– TOPIC SENTENCES –

The answers to this section begin on page 135. 112. It weighs less than three pounds and is hardly
more interesting to look at than an overly ripe
For the following three questions, choose the topic
cauliflower. ___________________________.
sentence that best fits the paragraph.
It has created poetry and music, planned and
executed horrific wars, and devised intricate
111. The term spices is a pleasant one, whether it
scientific theories. It thinks and dreams, plots
connotes fine French cuisine or a down-home,
and schemes, and easily holds more informa-
cinnamon-flavored apple pie. ____________.
tion than all the libraries on Earth.
In the past, individuals traveled the world seek-
a. The human brain is made of gelatinous
ing exotic spices for profit and, in searching,
matter and contains no nerve endings.
have changed the course of history. Indeed, to
b. The science of neurology has found a way
gain control of lands harboring new spices,
to map the most important areas of the
nations have actually gone to war.
human brain.
a. The taste and aroma of spices are the main
c. Nevertheless, the human brain is the most
elements that make food such a source of
mysterious and complex object on Earth.
fascination and pleasure.
d. However, scientists say that each person
b. The term might equally bring to mind
uses only 10% of his or her brain over the
Indian curry made thousands of miles away
course of a lifetime!
and those delicious barbecued ribs sold on
the corner.
c. It is exciting to find a good cookbook
and experiment with spices from other
lands—indeed, it is one way to travel
around the globe!
d. The history of spices, however, is another
matter altogether, and at times, it can be
filled with danger and intrigue.

