Overview

Lesson Procedure

60-70 minutes of class time across 5 phases.

1. Warm-Up5-10 minutes
2. Direct Instruction20 minutes
3. Guided Practice15 minutes
4. Independent Practice15 minutes
5. Closure5-10 minutes

1. Warm-Up5-10 minutes

   Warm-Up Prompt

   "Think of a time you wanted two things that pulled against each other, such as wanting to fit in with a group and wanting to stand up for someone the group was ignoring. What did you do? Did another person push you one way?"

   Take three or four answers without asking for names. Point out two patterns: people often want more than one thing at once, and other people push on those wants. Tell students that the standard calls a character like that complex, and that today they will watch one complex character pulled in two directions over a single day.

2. Direct Instruction20 minutes

   Key terms.

   • Motivation: what a character wants and why. Writers rarely state it; readers infer it from thoughts, words and actions.
   • Complex character: the standard's example is a character "with multiple or conflicting motivations." Because her wants pull against each other, her choices are not predictable, and she can change.
   • Develop, interact, advance: the three questions of RL.9-10.3. How is the character different at the end? What do her encounters with others reveal or change? What happens, and what idea grows, because of her choices?
   • Foil: a character whose contrast with another brings out that character's traits.

   A note on Mansfield's narrator. The narrator often slips into a character's own way of thinking without quotation marks: "How very nice workmen were!" is Laura's thought, not the narrator's judgment. Teach students to ask of any evaluative sentence: whose words are these?

   Before Excerpt 1. On the morning of the party, Mrs. Sheridan tells her children she will leave the arrangements to them, and Laura, "the artistic one," goes out, still holding a piece of bread-and-butter, to show the workmen where to put the marquee (a large tent). She greets them in an imitation of her mother's voice, then stammers. Read the excerpt aloud; the karakas are trees with broad, shiny leaves.

   1“That’s right, miss,” said the tallest of the men, a lanky, freckled fellow, and he shifted his tool-bag, knocked back his straw hat and smiled down at her. “That’s about it.”

   2His smile was so easy, so friendly that Laura recovered. What nice eyes he had, small, but such a dark blue! And now she looked at the others, they were smiling too. “Cheer up, we won’t bite,” their smile seemed to say. How very nice workmen were! And what a beautiful morning! She mustn’t mention the morning; she must be business-like. The marquee.

   3“Well, what about the lily-lawn? Would that do?”

   4And she pointed to the lily-lawn with the hand that didn’t hold the bread-and-butter. They turned, they stared in the direction. A little fat chap thrust out his under-lip, and the tall fellow frowned.

   5“I don’t fancy it,” said he. “Not conspicuous enough. You see, with a thing like a marquee,” and he turned to Laura in his easy way, “you want to put it somewhere where it’ll give you a bang slap in the eye, if you follow me.”

   6Laura’s upbringing made her wonder for a moment whether it was quite respectful of a workman to talk to her of bangs slap in the eye. But she did quite follow him.

   7“A corner of the tennis-court,” she suggested. “But the band’s going to be in one corner.”

   8“H’m, going to have a band, are you?” said another of the workmen. He was pale. He had a haggard look as his dark eyes scanned the tennis-court. What was he thinking?

   9“Only a very small band,” said Laura gently. Perhaps he wouldn’t mind so much if the band was quite small. But the tall fellow interrupted.

   10“Look here, miss, that’s the place. Against those trees. Over there. That’ll do fine.”

   11Against the karakas. Then the karaka-trees would be hidden. And they were so lovely, with their broad, gleaming leaves, and their clusters of yellow fruit. They were like trees you imagined growing on a desert island, proud, solitary, lifting their leaves and fruits to the sun in a kind of silent splendour. Must they be hidden by a marquee?

