Welcome to Honors Sophomore English
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR ALL STUDENTS (AND PARENTS) TO READ
Every student enrolled in Eng 3-4H will be
reading Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury over the
summer.
Every student enrolled in Eng 3-4H will ALSO
be reading one of the choice books noted below.
On the first day of school, every student
enrolled in Eng 3-4H will be taking a reading
comprehension and detail retention test on
Fahrenheit 451.
On the second day of school, every student
enrolled in Eng 3-4H will be taking a reading
EVERYBODY READS comprehension and detail retention test on
whichever book they selected to read in addition to
Fahrenheit 451.
To properly prepare themselves for the option
book tests on the second day of school, students
should find a partner who is also doing the same
choice reading assignment and review the book’s
characters, major plot points, interesting twists,
theme and motifs.
You are reading TWO books- Fahrenheit 451
& whichever option book(s) you select.
Fahrenheit 451
This is a science fiction novel set in the future, when all books are burned because books make people
think, and when people think, they become upset or discontent. The protagonist, Guy Montag, a fireman
who burns houses reported to have books in them, undergoes a transformation as a result of meeting a
teenage girl who thinks for herself. As you are reading the novel, remember that it is a satire against antiintellectualism and materialism. It is also what is called a “dystopian” novel. Look up these terms and be
prepared to discuss them in relation to both this novel and other short stories we may read/discuss in class.
You may choose to (a) purchase your own copy of this book, (b) borrow a copy of the book from Mrs.
Walsh in GB7, (c) borrow a copy of the book from Mrs. Edwards in LDSHP in the back of the cafeteria.
Please see attached study questions for each segment of reading. If you find you don’t know an
answer, go back and read that portion again. These study questions ARE NOT a graded assignment.
EVERYBODY CHOOSES ONE OF THESE... (SEE BACK OF PAGE FOR ANOTHER OPTION)
Robert McCammon, the
author of Boy’s Life, tells the
story of Cody, a twelve-yearold boy whose life changes
after he and his father come
across a man who was
brutally murdered. Cody
and his father set out to find
the people responsible for
this man’s murder. While
the boy learns many truths
about himself, his family,
and his community, he also
maintains a strong sense of
his belief in magic.
I Know Why the Caged Bird
Sings by Maya Angelou
is an autobiography of
Angelou’s life from ages 3
to 16 (1931 through 1945).
She details her life in
Stamps, Arkansas; St. Louis,
Missouri; Los Angeles; and
San Francisco, with a voice
similar to Scout’s in To Kill
a Mockingbird. Warning:
The book relates the
experience of a childhood
rape, which is unsettling.
The book is a true
account that reads more
like a novel.
Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo
Anaya, set in New Mexico
during World War II, is the
story of Antonio Marez’s
coming of age. When
Antonio (Tony) is six, the
healer, Ultima moves in
with the family. Those
like Tenorio consider this
woman and her magic evil,
but Ultima’s love helps Tony
face his confusion about
his God, his family, and his
future. Warning: There
is violence. There are
many Spanish phrases in
the book, but you don’t
have to speak Spanish to
understand the book.
Things Fall Apart by Chinua
Achebe is set in the late
1800’s in a Nigerian village.
Okonkwo is a tribal leader,
a prosperous farmer,
a champion wrestler,
husband to three wives, and
father to several children.
A series of events, the last
being the arrival of both
Christian missionaries and
the British givernment, lead
to problems. A tragic hero,
Okonkwo is eventually
brought down by his
own tragic flaw—fear of
appearing weak. Warning:
This book contains
violence.
A Lesson Before Dying
by Ernest Gaines takes
place in a small Louisiana
community in the late 1940s
and deals with issues of
racial injustice 75 years after
the Civil War. Grant Wiggins,
after finishing college, feels
trapped when he returns to
his small plantation town to
teach in the church school.
When Jefferson, a slowwitted Black man, is accused
of shooting a white storeowner and is condemned
to die, Grant’s godmother
convinces Grant to teach
Jefferson, her grandson, to
die like a man. Warning:
This book contains sexual
situations.
If you’d like to read Kingsolver’s books,
you must read them both, but they are
quite good. In any case, you’re reading
F451 & reading a second book (or
books) during the summer.
Bean Trees AND its sequel Pigs in Heaven by Barbara
Kingsolver relate the experiences of Taylor, who can’t
wait to graduate from high school and escape small
town Southern life. However, on her way to California,
a child, who changes her life in ways she never
expected, is abandoned in her VW Bug. You must read
both books before you take the test.
