Dining with Dante

You have been invited to dine with Dante. In order to be an inspirational guest, you must choose your meal carefully. For each section, you must choose the correct number of “dishes.”

Appetizer (Choose 1 of these or 1 of the Desserts): 30 points● [Visual] Who is my Guide? Based on your personal

journey and need for fulfillment, choose an appropriate guide. Create a LinkedIn (or other social media) profile that establishes your guide’s qualifications to lead you. Include pictures and background information, accomplishments, etc.

● [Written] Read “Up from Hell: Dante’s Lessons for Millennials” and turn it into an EOC Prep piece with a minimum of 5 high-level/critical thinking-based multiple choice questions and a constructed response. Answer Key must be provided.

● [Visual/Written] Find at least 5 movies, shows, video games, or literature that reference or adapt Dante’s Divine Comedy. Explain how the allusion is used for specific effect. Include a visual image with each written explanation.

● [Written] Read “The Situation in Hell” and complete the EOC Prep.

Entrée (Choose 1): 40 points● [Visual/Written] Complete the 9 Circles of _____ Hell. Create a visual representation to accompany each circle.● [Visual] “My Journey”: Dante’s journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven brings him spiritual renewal and a return

to faith. Draw a map, and explain a parallel journey for yourself, describing what is missing in your life or yourself. What would be your metaphorical Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso? What are the stops along the way to the end of the journey?

● [Visual/Written] Create a newspaper in which all of the stories surround Dante’s journey. The newspaper should include a variety of article categories: news, features, opinion, advice, sports, advertising, etc. Each item must establish a tone in keeping with its genre. The newspaper must include at least 5-7 articles/items. The length of each individual item will vary based on genre, so if you have several brief pieces, you will need to compensate with other articles and with number of items.

Side Dish (Choose 1): 30 points● [Written] Choose a specific Canto, and determine the theme. In the first brief paragraph, explain the theme of the

canto, using support from the text. In the second brief paragraph, find a modern song, poem, or short story that has the same theme and explain the connection, again using textual support.

● [Visual] Using Dante’s version of hell, create a graphic representation of who, in modern times, would be placed in each circle.

● [Performance/Visual] Turn one Canto of your choosing into a song, rap, children’s book, graphic novel, movie, etc.

Dessert (Choose 1 of these or 1 of the Appetizers): 30 points● [Performance] Re-enact one Canto (filmed performance).● [Written] Write an original Canto based on your concept of Inferno or Paradise.● [Visual] Create 10 memes for The Divine Comedy, have a certain tone, and contain figurative language. These need to

be original (we have Google too). http://www.imagechef.com/meme-maker Find images that would help to create the mood and reinforce your purpose. You may use computer images or your own original pictures. ALL PICTURES AND PHRASING MUST BE SCHOOL APPROPRIATE!

Rubrics

Written Project

Content: includes all required components and information; accurate; detailed; relevantOrganization: each paragraph includes precise, focused topic sentence; ideas are arranged in a logical flow; details and

examples directly support the topic sentence of that paragraphMechanics: minimum of grammar and spelling errorsFormat: MLA heading, pagination, title, margins, font and font size

Visual ProjectContent: includes all required components and information; accurate; detailed; relevantAppearance: professional quality; no notebook paper or pencil writingOriginality/Creativity: no retelling or redrawing of already created work (should be completely original)Written Component: follows Written Project rubric

Performance ProjectContent: includes all required components and information; accurate; detailed; relevantOriginality/Creativity: no retelling or redrawing of already created work (should be completely original)Professionalism: high-quality work; no notebook paper or pencil writingScript: follows Written Project rubric

Score:

_________ Appetizer _________ Entrée _________ Side Dish _________ Dessert ________Total

Up from Hell: Dante’s Lessons for Millennials

By Rod DreherSeptember 1, 2014

This article was originally printed in the Fall 2014 issue of the Intercollegiate Review. We enjoy this one immensely, so we’re running it again one year later.

I was late coming to Dante. Never read him in high school or college, and after my formal education ended with my bachelor’s degree, why on earth would I have bothered? As a professional journalist, I read voraciously, but a seven-hundred-year-old poem by a medieval Catholic was not high on my list.

And then, a year ago, I stumbled into the Divine Comedy by accident. I was going through a deep personal crisis and couldn’t see any way out. One day, browsing in a bookstore, I pulled down a copy of Inferno, the first book of the Commedia trilogy, and began to read the first lines:

Midway along the journey of our lifeI woke to find myself in some dark woods,For I had wandered off from the straight path.(trans. Mark Musa)

Well, yes, I thought, I know what that’s like. Like me, Dante (the character in the poem) was having a midlife crisis. I kept reading and didn’t stop until months later, when I slogged with Dante through Hell, climbed with him up the mountain of Purgatory, and blasted through the heavens to see God in Paradise. All made sense after that pilgrimage, and I found my way back to life. I was, in a physical and spiritual sense, healed.

