ENGLISH II: STUDY GUIDE for short story unit test

Stories covered:

·  The Monkey’s Paw (Jacobs)

·  from Swimming to Antarctica (Cox)

·  Occupation: Conductorette (Angelou)

·  Making History with Vitamin C

·  Contents of a Dead Man’s Pocket (Finney)

·  The Open Window (Saki)

·  There Will Come Soft Rains (Bradbury)

The Monkey’s Paw

1.  Who are the characters?

2.  What is the rising action?

3.  What is the conflict?

4.  What foreshadows the effect of the first wish?

5.  What is the ironic outcome of the first wish? Be specific.

6.  What is the mood of the family the morning after Morris’ visit?

7.  Identify the line from the story that foreshadows what will happen to Herbert.

8.  What does the man from Maw & Meggins bring to the Whites?

9.  Why is the second wish so predictable?

10.  What character trait about Mrs. White helps you predict what the second wish will be?

11.  What can you assume is outside the Whites’ door after the second wish? Why and what specific details from the story help you arrive at that conclusion?

12.  What foreshadows the third wish?

13.  What is the specific conflict between Mr/Mrs White regarding the third wish?

14.  What is the theme of this story?

15.  What is the climax of this story?

from Swimming to Antarctica

1.  Why do you think the narrator decided to swim a mile in Antarctica waters?

2.  Find a line in the beginning of the text that helps you predict her swim will be very difficult.

3.  How does the narrator feel about her swim prior to completing it?

4.  What goes wrong in the first minute of her swim?

5.  Why does the narrator change her course or path as she is swimming?

6.  When does the narrator begin to swim strongly?

7.  How does Lynne Cox feel about her accomplishment?

8.  What does Lynne Cox later learn about her dangerous swim?

9.  What could have happened to her during that swim (three specific dangers)?

10.  How did the people following her in the boats feel about how she was doing as she was swimming? How do you know that? Identify the specific line(s).

Occupation: Conductorette

1.  Why is Maya Angelou so determined to become a streetcar conductor?

2.  Why doesn’t Angelou apply for an office job?

3.  What is Angelou’s reaction to her mother’s comment that they won’t accept ‘colored people on streetcars’?

4.  What does it say about Angelou’s character that she doesn’t accept resistance?

5.  What does the receptionist tell Angelou when she first inquires about the conductor job?

6.  How does Angelou change her attitude about the receptionist’s treatment of her?

7.  Why does Angelou’s attitude about her city change?

8.  Why does Angelou’s mother begin to admire her during her job search?

9.  How does Angelou react to her work shifts as a conductor?

10.  Why is Angelou not received well in the office when she applies for the job as a conductorette?

Contents of a Dead Man’s Pocket

1.  Who are the characters?

2.  What is the conflict?

3.  What is the most important aspect of Tom’s life at the beginning of the story?

4.  Sequence main plot events of the story.

5.  What is the moment of highest suspense in the story?

6.  Why doesn’t Tom wait for his wife to return to help him?

7.  What does Tom’s attitude regarding his life change?

8.  What is Tom’s internal conflict?

9.  What does Tom decide the contents of his pocket would say about him if he were to fall and die?

10.  What is Tom’s realization about (what is the most important part of his life at the story’s end)?

11.  What is the theme of the story?

The Open Window

  1. Identify an example of verbal irony in “The Open Window”.
  2. Identify an example of situation irony in “The Open Window”.
  3. Why does Vera confirm that Framton Nuttel does not know her aunt at all in The Open Window?
  4. What does Framton believe about Mrs. Sappleton?
  5. What is Framton most interested in?
  6. What is Vera’s reaction to Framton’s response when he runs from the room “The Open Window”?
  7. Describe Vera’s character?
  8. What is the definition of a paradox?
  9. Identify the paradox in the story

10.  What is the irony of Vera telling the truth?

Making History with Vitamin C

1.  Why did 90% of Magellan’s crew die?

2.  What is scurvy?

3.  What are the symptoms of scurvy?

4.  Where does the word scurry come from?

5.  Why did scurvy increase during the 14th/15th centuries?

6.  Why were most sailors so unhealthy?

7.  Why was the food aboard the ships mostly salted meats?

8.  How did the Chinese combat scurvy?

9.  How did Capt.James Lancaster handle scurvy?

10.  What was the remedy the Indians explained to Jacque Cartier?

11.  What was Cook noted for discovering?

12.  What was special about how Cook handled avoiding scurvy on his ship?

There Will Come Soft Rains

1.  What unusual qualities and appliances does the house have?

2.  What were the five spots of paint of?

3.  What happened to the people?

4.  What are some things the house has been protecting itself from?

5.  Why is the dog very thin and covered in sores?

6.  What happens to the dog’s remains?

7.  What can you infer the family usually does at 2:35?

8.  What did the children usually do at 4:30?

9.  What is the name of the family that lived in the house?

10.  What are some things the house does to try to save itself?

11.  What was the last voice to die saying?