   12They must. Already the men had shouldered their staves and were making for the place. Only the tall fellow was left. He bent down, pinched a sprig of lavender, put his thumb and forefinger to his nose and snuffed up the smell. When Laura saw that gesture she forgot all about the karakas in her wonder at him caring for things like that—caring for the smell of lavender. How many men that she knew would have done such a thing? Oh, how extraordinarily nice workmen were, she thought. Why couldn’t she have workmen for her friends rather than the silly boys she danced with and who came to Sunday night supper? She would get on much better with men like these.

   13It’s all the fault, she decided, as the tall fellow drew something on the back of an envelope, something that was to be looped up or left to hang, of these absurd class distinctions. Well, for her part, she didn’t feel them. Not a bit, not an atom.... And now there came the chock-chock of wooden hammers. Some one whistled, some one sang out, “Are you right there, matey?” “Matey!” The friendliness of it, the—the—Just to prove how happy she was, just to show the tall fellow how at home she felt, and how she despised stupid conventions, Laura took a big bite of her bread-and-butter as she stared at the little drawing. She felt just like a work-girl.

   • Naming conflicting motivations

     Paragraph 6: "Laura's upbringing made her wonder for a moment whether it was quite respectful of a workman to talk to her of bangs slap in the eye." Paragraph 13: "It's all the fault ... of these absurd class distinctions. Well, for her part, she didn't feel them." What two motivations pull against each other?

     Result: Laura sincerely wants to meet the workmen as equals, and she also carries her class's habits, which make her judge how a workman speaks to her. She claims she does not feel class distinctions at all, but paragraph 6 has just shown that she does. The gap between what she believes about herself and what she does is what makes her complex.

   • An interaction that reveals character

     Paragraphs 10-11: the tall workman picks the spot "Against those trees." Laura thinks the karakas are "so lovely" and asks herself, "Must they be hidden by a marquee?" The next paragraph opens, "They must." What does the exchange show about her?

     Result: Laura was sent out to decide where the marquee goes, yet she gives way without a word. Her wish to be liked by the men is stronger than her wish to be in charge, or even to protect trees she loves. The interaction shows a character who yields to friendly pressure.

   • A gesture as a starting point

     Paragraph 13: "Just to prove how happy she was, just to show the tall fellow how at home she felt, and how she despised stupid conventions, Laura took a big bite of her bread-and-butter as she stared at the little drawing. She felt just like a work-girl." Where does this place Laura at the start of her development?

     Result: She performs her freedom from class for an audience ("just to show the tall fellow"). Earlier the bread-and-butter embarrassed her; now it is a prop. Her sympathy is real but light: a pleasant feeling that has not cost her anything yet. That is the starting point to measure her change against.

   • How a character advances plot and theme

     Why does Mansfield open the story with Laura and the workmen rather than with the party or the accident?

     Result: The scene sets up the two pulls that drive the plot. Because Laura has just decided she likes workmen, the news that a carter has died near the house hits her harder than it hits her family, and her reaction creates the central conflict: should the party go on? Her divided loyalties also carry the story's theme about the barrier between the Sheridans and the lane.

3. Guided Practice15 minutes

   Before Excerpt 2. The party preparations go on: lilies arrive, sandwiches are made. Then Godber's man, who delivers cream puffs, tells the kitchen that a young carter named Scott, from the cottages below the house, has been thrown from his cart and killed. He "left a wife and five little ones." Read Excerpts 2 and 3 aloud. Pairs mark each of Laura's lines with one of two colors: sympathy for the Scotts, or the pull of her family's world.

   1“Jose, come here.” Laura caught hold of her sister’s sleeve and dragged her through the kitchen to the other side of the green baize door. There she paused and leaned against it. “Jose!” she said, horrified, “however are we going to stop everything?”

   2“Stop everything, Laura!” cried Jose in astonishment. “What do you mean?”

   3“Stop the garden-party, of course.” Why did Jose pretend?

   4But Jose was still more amazed. “Stop the garden-party? My dear Laura, don’t be so absurd. Of course we can’t do anything of the kind. Nobody expects us to. Don’t be so extravagant.”

   5“But we can’t possibly have a garden-party with a man dead just outside the front gate.”