That’s the testimony of a forty-seven-year-old writer, late to wisdom. What if I had encountered Dante as a young man and taken the lessons the pilgrim learned on his journey to heart back then? Would I have had an easier time staying on the straight path? Perhaps. At least I would have been warned how to avoid the false trails.

Countercultural Icon

Most readers of the Commedia never go past the Inferno, which is a serious mistake. It’s impossible to understand Dante’s teaching withoutPurgatorio and Paradiso, which tell the reader how Dante, enslaved by his passions in the thicket of despair, finds his way back to light and freedom.

Nevertheless, Inferno is the book most relevant to young adults, most of whom will not have yet made the errors of passion that landed the middle-aged Dante in the dark wood. The pilgrim Dante must listen to the words of the damned with skepticism, for they are all liars—and, in fact, the chief victim of the lies they told themselves in life. “Be careful how you enter and whom you trust,” says Minòs, the judge of the underworld. “It is easy to get in, but don’t be fooled!”

What’s more, the testimonies of the damned reveal precisely the nature of the deceptions to which they fell victim—and to which Dante himself, like all of us, is susceptible. All the damned dwell in eternal punishment because they let their passions overrule their reason and were unrepentant. For Dante, all sin results from disordered desire: either loving the wrong things or loving the right things in the wrong way.

This is countercultural, for we live in an individualistic, libertine, sensual culture in which satisfying desire is generally thought to be a primary good. For contemporary readers, especially young adults, Dante’s encounter with Francesca da Rimini, one of the first personages he meets in Hell, is deeply confounding. Francesca is doomed to spend eternity in the circle of the Lustful, inextricably bound in a tempest with her lover, Paolo, whose brother—Francesca’s husband—found them out and murdered them both.

Francesca explains to Dante how she and Paolo fell into each other’s arms. How could she have controlled herself? she says.

Love, that excuses no one loved from loving,Seized me so strongly with delight in himThat, as you see, he never leaves my side.Love led us straight to sudden death together.

She ends by saying that reading romantic literature together caused them to fall hopelessly and uncontrollably in love—unto death, at the hands of her jealous husband.

To modern ears, Francesca’s apologia sounds both tragic and beautiful. But the discerning reader will observe that she never takes responsibility for her actions. In her mind, her fate is all the fault of love—or rather, Love. We know, however, that it is really lust, and that her grandiose language in praise of romantic passion is all a gaudy rationalization. It’s a rationalization that is quite common in our own time, as everything in our popular culture tells us that desire is the same thing as love, and that love, so considered, is its own justification.

For me as a writer, there is a more subtle lesson here, one I wish I had learned before writing so many column inches of cruel, clever journalism in my twenties.

Dante faints at the end of his encounter with Francesca, apparently overcome by the shock of her suffering in eternity for what he would hardly have considered a sin at all. It’s not hard to suspect, though, that Dante’s shock came at the recognition that the love poetry she read on her road to perdition included some of his own verses.

Francesca’s fate is not Dante’s fault, exactly, but that doesn’t mean he is not implicated. The lesson here is to think carefully about the things you say in public, because your words can have unintended consequences. This is not a warning to avoid ever saying anything critical or harsh. Sometimes, harsh criticism, even mockery, is necessary. But it is necessary far less than we think, and, in any case, one should never be deliberately cruel.

In the age of social media, this is even more important to keep in mind. Words written or spoken in public can have terrible private consequences. We all live in a narcissistic, confessional culture in which speaking whatever is on your mind and in your heart is valorized as “honest” and “courageous”—just as calling lust love falsely ennobles it by dressing up egotism with fake moral grandeur.

What Disney Gets Wrong

Believe in yourself. Many graduates hear some version of that advice in their commencement address. It’s as common as dirt and shapes virtually the entire Disney film catalogue. The pilgrim Dante hears it as well, deep in the heart of Hell, from his beloved teacher and mentor Brunetto Latini, thrilled to see his pupil passing through.

Brunetto suffers in the circle of the Sodomites, though Dante never mentions his old master’s sexual activity. Theirs is a tender meeting, with Brunetto full of praise for Dante’s work. “Follow your constellation,” the old man says, “and you cannot fail to reach your port of glory.”