20

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SADRA RAYANEH SHOMAL
 – TOPIC SENTENCES –
113. Gary is a distinguished looking man with a
touch of gray at the temples. Even in his early
50s, he still turns heads. He enjoys spending
most of his time admiring his profile in the
mirror. In fact, he considers his good looks to
be his second-most important asset. The first,
however, is money. He is lucky in this area,
too, having been born into a wealthy family.
__________. He loves the power his wealth
has given him. He could buy whatever he
desires, whether that be people, places, or
things. Gary checks that mirror often and feels
great delight with what he sees.
a. Gary’s gray hair is his worst characteristic.
b. Conceit is the beginning and the end
of Gary’s character; conceit of person
and situation.
c. Gary feels blessed to be wealthy and the joy
consumes his every thought.
d. The only objects of Gary’s respect are
others who hold positions in society
above him.
21
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SADRA RAYANEH SHOMAL
For the following questions, a topic sentence is given. Try
choosing the sentence that best develops or supports it.
114. Life on Earth is ancient and, even at its first
appearance, unimaginably complex.
a. Scientists place its beginnings at some
three billion years ago, when they hypothe-
size that the first molecule floated up out
of the ooze with the unique ability to
replicate itself.
b. The most complex life form is, of course,
the mammal—and the most complex
mammal is humankind.
c. It is unknown exactly where life started,
where the first molecule was “born” that
had the ability to replicate itself.
d. Darwin’s theory of evolution was one
attempt to explain what essentially remains
a great mystery.
115. Cosmetic plastic surgery is one of the fastest-
growing segments of U.S. medicine.
a. Cosmetic plastic surgery can have danger-
ous side effects, some of which can be fatal.
b. Americans are eager to make their bodies as
perfect as possible and to minimize the visi-
ble signs of aging.
c. The price of cosmetic plastic surgery is also
on the rise.
d. This increase in cosmetic plastic surgery
says something quite disturbing about
our culture.
 – TOPIC SENTENCES –
116. One scientific theory of the origin of the
universe is the much misunderstood
big bang theory.
a. Physicists now believe they can construct
what happened in the universe during the
first three minutes of its beginning.
b. Many scientists believe that, during
microwave experiments, we can actually
“hear” echoes of the big bang.
c. The popular notion is that the big bang was
a huge explosion in space, but this is far too
simple a description.
d. The big bang theory, if accepted, convinces
us that the universe was not always as it
is now.
117. Before we learn how to truly love someone
else, we must learn how to love the face in the
mirror.
a. Don’t be shy about meeting members of the
opposite sex.
b. No one can really love you the way you can
love yourself.
c. Love is not something that lasts unless one
is very lucky.
d. Learning to accept ourselves for who we are
will teach us how to accept another person.
22
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SADRA RAYANEH SHOMAL
118. The Greek ideal of the hero most closely
resembles today’s free-agent superstar.
a. A superstar is an athlete who commands a
great salary based on his individual skills.
b. The Greek warrior’s focus was on grasping
at immortality, and he did this by ensuring
that his name would live on, long after
he died.
c. The Greek hero valued self-interest above
loyalty to a cause, his king, or to his army,
just as the free-agent superstar values his
contract salary above any special team,
coach, or the game.
d. The Greek hero was impressive in his per-
formance on the battlefield as well as in the
sports arena.
119. There is no instruction by the old bird in the
movements of flight; no conscious imitation
by the young.
a. The most obvious way in which birds differ
from humans in behavior is that they can
do all that they have to do, without ever
being taught.
b. More extraordinary than the fact that a bird
is able to fly untaught, is that it is able to
build a nest untaught.
c. Young birds frequently make their first
flights with their parents out of sight.
d. Young birds brought up in artificial envi-
ronments will build the proper kind of nest
for their species when the time comes.
 – TOPIC SENTENCES –
120. Parents play an important role in their chil-
dren’s academic success.
a. Video games have a negative impact on
children’s academic success.
b. Studies show that children of parents who
regularly assist with homework and show
an active interest in their child’s studies
bring home better grades.
c. Studies show that watching less television
and spending less time playing video games
help children get better grades.
d. Children who are avid readers get much
better grades than their peers.
121. In special cases, needy people who have
nowhere else to go are permitted to enter the
United States as refugees.
a. Other people, however, enter the United
States illegally.
b. The total number of newcomers was over
one million.
c. United States immigration laws put limits
on the number of people permitted to enter
the United States.
d. As many as 12 million people may be living
in the United States illegally.
122. The Puritans established a wide variety of
punishments to enforce their strict laws.
a. The Puritans believed that some lawbreak-
ers should be shamed in public by the use
of stocks and the pillory.
b. Disobedient children would feel the sting of
the whip.
c. The Eighth Amendment of the Bill of Rights
prohibits cruel and unusual punishment.
d. Today, many of the punishments used by
the Puritans seem cruel and excessive.
23
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SADRA RAYANEH SHOMAL
123. More and more people are eating organically
grown fruits and vegetables.
a. Organic food is usually more expensive
than non-organic food.
b. A wide variety of organic chocolate prod-
ucts are now available in stores.
c. Raw foods are enjoying increasing popular-
ity, now that people are discovering how a
raw-foods diet leaves you feeling and
looking great.
d. Fresh organic produce contains more vita-
mins, minerals, and enzymes than non-
organic produce.
124. In Oklahoma, a girl is forbidden to take a bite
from her date’s hamburger.
a. It’s illegal for teenagers to take a bath dur-
ing the winter in Clinton, Indiana.
b. Youngsters may not spin Yo-Yos on Sunday
in Memphis, Tennessee.
c. It may be hard to believe, but these types of
strange laws are still on the books!
d. It is illegal to parade an elephant down
Main Street in Austin, Texas.
125. The hairs themselves are very sensitive.
a. A cat’s whiskers are among the most perfect
organs of touch.
b. The roots contain highly sensitive nerve
endings.
c. Serving as feelers, they aid the cat’s ability
to move in the dark.
d. This is most important for a cat that does
its prowling at night.
 – TOPIC SENTENCES –
126. French explorers probably taught the Inuit
Eskimos how to play dominoes.
a. It was known in 181 A.D. in China.
b. Also, it was played during the 1700s in Italy.
c. The game of dominoes has been popular
for centuries.
d. From Italy, it was then introduced to the
rest of the world.
127. People are now living longer than ever before
for many different reasons.
a. Some people in the Soviet Union’s Caucasus
Mountains live to be over 100 years of age.
b. No one seems to understand this
phenomenon.
c. Advances in medical science have done
wonders for longevity.
d. The people in this region do not seem to
gain anything from medical science.
128. For 16 years, he spread violence and death
throughout the west.
a. Jesse was gunned down on April 3, 1882.
b. He left a trail of train and bank robberies.
c. His crimes were committed during the
late 1860s.
d. Jesse Woodson James was the most leg-
endary of all American outlaws.
24
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SADRA RAYANEH SHOMAL
For the final two questions, choose the sentence that
does NOT support the given topic sentence.
129. In ancient Greece, honor was not just the
domain of the warrior.
a. A great orator [speaker], who could sway
the public with his logic and wit, was
greatly respected.
b. A revered poet’s name lived on long after
he died.
c. Great wealth was characteristic of the truly
great kings.
d. A warrior’s quest for the esteem of his peers
would bring him great prizes, which would
secure a long-lasting reputation.
130. In Moby Dick, Herman Melville wrote that the
whale men were “enveloped in whale lines,”
that each man relied on the others during
moments of danger.
a. The small boats that pursued the whales
left the whaling ship far behind; each man
in a boat had to depend on the others to
stay alive.
b. Once the whale was harpooned, the whale
line unraveled so fast that water had to be
poured on it to keep it from smoking.
c. The whale line was the rope, dozens of
yards long, that attached to the harpoon;
it was raveled under the seats of all the
men metaphorically connecting each man
to the next.
d. One wrong move and the line would snap a
man right out of the boat; thus, his life
depended on whether the crew would cut
the whale loose to save him, or leave him in
the ocean during the heat of the hunt.
 – TOPIC SENTENCES –
126. French explorers probably taught the Inuit
Eskimos how to play dominoes.
a. It was known in 181 A.D. in China.
b. Also, it was played during the 1700s in Italy.
c. The game of dominoes has been popular
for centuries.
d. From Italy, it was then introduced to the
rest of the world.
127. People are now living longer than ever before
for many different reasons.
a. Some people in the Soviet Union’s Caucasus
Mountains live to be over 100 years of age.
b. No one seems to understand this
phenomenon.
c. Advances in medical science have done
wonders for longevity.
d. The people in this region do not seem to
gain anything from medical science.
128. For 16 years, he spread violence and death
throughout the west.
a. Jesse was gunned down on April 3, 1882.
b. He left a trail of train and bank robberies.
c. His crimes were committed during the
late 1860s.
d. Jesse Woodson James was the most leg-
endary of all American outlaws.
24
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SADRA RAYANEH SHOMAL
For the final two questions, choose the sentence that
does NOT support the given topic sentence.
129. In ancient Greece, honor was not just the
domain of the warrior.
a. A great orator [speaker], who could sway
the public with his logic and wit, was
greatly respected.
b. A revered poet’s name lived on long after
he died.
c. Great wealth was characteristic of the truly
great kings.
d. A warrior’s quest for the esteem of his peers
would bring him great prizes, which would
secure a long-lasting reputation.
130. In Moby Dick, Herman Melville wrote that the
whale men were “enveloped in whale lines,”
that each man relied on the others during
moments of danger.
a. The small boats that pursued the whales
left the whaling ship far behind; each man
in a boat had to depend on the others to
stay alive.
b. Once the whale was harpooned, the whale
line unraveled so fast that water had to be
poured on it to keep it from smoking.
c. The whale line was the rope, dozens of
yards long, that attached to the harpoon;
it was raveled under the seats of all the
men metaphorically connecting each man
to the next.
d. One wrong move and the line would snap a
man right out of the boat; thus, his life
depended on whether the crew would cut
the whale loose to save him, or leave him in
the ocean during the heat of the hunt.
Que aspectos consideras cuando lees un libro? ?Si Estas buscando un texto que consideraciones tomas antes de
seleccionarlo.

