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NORFOLK PUBLIC SCHOOLS

9th Grade Review

Teachers: Woodhouse, Gardner, and Saunders

Good Luck!

Plot
Helping Hands
by J. Robbins
Ainslee pulled on her tennis shoes and began to gather up the old soda cans, newspapers, and milk cartons from her house. She tossed them into a large garbage bag and headed out the door.
"I'll be back in an hour, Mom!" she called over her shoulder. The sunny day lifted her spirits as she walked across her front lawn. The recycling center was only a mile away from her house, and she enjoyed the walk—especially on a day like this. As she waited at the crosswalk, she lowered the unwieldy bag of recycling to rest on the ground. I really should have made two trips, she thought.
"Good morning, Mrs. Moss," Ainslee called as she walked past her elderly neighbor's house. Mrs. Moss waved and smiled, but Ainslee could see that she was struggling to move a large tray of plants from her greenhouse to her flower bed. I really should help her, Ainslee thought. But on the other hand, I need to get this recycling to the center this morning. The light changed from green to red as Ainslee hesitated.
"Is everything all right, dear?" asked Mrs. Moss, her voice full of concern. Ainslee dropped her bag of recycling on the curb and jogged across Mrs. Moss' lawn.
"Can I help you with that?" she asked. Mrs. Moss dropped the heavy tray and stood back.
"That would be wonderful, dear," Mrs. Moss told her gratefully. "I usually try to do these things myself, but I'm not as young as I used to be. I want to get these plants in the ground as soon as possible. They help purify the air, you know. It's just my little way of helping the planet." Ainslee easily moved the tray of plants into place and turned to leave.
"You are a treasure!" said Mrs. Moss as she hugged Ainslee goodbye. As Ainslee retrieved her bag of recycling and crossed the street, she felt terrific. Good thing I stopped! she thought. It feels great to help the planet and another person at the same time.
1. / Why does Ainslee put the bag of recycling down on the curb?
/ A. / She needs her hands free to help Mrs. Moss.
/ B. / She is leaving the bag for Mrs. Moss to find.
/ C. / She decides to give up her plan to recycle.
/ D. / She is exhausted from carrying the heavy bag.
2. / What causes Ainslee to feel conflicted in this story?
/ A. / She tries to teach her neighbor about helping the planet, but Mrs. Moss continues to forget to recycle.
/ B. / She knows that her neighbor needs help, but her allowance is too small to let her lend money to anyone.
/ C. / She doesn't have the time to help her neighbor, but she feels guilty because Mrs. Moss pays her to recycle.
/ D. / She wants to help her neighbor, but she doesn't want to get distracted from her trip to the recycling center.
3. / What is Mrs. Moss' problem in this story?
/ A. / She needs help moving a heavy tray of plants.
/ B. / She is worried that Ainslee is acting recklessly.
/ C. / She needs ideas for ways to help the planet.
/ D. / She has no room on her lawn for her new plants.
Stage Fright
by J. Robbins
Even through the heavy curtain, Marcus could hear the audience's excited whispers. He closed his eyes and imagined himself darting out the back door of the stage area. Maybe I'll leave town! he thought wildly. I can start a new life somewhere else. That would have to be easier than this. Tonight was the school's first performance of The Day the Kids Ruled the School, and Marcus was starring in the lead role. He had worked for months to memorize his lines, but his stomach was still tied in knots.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is it!" whispered Mrs. LaMountain, the drama teacher, to the assembled students. "From this moment on, you will no longer be mere students—you will be actors!" Despite his teacher's melodramatic words, Marcus felt a thrill of anticipation. He had always wanted to become an actor and star in his own blockbuster movie, but his speech impediment—a stutter he had never been able to overcome—seemed to make that dream impossible. When he found out that his hero, actor Bruce Willis, had also suffered from a stutter as a child, he decided to face his fears and try out for the school play. Now, as he waited for the curtain to open, his fears returned.
"Curtains up!" called Mrs. LaMountain. Marcus was dazzled by the bright lights as the curtain lifted. He felt the audience's eyes on him as he opened his mouth to speak.
"I...I..." He tried to speak, but his words got tangled up in his mouth. I know my lines! he wanted to shout. They just won't come out of my mouth right! Across the stage, Janie Fisher came to his rescue.