We highly recommend taking
notes for each book you read
over the summer. Some classes
will be required to do page-bypage notes for pieces we read
throughout the school year, so
getting used to this practice will
be helpful.
When you return to school,
you’ll have a test on F451 on
Day 1 and a test on your choice
book(s) on Day 2.
Warning: All tests have
many questions related to
identifying the characters,
so you may want to make a
character list (similar to the
one you’re getting in this
packet for F451)as you’re
reading each novel.
In addition to these tests,
you will also write a multiparagraph, literary analysis essay
to demonstrate your proficiency
with this form and reflect your
in-depth understanding of the
novel. You will also work with
partners who read the same
choice book to do a presentation.
To avoid any confusion over
what you will be reading this
summer, sign the last page of
this form indicating that you
understand your summer
reading assignment. Please
have your parents read this
packet and sign the form as
well. You will need to bring
this signed form to Mrs.
Edwards (Leadership), Mrs.
Walsh (GB7), or Mrs. Foster
(O1) by Friday, June 12 (the
last day of final exams).
One of the requirements of
sophomore honors English is to
read Accelerated Reader books
(including one nonfiction book
of 10+ points each semester)
and earn 40 total points each
semester.
You may begin reading other
Accelerated Reader books over
the summer if you wish, so you
won’t be overwhelmed trying to
balance additional AR reading
with the fall semester’s assigned
novels. Page-by-page notes will
also help you review your books
before you take the tests.
You may want to read AR
books (not from this list) during
the summer. If you do decide to
take advantage of this option,
be sure to jot down titles of AR
books you’d like to read (BEFORE
JUNE 12!), using Mrs. Foster’s or
Mrs. Stone’s list or the AR tags on
the backs of Reno High’s library
books, so we may approve these
title choices before you leave
for summer break. You may
also access the AR list online at
http://www.arbookfind.com/UserType.aspx.
We will not approve any
book that has been turned into a
MOVIE for sophomore honors AR
reading. Remember, AR books
should be books that are new to
you.
In addition, after you’ve
read the required summer
books, you may choose any
of the other books from this
summer reading list (or the
pair of books in one instance)
for as many as 20 AR points
each. Instead of taking the AR
computer tests, you’ll be taking
the summer reading tests in order
to earn up to 20 points (your test
score is converted into 20 points
based on the percentage you earn
on the test).
Several students completed
40+ AR points last summer and
were very relieved they had
finished when they watched
other students trying to attain
40 points while taking honors
classes and keeping up with the
workload in them.
VL1- F451
Name ______________________________ Pd____
Vocabulary words and definitions Honors Sophomore English
To practice your words, below each word & definition, write a sentence using the word and its definition (as in the example).
A quiz on these words will be given within the first two weeks of school.
abyss
(n) a very deep gap or hole; a chasm (adj) abysmal- hopelessly bad or severe, limitlessly negative
EX- My grades might be abysmal if I don’t study; therefore, I’d be in a hopelessly bad situation or a deep hole if I forgot to review my words.
ballistics
cacophony
centrifuge
cartographer
luminescent feign
digest
mausoleum insidious
odious
proclivities
valise
olfactory
proboscis
stratum
tactile
titillation
verbiage
oracle -
(n) the study of the flight of bullets or other hurled objects
(n) harsh, jarring noise; a variety of loud sounds occurring at once
(n) a machine that separates particles in liquid by whirling the liquid around a central axis
(adj) centrifugal- moving or directed outward from the center
(n) mapmaker (n) cartography- the technique of making maps
(adj) glowing; giving off light (n) luminance- the quality of radiating or reflecting light
(v) pretend, fake
(n) summary; abridgment; a condensed version of a book or literary work (“Readers’ Digest”)
(n) a large stately tomb (above-ground grave) or building that houses it
(adj) spreading harm slowly and secretly; subtly treacherous
(adv) insidiously- in a harmful and deceiving manner
(adj) hateful; horrible; loathsome
(n) inclinations; tendencies; appetites
(n) a small bag for travelling; suitcase; satchel
(adj) having to do with the sense of smell
(n) long nose; large snout
(n) a layer of material, often parallel to the others above and below it; layer; level
(adj) related to the sense of touch; tangible
(n) excitement; stimulation (often in a sensual way)
(n) excess words; wordiness; redundancy; nonsense
(n) prophecy or the prophet; forewarning; a divine communication or revelation
Suggested reading comprehension questions (not a graded assignment, just a comprehension check for yourself).
If you don’t know the answers, you will want to go back and re-read that segment of the book to make sure you remember it.
