He did not get there till late that night. "And that unlucky nail," said he to himself, "has caused all this trouble."

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1 Name: Date: Poor Richard's Almanac/The Nail By: Benjamin Franklin/Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm SELECTION A Poor Richard's Almanac by Benjamin Franklin For want of a nail the shoe was lost; For want of a shoe the horse was lost; For want of a horse the rider was lost; For want of a rider the battle was lost; 5 For want of a battle the country was lost; And all for the want of a twopenny nail. SELECTION B The Nail by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm A merchant had done good business at the fair; he had sold his wares, and had lined his purses with gold and silver. Then he wanted to travel homeward, and to be in his own house before nightfall. So he packed his trunk with money, placed it on his horse, and then he rode away. At noon he rested in a town; and when he wanted to go on, the stableboy brought out the horse, and said, "A nail is wanting, sir, in the shoe of the left hind foot." "Let it be wanting," answered the merchant; "the shoe will certainly stay on for the six miles I have still to go. I am in a hurry." In the afternoon, when he stopped once more to have his horse fed, the stableboy came to him and said, "Sir, the shoe is missing from your horse's left hind foot. Shall I take him to the blacksmith?" "Let it still be wanting," answered the man; "the horse can very well go on for the two miles that I have yet to go. I am in haste." He rode forth; but before long the horse began to limp. He had not limped long before he began to stumble; he had not stumbled long before he fell down and broke a leg. The merchant was forced to leave the horse where he was, unbuckle the trunk, take it on his back, and go home on foot. He did not get there till late that night. "And that unlucky nail," said he to himself, "has caused all this trouble." 1

2 1. What is one way that these two passages are alike? A. They were both written at the same time. B. They were both written in the same style. C. They were both written by the same author. D. They were both written with the same theme. 2. Which is a main topic in both passages? A. significance of lost battles B. significance of injured horses C. significance of small problems D. significance of selfish merchants 3. What is a theme of both passages? A. Small problems aren't important. B. A nail is lost from a the horse's hoof. C. Don't worry about what will happen tomorrow. D. Take care of small things before they become big things. 4. Which is true of the two passages? A. One is prose, and the other is poetry. B. One has a theme, and the other doesn't. C. One teaches a lesson, and the other doesn't. D. One tells about a horse, and the other doesn't. 5. The MAIN difference in the two passages is the A. form. B. meaning. C. subject. D. theme. 2

3 Waiting The train stop snack shop tucked away under tracks. A dirty stench Bricks of red, cracked and worn A sign adapted to escape repairs too costly for this neighborhood The bus stop clip-clop of heavy heels passing by in steady rhythm A filthy awning lets rain drops drip down one by one Marring my tidy jacket and wetting my cleaner hair 6. This passage is an example of A. drama. B. folk tales. C. myths. D. poetry. 3

4 Animal Characteristics Long ago, when the Earth was one body of land, all animals lived together in harmony. Animals were much more alike in those days than they are now. All had fur or hair, and all had four legs and a tail. They all ate pretty much the same food, and since food, water, and land were plentiful, they had little reason to disagree. They were divided into three basic groups on the basis of size: one group contained animals with long legs and heads that were relatively far from the ground, such as giraffes, horses, and deer; another group had animals with medium-length legs and heads that were closer to the ground, such as dogs, cats of all kinds, and even bears; and still another group had animals with short legs and heads close to the ground, such as squirrels and chipmunks. But all of them spoke the same language and talked freely from one to the other. One day, the Great Ruler of the Animals called everyone together. She said, "The time has come for us to spread out. Our land is becoming too crowded, and food and water are becoming scarce. We must move to places in which we can survive. But before we undertake such a move, I will give each of you special traits enabling you to adapt to and thrive in your new environment. Beware, though, that once I give you a new characteristic, you will no longer be who or what you are now, and your friends will no longer be who or what they are. In fact, you may find that your friends are your enemies or even your prey. Some of you will compete with each other, whether it be for food, for water, or for territory." Raccoon and Wolf glanced at each other. "No way will that happen to us," Raccoon assured his best friend. The Great Ruler continued, "Unfortunately, some of you will sometimes disagree for the pettiest of reasons. I regret having to take this action, but I see no other remedy for our dilemma." The animals clamored for the Great Ruler's attention. Insistent questions filled the air. "How are you going to decide what qualities to give us?" "What if we agree to remain friends regardless of any changes?" "How soon will this take effect?" The Great Ruler waved her scepter for silence. "I will try to bestow qualities based on what I think will best help you survive. Some of you still might remain friends; that will depend on individual effort rather than on any external changes I make. The qualities I give you today and the use to which you put them will be passed on to your descendants. "After much deliberation, I have decided to give great strength and stamina to you elephants, horses, and other large animals. Those qualities will not only help you survive but will enable you to help others, as well. To the deer, elk, gazelles and all their families, I give gentleness and gracefulness. To the great cats I give cunning and speed, and to the canines, I bequeath loyalty and courage." And on she went, handing out different assets to different animals. The squirrel got the ability to seemingly fly through the air from one tree to another, while the otter now could use its paws to manipulate shells as tools. Raccoon glanced at his reflection in the river. "I think I look quite dashing. I'm sure this new mask will make everyone love me so much that I will never be threatened." "I think you look like a criminal. I wouldn't trust you around my garbage," said Wolf. Raccoon scratched and snarled in response. The Great Ruler continued her portioning. Soon enough, former friends were eyeing each other suspiciously, wondering who they could and could not depend upon. By the end of the day, everyone had been changed in some way. As they went to their new homes, some animals recalled their former friendships and wished they could communicate with those they had once loved and trusted. Wolf howled at Raccoon, who shrieked in response. Lion roared to Elephant, who trumpeted back his dislike. And so the next time you see two animals snarling or growling at each other, remember that they, like us, are speaking different languages. 4