It is terrific flattery, and it comes from a Florentine who was greatly admired in his day as a writer, scholar, and civic leader. Addressing Brunetto with great respect and affection, Dante says, “You taught me how man makes himself eternal.”

It’s enough to make the reader forget that Brunetto is damned. If Dante isn’t talking about sexual immorality, why is Brunetto in Hell? It becomes clearer later in Purgatorio, when Dante meets other Italian artists and learns that art pursued for the sake of personal glory, as distinct from the service of God or some other high cause, is in vain. Brunetto is a vain man, a writer who thought the way to pursue immortality was to serve his own cause in his work—and a spiritually blind teacher who sees Dante’s fame as bringing glory to himself.

How much happier would young people be if they began their careers thinking not of the fame, the fortune, and the glory they will receive from professional accomplishment but rather of the good they can do for others and, if they are religious, the glory they can bring to God through their service? Dante Alighieri’s early verse was good, but he would today be as forgotten as Brunetto Latini if he had not written the Commedia, which he composed for transcendent ends. Few if any of us will accomplish a feat like that, but what good we may do in this world, and what glory may remain after we leave it, will come only if we serve something greater than ourselves.

Tales of Selfish Ulysses

Following one’s own constellation can only get one lost—or worse. This is the lesson Dante learns in Canto XXVI of the Inferno, when he meets Ulysses, the great voyager, suffering in the circle of the False Counselors—that is, those who used their words to mislead others intentionally.

In the version of the Ulysses myth that informs Dante, the silver-tongued Greek cast aside his obligations to his family back home and to his faithful crew, urging them to keep rowing into forbidden waters, in search of discovery.

“You are Greeks!” Ulysses exhorts them. “You were not born to live like mindless brutes but to follow paths of excellence and knowledge.”

Who among us would disagree with that noble sentiment? Certainly not Ulysses’s crew, whose hearts blazed with desire to follow their courageous captain. Except it was a lie. Ulysses rationalized wanting to indulge his own boundless curiosity by sailing in uncharted waters, and he led himself and his men to their deaths.

Two lessons here stand out for the modern reader. First, selfishness that knows no limits, and that tells itself it is pursuing a worthy goal, can have terrible consequences that affect more than just the individual. Ulysses didn’t think about what he owed the old and worn-out crew that served him so loyally in war. Nor did he think about his own wife and son waiting for him at home on Ithaca. All he cared for was his “burning wish to know the world and have experiences of all man’s vices, of all human worth.”

Second, excellence and knowledge are fine things, but they do not justify themselves. The pursuit of excellence and knowledge must be bounded by moral and communal obligations that rein in the ego and hamstring hubris. Today we live in an age when science often refuses limits, claiming the pursuit of knowledge as a holy crusade. The world praises as daring and creative the transgression of nearly all boundaries—in art, in media, in social forms, and so forth—inspiring those who wish to pursue this debased form of excellence to be even more transgressive.

All these damned souls—Francesca, Brunetto, and Ulysses—suffer hellfire because they worshipped themselves and their own passions. In Dante, egotism is the root of all evil. Yet this unholy trio would be admired, even heroic figures in twenty-first-century America for their bold passion and fearless individualism. Love as you will, whatever the consequences, says Francesca. Follow your bliss and navigate by your own stars, says Brunetto. Honor that burning curiosity in your breast and pursue knowledge and excellence no matter what, says Ulysses.

For most of my twenties, I more or less believed these things, because that’s how our culture catechizes us. But then, Dante is rarely on the syllabus. Had I read the Divine Comedy as a younger man and taken its lessons to heart, I would still have been eager to pursue romantic love, achieve professional success as a writer, and explore and know the world—but I would have grasped that these goals can be understood as good only if they are subordinated to right reason, to virtue, and, ultimately, to the will of God.

Dante shows us that you can just as easily go to Hell by loving good things in the wrong way as you can by loving the wrong things. It’s a subtle lesson, and a difficult lesson, and a lesson that is no less difficult to learn in the twenty-first century than it was in the fourteenth. But it’s still necessary to learn. Happy is the man who embraces this wisdom at any point in his life, but happier is the man who does so in his youth.

Rod Dreher is a senior editor at the American Conservative. He is currently writing a book titled How Dante Can Save Your Life.

The Situation in HellThe following is supposedly an actual question given on a University of Washington chemistry mid-

term. The answer by one student was so "profound" that the professor shared it with colleagues via the Internet, which is, of course, why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well.

Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)?

Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law (gas cools when it expands and heats when it is compressed) or some variant.

One student, however, wrote the following:First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate at

which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving.

As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different religions that exist in the world today. Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell.

With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added.

