FIRST READ EXTENSION QUESTIONS

from The Invention of Everything Else

1
Name:       Date:      

from The Invention of Everything Else

Samantha Hunt

DIRECTIONS: Complete the following items after you have read the text.
____________________________________________________________________________
RL.8.1 Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says
explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

1. (a) Analyze what the text says explicitly and make inferences drawn from the
text.
In this excerpt from The Invention of Everything Else, what do the details show
about Tesla’s situation in life now that he is an old man living in a New York City
hotel?
    

(b) Cite textual evidence to support your analysis.

Cite textual evidence to support your analysis of Tesla’s situation.
    

____________________________________________________________________________
RL.8.3 Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action,
reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.

2. Analyze how incidents in a story reveal aspects of a character.

Reread paragraph 25 of the excerpt from The Invention of Everything Else. From
the details, what can you conclude about the kind of person Vuk is? What does
the entire childhood story about “insect power” show about the kind of person
Tesla is?
    

© by Savvas Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.

 FIRST READ EXTENSION QUESTIONS
from The Invention of Everything Else

2
____________________________________________________________________________
RL.8.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course
of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective
summary of the text.

3. Determine a theme of a text and analyze its development.

Identify a theme of the excerpt from The Invention of Everything Else that
connects to the question of what it takes to invent something that is
groundbreaking, or revolutionary. Then, reread paragraphs 8, 27, and 28. Explain
how the details in these paragraphs help to develop this theme. Cite details in the
paragraphs to support your explanation.
    

Figurative Language
DIRECTIONS: Complete the following activity as either a written response or a group
discussion.
____________________________________________________________________________
RL.8.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including
figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and
tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts.

4. Identify three or more examples of figurative language used in the final four
paragraphs of the excerpt from The invention of Everything Else. Identify the type
of figurative language that each example represents, and explain each example’s
meaning. Then, explain what the figurative language you have found reveals
about Tesla’s attitude toward the question that he tries to avoid: “‘If they are your
patents, Niko, why did Marconi get … a letter across the ocean before you?’”

Use these guidelines in your writing or discussion.

 Reread paragraphs 34 through 37 of the excerpt from The Invention of
Everything Else.
 Recall these three types of figurative language: personification, simile, and
metaphor. If necessary, review definitions of these types of figurative
language.
 Find at least three examples of figurative language used in paragraphs 34
through 37, and name the type of figurative language each example represents.
 Determine the meaning of each example of figurative language you found.
 Explain what the examples of figurative language show about how Tesla feels
about the question he is trying to avoid.

© by Savvas Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.

 FIRST READ EXTENSION QUESTIONS
from The Invention of Everything Else

TIP FOR WRITTEN RESPONSE

Vary sentence length to keep your reader interested in reading your ideas.
TIP FOR DISCUSSION
Listen to everyone’s ideas and the reasons for their ideas.

    

Central Idea
DIRECTIONS: Complete this activity if you also read “Nikola Tesla: The Greatest
Inventor of All?”
____________________________________________________________________________
RL.8.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course
of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective
summary of the text.

____________________________________________________________________________
RI.8.2 Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text,
including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.

5. (a) Determine a central idea of a text.

What central idea about Nikola Tesla’s scientific achievements do both “Nikola
Tesla: The Greatest Inventor of All?” and the excerpt from The Invention of
Everything Else develop?
    

(b) Analyze the development of a central idea.

What is the main difference in the way each author develops the central idea you
identified?
    

© by Savvas Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.