   6That really was extravagant, for the little cottages were in a lane to themselves at the very bottom of a steep rise that led up to the house. A broad road ran between. True, they were far too near. They were the greatest possible eyesore, and they had no right to be in that neighbourhood at all. They were little mean dwellings painted a chocolate brown. In the garden patches there was nothing but cabbage stalks, sick hens and tomato cans. The very smoke coming out of their chimneys was poverty-stricken. Little rags and shreds of smoke, so unlike the great silvery plumes that uncurled from the Sheridans’ chimneys. Washerwomen lived in the lane and sweeps and a cobbler, and a man whose house-front was studded all over with minute bird-cages. Children swarmed. When the Sheridans were little they were forbidden to set foot there because of the revolting language and of what they might catch. But since they were grown up, Laura and Laurie on their prowls sometimes walked through. It was disgusting and sordid. They came out with a shudder. But still one must go everywhere; one must see everything. So through they went.

   7“And just think of what the band would sound like to that poor woman,” said Laura.

   8“Oh, Laura!” Jose began to be seriously annoyed. “If you’re going to stop a band playing every time some one has an accident, you’ll lead a very strenuous life. I’m every bit as sorry about it as you. I feel just as sympathetic.” Her eyes hardened. She looked at her sister just as she used to when they were little and fighting together. “You won’t bring a drunken workman back to life by being sentimental,” she said softly.

   9“Drunk! Who said he was drunk?” Laura turned furiously on Jose. She said, just as they had used to say on those occasions, “I’m going straight up to tell mother.”

   10“Do, dear,” cooed Jose.

   1“Mother, can I come into your room?” Laura turned the big glass door-knob.

   2“Of course, child. Why, what’s the matter? What’s given you such a colour?” And Mrs. Sheridan turned round from her dressing-table. She was trying on a new hat.

   3“Mother, a man’s been killed,” began Laura.

   4“Not in the garden?” interrupted her mother.

   5“No, no!”

   6“Oh, what a fright you gave me!” Mrs. Sheridan sighed with relief, and took off the big hat and held it on her knees.

   7“But listen, mother,” said Laura. Breathless, half-choking, she told the dreadful story. “Of course, we can’t have our party, can we?” she pleaded. “The band and everybody arriving. They’d hear us, mother; they’re nearly neighbours!”

   8To Laura’s astonishment her mother behaved just like Jose; it was harder to bear because she seemed amused. She refused to take Laura seriously.

   9“But, my dear child, use your common sense. It’s only by accident we’ve heard of it. If some one had died there normally—and I can’t understand how they keep alive in those poky little holes—we should still be having our party, shouldn’t we?”

   10Laura had to say “yes” to that, but she felt it was all wrong. She sat down on her mother’s sofa and pinched the cushion frill.

   11“Mother, isn’t it terribly heartless of us?” she asked.

   12“Darling!” Mrs. Sheridan got up and came over to her, carrying the hat. Before Laura could stop her she had popped it on. “My child!” said her mother, “the hat is yours. It’s made for you. It’s much too young for me. I have never seen you look such a picture. Look at yourself!” And she held up her hand-mirror.

   13“But, mother,” Laura began again. She couldn’t look at herself; she turned aside.

   14This time Mrs. Sheridan lost patience just as Jose had done.

   15“You are being very absurd, Laura,” she said coldly. “People like that don’t expect sacrifices from us. And it’s not very sympathetic to spoil everybody’s enjoyment as you’re doing now.”

   16“I don’t understand,” said Laura, and she walked quickly out of the room into her own bedroom. There, quite by chance, the first thing she saw was this charming girl in the mirror, in her black hat trimmed with gold daisies, and a long black velvet ribbon. Never had she imagined she could look like that. Is mother right? she thought. And now she hoped her mother was right. Am I being extravagant? Perhaps it was extravagant. Just for a moment she had another glimpse of that poor woman and those little children, and the body being carried into the house. But it all seemed blurred, unreal, like a picture in the newspaper. I’ll remember it again after the party’s over, she decided. And somehow that seemed quite the best plan....

