Professional Documents
Culture Documents
By Doris Smith
READ the novel over winter break. Make the pages with POSTITS for the
following terms:
Description of SETTING (time, place) pg. _______
TWO examples of FORESHADOWING (hints of what will happen later)
pg. ______ & pg. _______
THREE examples of SIMILES – colorful comparisons using “like” or “as”
(Example: The night dropped like a heavy black curtain)
pg. _________ & pg. ___________ & pg. ___________
TWO paragraphs of DESCRIPTIVE passages pg. _______ & pg. _______
(the writing paints a picture in your mind)
TITLE Source (where the author got the title for this novel) pg. _______
MAIN CHARACTER (description of character) pg. _______
CLIMAX (the turning point of the problem or conflict) pg. ______
VOCABULARY: Place a POSTIT where these words occur in the novel.
Make sure you write the definition of each of these words.
Crimson Pg. ____
Urgency Pg. ____
Aggravate Pg. ____
Concentrated Pg. ____
Submerged Pg. ____
Disloyal Pg. ____
Fragile Pg. ____
A TASTE OF BLACKBERRIES TEST Name ______________ no ______
Put the events in chronological order. (3 points each)
The first event should be 1, the last event should be 9.
________ the friend’s mom tells him that Jamie is dead
________ Jamie has a fit when he gets stung; his friend thinks he is faking.
________ Jamie and his friend are trespassing.
________ The friend offers to pick some blackberries for Jamie’s mom.
_________ The friend doesn’t want to go to the funeral home, but he decides at the last
minute to go.
_________ Jamie and his friend hitchhike.
_________ The friend doesn’t want to eat anything, because he thinks maybe that will
bring Jamie home.
_________ Jamie is rushed to the hospital.
_________ Jamie and his friend throw their stolen apples into the creek.
Vocabulary meanings. Choose the best meaning for the underlined word. (3 pts)
_______ 10. I concentrated on keeping my eyeballs from moving around behind my
lids.
a. remembered
b. focused
c. added liquids
______ 11. At least I no longer felt it was disloyal to eat.
a. not faithful
b. not hungry
c. not thinking
______ 12. Jamie’s face was crimson.
a. sweaty
b. ugly
c. red
Multiple choice. Pick the best answer. (4 points each)
_______ 13. “ the water cooled the air around and the trees held the coolness under a
green umbrella of leaves”
This sentence is an example of:
a. foreshadowing
b. metaphor or simile
c. exaggeration
_______ 14. “the garden was radiant with summertime. My nose smelled the
sweetness. I could almost hear the colors in my ears”
In the passage, the author is:
a. building an atmosphere of tension and suspense
b. giving factual background information
c. using descriptive writing
_______ 15. “Jamie also had a four year old sister, Martha. He was the oldest in his
family. I was the youngest in mine, by far the youngest.”
In this passage the author is:
a. building an atmosphere of tension and suspense
b. giving factual background information
c. using descriptive writing
_______ 16. This story is called fiction because:
a. it gives real information
b. a lot of it is made up by the author
c. there isn’t any setting
_______ 17. “Something in my conscience kicked me. What if something really was
badly wrong. Naw, it couldn’t be. What could happen to Jamie the great?”
This passage is an example of:
a. alliteration
b. foreshadowing
c. personification
________ 18. The author wants us to think that Jamie:
a. is a showoff and likes to take chances
b. is shy and withdrawn
c. worries a lot and gets scared easily
________ 19. “only the sunflowers hung their heads, as if they were sorry that Jamie
was dead. But they weren’t sorry either, really”
This sentence is an example of:
a. alliteration
b. foreshadowing
c. personification
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS. Answer in COMPLETE sentences. (9 points each)
20.Why doesn’t Jamie’s friend believe something is wrong when Jamie falls to the
ground?
21. Do you think Jamie and his friend were good friends? Why or why not.
22. Who helps Jamie’s friend cope and deal with death? Explain how that person
helped.
23. When did Jamie and his friend make some “bad” choices in behavior? What
would have been a better and safer choice in the situations that the main
characters found themselves involved in?
WRITING Assignment (This should be at least an one page letter) Extra credit:
Imagine you are Jamie's friend.
Write a letter to Jamie's parents describing what happened. Also describe how you feel
and why you behaved the way you did after you found out about your friend's death.