Cold-Read Task Answer Key
1. ___D___
Standards: RL.9-10.2, RL.9-10.10
2. ___C___ Part A
___B___ Part B
Standards: RL.9-10.1, RL.9-10.4, RL.9-10.10, L9-10.4
3. ___A___ Part A
___A___ Part B
Standards: RL.9-10.1, RL.9-10.2, RL.9-10.10
4. ___C___ Part A
___A___ Part B
Standards: RL.9-10.1, RL.9-10.5, RL.9-10.10
5. ___B___ Part A
___D___ Part B
Standards: RL.9-10.1, RL.9-10.3, RL.9-10.10
6. Student Exemplar Response In “The Story of Pyramus and Thisbe,” from Ovid’s poem Metamorphoses, one central idea is young forbidden love. A universal theme that can be drawn from Ovid’s treatment of this idea is that often teens make irrational decisions when faced with emotional conflict. In the beginning of the poem, it is obvious that there will
be problems when the narrator explains that “friendship ripen'd into love: / Love had been crown'd, but impotently mad, / What parents could not hinder, they forbad” (9-11). As the teens’ feelings grow for one another, their parents put pressure on them by forbidding them to see one another. It is common, however, for teens to grow rebellious when they feel trapped and restricted. The narrator continues to explain the details that complicate their secret love: “The fire of love the more it is supprest, / The more it glows, and rages in the breast” (16-17).
As complications continue to arise (such the stubborn parents, the physical wall, and no other options), the teens respond by taking desperate measures. Because they feel that there is no other way, they decide “To
steal by night from home, and thence unknown / To seek the fields, and quit th' unfaithful town” (47-48). The teens, because they are acting based on emotion rather than logic, do not know how to respond when conflicts arise. Pyramus jumps to conclusions, killing himself when he thinks that his lover has been slain by a lion. Thisbe, in return, commits suicide when she realizes what has happened. Their story reinforces the idea that our response to conflict dictates our outcomes.
Standards: RL.9-10.1, RL.9-10.2, RL.9-10.3, RL.9-10.10, W.9-10.2a, W.9-10.2b, W.9-10.2c, W.9-10.2d, W.9-10.2e, W.9-10.2f, W.9-10.a, W.9-10.10, L.9-10.1a, L.9-10.1b, L.9-10.2a, L.9-10.2b, L.9-10.2c
7. Student Exemplar Response The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, written by William Shakespeare in the fifteenth century is inspired by a myth from the first century. Shakespeare’s popular drama was taken from the much older “The Story of Pyramus and Thisbe” in Ovid’s poem Metamorphoses. Shakespeare undoubtedly drew his plot line from Ovid. In The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, there are “two households both alike in dignity” (Prologue 1), and in “The Story of Pyramus and Thisbe,” there are two families that live within “Rais'd walls of brick magnificently great” (2). In both texts, the teens from the rich families enter in a secret romance, and each tale ends in tragedy because of hasty actions. A theme that both works share is that secret love can have serious consequences. However, Shakespeare chose to add some details to the plot that enrich and expand the theme, making it even more universal for generations of readers to come. He added many other conflicts, such as overbearing parents, an arranged
Grade 9: Romeo and Juliet
marriage, dueling family members, and meddling characters like the nurse and the friar whose involvement complicate the conflicts that the characters face.
After reading The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, the reader realizes not only does secret love has serious consequences, but also that those consequences affect more people than the title characters. Whereas only Pyramus and Thisbe are dead at the end of their story, Mercutio, Tybalt, Paris, Romeo, Juliet, and Lady Montague are all dead because of the feud that ultimately spurred on the teens’ hasty actions. As the drama ends and Lord Montague and Lord Capulet settle their dispute, the prince declares “A glooming peace this morning with it brings” (5.3.305). Although the ending of the drama is sad, the final outcome of the play demonstrates that healing and peace can come after tragedy.
Standards: RL.9-10.1, RL.9-10.2, RL.9-10.9, RL.9-10.10, W.9-10.2a, W.9-10.2b, W.9-10.2c, W.9-10.2d, W.9-10.2e, W.9-10.2f, W.9-10.a, W.9-10.10, L.9-10.1a, L.9-10.1b, L.9-10.2a, L.9-10.2b, L.9-10.2c
Grade 9: Romeo and Juliet