Lesson 45

1. Lesson 45

2. Today’s Agenda • 1. SAT Reading Comprehension Passage 2 • 2. Finish discussion over Timed Writing #2 • 3. Discuss the American Dream • OBJECTIVE: Students will identify author’s argument as well as define the American Dream in the article “Is the American Dream Still Possible?”

3. SAT Reading Comprehension Strategies • What did you try this time around? • What went well? • What didn’t work out?

4. 6. The passage as a whole is best characterized as • A. an example of the harsh realities of searching for employment • B. a description of the achievements of a graduate of a prestigious school • C. an analysis of teacher education in a rural setting • D. a reminiscence of a memorable time in one man’s life • E. an illustration of the innocence and gullibility of youth

5. 7. Lines 21-24 suggest that the author had no firsthand knowledge of hunting living creatures because • A. he had too much sympathy for the hunter’s prey to become a hunter himself • B. his studies had left him no time for recreational activities • C. small arms weapons had been forbidden in his home • D. hunting was an inappropriate activity for teachers • E. his mother had once been wounded by a gunshot

6. 8. To the author, his journey through the Tennessee countryside seemed to be all of the following EXCEPT • A. gratifying • B. interminable • C. tiring • D. carefree • E. discouraging

7. 9. The “stage lines” mentioned by the author in line 35 refer to • A. phases of personal growth • B. theatrical directions • C. horse-drawn transportation • D. cultural divisions • E. train stations

8. 10. The author sets the word varmints in quotations marks (line 35) for which of the following reasons? • A. he wishes to indicate he is referring to an authority • B. he is unsure of the correct spelling of the term. • C. he recognizes them as hunted creatures. • D. he is using the word colloquially. • E. he is defining it as a technical term.

9. 11. The author’s attitude toward his school-hunters days is predominantly one of • A. exasperation • B. nostalgia • C. bitterness • D. self-reproach • E. amusement

10. 12. The passage suggests that Josie’s interest on meeting the author was • A. magnified by her essentially gregarious nature • B. sufficiently strong to make her act uncharacteristically • C. prompted by her need for distractions on the long road to town • D. intensified by her desire to gain an education • E. motivated by her longing to escape her impoverished home

11. 13. By saying she wished to live “like folks” (line 61) Josie’s mother primarily emphasizes • A. apprehension about sinking to the level of mere brutes • B. an expanding greed for material possessions • C. impatience with people who think themselves too good for their fellows • D. a longing for her entire family to better themselves • E. an unfortunate inclination toward conformity

12. 14. The word “roundly” in line 76 means • A. circuitously • B. bluntly • C. approximately • D. resonantly • E. fondly

13. 15. The author most likely remembers Josie and her family primarily with feelings of • A. measured regret • B. grudging condescension • C. grateful veneration • D. outright curiosity • E. distinct affection

14. Timed Writing 2 - Revisit Your Own Response • Score your own. • What could you do differently next time?

15. The American Dream • What is the American Dream? • Write a paragraph explaining what the American Dream to you? Be specific. • MASH • Is life more about creating opportunity for yourself or being in the right place at the right time? • Read “Is the American Dream Still Possible?” • What is the definition of the American Dream? • How has it changed?