"What do you think we should do for our senior year, Ted?" asked Janie, speaking her lines in a strong, confident voice. Marcus took a deep breath and fixed his eyes on Janie instead of the audience.
"I think we should rule the school!" he replied, in the cocky voice of his character, Ted. As long as he kept his eyes on Janie, he could say his lines as smoothly as he had in practice. Maybe there's a future for me in acting after all, he dared to hope.
4. / What effect does the audience have on Marcus?
/ A. / The audience helps Marcus learn about stuttering.
/ B. / The audience makes Marcus forget all his lines.
/ C. / The audience causes Marcus to stutter in fear.
/ D. / The audience encourages Marcus with applause.
5. / What causes Marcus to try out for the school play?
/ A. / Marcus learns that the girl he likes, Janie Fisher, will only date boys who can act.
/ B. / Marcus thinks that acting is the only way for him to start a new life in another town.
/ C. / Marcus believes that acting in the play will allow him to meet his hero, Bruce Willis.
/ D. / Marcus finds out that a person he admires suffered from a speech impediment also.
6. / According to the story, how does Janie affect Marcus during the play?
/ A. / She helps him get the courage to continue his performance.
/ B. / She gets the drama teacher to replace him at the last minute.
/ C. / She tells him that even famous people, like Bruce Willis, stutter.
/ D. / She causes him to laugh onstage and ruin his performance.
Cherie searched through her backpack in a panic. Please say I didn't lose my passport already! she begged silently. Her backpack was littered with packs of gum, sunscreen, comic books, and all the little things she expected to need on her trip. Except her passport. The line in front of her moved forward, and her stomach did a flip-flop of fear. She had always dreamed about traveling to another country, and she didn't want to lose her chance because of her chronic forgetfulness.
"Hey, girl," said Marissa, her team leader. "Is everything okay?" Cherie fought back tears as she looked up at her team leader.
"I can't find my passport," Cherie admitted. Marissa frowned thoughtfully.
"Well, let's see," said Marissa. "I know you had it when we loaded up the van. Did you stick it in your suitcase?" Cherie put down her backpack and unzipped her suitcase. Her neatly-folded clothes tumbled to the ground as she searched. In the meantime, Marissa looked inside the backpack.
"What's the problem, Marissa?" asked Mr. Turner, the trip coordinator. As he walked up, Cherie groaned. The last thing she wanted to do was make a bad impression on Mr. Turner. He had made the final decision to allow her on the trip, despite the fact that she was the only teenager in the group. She wanted to repay his faith in her more than anything.
"Oh, there's no problem, Mr. Turner," Marissa told him. Cherie looked at her in surprise. "Cherie's passport just got wedged inside one of her comic books. I have it right here. Everything's great!" Mr. Turner looked relieved and went back to his seat in the airport lobby. Cherie sighed in relief when Marissa put the passport in her hands.
"Thank you, Marissa," she told her gratefully. "I thought I was a goner." Marissa grinned at Cherie.
"No problem!" said Marissa. "You should have seen me on my first overseas trip. I left my passport at home, and my mom had to bring it to me. I was so embarrassed." They shared a moment of relieved laughter before the security officer motioned Cherie forward.
7. / The main conflict in this story is resolved when
/ A. / Cherie's mom brings her lost passport.
/ B. / Mr. Turner bribes the security officer.
/ C. / Marissa finds Cherie's lost passport.
/ D. / Marissa lies to the trip coordinator.
8. / How does the last paragraph contribute to the plot of the story?
/ A. / The reader finds out that Marissa experienced a similar problem to Cherie's.
/ B. / The reader learns that Mr. Turner has turned Cherie in to the security office.
/ C. / The reader discovers that Cherie's situation will cause her to miss her plane.
/ D. / The reader discovers that Marissa tried to hide Cherie's passport in a book.
9. / Why does Cherie try to keep her situation a secret from Mr. Turner?
/ A. / She thinks he wants to cancel the trip.
/ B. / She does not want to disappoint him.
/ C. / She knows he has hidden her passport.
/ D. / She knows he dislikes her team leader.
The Test
by J. Robbins
Peter Fox walked into Mr. Amend's American history class whistling a cheerful tune. Several students looked up from their books and gave him dirty looks. He smiled as he slid into his seat.