   1. "Why did Jose pretend?" (Excerpt 2, paragraph 3). Teacher note: Laura cannot imagine that her sister really means it. She assumes her family feels what she feels, which shows both her sincerity and how little she has tested it.
   2. "Drunk! Who said he was drunk?" (Excerpt 2, paragraph 9). Teacher note: Jose's phrase "a drunken workman" is an assumption nothing in the story supports, and Laura defends the dead man "furiously." The interaction also drops them back into childhood roles ("just as they had used to say on those occasions"), a reminder that the conflict is inside a family as well as between classes.
   3. "Is mother right? she thought. And now she hoped her mother was right" (Excerpt 3, paragraph 16). Teacher note: this is the turning point of the morning. Laura does not decide that the party is right; she decides to hope so, and puts the Scotts off: "I'll remember it again after the party's over." Her giving way is what lets the plot go on to the party.

   Ask each pair to fill in columns 2 and 3 of the two-pull chart (Diagram 1) with one quotation of their own per cell, then compare with another pair.

4. Independent Practice15 minutes

   Before Excerpt 4. Laura puts the accident out of her mind and enjoys the party in her new hat. Afterwards her father mentions the accident, and her mother has an idea: send the dead man's family a basket of the leftover food. Laura doubts it is a good idea but goes, still in her party dress and hat, down the hill to the lane. A woman lets her in.

   Students read the excerpt on their own and complete two tasks: (1) fill in column 4 of the two-pull chart with a quotation in each row; (2) write one paragraph of 4-6 sentences answering: How has Laura changed between Excerpt 1 and Excerpt 4, and which interaction in Excerpt 4 causes the change? Several quiz questions use this excerpt.

   1She found herself in a wretched little low kitchen, lighted by a smoky lamp. There was a woman sitting before the fire.

   2“Em,” said the little creature who had let her in. “Em! It’s a young lady.” She turned to Laura. She said meaningly, “I’m ’er sister, miss. You’ll excuse ’er, won’t you?”

   3“Oh, but of course!” said Laura. “Please, please don’t disturb her. I—I only want to leave—”

   4But at that moment the woman at the fire turned round. Her face, puffed up, red, with swollen eyes and swollen lips, looked terrible. She seemed as though she couldn’t understand why Laura was there. What did it mean? Why was this stranger standing in the kitchen with a basket? What was it all about? And the poor face puckered up again.

   5“All right, my dear,” said the other. “I’ll thenk the young lady.”

   6And again she began, “You’ll excuse her, miss, I’m sure,” and her face, swollen too, tried an oily smile.

   7Laura only wanted to get out, to get away. She was back in the passage. The door opened. She walked straight through into the bedroom, where the dead man was lying.

   8“You’d like a look at ’im, wouldn’t you?” said Em’s sister, and she brushed past Laura over to the bed. “Don’t be afraid, my lass,”—and now her voice sounded fond and sly, and fondly she drew down the sheet—“’e looks a picture. There’s nothing to show. Come along, my dear.”

   9Laura came.

   10There lay a young man, fast asleep—sleeping so soundly, so deeply, that he was far, far away from them both. Oh, so remote, so peaceful. He was dreaming. Never wake him up again. His head was sunk in the pillow, his eyes were closed; they were blind under the closed eyelids. He was given up to his dream. What did garden-parties and baskets and lace frocks matter to him? He was far from all those things. He was wonderful, beautiful. While they were laughing and while the band was playing, this marvel had come to the lane. Happy... happy.... All is well, said that sleeping face. This is just as it should be. I am content.

   11But all the same you had to cry, and she couldn’t go out of the room without saying something to him. Laura gave a loud childish sob.

   12“Forgive my hat,” she said.

   13And this time she didn’t wait for Em’s sister. She found her way out of the door, down the path, past all those dark people. At the corner of the lane she met Laurie.

   14He stepped out of the shadow. “Is that you, Laura?”

   15“Yes.”

   16“Mother was getting anxious. Was it all right?”

