NAME
CLASS
for CHAPTER 1
DATE
SCORE
page 28
TEST
Writing Workshop: Reflective Essay
DIRECTIONS Karin has written this personal reflection. As part of a peer writing conference, you are asked
to read the reflection and think about what suggestions you would make. Read the passage (which may contain some errors) and answer the questions that follow. Be sure to fill in the bubble next to the answer you
choose. Mark like this
not like this
. You may look back at the passage as you answer the questions.
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.
Found and Lost
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I was surprised when Mr. Wilson tried to talk me out of taking the job. “There’s not
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much challenge to this,” he said of the work in his small factory that assembled elec-
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tronic components. “We depend on each other, though.” “You might want to consider
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something else.” I said I did not, wondering whether he thought a girl could not do the
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job, even though half his workers were women. Maybe he thought I was too young. He
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looked at me for a long time, smiled, and said, “Okay. You may have the position. See
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you seven-thirty Monday morning.”
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The job was both hard and easy. The easy part was putting all the little pieces together.
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The little round gadget fit right on top of the whatchamacallit. It was no problem. The
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hard part was getting there every day. I wanted to be sick. I had little in common with
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other workers, who had families and even grandkids. I was bored. Once I overslept and
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showed up after ten o’clock. Mr. Wilson himself filled in for me and said nothing. He
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just looked at me with that smile.
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As the summer passed, I learned to work a boring task. The money was fantastic, and I
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opened my first savings account at a bank. I even began to think about not going to col-
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lege. “Things are looking good for me.” I thought.
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That is why I was so angry when Mr. Wilson let me go. After all, I had become a good
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employee. I challenged his decision. “You’re right,” he said, “About being good; you real-
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ly are. I have to downsize someone, though, and you’re last hired, so it’s you. And, I’m
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not sorry,” he said. Once again, he smiled the same patient smile. “This is not all you can
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do,” he added. “You’re going to want more out of life than a paycheck. Go to college. Or
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find a job that makes you use your head. Then come tell me about what you learn.”
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As I prepared my résumé in order to find a more challenging job, I continued to think
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about what Mr. Wilson had said. That is what I learned during one summer of hard work.
CHAPTER 1 | Remembering People | Writing Workshop
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