Antes de leer este texto, observa la ilustracion e infiere el contenido del texto. Sugiere palabras que podrian estar el
el texto.
Completa las columnas con la informacion del texto

Algunas palabras tienen varias acepciones, por ejempla la palabra ‘play’ aparece en el texto, que traduccion podrias
darle en este contexto?

Selecciona otras palabras que te parecieron interesantes o intrigantes y busca su significado en el diccionario. Tienen
mas de una acepcion?
Lee y organiza las siguientes palabras en orden alfabetico, luego busca el significado de las palabras desconocidas o que
hayas malentendido por falta de contextualizacion.

scratch Questionable studious Quest

Crown Aid Questionnaire Satisfactory
language Foreign Satisfy Cult
play Studio Line Radiation
Student Satire daily Master
Question divine Zoo satirist
En el siguiente texto puede haber palabras nuevas para ti o que son portadoras de significado importantes para la
comprension del texto, localizalas y busca la mejor traduccion de acuerdo al contexto del documento.

Las palabra ‘while’ y ‘also’ aparecen dos veces en el texto. ?Tiene la misma acepcion en ambos casos? Explica tu
respuesta.

En trios asigna un parrafo a cada persona del grupo y traduce la informacion. Compara si lo que tu companero entiende
concuerda con tu percepcion.

1_________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

2_________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
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__________________________________________________________________________________________________

3_________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Proposito de la lectura.

?Porque leemos? Comenta brevemente las razones mas communes por las que lees. Explicita las o las tecnicas que usas
durante la lectura.

?Durante una practica de comprension lectora, usas el mismo metodo que para otros propositos de lectura?
Encuentra rapidamente la siguiente informacion del texto y completa segun el ejemplo. (scanning)
Fechas/nombres Renglones

The year of the decree ordering the founding of the University of Mexico 1551 1
1 The date when classes began in the University
2 The name of the first University in Mexico
3 The year in which medicine as included
4 The year when the University reopened
5 The name of the greatest Mexican intellectual and liberal leader
6 The name of the minister who revived the University after the 1910 revolution
7 The name of the person who gave the university its characteristic shield emblem
8 The year when the tract of land to build the University was bought
9 The year when the University was granted its autonomy
Referente y referencia.