   17“Yes, quite. Oh, Laurie!” She took his arm, she pressed up against him.

   18“I say, you’re not crying, are you?” asked her brother.

   19Laura shook her head. She was.

   20Laurie put his arm round her shoulder. “Don’t cry,” he said in his warm, loving voice. “Was it awful?”

   21“No,” sobbed Laura. “It was simply marvellous. But Laurie—” She stopped, she looked at her brother. “Isn’t life,” she stammered, “isn’t life—” But what life was she couldn’t explain. No matter. He quite understood.

   22“Isn’t it, darling?” said Laurie.

5. Closure5-10 minutes

   Exit ticket: (1) Name Laura's two motivations in one sentence. (2) Name the character whose interaction with Laura mattered most to her development, and give one reason.

   Teacher note on language: the story reports the Sheridans' class prejudice in their own words: Jose's "drunken workman" and Mrs. Sheridan's "poky little holes," along with other remarks about the people of the lane. These are the characters' attitudes, and the story asks readers to judge them; say so before students read, and ask them to quote such phrases as evidence about the speaker rather than repeating them casually. The spellings "'er," "'im" and "thenk" show the speech of the lane as the Sheridans hear it. The words are Mansfield's, kept as published.

   For homework: students read the ending of Mansfield's "Miss Brill," below. Before this excerpt: Miss Brill, an unmarried Englishwoman who teaches English in a French town, spends every Sunday on a bench in the public gardens, wearing an old fur necklet she loves. She enjoys listening to strangers' conversations and has just decided that everyone in the park, herself included, is an actor in a play. A whiting (paragraph 5) is a small fish; "ma petite chère" (paragraph 6) is French for "my little dear."

   1The band had been having a rest. Now they started again. And what they played was warm, sunny, yet there was just a faint chill—a something, what was it?—not sadness—no, not sadness—a something that made you want to sing. The tune lifted, lifted, the light shone; and it seemed to Miss Brill that in another moment all of them, all the whole company, would begin singing. The young ones, the laughing ones who were moving together, they would begin, and the men’s voices, very resolute and brave, would join them. And then she too, she too, and the others on the benches—they would come in with a kind of accompaniment—something low, that scarcely rose or fell, something so beautiful—moving.... And Miss Brill’s eyes filled with tears and she looked smiling at all the other members of the company. Yes, we understand, we understand, she thought—though what they understood she didn’t know.

   2Just at that moment a boy and girl came and sat down where the old couple had been. They were beautifully dressed; they were in love. The hero and heroine, of course, just arrived from his father’s yacht. And still soundlessly singing, still with that trembling smile, Miss Brill prepared to listen.

   3“No, not now,” said the girl. “Not here, I can’t.”

   4“But why? Because of that stupid old thing at the end there?” asked the boy. “Why does she come here at all—who wants her? Why doesn’t she keep her silly old mug at home?”

   5“It’s her fu-fur which is so funny,” giggled the girl. “It’s exactly like a fried whiting.”

   6“Ah, be off with you!” said the boy in an angry whisper. Then: “Tell me, ma petite chère—”

   7“No, not here,” said the girl. “Not yet.”

   8On her way home she usually bought a slice of honey-cake at the baker’s. It was her Sunday treat. Sometimes there was an almond in her slice, sometimes not. It made a great difference. If there was an almond it was like carrying home a tiny present—a surprise—something that might very well not have been there. She hurried on the almond Sundays and struck the match for the kettle in quite a dashing way.

   9But to-day she passed the baker’s by, climbed the stairs, went into the little dark room—her room like a cupboard—and sat down on the red eiderdown. She sat there for a long time. The box that the fur came out of was on the bed. She unclasped the necklet quickly; quickly, without looking, laid it inside. But when she put the lid on she thought she heard something crying.

Differentiation Strategies

Assessment Guidance

1. Question 1 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Under RL.9-10.3, which description fits a complex character?