This gives two possibilities:1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the

temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the

temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over.So which is it?If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during my Freshman year that, "it will be a cold day

in Hell before I go out with you", and take into account the fact that I went out with her last night, then number 2 must be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over.

The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore extinct . . . leaving only Heaven, thereby proving the existence of a divine being, which explains why last night Teresa kept shouting "Oh, my God!"THIS STUDENT RECEIVED THE ONLY "A".

Author: Unknown / Contributor: John Masher

“The Situation in Hell”

1. What is the effect of the following lines?“With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle’s law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately”

a. The use of long words in the passage is intended to confuse the reader.b. This passage establishes an authentic scientific hypothesis to explain the rate of expansion in Hell.c. The passage uses scientific and authoritative language in order to enhance the satirical tone of the essay.d. The passage suggests that birth rates are too high and death rates too low to meet the volume needs of

Hell.

2. When the author addresses the two possibilities for Hell’s expansion (numbered 1 and 2), what is the purpose and effect of his choice of language?

a. The language reiterates the scientific basis for the author’s theories.b. The language deliberately puns on common phrases about Hell in order to create a humorous effect.c. The language is inappropriate to the topic.d. The parallel structure of the two items is confusing and misleading.

3. Based on the context, the word postulate (used in the second to last paragraph) most likely means:a. A fundamental principleb. Poor posturec. An awkward positiond. A necessary condition

Constructed ResponseHow does the author of the chemistry essay use language in order to create a specific effect?Topic Sentence

_____________________________________________________________________________________________Supporting Examples/Details

_____________________________________________________________________________________________Supporting Examples/Details

_____________________________________________________________________________________________Supporting Examples/Details

_____________________________________________________________________________________________Concluding Sentence

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Nine Circles of Your Hell: Planning GuideCreate your own version of Dante’s Inferno, but for personal Hell, high school world, sports, dance, friendship, etc. You must create nine circles. Assign each circle a specific crime or moral wrong (ex: stealing cafeteria food, gossip, etc). For each crime, devise what you think would be an appropriate punishment (it must match the crime). Give a brief description of the circle and punishment. Use this chart to plan your project, which you will then turn into a poster or other visual that includes appropriate images and neatly typed/written (no pencil-scratched stuff) explanations.

Circle Crime/Sin Describe Circle and Punishment

Least

Worst

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Unpacking the Standards: English II EOC Released Test

Question Stem Skill/Vocabulary Standard

What evidence describes the speaker’s feelings?

Tone/ Inference (R1)Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it.

(R4) Analyze how specific choices shape meaning or tone.

Which word could replace_______?

Vocabulary in context (L4) Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple- meaning words and phrases by using context clues

According to the selection, why has__________been described as______?

Textual evidence and supporting details

(R2) Determine central idea of a text and analyze in detail its

development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details

(R4) Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining figurative meanings.

What is the effect of the literary device in the sentence below?

Figurative language (R2) Determine central idea of a text and analyze in detail its

development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details

(R4) Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining figurative meanings.

How does the author structure the text?

Organization patterns (R5) Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text relate to the whole.

What is the significance of the text?

Organization patterns (R1)Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly andto make logical inferences from it.

(R5) Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific

sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text relate to

How does the author connect ideas in the selection?

Connection of ideas (R2) Determine central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details

What group of words from the selection conveys the author’s attitude toward the topic?

Tone (R1)Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it.

(R4) Analyze how specific choices shape meaning or tone.

How does the author achieve his purpose?

Author’s purpose and style (R4) Determine the meaning of words or phrases as they are used in the text including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact on specific words

Which lines from the poem support the theme?

Theme (R2) Determine central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over

the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by

specific details

How does the author’s use of Rhyme scheme/Theme (R5) Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific

rhyme scheme enhance the theme of the poem?

sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text relate to the whole.

(R2) Determine central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over

the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by

specific details

What is the meaning of the phrase?

Vocabulary in context L4) Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using context clues

How has the speaker changed between the first and the last stanza?

Speaker’s attitude/tone/ point of view

(R4) Analyze how specific choices shape meaning or tone.

(R6) Analyze how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

How does the speaker’s cultural background affect perception?

Point-of-view (R6) Analyze how point –of- view or cultural perspective shapes the content and style of a text.

What does the speaker achieve in the poem with his/her description of setting?

Inference/Setting (R1)Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it.

(R3) Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

How does the speaker’s point-of-view affect his/her impression?

Speaker’s attitude/tone/ point- of-

view

(R4) Analyze how specific choices shape meaning or tone.

(R6) Analyze how point- of- view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

How do characters help to develop the theme of the text?

Characterization/theme (R2) Determine central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details

(R3) Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

How does the use of personification help develop the setting?