Don Antonio De Mendoza, a man of great vision and social sympathies, had been working toward this event since 1537.
(r 33-5)

La frase this event es referente de ‘the establishment of The University of Mexico’ (referencia)

(r 5) he ________________________________

(r 5) he ________________________________

(r 9) his conversion ________________________________

(r 2) who ________________________________

(r 33) This ________________________________

(r 35) which ________________________________

(r 38) its effectiveness ________________________________

Traducción.
Leer en otro idioma es difícil.

Rayuela Capítulo 68

Julio Cortázar
"Apenas él le 1 amalaba el noema, a ella se le agolpaba el clémiso y caían en hidromurias, en salvajes ambonios,
en sustalos exasperantes. Cada vez que él procuraba relamar las incopelusas, se enredaba en un 2 grimado
quejumbroso y tenía que envulsionarse de cara al nóvalo, sintiendo cómo poco a poco las arnillas se espejunaban,
se iban apeltronando, reduplimiendo, hasta quedar tendido como el trimalciato de ergomanina al que se le han
dejado caer unas fílulas de cariaconcia. Y sin embargo era apenas el principio, porque en un momento dado ella se
3 tordulaba los hurgalios, consintiendo en que él aproximara suavemente sus orfelunios. Apenas se
entreplumaban, algo como un ulucordio los encrestoriaba, los extrayuxtaba y paramovía, de pronto era el clinón, la
esterfurosa convulcante de las mátricas, la jadehollante embocapluvia del orgumio, los esproemios del merpasmo
en una sobrehumítica agopausa. ¡Evohé! ¡Evohé! Volposados en la cresta del murelio, se sentían balpamar,
perlinos y márulos. Temblaba el troc, se vencían las marioplumas, y todo se resolviraba en un profundo pínice, en
niolamas de argutendidas gasas, en carinias casi crueles que los ordopenaban hasta el límite de las gunfias.

1 Sugiere acepciones para 1-2-3 según el contexto implícito de la lectura. Justifica tu compression.

1________________________________ 2________________________ 3__________________________

2 Describe el contexto físico, temporal e histórico donde la descriptiva anterior sucede.

3 Como definirías el lenguaje usado en este texto?

Encuentra rapidamente la siguiente informacion del texto y completa segun el ejemplo. (scanning)
Fechas/nombres Renglones

The year of the decree ordering the founding of the University of Mexico 1551 1
Recorta las figuras y encuentra la instrucción correspondiente a cada imagen.

Diagram Instructions
II B Organiza las instrucciones en correspondencia con los diagramas. Numera la secuencia.

Start with a square piece of paper, white side up. Fold

in half and open. Then fold in half the other way.

Using the creases, you have made, Bring the top 3

corners of the model down to the bottom corner. The
model will fold along the creases. Flatten mode.

Turn the paper over to the colored side. Fold the paper
in half, crease well and open, and then fold again in
the other direction.

Open out the front and back petals. As you open the
front and back petals, the side petals should open up
too, revealing the color inside.

Fold the bottom corner upwards to the point shown.

Crease very well and unfold.

You can then fold the stem in half backwards to

make the petals stay in place.

Turn model over and repeat this step on the other

side.

Fold top layer of triangular flaps into the center line.

Rotate model so the open part is at the top.

Finished blossom!
Velocidad lectora.

Un factor relevante que afecta la comprensión es a velocidad a la que la información llega. Para la lectura es
determinante lograr un mínimo de velocidad lectora además de poder comprender lo leído. Adicionalmente, se debe
leer con un propósito determinado, es decir no es productivo intentar comprender cada palabra de un texto, ya que
disminuye la comprensión y aumenta el tiempo de lectura.
Recorta las figuras y encuentra la instrucción correspondiente a cada imagen.

Diagram Instructions
¿Que palabras de esta lista llamaron tu atención? Busca su significado en tu diccionario.
De la columna derecha, selecciona las palabras que corresponderían a la columna izquierda, según te parezca
adecuado.
¿Qué opines de la traducción anterior del poema? ¿Te pareció adecuada a la intención del texto original ?

II

Esta es una traducción más del mismo poema. Selecciona la opción/sinónimo más adecuada al texto.
¿Qué técnicas utilizaste para resolver este ejercicio? Comenta con tus compañeros el proceso que llevaste acabo
durante la resolución del texto.

Escribe una reflexión de lo que has aprendido hasta este punto del curso. Incluye lo que piensas debes mejorar.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________
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In this text you will practice reading and discussing fiction with a short story titled "All Summer in a
Day," by Ray Bradbury.

Before you read, discuss these questions with another student.

1. Have you ever heard of this author? Have you read any of his stories or books or seen movies made
from them?

2. Ray Bradbury's other books include Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles. Do these titles help
you to guess what kind of fiction Bradbury writes?

3. Think about the title of this story, "All Summer in a Day," and try to imagine what the

title might refer to. Guess what type of story this will be.