"What's up, Steve?" he asked his best friend. Steve had dark circles under his eyes, and he looked exhausted.
"Hey, man," Steve replied. "I've been up all night studying the Declaration of Independence, and I think my brain might explode." Peter laughed as he leaned over and patted his friend on his back.
"Don't worry, Steve," said Peter. "I'll ace this thing for both of us. In fact, I'll ace it for the whole class!" Steve looked at Peter suspiciously.
"Why are you so confident?" he asked. "You're not planning to cheat, are you?"
"No way!" Peter reassured him. "I just stayed up all night memorizing the book Mr. Amend assigned us. I need to score a perfect grade to make up for last month's test."
"Yeah, that was awful," Steve agreed. "I can't believe Mr. Amend wouldn't let you take the test again. Studying the wrong chapter was an honest mistake." Peter nodded sadly.
"Yeah, my dad was furious," he said. "But Mr. Amend never budges when it comes to taking tests only once. From then on, I swore to never study the wrong material again. So, how did you like the book? I thought the part with the werewolves was a little over the top." Steve gave his friend a blank look.
"What werewolves?" Steve asked.
"You know, the werewolves who were hiding in the cargo bay at the beginning of the book and eventually took over the spaceship," replied Peter.
"Peter," Steve said slowly. "I don't know what you read, but it wasn't the book Mr. Amend assigned us. The book we were supposed to read was about the signing of the Declaration of Independence. There were definitely no werewolves involved!" The smile vanished from Peter's face and was replaced by a look of panic.
"No! I must have accidentally picked up the wrong book. This can't have happened again!" exclaimed Peter as he buried his head in his hands.
10. / How does Mr. Amend contribute to Peter's conflict in the story?
/ A. / He refuses to make peace with Peter's father.
/ B. / He refuses to allow students to retake tests.
/ C. / He provides the wrong book for Peter to study.
/ D. / He influences other students to dislike Peter.
11. / Which of the following is a major conflict for Peter in this story?
/ A. / His father refuses to accept that he has a learning disability.
/ B. / Although he tries to make friends, his classmates dislike him.
/ C. / Despite studying all night, he is unprepared for his history test.
/ D. / His overactive imagination has caused him to fail his classes.
CHARACTERS:
WILLY LOMAN
LINDA, his wife
BIFF, the oldest son
HAPPY, the youngest son
SCENE:The action takes place in Willy Loman’s house and yard and in various places he visits in the New York and Boston of today.
(Biff gets up and moves restlessly about the room.)
BIFF: / Why does Dad mock me all the time?
HAPPY: / He’s not mocking you, he—
BIFF: / Everything I say there’s a twist of mockery on his face. I can’t get near him.
HAPPY: / He just wants you to make good, that’s all. I wanted to talk to you about Dad for a long time, Biff. Something’s—happening to him. He—talks to himself.
BIFF: / I noticed that this morning. But he always mumbled.
HAPPY: / But not so noticeable. It got so embarrassing I sent him to Florida. And you know something? Most of the time he’s talking to you.
BIFF: / What’s he say about me?
HAPPY: / I can’t make it out.
BIFF: / What’s he say about me?
HAPPY: / I think the fact that you’re not settled, that you’re still kind of up in the air . . .
BIFF: / There’s one or two other things depressing him, Happy.
HAPPY: / What do you mean?
BIFF: / Never mind. Just don’t lay it all to me.
HAPPY: / But I think if you just got started—I mean—is there any future for you out there?
BIFF: / I tell ya, Hap, I don’t know what the future is. I don’t know—what I’m supposed to want.
adapted from Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
12. / In this passage, which of the following contributes to the conflict between Biff and his father?
/ A. / Biff's lack of definite plans for the future
/ B. / Biff's desire to move his family to Florida
/ C. / Biff's younger brother's hatred for his father
/ D. / Biff's disappointment in his father's career
Thanks
by J. Robbins
"Don't you dare cry," Jen told her best friend Juanita. "You'll make me cry, and I'll look terrible on the bus." Juanita did her best to keep the tears from rolling down her face. She knew it was unfair of her to make her friend feel bad for leaving. The trip to the state capital was a great opportunity, and it wasn't Jen's fault Juanita couldn't go. There were only a limited number of seats available on the bus, and Juanita had turned in her permission form one day after the deadline. She smiled brightly at her friend.