Name______
Teacher______
RELA Period___ Date______
from “Pecos Bill”
1. Why does Pecos Bill’s father move his family from eastern Texas?neighbors moved in 50 miles away
2. Pecos Bill realizes that he is human when what is pointed out?he does not have a tail
3. What does this description of Pecos Bill help you visualize? “He’d just throw some water on his face in the morning and go around the rest of the day looking like a wet dog.”the way he looks
4. Why does Pecos Bill wants to find the Hell’s Gate Gang?he want to join them because he will fit in
5. List three examples of Pecos Bill’s odd sense of humor.creating tarantulas and scorpions
6. How does Pecos Bill win the love of Slue-foot Sue?he howls at the moon like a coyote
7. Give three examples of how Slue-foot Sue is a larger-than-life character in this tall tale.riding catfish, part coyote, lands on moon
8. After flying off the back of Widow Maker, Slue-foot Sue bounces where?on her steel bustle
9. What does this list of places help you visualize? “She flew over plains and mesas, over canyons, deserts, and prairies.”how high and far Sue flies
10. What does this tall tale say causes the sound of rolling thunder?the laughter of Bill’s family on the moon
11. Why does Pecos Bill gets left behind as a baby?his brothers and sisters were fighting
12. What does Pecos Bill refuse to do whenhe becomes a cowboy?shave and comb his hair
13. List four of Pecos Bill’s larger-than-lifeaccomplishments in this tall tale.lasso a cyclone, drag water from this Rio Grande and Gulf of Mexico
14. How does this description of the Hell’sGate Gang help you visualize what ishappening?“They dropped their dinner plates, andtheir faces turned as white as bleacheddesert bones. Their knees knocked andtheir six-guns shook.”The gang members’ actions help you visualize their fear of Pecos Bill.
15. What does the description “all the riversturned as powdery as biscuit flour” helpyou visualize?what the river sand felt like
16. Pecos Bill displays courage in this talewhen he does what?rides a cyclone
17. One unrealistic detail of this tall tale is thefact that Pecos Bill feeds his horse a dietofbarbed wire and dynamite.
18. What does Slue-foot Sue do that showsbravery?insists on riding Widow Maker
19. Why does Pecos Bill end up in the skywith Slue-foot Sue?Sue yanks him up when she bounces
20. According to this tall tale, Texans say thata strange “ah-hooing” sound at night is thesound ofPecos Bill howling at the moon
from “Pandora’s Box” and “Loo-Wit, the Fire Keeper”
21. In “Pandora’s Box” what does Hephaestusask the goddesses to do?give Pandora some of their powers
22. What does Epimetheus have trouble believing?Zeus and Pandora for him
23. In “Loo-Wit, the Fire Keeper” what does the creator do?builds a bridge for peace between the brothers
24. What does the story of Loo-Wit explain?explains the creation of land formations in the Northwest
25. Pandora’s guilty feelings reveal the idea that you can hurt others if you make the human error ofthinking only of what you desire to do.
26. Which detail from “Pandora’s Box” most develops the theme that life has both good and bad sides?the box contains both pain and hope
27. What did Prometheus do to make Zeus angry? stole fire from the gods for humans
28. Why does Epimetheus worry about accepting Zeus’ gift?his brother warns him to distrust the gods’ gift
29. Which natural landscape feature is not explained by “Loo-Wit, the Fire Keeper”?the GreatStoneBridge
30. Why does Pandora begin feeling that she has a right to open the box?the box is her own dowry
31. In this myth, the god Zeus shows human anger. What is an aspect of anger that his behavior highlights?someone who is angry can do cruel things
32. What theme about human life do you most likely learn from the contents of Pandora’s box?life contains both good and bad aspects
from “The Old Grandfather and his Little Grandson” and “The Wise Old Woman”
33. Why does the old man in “The Old Grandfather and His Little Grandson” has to eat his meals in the corner?he is toothless and he drops food
34. In “The Old Grandfather and His Little Grandson,” what does Misha learn from watching his parents’ behavior?the elderly must eat from wooden bowls
35. The records in the village books in “The Wise Old Woman” make it impossible for the young farmer to do what?pretend that his mother is younger than she is
36. “The Wise Old Woman” expresses the universal theme of family love when the son does what?risks punishment to protect his mother
37. What does the mother do to show her son that she loves him?breaks twigs for him to follow
38. Why are the elderly characters in the stories are alike?they receive kind treatment in the end
39. Why does the son’s wife in “The Old Grandfather and His Little Grandson” tell the grandfather that he spoils everything?the grandfather has broken his bowl on the floor
40. How do the son and his wife in “The Old Grandfather and His Little Grandson” respond to their shame over their treatment of the grandfather?they invite him back to the table for meals
41. Why does the young lord in “The Wise Old Woman” first feel that his village will be the finest in Japan?only young people who can work hard live there
42. What universal theme does “The Wise Old Woman” express when the mother says that her son must take her to the mountain to save himself?family members should love and protest one another
43. Why does the farmer in “The Wise Old Woman” askhis mother to help solve Lord Higa’s demands?because he fears for his mother’s safety if a harsher lord takes over the village
44. What similarities are there between the younger characters in these stories?regret having mistreated someone elderly
Vocabulary: Define and use each of these words in complete sentences:
45. subtle slight
46. adorn decorate
47. ensnare catch
48. restrain hold back
49. arrogant displaying self-importance
50. haughtily proudly
51. deceive mislead
52. bewilderment the state of being confused
Literature Terms: Define and give an example of each of the following:
53-65: see the definitions in the reference section of the literature book