Mrs. West's 7-1 Site - ELA/Science Home



The Ninnyby Anton ChekhovJust a few days ago I invited Yulia Vasilyevna, the governess of my children, to come to my study. I wanted to settle my account with her.②“Sit down, Yulia Vasilyevna,” I said to her. “Let’s get our accounts settled. I’m sure you need some money, but you keep standing on ceremony and never ask for it. Let me see. We agreed to give you thirty rubles a month, didn’t we?”③“Forty.”④“No, thirty. I made a note of it. I always pay the governess thirty. Now, let me see. You have been with us for two months?”“Two months and five days.”“Two months exactly. I made a note of it. So you have sixty rubles coming to you. Subtract nine Sundays. You know you don’t tutor Kolya on Sundays, you just go out for a walk. And then the three holidays…”⑦Yulia Vasilyevna blushed and picked at the trimmings of her dress, but said not a word.“Three holidays. So we take off twelve rubles. Kolya was sick for four days–those days you didn’t look after him. You looked after Vanya, only Vanya. Then there were the three days you had toothache, when my wife gave you permission to stay away from the children after dinner. Twelve and seven makes nineteen. Subtract....That leaves...hm...forty-one rubles. Correct?”Yulia Vasilyevna’s left eye reddened and filled with tears. Her chin trembled. She began to cough nervously, blew her nose, and said nothing.“Then around New Year’s Day you broke a cup and a saucer. Subtract two rubles. The cup cost more than that – it was an heirloom, but we won’t bother about that. We’re the ones who pay. Another matter. Due to your carelessness, Kolya climbed a tree and tore his coat. Subtract ten. Also, due to your carelessness, the chambermaid ran off with Vanya’s boots. You ought to have kept your eyes open. You get a good salary. So we dock off five more....On the tenth of January you took ten rubles from me.”“I didn’t,” Yulia Vasilyevna whispered.“But I made a note of it.”“Well, yes–perhaps….”“From forty-one we take twenty-seven. That leaves fourteen.”Her eyes filled with tears, and her thin, pretty little nose was shining with perspiration. Poor little child! “I only took money once,” she said in a trembling voice. “I took three rubles from your wife...never anything more.”“Did you now? You see, I never made a note of it. Take three from fourteen. That leaves eleven. Here’s your money, my dear. Three, three, three...one and one. Take it, my dear.”I gave her the eleven rubles. With trembling fingers she took them and slipped them into her pocket.“Merci,” she whispered.I jumped up, and began pacing up and down the room. I was in a furious temper.“Why did you say ‘merci?’” I asked.“For the money.”“Don’t you realize I’ve been cheating you? I steal your money, and all you can say is ‘merci’!”“In my other places they gave me nothing.”“They gave you nothing! Well, no wonder! I was playing a trick on you–a dirty trick. I’ll give you your eighty rubles, they are all here in an envelope made out for you. Is it possible for anyone to be such a nitwit? Why didn’t you protest? Why did you keep your mouth shut? It is possible that there is anyone in this world who is so spineless? Why are you such a ninny?”She gave me a bitter little smile. On her face I read the words: “Yes, it is possible.”I apologized for having played this cruel trick on her, and to her great surprise gave her the eighty rubles. And then she said “merci” again several times, always timidly, and went out. I gazed after her, thinking how very easy it is in this world to be strong.6. What do Yulia Vasilyevna's actions in paragraph 7 tell the reader about her feelings?A) She is unconcerned by her employer's comments and more focused on her appearance.B) She is ashamed for lying about the amount of time she has worked for the family.C) She is uncomfortable discussing money because this is her first job.D) She is embarrassed by her employer's statements and unwilling to correct him.1. How do the characters in this text affect the conflict?A) Because the governess is shy, she is easily overpowered by her outspoken employer.B) Because the characters have a history of arguing, their discussion is even more intense.C) The narrator's clear evidence proves that Yulia was a poor governess and deserves less pay.D) The narrator's humor in the situation contrasts sharply with Yulia's lack of confidence.2. How does the conversation in paragraphs 2-4 impact the text's plot?A) The conversation sets the tone for the events in the rest of the text.B) The conversation lets the reader know that later events are a flashback.C) The conversation emphasizes that the employer is unhappy with Yulia's work.D) The conversation provides necessary background information for the text.3. Which sentence states the theme of the text?A) It is not wise for an employee to trust his or her employer.B) It is acceptable to trick someone when trying to teach a lesson.C) It is important for a person to speak up if he or she is wronged.D) It is difficult to be responsible for other people's children.4. Which quote from the text supports the theme?A) "Yulia Vasilyevna's left eye reddened and filled with tears. Her chin trembled. She began to cough nervously, blew her nose, and said nothing." (paragraph 9)B) "'Also, due to your carelessness, the chambermaid ran off with Vanya's boots. You ought to have kept your eyes open. You get a good salary.'" (paragraph 10)C) "'Why did you keep your mouth shut? It is possible that there is anyone in this world who is so spineless? Why are you such a ninny?'" (paragraph 24)D) "And then she said 'merci' again several times, always timidly, and went out. I gazed after her, thinking how very easy it is in this world to be strong." (final paragraph)5. Based on the text, what can be inferred about what Yulia Vasilyevna will do in the future?A) She will continue working for the family for the same amount of pay.B) She will look for new employment because of the trick played on her.C) She will speak her mind if she feels that she has been wronged.D) She will request that the family increase her weekly pay.A Fableby Mark TwainOnce upon a time an artist who had painted a small and very beautiful picture placed it so that he could see it in the mirror. He said, "This doubles the distance and softens it, and it is twice as lovely as it was before."