Read the story all the way to the end. As you read, underline any unfamiliar words with a pencil but do
not look them up in a dictionary now. Mark any confusing parts of the story with a question mark (?).
Make notes in the margin about your reactions. Then complete the exercises that follow.

All Summer in a Day

Ready?"
Ready."
" Now?"
"Soon."
"Do the scientists really know? Will it happen today, will it?"
"Look, look; see for yourself!"
The children pressed to each other like so many roses, so many weeds, intermixed, peering out
for a look at the hidden sun.
It rained.
It had been raining for seven years; thousands upon thousands of days compounded and filled
from one end to the other with rain, with the drum and gush of water, with the sweet crystal fall of
showers and the concussion of storms so heavy they were tidal waves come over the islands. A
thousand forests had been crushed under the rain and grown up a thousand times to be crushed
again. And this was the way life was forever on the planet Venus, and this was the schoolroom of
the children of the rocket men and women who had come to a raining world to set up civilization
" What're you looking at?" said William.
Margot said nothing.
"Speak when you're spoken to." He gave her a shove. But she did not move; rather she let
herself be moved only by him and nothing else.
They edged away from her, they would not look at her. She felt them go away. And this was
because she would play no games with them in the echoing tunnels of the underground city. If they
tagged her and ran, she stood blinking after them and did not follow. When the class sang songs
about happiness and life and games her lips barely moved. Only when they sang about the sun and
the summer did her lips move as she watched the drenched windows.
And then, of course, the biggest crime of all was that she had come here only five years ago
from Earth, and she remembered the sun and the way the sun was and the sky was when she was
four in Ohio. And they, they had been on Venus all their lives, and they had been only two years old
when last the sun came out and had long since forgotten the color and heat of it and the way it
really was. But Margot remembered.
"It's like a penny," she said once, eyes closed.
"No, it's not!" the children cried.
"It's like a fire," she said, "in the stove."
"You're lying, you don't remember!" cried the children.
But she remembered and stood quietly apart from all of them and watched the patterning
windows. And once, a month ago, she had refused to shower in the school shower rooms, had
clutched her hands to her ears and over her head, screaming the water mustn't touch her head. So
after that, dimly, dimly, she sensed it, she was different and they knew her difference and kept away.
15
Reading and Discussing Fiction
There was talk that her father and mother were taking her back to Earth next year; it seemed
vital to her that they do so, though it would mean the loss of thousands of dollars to her family. And
so, the children hated her for all these reasons of big and little consequence. They hated her pale
snow face, her waiting silence, her thinness, and her possible future.
" Get away!" The boy gave her another push. "What're you waiting for?"
Then, for the first time, she turned and looked at him. And what she was waiting for was in her
eyes.
" Well, don't wait around here!" cried the boy savagely. "You won't see nothing!"
Her lips moved.
" Nothing!" he cried. "It was all a joke, wasn't it?" He turned to the other children. "Nothing's
happening today. Is it?"
They all blinked at him and then, understanding, laughed and shook their heads. "Nothing,
nothing!"
"Oh, but," Margot whispered, her eyes helpless. But this is the day, the scientists predict,
they say, they know, the sun . . ."
All a joke!" said the boy, and seized her roughly. "Hey, everyone, let's put her in a closet
before teacher comes!"
"No," said Margot, falling back.
They surged about her, caught her up and bore her, protesting, and then pleading, and then
crying, back into a tunnel, a room, a closet, where they slammed and locked the door. They stood
looking at the door and saw it tremble from her beating and throwing herself against it. They heard
her muffled cries. Then, smiling, they turned and went out and back down the tunnel, just as the
teacher arrived.
" Ready, children?" She glanced at her watch.
" Yes!" said everyone.
Are we all here?"
" Yes!"
The rain slackened still more.
They crowded to the huge door.
The rain stopped.
It was as if, in the midst of a film concerning an avalanche, a tornado, a hurricane, a volcanic
eruption, something had, first, gone wrong with the sound apparatus, thus muffling and finally cutting
off all noise, all of the blasts and repercussions and thunders, and then, second, ripped the film from
the projector and inserted in its place a peaceful tropical slide which did not move or tremor. The
world ground to a standstill. The silence was so immense and unbelievable that you felt your ears had
been stuffed or you had lost your hearing altogether. The children put their hands to their ears. They
stood apart. The door slid back and the smell of the silent, waiting world came in to them.
The sun came out.
It was the color of flaming bronze and it was very large. And the sky around it was a blazing
blue tile color. And the jungle burned with sunlight as the children, released from their spell, rushed
out, yelling, into the springtime.
" Now, don't go too far," called the teacher after them. "You've only two hours, you know. You
wouldn't want to get caught out!"
But they were running and turning their faces up to the sky and feeling the sun on their cheeks
li ke a warm iron; they were taking off their jackets and letting the sun burn their arms.
" Oh, it's better than the sun lamps, isn't it?"
Then one of them gave a little cry.
" Margot!"
" What?"
"She's still in the closet where we locked her."
" Margot."
They stood as if someone had driven them, like so many stakes, into the floor. They looked at
each other and then looked away. They glanced out at the world that was raining now and raining
and raining steadily. They could not meet each other's glances. Their faces were solemn and pale.
They looked at their hands and feet, their faces down.
" Margot."
One of the girls said, "Well . . . ?"
No one moved.
"Go on," whispered the girl.
They walked slowly down the hall in the sound of cold rain. They turned through the doorway to
the room in the sound of the storm and thunder, lightning on their faces, blue and terrible. They
walked over to the closet door slowly and stood by it.
Behind the closet door was only silence.
They unlocked the door, even more slowly, and let Margot out.

