Chapter 9: Ana Finds an Apartment

Read the passage. Then answer questions about the passage below.

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The next day, while Mario is at work and Antonio is at childcare, Ana visits the apartment complexes. She likes the fifth one the best. It is in a good school district.    It has a pool, but no fitness center or clubhouse. It is near Mario’s job. Ana hopes to find a job nearby, as well.    When Ana gets back to the hotel, she discusses all that she has seen with Mario. They decide to rent the last apartment Ana saw.    The next day, Ana calls the manager of the apartment complex with the news. The manager asks Ana and Mario to sign a lease and pay a security deposit.    If the family damages the apartment in any way while they are living there, the security deposit will help to pay for the cost of repairs. Ana and Mario sign a lease and pay the money.    The manager asks them when they plan to move in and Ana looks up at Mario. He looks back at her for a moment and then tells the manager, “In a few days.” Finally, they have a place to stay.   Questions 1) What kind of book does Ana get?    A. a City Guide Book    B. a Map Book    C. a House Book    D. an Apartment Book   2) What did Ana consider while looking through the Apartment Book?    I. school districts, II. amenities, III. locations    A. I only    B. I and II    C. II and II    D. I, II, and III   3) Where is Ana's family staying while they look for a place to call home?    A. in an apartment close to Mario’s work    B. at an apartment next to Antonio’s school    C. in Ana’s mother’s house    D. in a hotel near Mario’s work

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4) What does Ana realize as she looks through the Apartment Book?    A. that the nicest apartments are far away    B. that all the apartments are small and cramped    C. that it is easy to find a nice apartment in a good school district    D. that the number of amenities is related to cost   5) Why doesn't Ana want to spend too much money on an apartment?    A. her husband will get upset    B. she does not have the money    C. she cannot find one she likes    D. she wants to save money for a house   6) In this story, which of the following is not mentioned as an amenity?    A. carpet    B. clubhouse    C. fitness center    D. pool   7) What makes Ana like the fifth apartment best?    I. it has many amenities, II. it is near Mario’s job, III. it is in a good school district    A. I only    B. I and II    C. II and II    D. I, II, and III   8) Where is Antonio while Ana looks at apartments?    A. at daycare    B. at the hotel    C. at school    D. at work