5 7. How is this passage organized? A. spatial order B. chronological order C. from most important to least important details D. from least important to most important details Elizabeth I No one could foresee that the second child of King Henry VIII of England, Elizabeth Tudor, would grow up to be one of the great English monarchs. In fact, many people, her own family included, never wanted her to rule at all. In 1533, when Elizabeth was born, her father already had a daughter, Mary, who would inherit the right to govern England after Henry. However, Henry desperately wanted a son to carry on after him. When his wife, Anne Boleyn, gave birth to Elizabeth, Henry was furious. He turned his wrath on Boleyn and had her executed, leaving the three-year-old Elizabeth motherless. She soon became practically fatherless, as well. When a new wife finally gave him a male heir, Henry ignored both Elizabeth and Mary, leaving them to their own resources. For Elizabeth, being left on her own enabled her to develop independence and an ability for learning that characterized her entire life. The only person, in fact, who took much interest in young Elizabeth was Catherine Parr, Henry's sixth wife. Catherine guided Elizabeth's education for a number of years, helping the eleven-year-old princess learn to read and speak classical Latin and Greek and to learn about important issues of the time. When Henry died in 1547, his son became King Edward VI at the age of nine. Six years later, the throne again became vacant, and this time the crown passed to Mary. The new queen lived in fear, somewhat justified by the political events of the day, that people were plotting to overthrow her. She even accused Elizabeth of participating in these plots and imprisoned her younger sister in the Tower of London; however, the public outcry against such treatment of a beloved princess brought about Elizabeth's release in a short time. All of this had happened by the time Elizabeth turned twenty-one. By the time she was twenty-five, Elizabeth also experienced her own coronation as Queen of England, a position she was to hold until Under her rule, England enjoyed a long period of domestic stability. She also managed to maintain friendly ties with most of the major powers in Europe, many of whom were attempting to dominate England. Elizabeth's political skills set England on a course of long-term peace and prosperity. As was true throughout the life of Elizabeth, the major threats to her safety and security came from within her own family. Her cousin Mary, Queen of Scotland, the country bordering England to the north, plotted against Elizabeth in an attempt to take over the throne. Mary and her fellow conspirators were captured, but Elizabeth hoped to be able to show mercy to her cousin. The harshness with which the English Parliament, or legislature, treated Mary, however, provoked Spain, Scotland's ally, to declare war against England. The Spanish sent an awesome fleet of 130 warships, known as the Armada, against the island-country of England in With the help of a fierce storm, the English warded off the threat and the Armada was left in ruins. England's success against the Armada helped to bring about Spain's decline as a major force in Europe and marked the ascent of England as a supreme naval power. Elizabeth had proven herself as effective in making military decisions as she was in making political ones. Elizabeth's other great achievement was in the promotion of English culture. As a dedicated supporter of the arts, Elizabeth encouraged the great writers of her time, such as Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare. Many of the works written during her reign are dedicated to her. Today, the word Elizabethan is used to describe the tremendous cultural and literary accomplishments that occurred during Elizabeth's rule. By the end of her forty-five-year reign, the woman whose father did not want her to be queen had earned a reputation as one of Europe's greatest monarchs. As she herself said to Parliament, even though England might have had rulers who were more powerful and more wise, "it never had, nor shall have, any that will love you better." 5

