Happy Maundy Thursday

Read the text below.

Tomorrow is Good Friday.  What is the reason that the Friday before Easter, the day marking the death of Jesus on the cross, is known as "Good" rather than "Evil" or something negative?


a. it was created by Romans who did not believe the death of Jesus was a bad thing

b. it is a Celtic holiday that has nothing to do with Jesus, but happens to fall on the same day

c. Christians believe that Jesus' death is a good thing since his resurrection provides a way to heaven

d. it is used ironically to emphasize the gruesomeness of a cross as a method of execution.





Scroll down for the answer.








____________________________
c. is the correct answer.  Both A and B or not bad guesses, as long as you had a rationale for thinking that way.  Any idiot can randomly guess, but if you are coming up with a reason for why you think one answer is better than another, then you are going to probably come out ahead on the state test.

Wat did 'e say?

Read the following quotes taken from the Harry Potter books.  All quotes are from Hagrid, the giant friend of Harry and his pals who lives outside the castle at Hogwarts and is not allowed to use magic like the rest of the characters.

"I'm not blamin' yeh...but I gotta tell yeh, I thought you two'd value yer friend more'n broomsticks or rats. Tha's all."

"What's comin' will come, an' we'll meet it when it does."

"Meant ter turn him into a pig, but I suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn't much left ter do."

"Yeh did as much as yer father would've done, an' I can' give yeh no higher praise than that."

"Gotta bone ter pick with yeh. I've heard you've bin givin' out signed photos. How come I haven't got one?"


"Yer' great puddin' of a son don' need fattenin' anymore, Dursley, don' worry."
 

What is the most likely reason that the author uses this dialect?
 
a. to show Hagrid is not like everyone else
b. to confuse the reader anytime Hagrid speaks
c. to show that Hagrid isn't as intelligent since he didn't finish his education
d. it foreshadows that Hagrid is not to be trusted
 
 
 

 











 
 
Scroll down for the answer.
 
 
 
 
_____________________
a. is correct.  Everything about Hagrid is to make him different.  He's big, he has no fashion sense, he lives in a small house outside the castle, he can but doesn't normally use magic, he speaks differently from the others, etc.
 
Note that you do not need to have read or watched the movies to get this question correct.  The EOC will give you everything you need to know in the little blurb before the passage.

I'm Waiting...

Read this very short story by Eileen Gunn

Computer, did we bring batteries? Computer?

What is the purpose of the question at the end of the story?

a. to imply that we cannot trust computers to take care of our needs

b. to infer that the batteries were not brought

c. to point out the situational irony in a computer knowing about batteries

d. to play on the archetypal symbolism of batteries

Scroll down for the answer.

________________________

O.K., not a hard one.  You guys all got the correct answer was b.  The question implies that the computer is not answering due to the fact that the batteries are dead and no new ones were brought.

I'll try to come up with a harder one tomorrow.

The Grass Is Always Greener on the Other Side (and over the Septic Tank)

Read the following line:


Your eyes are as green as the grass in the summer time.


This is an example of...


A) Simile
B) Hyperbole
C) Personification
D) Irony

Scroll down for the answer.

_______________________________

The green eyes are being compared to the green grass, so the only two answer choices that could deal with a comparison are simile and hyperbole.  Since there is no exaggeration going on and the comparison uses as, then we can figure out that the answer is A. Simile.

A big thanks to Alison for this question!  Alison, green eyes are also symbolic of jealousy and I'm sure all of your classmates are full of envy over how smart you are.

I think I taught this kid...

From this excerpt from the book Hoot by Carl Hiaasen 

Garret was a D student, but he was popular in school because he goofed around in class and made fart noises whenever a teacher called him out. Garret was the king of fart noises at Trace Middle. He was most famous for farting the first line of the Pledge of Allegiance during homeroom. And Garret's mother was a guidance counselor at Trace.

Which figurative of speech is it using?

A) Simile 

B) Personification 

C) Irony

D) Metaphor 

Scroll down for the answer.

__________________________________________________

The answer is c. Irony because Garret was famous at his school for being uncivil and inappropriate, but his mother is a counselor at his school, and her position was to make sure students act civilized and appropriate.

Thanks to Lin for the question!  She is a bright and wonderful student who would never, EVER fart out the Pledge because she is quite proper.

As an added bonus, I'm betting the author of this book chose to use owls for the center of his environmental novel because as a child he was subjected to the Give a Hoot, Don't Pollute ad campaign of the late 1970s.  Warning - watch at your own risk.  When you see the quality programming my generation had as kids, you'll understand why we always went outside to play instead of staying indoors all the time like you kids do.

I Hate Scary Movies

Read the following passage:

We were watching this horror movie and saw the killer climb into the house through an open window, pick up a huge knife laying on the kitchen counter, and go into the closet of the little kids' room.  Later, the babysitter and her boyfriend (who is NOT supposed to be over) send the kids to bed.  Right as they are about to do things that should not be done by unwed teenagers, the little kids start crying that there is a monster in the closet.  The babysitter is frustrated and goes up to their room to make them go to sleep.  She says, there is no such thing as monsters.  To prove it, she went to the closet and opened the door.  Of course the killer leaped out and stabbed her to death.  It was very scary.

What is the purpose of showing the killer enter the closet before the killings?

a. to provide specific details
b. to create enriching imagery
c. to create suspense
d. to develop the rising action





Scroll down for the answer.








_______________________________
c. is the correct answer.  This is called dramatic irony (we know something the characters do not know).  Since we know he is there, the suspense builds up waiting for the killer to attack.

~

Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na Batman!

 Read the description of this book as found on the back cover:

They are the world's greatest super heroes, fighting endlessly against corruption and injustice. Each of them alone is a formidable opponent of evil, but banded together their powers are unmatched. Ever ready, they stand united as the JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA. Ancient pyramids awakened by the blood of a treacherous murder have unleashed death and destruction over Gotham. The harder the Superheroes try to fight the pyramids the more the neolithic stones react like a negative battery, draining the heroes of their powers and descending them into their own personal hell, to that which they fear most. Batman is the only one who manages to escape this wrath. As he strives to save his friends and Gotham, he embarks on a journey filled with black magic, shamans, and ancient rituals of terror and sacrifice. With a triumphant and explosive ending, this is a book that anyone who enjoys a great tale of sorcery will enjoy.

Based on the above passage, what is the best definition for the word "neolithic"?

a. electrified

b. very old

c. futuristic

d. radioactive

Scroll down for the answer.

____________________________

This could be tricky since the prefix neo (which means new) might lead you to think futuristic and the power draining effect they have might lead you to think radioactive.  However, the references to the pyramids was the hint that "neolithic" means one of the stone ages, so the best answer is b. very old.