Read the passage and do the following: (1) annotate the text (2) make marginal notes (3) Identify the 5 w’s (who ,what, where,
when, and why) (4)locate the sections in the passage that provide you with the answers to the questions at the bottom of the
passage and label them (5) Bubble correct responses (6) circle unknown words and derive meaning by context. Make sure you do
ALL the different parts to this assignment.
Assessment
Title:
Text Structures/Organizational Patterns: First Assessment
Passage: DAN STEINHILBER: FINDING ART ANYWHERE
Meredith McDonough
Some artists use paint or charcoal, others metal or clay; but Dan Steinhilber uses the unexpected:
common household items. With the help of food coloring, bottles, bags, and hangers, Steinhilber
recently turned the first floor of the Hirshhorn Museum into a plastic wonderland. In the process, he
proved that you can make art from just about anything.
The Hirshhorn Exhibit
At first glance, Steinhilber's most famous piece at the Hirshhorn Museum looks like a hundred tiny
windblown sails sewn together and then placed inside a large sphere. But, when one looks closer, the
pure-white sails become artfully stretched garbage bags connected by hangers. The piece contracts
and expands with the help of a fan in the center of the sphere. Who would have guessed that garbage
bags and hangers could capture the feeling of sailing?
The garbage-bag-and-hangers piece only uses white to evoke emotion. However, Dan's collection of
soda bottles manages to give the same effect as a stained-glass window.
The artist's assistants inject a variety of liquids into the water-filled soda bottles—everything from soy
sauce to dish soap—and then stack the bottles in front of a window. The sun streams through the
liquids and forms splashes of colored light in the walls and floor of the museum.
Stripped of their labels and drained of their original soda, the bottles become very different in
Steinhilber's vision. It's almost as if he has made them into something entirely new.
The Artist's Approach
Steinhilber says, "I use what is right in front of me, which just happens to be [from] nature and every
day objects."
The things people throw in the trash without a second thought somehow express the beauty of light
and air. Plastic in particular seems to have qualities that make it perfect for Steinhilber. It can expand
and contract, absorb dyes, hold water, and, best of all, it is very cheap.
Steinhilber also keeps changing the context of his art. For example, the Hirshhorn Museum bottle
exhibit looked like a stained glass window. But another soda bottle exhibit has been installed at his
former university. This second bottle exhibit matches the colors of the current season. The artificial
texture of the bottles somehow exists in harmony with nature as a result.
"I saw all of these soda bottles because I drank a lot of it," Steinhilber says when asked about the
bottle exhibits. "It made sense to use the objects in my art."
A Challenge to All of Us
The charm of Steinhilber's art may come from the ordinary nature of its "building blocks," but with this
charm comes a challenge. By showing how anyone can find art in everyday life, Steinhilber asks us to
look more closely at our surroundings. Art doesn't just exist in museums, but all around us.
1) Which answer choice best describes the overall organizational pattern of the passage?
A. numbered list
B. cause and effect
C. questions and answers
D. heading and subheadings
2) Each section of the passage is organized by
A. topics and details.
B. chronological order.
C. problems and solutions.
D. comparison and contrast.
3)
In the section The Hirshhorn Exhibit the author writes,
The artist's assistants inject a variety of liquids into the water-filled soda bottles—everything
from soy sauce to dish soap—and then stack the bottles in front of a window.
The author organizes this part of the passage using
A. cause and effect.
B. sequence of steps.
C. chronological order.
D. comparison and contrast.
4) The two middle sections of the passage, when taken together, have their own pattern. The
organizational pattern of The Hirshhorn Exhibit and The Artist's Approach would best be described
as
A. questions and answers: the artist answers questions.
B. persuasion: using words to make you feel something.
C. cause and effect: how and why he makes the artwork and the result.
D. problem and solution: problems with making the artwork and how he solved them.
5) Read the following quotes from The Artist's Approach in the passage:
"I saw all of these soda bottles because I drank a lot of it," Steinhilber says when asked about
the bottle exhibits. "It made sense to use the objects in my art."
"I use what is right in front of me, which just happens to be [from] nature and every day
objects."
These quotes show an organizational pattern of
A. questions and answers .
B. sequential order.
C. explanation.
D. problems and solutions.