②The animals out in the woods heard of this through the housecat, who was greatly admired by them because he was so learned, and so refined and civilized, and so polite and high-bred, and could tell them so much which they didn't know before, and were not certain about afterward. They were much excited about this new piece of gossip, and they asked questions, so as to get at a full understanding of it. They asked what a picture was, and the cat explained.“It is a flat thing," he said; "wonderfully flat, marvelously flat, enchantingly flat, and elegant. And, oh, so beautiful!"That excited them almost to a frenzy, and they said they would give the world to see it. Then the bear asked, "What is it that makes it so beautiful?""It is the looks of it," said the cat.This filled them with admiration and uncertainty, and they were more excited than ever. Then the cow asked, "What is a mirror?""It is a hole in the wall," said the cat. "You look in it, and there you see the picture, and it is so dainty and charming and ethereal and inspiring in its unimaginable beauty that your head turns round and round and you almost swoon with ecstasy."The donkey had not said anything as yet; he now began to throw doubts. He said there had never been anything as beautiful as this before and probably wasn't now. He said that when it took a whole basketful of sesquipedalian adjectives to whoop up a thing of beauty, it was time for suspicion.It was easy to see that these doubts were having an effect upon the animals, so the cat went off offended. The subject was dropped for a couple of days, but in the meantime curiosity was taking a fresh start, and there was a revival of interest perceptible. Then the animals assailed the donkey for spoiling what could possibly have been a pleasure to them, on a mere suspicion that the picture was not beautiful, without any evidence that such was the case. The donkey was not, troubled; he was calm, and said there was one way to find out who was in the right, himself or the cat: he would go and look in that hole, and come back and tell what he found there. The animals felt relieved and grateful, and asked him to go at once—which he did. But he did not know where he ought to stand; and so, through error, he stood between the picture and the mirror. The result was that the picture had no chance, and didn't show up. He returned home and said:"The cat lied. There was nothing in that hole but a donkey. There wasn't a sign of a flat thing visible. It was a handsome donkey, and friendly, but just a donkey, and nothing more."The elephant asked, "Did you see it good and clear? Were you close to it?""I saw it good and clear, O Hathi, King of Beasts. I was so close that I touched noses with it."?"This is very strange," said the elephant; "the cat was always truthful before—as far as we could make out. Let another witness try. Go, Baloo, look in the hole, and come and report."So the bear went. When he came back, he said, "Both the cat and the donkey have lied; there was nothing in the hole but a bear."Great was the surprise and puzzlement of the animals. Each was now anxious to make the test himself and get at the straight truth. The elephant sent them one at a time.First, the cow. She found nothing in the hole but a cow.The tiger found nothing in it but a tiger.The lion found nothing in it but a lion.The leopard found nothing in it but a leopard.The camel found a camel and nothing more.Then Hathi was furious, and said he would have the truth, if he had to go and fetch it himself. When he returned, he abused all of his subjects as liars, and was in an unappeasable fury with the moral and mental blindness of the cat. He said that anybody but a near-sighted fool could see that there was nothing in the hole but an elephant.The moral, by the cat: You can find in a text whatever you bring, if you will stand between it and the mirror of your imagination. You may not see your ears, but they will be there.??????????????????????“A Fable” from The Mysterious Stranger and Other Stories. . (10/15/15).6. Based on the text, which statement is correct?A) The text characterizes the cat as naive, creative, and intelligent.B) The text characterizes the cow as inquisitive, supportive, and funny.C) The text characterizes the donkey as negative, influential, and skeptical.D) The text characterizes the elephant as independent, creative, and supportive.7. Which sentence states the theme of the text?A) Cats are the most intelligent creatures in the animal kingdom.B) Our interpretation of art depends on the attitudes and perspectives we bring to our interaction with the art.C) The creativity found in works of art can only be appreciated by those who are imaginative and willing to listen to the opinions of others.D) Donkeys are the most stubborn creatures in the animal kingdom.8. What does the elephant's dialogue in paragraph 14 reveal about his feelings?A) He doubts the cat's perspective.B) He doubts the donkey's perspective.C) He does not believe the mirror will be as beautiful as the cat says it is.D) He does not want to have to go check out the mirror for himself.Part A9. Which sentence is a summary of the second paragraph?A) The animals were reliant on the well-bred, educated cat to provide them with insight into the world of the humans.B) The animals had never seen a picture before, and the cat was bothered that he had to fill them in on the details.C) The cat was the creature in the animal kingdom with the greatest number of valuable experiences.D) The cat was the only creature in the animal kingdom with experience and knowledge that he gained from studying artwork.Part B10. Which phrase from paragraph 2 shows evidence of the answer in Part A?A) “…admired by them because he was so learned...”B) “…so much which they didn’t know before...”C) “…and were not certain about afterward.”D) “…were much excited about this new piece of gossip...” ................
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