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	9) What does it mean to consider something?    A. to rent it    B. to think about it    C. to make it happen    D. to read a book about it   10) "When Ana gets back to the hotel, she discusses all that she has seen with Mario."                 How can we best rewrite the above sentence?    A. When Ana gets back to the hotel, she reads about all that she has seen with Mario.    B. When Ana returns to the hotel, she writes about all that she has seen with Mario.    C. When Ana returns to the hotel, she talks about all that she has seen with Mario.    D. When Ana leaves the hotel, she talks about all that she has seen with Mario.   11) When will the family move into their new apartment?    A. in a day or two    B. in a couple days    C. in three or four days    D. in just under a week   12) Which is the best description of a security deposit ?    A. money given to landlord to pay for amenities    B. money given to landlord to pay for utilities and telephone    C. money given to landlord to prove the tenant can pay rent on time    D. money given to the landlord to pay for any damage to the apartment
Page 4       A Christmas in March Directions: Read the story. Then answer the questions below.   Just before Christmas in 1944, a letter arrived at our house in Philadelphia. The postmark was from Tuskegee, Alabama, so we all knew who it was from.    We excitedly gathered around Mother as she opened it at the kitchen table. My Dear Mother, I did not get the leave I expected for Christmas. I will miss all of you.    Please leave the Christmas tree up until I make it back. I hope to be home by March. Love from your son, Clifton I was 17-years-old at the time. My heart sank.    I felt a profound sadness about my favorite brother not being home for Christmas. He was one of the Tuskegee Airmen and was responsible for maintaining the airplanes flying off to fight in World War II.    My mother, being the optimist she always was, said, “Well, it looks like we’ll get to have two Christmases this year!” After Christmas, my sister and I worked together to make sure we kept that Christmas tree looking as pretty as possible. This was no easy feat.    By mid January, the branches drooped so low to the ground that they became a sliding board for the decorations. Each day, there were brand new sprinklings of pine needles all over the wooden floor.    My sister and I took turns sweeping them up. We repositioned the ornaments to the stronger branches on the tree, hoping they would stay on.      Each time we freshened that tree up, my sister and I were full of thoughts about Clifton and how happy we would be to see him again. It made us feel that he was close by, even though he was hundreds of miles away. On March 5, the doorbell rang. We ran to the door and gave Clifton a big hug.   As he hugged my Mother, I could see him peak over her head at the Christmas tree. “It’s beautiful,” he said. “Thank you.” Clifton opened his presents and told us all sorts of stories about his work in Tuskegee. That night as we slept, we heard a crash in the living room. We all ran to see what had happened. The tree had toppled onto the sofa and there were needles and broken ornaments everywhere. We all had a good laugh. It was fortuitous Clifton got home when he did!   Page 5
	Questions 1) How did the narrator's mood shift after Clifton's letter was read to the family?    A. from grand to humble    B. from jubilance to anger    C. from uncertainty to clarity    D. from excitement to disappointment   2) The mother is an optimist. This means she...    A. is not easily upset.    B. upholds high standards.    C. maintains a positive viewpoint.    D. considers all outcomes before making a decision.   3) What can we conclude from the letter? Check all that are correct.    __ A. Clifton misses his family.    __ B. Clifton will be home by March.    __ C. Clifton will not be home for Christmas.    __ D. Clifton is one of the Tuskegee Airmen.   4) Which word best describes the work the sisters did to help keep the tree looking pretty?    A. It was a miracle.    B. It was a debacle.    C. It was a discovery.    D. It was a collaboration.   5) What is the most likely reason the narrator compared the tree limbs to a sliding board?    A. The limbs were so high in the air.    B. The ornaments were slipping off.    C. The sisters liked to play on them.    D. The branches felt slippery with no needles on them.
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	Literature: Types of Paragraphs What types of paragraphs do you know?      Narrative paragraph tells a story of something that happened or that someone observed, like a narrator does in a written piece. A good way to write a narrative paragraph is to choose a specific event or situation and to develop it chronologically. Think about the event and choose the key elements of your narrative.   A descriptive paragraph describes the characteristics of a person, place, thing, or idea. Writers often use descriptive paragraphs to describe a person's physical appearance and behavior.   An expository paragraph "exposes," or gives information about a person, place, thing, or idea. There are four types of expository paragraphs: process, cause to effect, compare and contrast, and problem/solution.   If you have ever followed the instructions to assemble a model airplane, bake cookies, or change a tire, you can appreciate how important it is for the entire process to be explained clearly and simply.   A process paragraph explains a procedure step by step. To write a process paragraph, analyze the steps you must include to explain the procedure and arrange them in chronological order.   In a cause to effect paragraph the writer explains the connection between an event and its causes or consequences.   A compare and contrast paragraph explains the similarities and differences between two things. To do this, you must first identify the similarities, though they may be more difficult to find. When comparing and contrasting two things, you must make sure that they are at the same level in some way.   A problem/solution paragraph states a problem or situation and its possible solutions. It is the product of extensive research or thought by the writer.
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	A. Think about the type of paragraph that a writer could use to develop the following topics. Classify each topic as appropriate for a narrative N, descriptive D, or expository E paragraph.      __ 1.Water Pollution in Our Community    __ 2. My First Day of School    __ 3. The Consequences of Smoking    __ 4. My Last Birthday    __ 5. My Dog's First Visit to the Veterinarian    __ 6.The History of Volcanoes    __ 7. My Favorite Place    __ 8. A Day at the Beach   B. Write a narrative paragraph about “A Christmas in March”, imagining how it would be.    __________________________________________________________________________________________    __________________________________________________________________________________________    __________________________________________________________________________________________    __________________________________________________________________________________________    __________________________________________________________________________________________   C. Look at the picture.     Write a descriptive paragraph about it.    __________________________________________________________________________________________    __________________________________________________________________________________________    __________________________________________________________________________________________    __________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________
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	D. List the reasons why Christmas would not be chosen to be in march.      __________________________________________________________________________________________    __________________________________________________________________________________________    __________________________________________________________________________________________   Write an expository paragraph to explain those reasons.      __________________________________________________________________________________________    __________________________________________________________________________________________    __________________________________________________________________________________________   Grammar: Synonyms and Antonyms    Synonyms- words that have the same (or nearly the same) meanings       Example: large = big      Antonyms- words that have opposite meanings       Example: hot / cold   Directions: Choose the best synonym for the following words.   1) kind    A. nice    B. wild    C. funny    D. best   2) shiny    A. extra    B. careful    C. bright    D. angry   3) glad    A. broken    B. happy    C. open    D. round   4) big    A. large    B. many    C. next    D. only   5) fast    A. clear    B. main    C. clean    D. quick   6) noisy    A. first    B. loud    C. afraid    D. small
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	Directions: Choose the best antonym for the following words.   1) thick      A. thin    B. heavy    C. fat    D. young   2) early    A. very    B. way    C. now    D. late   3) cold    A. cool    B. hot    C. easy    D. low   4) slow    A. dark    B. fast    C. lucky    D. old   5) similar    A. present    B. different    C. important    D. secret   6) safe    A. dangerous    B. important    C. terrible    D. busy
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