Personification and setting (R4) Interpret figurative language and determine how it shapes

meaning

What is the meaning of the simile in the sentence?

Simile (R4) Interpret figurative language and determine how it shapes

meaning

What is implied in the sentence below?

Implied/Inference (R1)Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it.

What is one possible reason why a character may

_______________?Inference

(R1)Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it.

What does a character’s reaction reveal about him or her?

Characterization (R3)Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

In the sentence below, how does the connotation [of a group of words] reflect a character’s attitude?

Connotation/Character/Attitude (R3)Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

(R4)Interpret connotative phrases and how they shape meaning or tone

How does the author introduce additional depth to the conflict between two characters?

Author’s style/conflict/ character (R3)Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

(R4) Interpret words and phrases and how they shape meaning

How does the author’s use of third person point of view reinforce the reader’s understanding of a character’s internal conflict?

Third person point-of-

view/character/conflict

(R3)A(R3)Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

What is an objective summary of the selection?

Objective/Summary (RI2) Determine central idea of a text and analyze in detail its

development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details

What is the purpose of beginning the selection with dialogue and then moving to geographical and statistical information?

Purpose/Dialogue/Patterns of

organization

(RI4) Interpret words and phrases and how they shape meaning

(RI5) Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific

sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text relate to the whole.

What can be inferred from the Inference (RI1)Read closely to determine what the text says

paragraph? explicitly and to make logical inferences from it.

What does the author mean when she describes?

Inference/Details (RI1) Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it.

(RI2) Determine central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details

Why does the author include the sentence

__________________?

Inference

(RI1) Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it.

What is the significance of the statement below from the last paragraph?

Inference (RI1) Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it.

What is the author’s purpose in writing this selection?

Author’s Purpose (RI6)Assess how purpose shapes the content and style of a text

How does the author unfold his/her ideas?

Structure and Word Choice

(RI4) Interpret words and phrases and how they shape meaning

(RI5) Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text relate to the whole.

How does the author use language to advance her point of

view? Use evidence from the selection to support your answer

Constructed Response/ Point of view/Evidence

(W2)Write explanatory texts to examine and convey complex

ideas and information clearly and accurately through the

effective selection, organization, and analysis

(RI4) Interpret words and phrases and how they shape meaning

(R6) Analyze how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

How does the description of a character develop the theme of the selection?

Characterization(R3)Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

In the selection, the use of the Characterization (L4) Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and

word ___________to describe a character’s interactions is meant to convey what about his/her character?

Vocabulary in context multiple-

meaning words and phrases by using context clues

Based on the paragraph, what does the author mean when he uses the word _______________?

Vocabulary in context (L4) Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-

meaning words and phrases by using context clues

In the selection, what is the purpose of the sentences below?

Inference/Word choice (R1)Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it.

(RI4) Interpret words and phrases and how they shape meaning

What can be inferred from the statement below?

Inference (R1)Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it.

What assumptions can the reader make about the character?

Inference (R1)Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it.

What is the effect of the author’s excessive use of [the word] in the selection?

Word Choice

RI4) Interpret words and phrases and how they shape meaning

Based on paragraph ________, what can be inferred about a character? Use evidence from the selection support your response

Constructed Response/

Inference/ Character

(W2)Write explanatory texts to examine and convey complex

ideas and information clearly and accurately through the

effective selection, organization, and analysis

(R1)Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it.

(R3)Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

Which statement summarizes the central idea of the selection?

Summary/Central Idea (R2) Determine central idea of a text and analyze in detail its

development over the course of the text, including how

it

emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details

(R3) Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

In paragraph 3, what effect does the word

_______________have on the selection?

Vocabulary in Context(L4) Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-

meaning words and phrases by using context clues

What is the effect of the metaphor in the sentence below?

Figurative Language (R4) Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text including determining figurative meanings.

What is the effect of the phrase below on the overall selection?

Word choice (R4) Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining figurative meanings.

What is the purpose of the figurative language in the sentence below?

Figurative Language

(R4) Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining figurative meanings.

Which statement describes the connection between the selection and the following oxymoron?

Inference/Figurative Language (R1)Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and

to make logical inferences from it.

(R4) Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text including determining figurative meanings.

What can be inferred from the author’s focus on

__________ past and present situation?

Inference/ Point-of-view (R1)Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it.

(R6) Analyze how point of view or purpose shapes the content

and style of a text.

In the excerpt below, why does the author choose to end the selection with a rhetorical

Constructed Response/

Rhetorical Question

(W2)Write explanatory texts to examine and convey complex

question? ideas and information clearly and accurately through the

effective selection, organization, and analysis

(R4) Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining figurative meanings.