Post reading activities

A. Write any unfamiliar words that made comprehension difficult and write their dictionary
definitions. Compare your words with those of another student. Do you have any of the same words?

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B. Discuss these questions with another student. You may look back at the story if necessary.

1. Did you enjoy reading the story? Explain your answer.

2. Were there any parts of the story that you did not understand? Which ones?

3. Were there any unfamiliar words that you need to look up in order to understand the

story?
4. Why do you think the author decided to call this story "All Summer in a Day"?

C. Read the story a second time. Then, working with two or three other students, retell the story to

each other in your own words.

EXERCISE 2

A. In this exercise you will analyze the story for the way the writer sets the scene and tells us

"who," "when," and "where." (This is called the "exposition.") Working with another student, look

back at the first part of "All Summer in a Day" and fill in the table.

Main characters (list and describe):

Setting (time):

Setting (place):

EXERCISE 2

A. Listed below are the events that make up the plot of "All Summer in a Day." Working with

another student, put the events in chronological order by numbering them from Ito 11.

a. They let Margot out of the closet.

b. The children stood at the window waiting for the sun.

c. The children remembered that Margot was in the closet.

d. All day the children read and wrote about the sun in class.

e. The teacher left the classroom.

f. The children put Margot in the closet.

and live out their lives.
"It's stopping, it's stopping!"
"Yes, yes!"
Margot stood apart from them, from these children who could never remember a time when
there wasn't rain and rain and rain. They were all nine years old, and if there had been a day, seven
years ago, when the sun came out for an hour and showed its face to the stunned world, they could
not recall.
14
Extensive Reading

Sometimes, at night, she heard them stir, in remembrance, and she knew they were dreaming
and remembering gold or a yellow crayon or a coin large enough to buy the world with. She knew
they thought they remembered a warmness, like a blushing in the face, in the body, in the arms
and legs and trembling hands. But then they always awoke to the tatting drum, the endless
shaking down of clear bead necklaces upon the roof, the walk, the gardens, the forests, and their
dreams were gone.
All day yesterday they had read in class about the sun. About how like a lemon it was, and how
hot. And they had written small stories or essays or poems about it:
I think the sun is a flower,
That blooms for just one hour.
That was Margot's poem, read in a quiet voice in the still classroom while the rain was falling
outside.
" Aw, you didn't write that!" protested one of the boys. "I did," said Margot. "I did."
" William!" said the teacher.
But that was yesterday. Now the rain was slackening, and the children were crushed in the
great thick windows.
" Where's teacher?"
" She'll be back."
" She'd better hurry, we'll miss it!"
They turned on themselves, like a feverish wheel, all tumbling spokes.
Margot stood alone. She was a very frail girl who looked as if she had been lost in the rain for
years and the rain had washed out the blue from her eyes and the red from her mouth and the
yellow from her hair. She was an old photograph dusted from an album, whitened away, and if she
spoke at all her voice would be a ghost. Now she stood, separate, staring at the rain and the loud
wet world beyond the huge glass.
 – VOCABULARY –

10. Charles, aware of his susceptibility to gum dis- 15. After several small brushfires at the campground,
ease, is diligent about flossing. officials felt the need to augment the rules per-
a. uncomfortable taining to campfires.
b. excited a. criticize
c. thorough b. retract
d. ambivalent c. consider
d. expand
11. Even though she’d read her supervisor’s memo
four or five times, she still found his rambling 16. As soon as the details of the election were released
message ambiguous. to the media, the newspaper was inundated with
a. profound calls—far too many to be handled effectively.
b. inspiring a. provided
c. ridiculous b. bothered
d. unclear c. rewarded
d. flooded
12. Excited about winning the award, Marcia walked
up to the podium and delivered an animated 17. The Marion Police Department’s policy of
acceptance speech. aggressively recruiting women officers is
a. abbreviated unmatched, unique in every way.
b. courteous a. rigorous
c. reserved b. admirable
d. lively c. unparalleled
d. remarkable
13. The intermittent rain soaked the garden many
different times during the day. 18. When people heard that timid Bob had taken up
a. protracted skydiving, they were incredulous.
b. periodic a. fearful
c. incredulous b. outraged
d. light c. convinced
d. disbelieving
14. In order to get their votes in the next election, the
senator responded to all the complaints of her 19. The technical department enthusiastically hired
constituents in a diplomatic manner. Ms. Long because she was proficient in the use
a. tactful of computers.
b. dismissive a. sincere
c. delaying b. adequate
d. elaborate c. competent
d. skilled

