Unit 1:“The Monkey’s Paw” by W. W. Jacobs
pp. 29-43
Name______Hour ______Date______
Writing About the Big Question
The Big Question: Is there a difference between reality and truth?
Big Question Vocabulary
comprehend concrete confirm context differentiate
discern evaluate evidence improbable objective
perception reality subjective uncertainty verify
A. Use one or more words from the list above to complete each sentence. Do not change the form of the word.
1. It seemed ______that he could win the race with a broken foot.
2. To ______between reality and truth, consider facts objectively.
3. Sometimes your ______of an event can be colored by emotions.
4. His behavior confused me, and I could not ______his actions.
B. Follow the directions in responding to each of the items below using full sentences and at least one BQ vocabulary word which you circle.
1. Identify a situation in world events in which the reality of the situation might be differentfrom the truth about the situation.
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2. Write two sentences explaining your response in the preceding item. Use at leasttwo of the Big Question vocabulary words and circle each one used.
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C. Complete the sentence below. Then, write a short paragraph (at least five sentences) in which you connect thisexperience to the Big Question. Use at least two BQ vocabulary words. Circle them.
When people face personal hardship, they often ______
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Vocabulary Builder
Word List: (p. 30)
apathy credulity furtively grave maligned oppressive
A. DIRECTIONS: Think about the meaning of each italicized word. Then, answer the question.
1. If you saw someone moving furtively around your home, what should you do?
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2. If a new movie was maligned by a critic, would you want to see it? Why or why not?
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3. If voters had apathy toward a political candidate, what do you think would happen in the
election?
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4. If a coach had a grave expression at the end of a game, did the team win or lose? Explain.
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5. Will your credulity cause you to question every claim made by a politician?
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6. If an employer’s work load is oppressive, how does that person probably feel about the job?
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B. WORD STUDY: The Latin root -cred- means “believe.” Answer the following questions usingone of these words that contain the root -cred-: credence, credo, discredit.
1. Would you have credence in a report presented by someone known for giving falseinformation?
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2. If your credo is “Live and Let Live,” are you a tolerant person?
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3. Why would you be unhappy if someone tried to discredit your results on a test?
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Grammar
Common and Proper Nouns (p. 56)
A common noun is a general name for any one of a group of people, places, or things. A proper noun names a particular person, place, or thing. A proper noun always begins with a capital letter.
Examples— Common Nouns: student, teacher, country, skyscraper, book
Proper Nouns: Will Fordham, Ms. Ruiz, Japan, Empire State Building, The Outsiders
A. DIRECTIONS: In each of the following sentences from the selections, identify the underlined
nouns as common or proper. For each common noun, name a proper noun that could take its place. For each proper noun, name a common noun that could take its place.
1. Mrs. White drew back with a grimace.
Type of noun: ______
Substitute noun: ______
2. The soldier regarded him in the way that middle age is wont to regard presumptuous youth.
Type of noun: ______
Substitute noun: ______
3. “I was to say that Maw and Meggins disclaim all responsibility,” continued the other.
Type of noun: ______
Substitute noun: ______
4. “You’re afraid of your own son,” she cried, struggling.
Type of noun: ______
Substitute noun: ______
B. DIRECTIONS: Circle each error in capitalization. Make sure that proper nouns are capitalized.
1. The narrator’s Mother was one-half of a blindfolded Trapeze Act.
2. Mr. and mrs. white are horrified by the outcome of their Wishes.
3. Louise erdrich writes about a definitive moment in Her own life.
4. The Monkey’s Paw brings bad luck to anyone who uses it.
Concrete and Abstract Nouns (p. 86)
A concrete noun is a word that names a specific person, place, or thing that can be seen or recognized through any of the five senses. An abstract noun is a word that names an idea, anaction, a condition, or a quality that cannot be seen, heard, smelled, tasted, or touched. The following are examples of concrete and abstract nouns.
Concrete nouns: desk, window, hallway, Tom, closet, wife, Times Square
Abstract nouns: tomorrow, conscience, deceit, intention, fear
A. DIRECTIONS: Underline the nouns. Write C above each concrete nounand A above each abstract noun.
1. I had mixed feelings about the test swim.
2. I stared across the icy water at Neko Harbor’s beach and felt excitement building within me.
3. She comprehended the perversity of life, that in the struggle lies the joy.
4. I choked and felt a wave of panic rise within me.
5. The next three weeks were a honeycomb of determination with apertures for the days to go in and out.
Use Prior Knowledge to Make Predictions
A prediction is an idea about what will happen in a story. To make predictions, pay attention to story details and use your prior knowledge.
