A Summer's Reading—Test Preparation—
1. LITERARY TERMS: protagonist, antagonist, symbolic of
These terms are explained on p. 46 of the LIT book , and in the appendix pages 91-93
2. HOTS : Use one of the HOTS skills when you answer the HOTS questions on the test
and make sure that the teacher understand exactly which HOTS you used from your answer.
In other words, when comparing use words like similar to, the same way as, or in contrast
to, unlike, compared to, etc. Below you will find the HOTS skills and sample questions
a. PREDICTION page 47
Do you think George will actually succeed in reading the 100 books at the end of the
story?? Explain the reasons for your prediction.
Based on what you know about George, do you think he will succeed in achieving his goals
in life??
b.EXPLAINING CAUSE AND EFFECT p.47-48
Explain the following line from the story. What happened to make George feel this way?
Use the HOTS skill of Cause and Effect.
"George knew he looked passable on the outside, but inside , he was crumbling apart." (P.
48 #3)
c. UNCOVERING MOTIVES p.48 F
1-Why did George drop out of school?
2-When he finally came out after locking himself in his room, George discovered that the
neighbors were still friendly . He understood that Mr Cattanzara had started a new rumor:
that George had finished reading all of the books. What possible motive could Mr.
Cattanzara have had for starting such a rumor?
Possible answer: Mr. Cattanzara cares about George and wants him to succeed in life
("Don't do what I did, George".) He knows that if George feels that people respect him, the
chances are good that he will read the books, and want to fulfill the positive expectations
the neighbors have of him. Mr Cattanzara understands that George needs respect, support
and encouragement in order to succeed, especially after seeing how George's mood had
improved when he was " living the lie" about reading the books.
d. COMPARE AND CONTRAST p.48 G (1)
1-Compare and Contrast George and Mr. Cattanzara. How are they similar?? How are they
different??
3. BRIDGING TEXT AND CONTEXT
Malamud is known for telling stories that have a moral lesson.
Make a connection between the statement above and the story "A Summer's Reading",
giving examples from the story.
Write 80-100 words.
How to answer??
1-EXPLAIN THE QUOTE 2- CHOOSE: THEME, SETTING OR AUTHOR'S
BACKGROUND AND REFER TO YOUR CHOICE BY NAMING IT 3- EXAMPLES FROM
THE STORY
Possible answer:
The quote refers to the author trying to " teach" something in his stories. There are several
themes in the story that show the moral lessons Malamud is trying to teach. One theme is :
Don't waste your life and potential. (or-- If you want something, then dreaming or lying
won't get you there, you have to work hard to achieve it)
The moral lesson here is shown through Mr. Cattanzara. He represents the adult who didn't
make anything of himself despite his intelligence. He reads The New York Times every day
yet he works as a change maker in the subway. He also has a drinking problem which
shows that he is unhappy and frustrated with his life. Mr. Cattanzara tries to show George
that he still has a chance to avoid the mistakes he himself has made and can change his life,
but he can't do that by lying, being lazy or living in his imagination.
Here are some more points you could use and develop:
Possible points to be developed into answers
– The respect of others is worth nothing if you don't respect yourself.
– It isn't enough to be literate and intelligent. You have to do something with it.
– You need education to improve your situation in life.