   AA character who has one clear goal and pursues it the same way from start to finish BA character who is described in long, detailed passages about her appearance CA character whose wants pull against each other, so her choices are hard to predict DA character who narrates the story in the first person and shares her thoughts

2. Question 2 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   In Excerpt 1, paragraph 2, Laura thinks, "She mustn't mention the morning; she must be business-like." Which two motivations does this moment set against each other?

   AHer fear of the workmen and her wish to hurry back inside the house BHer delight in the morning and her wish to seem in charge CHer dislike of the marquee and her wish to please her sister Meg DHer hunger for breakfast and her wish to finish the job quickly

3. Question 3 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   A pale workman asks, "H'm, going to have a band, are you?" Laura answers, "Only a very small band," and thinks, "Perhaps he wouldn't mind so much if the band was quite small" (Excerpt 1, paragraphs 8-9). What does this exchange reveal about her?

   AShe is aware of how her family's wealth looks to the workman and wants to soften it BShe is proud of the band and wants the workman to be impressed by her family's party CShe is annoyed that a workman would question her family's plans DShe has not yet been told whether the party will have a band

4. Question 4 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   The tall workman "pinched a sprig of lavender" and smelled it (Excerpt 1, paragraph 12). How does this small interaction develop Laura?

   AIt makes her suspect that the workmen are wasting time instead of working BIt convinces her to go back and insist that the karaka trees must not be hidden after all CIt overturns her idea of what workmen are like, and she begins to idealize them DIt reminds her that her mother asked her to keep the lavender beds tidy

5. Question 5 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Jose answers Laura, "Of course we can't do anything of the kind. Nobody expects us to" (Excerpt 2, paragraph 4). How does Jose function in relation to Laura in this scene?

   AAs a foil: her calm acceptance of custom makes Laura's sympathy stand out BAs a narrator: she tells Laura what happened to the carter at Hawke Street CAs an ally: she agrees with Laura but is afraid to say so in front of their mother DAs a rival: she competes with Laura for the tall workman's attention

6. Question 6 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Excerpt 2, paragraph 6 calls the cottages "the greatest possible eyesore" and says the lane "was disgusting and sordid." Whose attitudes do these words express, and what do they add to Laura's character?

   AOnly the narrator's personal opinion, which has nothing to do with Laura or her family BOnly the workmen's opinion, which Laura heard from them earlier that morning CMrs. Scott's opinion of her own home, which she shares with Laura later on DThe Sheridans' attitudes, which Laura shares in part, so her sympathy has limits

7. Question 7 of 20 · Short Answer

   Laura drags Jose "to the other side of the green baize door" before asking how to stop the party (Excerpt 2, paragraph 1). In houses like the Sheridans', a green baize door separated the kitchen, where the servants worked, from the family's rooms. What does this choice of place suggest about Laura?

   Show model answer

8. Question 8 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   "Not in the garden?" interrupted her mother (Excerpt 3, paragraph 4). What does Mrs. Sheridan's first reaction reveal?

   AHer first thought is for the dead man's wife and the five small children he left BHer first thought is whether the death touches the party at her own house CHer first thought is that Laura herself has been hurt in the garden DHer first thought is that the workmen caused the accident somehow

9. Question 9 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Mrs. Sheridan argues that if someone "had died there normally," they "should still be having our party." Laura "had to say 'yes' to that, but she felt it was all wrong" (Excerpt 3, paragraphs 9-10). What does this moment show about Laura's conflict?

   AShe cannot answer her mother's logic, yet her sense that it is wrong remains BShe is fully persuaded and decides on the spot that the party should go on CShe wins the argument, and her mother agrees that the party should be stopped DShe realizes that the carter was only injured and did not die in the accident

10. Question 10 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Mrs. Sheridan puts the new hat on Laura and holds up a mirror; Laura "couldn't look at herself; she turned aside" (Excerpt 3, paragraphs 12-13). What does this exchange show?