• Your knowledge of plot structure will help you predict that a character will experience
difficulties. If you know other stories with similar plots, you might predict that similar
things will happen.
• You can also use your prior knowledge of human nature. Think about how people you know
react to events. Your insights into their behavior can help you predict how characters will act.
Read the following passage from “The Monkey’s Paw.”
“I should like to see those old temples and fakirs and jugglers,” said the old man. “What was that you started telling me the other day about a monkey’s paw or something, Morris?”
“Nothing,” said the soldier, hastily. “Leastways nothing worth hearing.”
You can use your prior knowledge of the structure of short stories to predict that the monkey’s paw will play an important part in this story. The fact that the story’s title is “The Monkey’s Paw” and the introduction of the paw into conversation are clues to its importance.
DIRECTIONS: Read each passage from the story. Make a prediction about what will happen based on the clues and your prior knowledge. List one clue and one piece of prior knowledge that
helped you make each prediction.
1. “It had a spell put on it by an old fakir,” said the sergeant major, “a very holy man. He
wanted to show that fate ruled people’s lives, and that those who interfered with it did so to
their sorrow.”
Prediction: ______
Clue: ______
Prior knowledge: ______
2. A fine crash from the piano greeted the words, interrupted by a shuddering from the old
man. His wife and son ran toward him.
“It moved,” he cried with a glance of disgust at the object as it lay on the floor. “As I
wished it twisted in my hand like a snake.”
Prediction: ______
Clue: ______
Prior knowledge: ______
3. “The paw!” she cried wildly. “The monkey’s paw!”
He started up in alarm. “Where? Where is it? What’s the matter?”
She came stumbling across the room toward him. “I want it,” she said quietly.
Prediction: ______
Clue: ______
Prior knowledge: ______
“The Monkey’s Paw” by W. W. Jacobs
Critical Thinking Questions: Answer in full sentences.
- How does each of the Whites react when first hearing the legend of the monkey’s paw?
- How do the reactions of the mother and the father change?
- What lesson does the fakir want to teach? Does he succeed? Explain.
- How does Mr. White word his first wish?
- What is another way he could have worded his wish to have possibly avoided the outcome?
- Do the Whites begin to think that the legend of the monkey’s paw is true? How can you tell?
Literary Analysis: Plot and Foreshadow
A plot is the sequence of related events that make up a story. A typical plot concerns aconflict—a struggle between opposing forces—and follows a pattern.
• In the exposition, the writer gives background information about the characters and the
situation.
• During the rising action, events occur that intensify the conflict.
• At the climax, the tension reaches its highest point because the outcome of the conflict is
about to be revealed.
• The tension lessens during the falling action.
• The resolution is the final outcome of the conflict. The resolution often involves a change
or an insight.
Writers use various techniques to add tension to a story. One technique is foreshadowing—
giving details that hint at coming events. For instance, when a character leaves a door unlockedin her haste, it may foreshadow a later event—a pet getting loose, for example.
In this passage, the character Morris is speaking about a monkey’s paw with a spell on it.
If you keep it, don’t blame me for what happens.
Here, the author uses foreshadowing to hint at a future event relating to the monkey’s paw.
DIRECTIONS: Identify each passage below as exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, or
resolution. Then, in full sentences, tell what each passage foreshadows.
1. “Hark at the wind,” said Mr. White, who, having seen a fatal mistake after it was too late,was amiably desirous of preventing his son from seeing it.
Part of plot: ______Foreshadows: ______
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2. He wanted to show that fate ruled people’s lives, and that those who interfered with it didso to their sorrow. He put a spell on it so that three separate men could each have threewishes from it.
Part of plot: ______Foreshadows: ______
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3. “The first man had his three wishes, yes,” was the reply; “I don’t know what the first twowere, but the third was for death.”
Part of plot: ______Foreshadows: ______
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4. Herbert sat alone in the darkness, gazing at the dying fire, and seeing faces in it. The lastface was so horrible and so simian that he gazed at it in amazement.
Part of plot: ______Foreshadows: ______
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Grade 10, Unit 1