story Full of the Stuff of Sorrow” (Text #2) to answer questions 14- 22.

14. One message of “A Story Full of the Stuff of Sorrow” is that –

a. People have too many possession

b. People should not buy anything but the basics

c. Happiness comes from having more than others do

d. Happiness does not come from things or stuff

15. The article is an example of –

A. Explanatory writing

B. Persuasive writing

C. Descriptive writing

D. Narrative writing

16. According to the article, Jdimytai Damour was –

a. An employee b. A mobster

c. A police officer

d. A shopper

17. The author notes that when shoppers learned that a man had been crushed to death by the mob, some people –

a. Took up a collection for his family

b. Were upset that they had to quit shopping

c. Did not believe it was true

d. Fled the store in fear

18. The word compassion in the paragraph below combines the Latin prefix com-, which means “together” or “with,” and the Latin root –pati-, meaning “to suffer.” The word compassion means –

“And here, it seems appropriate to observe the obvious irony: Black Friday is the traditional beginning of the Christmas shopping season, Christmas being the holiday when, Christians believe, hope was born into the world in the form of a baby who became a man who preached a gospel of service to, and compassion for, our fellow human beings.” a. To feel

b. To be unfeeling

c. To feel sympathy

d. To compare

19. The word callous in the paragraph below comes from the Latin word callum, which mean “hard skin.” Callous means –

“It is hard to see evidence of either in the mob's treatment of Jdimytai Damour, and if your inclination is to heap scorn upon them, I don't blame you. But I would caution against regarding them as freaks or aberrations whose callous madness would never be seen in sane and normal people like ourselves. That would be false comfort.” a. Charitable

b. Gentle

c. Sever d. Unfeeling

20. In the paragraph below the author uses rhetorical question to demonstrate –

“But it's not just our common vulnerability to mob psychology that ties the rest of us to last week's tragedy. It is also our common love of stuff. Indeed, it is hard to imagine a starker illustration of our true priorities. Oh, we pay lip service to other things. We say children are a priority, but when did people ever press against the door for Parents' Night at school? We say education is a priority, but when did people ever bang against the windows of the library? We say faith is a priority, but when did people ever surge into a temple of worship as eagerly as they do a temple of commerce?” a. How vulnerable everyone is to mob psychology

b. That people generally don’t value children, education, and faith as much as they say

c. How much people do not love their stuff

d. That everyone is responsible for the tragedy, not only the people in the crowd

21. The author define mob psychology as –

a. Things that you do, but that most people do not

b. Things everybody does

c. Things people do by themselves

d. Things people do because they are in a crowd

22. The author says that “the great lie of American consumerism” is that –

a. Bigger and better thing will make you happy

b. Advertising convinces consumer to buy

c. Spending money is good for the economy

d. Americans are “born consumers”

Directions: Use “The Happy Man’s Shirt” and “A Story Full of the Stuff of Sorrow” to answer questions 23-24.

23. Both “The Happy Man’s Shirt” and “A Story Full of the Stuff of Sorrow” consider the value of –

a. Friends b. Money

c. Tradition

d. Things

24. The king and the shoppers are similar because –

a. Both are wealthy

b. Both are trying to save their children

c. Both are trying to find happiness

d. Both are insensitive to other people

Directions: Use the book cover (Text #3) to answer questions 25-26

25. The purpose of the photograph on the book cover is most likely to –

A. Show a family enjoying time together

B. Encourage an appreciate of exercise

C. Illustrate the importance of having your own transportation

D. Encourage people to enjoy nature

26. Which of the elements of the book cover supports the author’s credibility?

a. The title, “Amish Values for Your Family”

b. The picture of the family

c. What We Can Learn from the Simple Life

d. Best Selling Author of “The Choice”

Directions: Short Constructed Responses

Write a short response to each question, using text evidence to support your response. 27. Do you think the king’s advisers would be surprised that the happy man wore no shirt? Support your answer with evidence from the text.

28. How effectively does the author of “A Story Full of the Stuff of Sorrow” support his central argument? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.

Directions: Write a short response to the following questions, using evidence from both texts to support your response.

29. What impact does setting have on the mood of the “The Happy Man’s Shirt” and “A Story Full of the Stuff of Sorry”? Support your response with evidence from both texts.

Revising and Editing Questions

Directions: Read the passage, and answer the questions that follow.

(1) Why are people so afraid of stepping outside their social circles? (2) Every day in class, I notice how students congregate in separate groups. (3) Cheerleaders are in one coroner. (4) Even though we might have different interests that doesn’t mean we can’t try to find some common ground. (5) Breaking out of our mold can be good for you. (6) I recommend that you try speaking with someone you don’t usually speak to. (7) There are art students who are in another corner. (8) Just go up to someone start a conversation. (9) You might find that it’s not so bad. (10) It’s even possible that the two of you might like each other. 1. What change, if any should be made to sentence 1?

a. Change of stepping to stepped

b. Change circles to circle’s

c. Change ? to .

d. Make no change

2. What is the most effective way to improve the organization of the paragraph?

a. Move sentence 1 to follow sentence 5.

b. Move sentence 2 to follow sentence 8.

c. Move sentence 7 to follow sentence 3. d. Move sentence 8 to follow sentence 10.

3. What is the most effective way to revise sentence 2 to include a transition?

a. I notice how students congregate in spate groups.

b. Students congregate in spate groups every day in class.

c. Students, every day in class, congregate in separate groups.

d. Make no change because it already has a transition.

4. What change, if any, should be made in sentence 4?

a. Change we to I

b. Insert a comma after Even

c. Insert a comma after interests

d. Make no change

5. What is most effective way to combine sentences 5 and 6 to from one complex sentence?

a. Because breaking out of your mold can be good for you, I recommend that you try speaking to someone you don’t usually speak to.

b. Breaking out of your mold can be good for you, thus I recommend that you try speaking to someone you don’t usually speak to.

c. If breaking out of your mold can be good for you, I would recommend that you try speaking to someone you don’t usually speak to.

d. Breaking out of your mold can be good for you, but I recommend that you try speaking to someone you don’t usually speak to.

6. What change, if any, should be made in sentence 8?

a. Insert and after someone

b. Change start to starting

c. Insert a comma after someone d. Make no change

7. What is the most effective way to rewrite sentence 10 so that its structure is parallel to that of sentence 9?

a. It would be impossible that the two of you wouldn’t like each other.

b. That the two of you might like each other is a possibility.

c. How could you not like each other?

d. You might even find that the two of you like each other.