    AMrs. Sheridan is giving Laura the hat as a reward for arranging the marquee BLaura dislikes the hat and wants her mother to keep it for her own use CLaura is too upset about the carter to notice the hat on her head at all DThe mother meets Laura's moral question with flattery, and Laura resists it at first

11. Question 11 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    "People like that don't expect sacrifices from us," Mrs. Sheridan says (Excerpt 3, paragraph 15). How does this line help develop a theme through Laura's conflict?

    AIt shows that the Sheridans plan to send money to the Scott family later on BIt states the class divide Laura is struggling against, which the story questions CIt proves that Mrs. Scott has asked the family not to stop the garden-party DIt shows that Mrs. Sheridan has changed her mind and now agrees with Laura

12. Question 12 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Looking at the dead man, Laura thinks, "What did garden-parties and baskets and lace frocks matter to him?" (Excerpt 4, paragraph 10). How does this thought develop the story's theme?

    AIt shows that Laura now thinks her family is cruel and wants to punish them BIt shows that Laura is already planning the next garden-party at the cottage CIt sets her world's concerns beside death, and they suddenly look small DIt shows that Laura believes the dead man would have enjoyed the party

13. Question 13 of 20 · Short Answer

    "Forgive my hat," Laura says to the dead man (Excerpt 4, paragraph 12). Explain how this line shows that Laura has developed since Excerpt 3, when her mother put the hat on her.

    Show model answer

14. Question 14 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    At the end, Laura stammers "Isn't life" twice and breaks off: "But what life was she couldn't explain" (Excerpt 4, paragraph 21). Why does the story end on an unfinished sentence?

    ALaurie interrupts her before she can explain her plan to help the Scotts BLaura has been changed by an experience that she cannot yet put into words CLaura has decided that life is not worth thinking about too seriously DLaura is afraid that Laurie will repeat to their mother what she says

15. Question 15 of 20 · Short Answer

    At the cottage, Em's sister says of the dead man, "'e looks a picture" (Excerpt 4, paragraph 8). In Excerpt 3, Mrs. Sheridan told Laura in the hat, "I have never seen you look such a picture." How does this echo connect the two interactions, and what does it add to the theme?

    Show model answer

16. Question 16 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    "No," sobbed Laura. "It was simply marvellous" (Excerpt 4, paragraph 21). What does the contrast between her words and her sobbing show?

    AShe is lying to Laurie so that he will not tell their mother she cried BShe is crying because she is sorry that the successful party is over CShe feels grief and a kind of wonder at the same time DShe means that the cottage was more beautiful than her own house

17. Question 17 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Which theme statement is best supported by Laura's development across all four excerpts?

    AWealthy families are always cruel to the poor people who live near them, whatever they say BParties are a waste of money and should be replaced by charity work CChildren should always trust their mother, who understands the world DA glimpse of another person's suffering can unsettle beliefs a family has taught

18. Question 18 of 20 · Short Answer

    Choose two moments from different excerpts that show Laura's two motivations (her sympathy for the Scotts and the pull of her family's world). Use moments that are not discussed in Guided Practice or quoted in Diagram 1. For each, quote the text and explain which motivation is stronger at that moment and why.

    Show model answer

19. Question 19 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Laura finds her mother's reaction "harder to bear" than Jose's "because she seemed amused" (Excerpt 3, paragraph 8). What does this detail add to the interaction?

    AIt shows that Laura expected her mother, more than Jose, to take her seriously BIt shows that Mrs. Sheridan is openly mocking the dead man's family CIt shows that Jose and her mother had planned ahead of time to tease Laura about the party DIt shows that Laura is secretly amused by the whole argument as well

20. Question 20 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    A student writes, "Laura is a nice girl who cares about people." Why is this sentence weak analysis under RL.9-10.3?

    AIt is too long, and good character analysis should use short, one-word descriptions instead BIt should describe Laura's clothing instead, since the hat matters most CIt is wrong, because Laura never shows any care for other people DIt names one trait but does not show how she changes, interacts or affects the plot

These standards connect to RL.9-10.3: prerequisites to review first, parallel standards at the same level, and next steps that build on it.

Standard text: Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy. © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.