Close Reading Assignment
9th Honors English: “America Dystopia more reality than fiction
Part I: Vocabulary
Directions: Define the following words:
1. oligarchy
2.
decadent
3.
Atrocious
4.
Amalgamation
5.
Carnage
6.
Peonage
7.
Rudimentary
8.
abysmally
Part II: First Read
Directions: Read the entire story. After reading, write down one fact or piece of information
you found interesting (one sentence).
Sentence:
Part II: Second Read
Directions: Answer the following questions, based on the 3 sections presented.
Section I: Page 1-2
1. In what way does the author of the article compares the battle in novel, The Hunger Games, to
high school?
2.
Approximately how many young Americans died in Iraq? According to the article, how many
years would it take to represent the amount in The Hunger Games?
3.
The author says that wartime carnage has been on a grand scale. But, why hasn’t it been on
television in any meaningful way?
4.
What two aspects of American society does the author use to compare to the lottery in The
Hunger Games?
Section II: Page 3
1. According to the article, why is America the wealthiest and most powerful nation in the world but full
of hungry people?
2. What is the arena referred to where six million Americans are fed every day?
Section III: Page 4-5
1. Why did the author of the 2010 book Eaarth add the extra “a” in the title?
2. According to a survey reported by the New York Times, what do the majority of Americans believe in
regards to cause of the unusual weather most of the United States is currently experiencing?
3. What did the city of Norman, Oklahoma do, in regards to their money, which showed they were
trying to help their citizens?
First Academic Discussion
Directions: Discuss the answers to the questions provided by the teacher:
Write one piece of information learned from the academic discussion:
Third Read
Directions: Read the article for a third time. Answer the questions below using the information
gathered from this reading:
1. How does the author compare events in The Hunger Games to how young, poor, people are enticed
to sign up for the military?
2. How is the current college debt crisis for many college graduates compared to a dystopian society?
3. Why are prisoners, once released, considered a stigmatized caste, uniquely ill-suited to survive in this
economy?
Summary Writing Assignment
Prompt: Write a 1 page essay which discusses at least 2 aspects of current society (topics generated
from your research papers) in regards to a dystopian view. You can compare the aspects/topics to texts
you have read (Anthem, The Hunger Games, Divergent, etc). You can also discuss the contradictions
that society presents and how it affects the average American. (Ex: be yourself, only if you look like
those presented in high fashion magazines).