6 8. According to the passage, what helped to get Elizabeth released from the Tower of London? A. the public's reaction B. a conspiracy in Scotland C. the Parliament's reaction D. a fleet of Spanish ships textstructure (textstru) 483 Maple Avenue Dunford, GA Dear Jamie, How have you been? It has been a while since I spoke with you or saw you. It is hard to believe that I've been away at camp for three weeks already. I've got so much to tell you that I don't know where to begin. Maybe I will just start by telling you what Sleepy Knoll Camp looks like and then I'll tell you about a typical day for me at Sleepy Knoll. Sleepy Knoll is located in the southwest corner of Georgia. If it weren't for a small, brown wooden sign to the right of the road, you would miss the road leading to it as you turn off of Highway 68. Dad and I traveled for four to five miles on a bumpy, gravel road through a heavily wooded area. The trees were growing so close to the road that we were worried the branches would scrape the paint on our van as we drove down the lane. It reminded me of the scary tales we used to read when we were kids you know in fairy tales, forests being filled with strange creatures. When we reached our camp, however, we found ourselves in a beautiful, emerald green, sunlit valley. The forest encircled the camp. As we descended into the valley, I saw cabins all over the place, probably at least twenty, and two big buildings. My dad and I walked around a bit and saw a shimmering blue lake at the farthest point away from the parking lot. I wanted to sit on the docks forever; it was so quiet and serene! I guess forever is not very long for me, though, because I became impatient to find out where I was to live for the next four weeks. We went back to the Registration Building and received my bunk and cabin assignment, a small map of the place, and a list of my fellow roommates and cabin leader. We looked over the map of cabins to find mine and then retrieved my luggage from the van. Jamie, I have the best cabin. It's located closer to the lake than any of the other cabins. While we unpacked, I eventually met my five other cabin mates and the cabin leader, Jo Andrews. She's pretty cool! After a parent/camper orientation meeting that afternoon, Dad left. I was pretty sad and lonesome for home that night and for the next few days. I guess with all the excitement of going on vacation, I hadn't truly realized that I was leaving my family and friends for so long. As I started choosing how I was going to fill my hours over the next four weeks, my loneliness was replaced with an enthusiasm for all of the activities I was able to choose. So many things to do, so little time! The camp's schedule keeps us so busy we do not really have any time to sit around and be homesick. We wake up at 7:00 A.M. to a song played over the PA (public announcement) system. We have breakfast in the Main Hall from 7:30 A.M. to 8:15 A.M. and then we go to our first round of activities. You know how much I love the water. Well, I signed up for as many water activities as I was able to: canoeing, water skiing, advanced swimming, and water aerobics. Nevertheless, I signed up for some educational things, also, such as needlepoint, writing, watercolor painting, bird watching, and electric guitar lessons. As you can see, my days are very busy! Of course, I do not take all of these classes every day, more like every other day. In addition to all of the things I am learning, I have learned so much about other people, especially my roommates. You never realize how hard it might be to live with strangers until you are in a situation like summer camp. Overall, I really like everyone in my cabin. There is nothing personally wrong with any of them. After all, who am I to say what faults people have? But a couple of girls are rather sloppy with their things, leaving towels and clothes around. This is the major source of irritation for the "neat freaks," as we are called. We are just being respectful of everyone's living conditions. Maybe they will learn a thing or two about neatness by the end of their stay here, maybe not. Oh well! Overall, I have learned to get along with many different people. Activities aside, I think this is the most important skill I will come away with this summer. I hope you are having just as wonderful a time at home in Dunford. Well, Jamie, I will see you in a week. Sincerely, Lena 6

7 9. What is the purpose of this passage? A. to show how camp can be fun B. to describe activities at a camp C. to explain what camp is like for Lena D. to persuade Jamie to attend camp next year 10. How did Lena feel upon arriving at camp? A. frustrated about getting lost B. scared because of the dark woods C. delighted by the scenery D. hungry after a long drive 7

8 Answer Key 1. D) They were both written with the same theme. 2. C) significance of small problems 3. D) Take care of small things before they become big things. 4. A) One is prose, and the other is poetry. 5. A) form. 6. D) poetry. 7. B) chronological order 8. A) the public's reaction 9. C) to explain what camp is like for Lena 10. C) delighted by the scenery 8

The Jackal and the Baboon

The Jackal and the Baboon A long time ago the Jackal and the Baboon were friends. It was at this time that all the animals of the forest loved to eat honey. The sweet, golden food was their favorite treat.