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SADRA RAYANEH SHOMAL
" Much, much better!"
They stopped running and stood in the great jungle that covered Venus, that grew and never
16
Extensive Reading
stopped growing, tumultuously, even as you watched it. It was a nest of octopi, clustering up great
arms of flesh-like weed, wavering, flowering in this brief spring. It was the color of rubber and ash,
this jungle, from the many years without sun. It was the color of stones and white cheeses and ink,
and it was the color of the moon.
The children lay out, laughing, on the jungle mattress, and heard it sigh and squeak under them,
resilient and alive. They ran among the trees, they slipped and fell, they pushed each other, they
played hide-and-seek and tag, but most of all they squinted at the sun until tears ran down their faces,
they put their hands up to that yellowness and that amazing blueness and they breathed of the fresh,
fresh air and listened and listened to the silence which suspended them in a blessed sea of no sound
and no motion. They looked at everything and savored everything. Then, wildly, like animals escaped
from their caves, they ran and ran in shouting circles. They ran for an hour and did not stop running.
And then—
In the midst of their running one of the girls wailed. Everyone stopped.
The girl, standing in the open, held out her hand.
" Oh, look, look," she said, trembling.
They came slowly to look at her opened palm.
In the center of it, cupped and huge, was a single raindrop.
She began to cry, looking at it.
They glanced quietly at the sky.
"Oh. Oh."
A few cold drops fell on their noses and their cheeks and their mouths. The sun faded behind a
stir of mist. A wind blew cool around them. They turned and started to walk back toward the
underground house, their hands at their sides, their smiles vanishing away.
A boom of thunder startled them and like leaves before a new hurricane, they tumbled upon
each other and ran. Lightning struck ten miles away, five miles away, a mile, a half mile. The sky
darkened into midnight in a flash.
They stood in the doorway of the underground for a moment until it was raining hard. Then they
closed the door and heard the gigantic sound of the rain falling in tons and avalanches, everywhere
and forever.
" Will it be seven more years?"
" Yes. Seven."
 – VOCABULARY –

30. The doctors were pleased that their theory had 35. The attorneys were now certain they could not
been fortified by the new research. win the case, because the ruling had proved to be
a. reinforced so detrimental to their argument.
b. altered a. decisive
c. disputed b. harmful
d. developed c. worthless
d. advantageous
31. The captain often delegated responsibility to his
subordinates, so as to have time to do the impor- 36. My brother drives us crazy by crooning in the
tant tasks himself. shower.
a. analyzed a. hooting
b. respected b. bellowing
c. criticized c. crying
d. assigned d. shouting

32. The news about toxic waste dumping aroused the 37. The emotional fallout from a natural disaster can
anger of the many listeners of a news broadcast. adversely affect the residents in a community for
a. informed years.
b. appeased a. conflict
c. provoked b. issues
d. deceived c. relationship
d. consequences
33. The spokesperson must articulate the philosophy
of an entire company so that outsiders can 38. The air in the rainforest was humid, making the
understand it completely. heat seem even more smothering than before.
a. trust a. hot
b. refine b. damp
c. verify c. hazy
d. express d. volatile

34. The new shipping and receiving building is an 39. The balloon, loose from its string, rose up into
expansive facility, large enough to meet our the sky, a shiny purple sphere.
growing needs. a. circle
a. obsolete b. globe
b. meager c. ovoid
c. spacious d. nodule
d. costly

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SADRA RAYANEH SHOMAL
 – VOCABULARY –

40. After the storm caused raw sewage to seep into 45. I wrote in my journal every day, hoping in the
the ground water, the Water Department had to future to author a book about my trip to Paris.
take measures to decontaminate the city’s water a. notebook
supply. b. chapbook
a. refine c. diary
b. revive d. ledger
c. freshen
d. purify 46. The thief jostled me in a crowd and was thus able
to pick my pocket.
41. The mayor tailored his speech to suit the crowd a. mugged
of homeless people gathered outside his office. b. bumped
a. intoned c. assailed
b. expanded d. hindered
c. altered
d. shortened 47. While we traveled in Italy, we stayed in an inex-
pensive hostel.
42. The volcano lays dormant now, but we feel sure it a. inn
will erupt again within the year. b. compound
a. inactive c. home
b. slack d. four-star hotel
c. elevated
d. inattentive 48. My friend asked me to lie for her, but that is
against my philosophy.
43. Because of his disregard for the king’s laws, the a. principles
prince was punished by being banished from the b. regulations
kingdom. c. personality
a. apart d. introspection
b. kidnapped
c. exiled
d. spirited

44. I relinquished my place in line to go back and talk

with my friend Diane.
a. defended
b. yielded
c. delayed
d. remanded

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SADRA RAYANEH SHOMAL
 – VOCABULARY –

Choose the best vocabulary word for questions 49–51. Questions 52 and 53 are based on the following
paragraph.
49. We had no idea who the special guest speaker
would be, because the organizers of the event Rhesus monkeys use facial expressions to com-
were so _____________________. municate with each other and to enforce social
a. animated order. For example, the “fear grimace,” although
b. secretive it looks ferocious, is actually given by a
c. talented __________ monkey who is intimidated by a
d. emotional __________ member of the group.

50. When Carson suddenly quit his job, he didn’t 52. What is the meaning of the underlined word gri-
even __________ how difficult it might be to mace as it is used in the passage?
find a new one. a. wrinkle
a. endorse b. contortion
b. require c. shriek
c. consider d. simper
d. alter
53. Which pair of words, if inserted into the blanks
51. Maggie was the most talented tennis player at her in sequence, makes the most sense in the context
school, even though she’d never had the of the passage?
___________________ to take formal lessons. a. calm . . . aggressive
a. opportunity b. dominant . . . subordinate
b. compassion c. confident . . . fearless
c. arrogance d. subordinate . . . dominant
d. marketability

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SADRA RAYANEH SHOMAL
 – VOCABULARY –
Questions 54 and 55 are based on the following
paragraph.
In prolonged space flight, besides the obvious
hazards of meteors, rocky debris, and radiation,
astronauts will have to deal with muscle atrophy
brought on by weightlessness; therefore, when
they return to Earth, they face a protracted period
of weight-training to rebuild their strength.
54. What is the most likely meaning of the under-
lined word debris as it is used in this passage?
a. fragments
b. decay
c. bacteria
d. alien life
55. The underlined word atrophy, as used in the
paragraph, most nearly means
a. pain.
b. wasting.
c. weakening.
d. cramping.
Question 56 is based on the following paragraph.
Most of the women in the orchestra wore con-
ventional black skirts and white shirts during
concerts and had their hair neatly pulled back.
Robin, with her brightly colored clothing and
unusual hairstyles, was considered quite eccentric.
56. What is the meaning of the underlined word
eccentric as it is used in the sentence?
a. unconventional
b. joyful
c. unreliable
d. proud
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SADRA RAYANEH SHOMAL
Questions 57, 58, and 59 are based on the following
paragraph.
The Sami are an indigenous people living in the
northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and
Russia’s Kola peninsula. Originally, the Sami reli-
gion was animistic; that is, for them, nature and
natural objects had a conscious life, a spirit.
Therefore, one was expected to move quietly in
the wilderness and avoid making a disturbance
out of courtesy to these spirits. Ghengis Khan is
said to have declared that the Sami were one peo-
ple he would never try to fight again. Because the
Sami were not warriors and did not believe in war,
they simply disappeared in times of conflict. They
were known as “peaceful retreaters.”
57. Based on the tone of the passage, which of the
following words best describes the author’s atti-
tude toward the Sami people?
a. admiring
b. pitying
c. contemptuous
d. patronizing
58. The closest meaning of the underlined word ani-
mistic, as it is used in the passage, is
a. the irrational belief in supernatural beings.
b. the belief that animals and plants have souls.
c. the belief that animals are gods.
d. the primitive belief that people can be reincar-
nated as animals.
59. What is the meaning of the underlined word
courtesy as it is used in the passage?
a. timidity
b. caution
c. respect
d. fear
g. William and the children began to mistreat Margot.

h. The whole world seemed silent and the sun came out.

i. Raindrops began to fall and a boom of thunder startled the children.

j. The children went inside.

k. The children ran and played in the sunlight

EXERCISE

Discuss these questions with two or three other students.

1. Did the children have any doubts about whether or not they should be locking Margot

in the closet? How can you tell?

2. How do you think Margot feels being locked in the closet?

3. Was the author trying to teach a lesson to the readers of the story? If so, what was the

lesson?

4. How would you describe the ending of this story? Happy, sad, or inconclusive

(incomplete)? Explain.

5. Could this story have an alternate ending? Try to imagine one and describe it.

Reporta las nuevas habilidades o progreso en comprensión lectora que has obtenido hasta ahora.

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