F451 Reading Content Questions 1-32
1. What was it that never went away, and why did it remain always?
2. Give at least three descriptors of the girl who waited for Montag in the dark.
3. What truth has Clarisse heard about firemen that Montag laughs at?
4. What question does Clarisse ask Montag before she runs into her house?
5. What object does Montag’s foot kick that lets the reader know something bad has happened?
6. How does Mildred respond when Montag tells her about what happened the night before?
7. Why is Montag upset when the dandelion doesn’t shine yellow on his chin the way it did for Clarisse?
8. Why does Montag believe the hound has been set to react to him?
9. What makes Clarisse afraid and how does that fear make her different?
10. In her time listening to people’s conversations, what has Clarisse discovered about what people say and do?
F451 Reading Content Questions 32-68
1. What physical traits did all firemen share?
2. What was the brief history of firemen in America according to the firemen’s rule book?
3. What does the woman say just before Beatty slaps her and says, “Enough of that!”?
4. How does Montag’s hand betray what he knows to be right in his society?
5. When and where did Montag and Mildred meet?
6. What has happened to Clarisse that Mildred reports four days after it happened?
7. What makes Montag vomit on the rug?
8. Why is Montag so upset at the fact that he has burned a person as well as books?
9. Why isn’t Beatty surprised when Montag stays home from work that day?
10. What was the progression of events that led to books being declared illegal to own?
11. What was the driving force behind the decision to make life easier and try to make everyone in society happy? (hint: Constitution)
12. Explain the analogy of “You can’t build a house without nails and wood.”
13. Why did porches disappear from house fronts?
14. Why does Montag decide to start reading the books with Mildred even though she doesn’t want to read them?
F451 Reading Content Questions 71-110
1. When Montag has the books out, what though horrifies Millie?
2. Who was Faber and how did Montag meet him?
3. What does Montag ask Millie when she begins blabbering about her TV family and shows?
4. When the Denham’s Dentifrice ad comes over the loudspeakers, how does the crowd of people on the subway react?
5. How has society changed religion to fit into TV?
6. What’s the difference between good and bad writers?
7. According to Faber, what are the benefits of books over TV?
8. Why are the firemen more of a show than a necessity?
9. What does the green bullet do, and do we have anything like it?
10. How does Mrs. Phelps feel about having children?
11. How does Mrs. Bowles react when Montag reads the poem?
12. What happens when Montag brings the book into the firehouse?
13. What does Beatty admit to doing that scared Montag silly?
14. What group does Beatty belong to that is the enemy of freedom and truth?
15. Where does the fire engine (salamander) stop next, and why is that important to keep the book’s plot moving at a rapid pace?
Reading Content Questions 113-145
1. Beatty tells Montag that he’s flown too close to the sun and he’s burnt his wings. What does he mean, and what will Montag have to do?
2. Whose house does Montag turn toward when he realizes that he’s been caught and what does Beatty say about those neighbors?
3. Who actually turned in the alarm? Why is that so horrible for Montag?
4. What is man’s reason for loving fire so much and how will Beatty use fire to rid himself of his burden?
5. When Montag thinks about running, what is the reason he decides not to run, and what will Beatty do when he’s finished burning?
6. How did Beatty really find out about Montag’s book collection?
7. How did Beatty figure out that Montag had the green bullet in his ear and what did Beatty do?
8. After Beatty taunts Montag with a quote from The Tragedy of Julius Caesar about how Cassius’s threats have no real effect on Brutus, what
does Montag do (almost without even thinking about it)?
9. What was the Mechanical Hound able to do before the flame thrower burst it into flame?
10. Why does Montag go back to his garden after he had run away?
11. What does Montag hear when he puts in his Seashell radio?
12. What are the police helicopters able to do that our modern day helicopters cannot do yet?
13. Who tries to run Montag down on the street and why do they try it?
14. Why does Montag hide books in Mrs. Black’s kitchen?
15. Where does Faber suggest that Montag go to save himself?
16. What have the police brought in to track down Montag?
17. What does Montag take with him when he leaves Faber’s house and why those two things?
18. What clever thing do the police ask the people in their houses watching the news to do?
19. What animal does Montag mistake for The Hound? Why is that ironic?
20. What does Montag believe as certainly as he can while he walks along the tracks?
Reading Content Questions 145-180
1. How was the fire he now saw different from the fires Montag was used to seeing?
2. Who is Granger, and what does he offer to Montag that will keep him safe?
3. What does Montag watch on Granger’s TV set that makes him scream?
4. Why is that such a strange thing to be watching? What have the police done?
5. List the five men (and their descriptions) who Montag meets around the fire.
6. What is so special about these men? What can they do that will likely save humanity from its own behavior?
7. What did Montag expect these men to look like, and why is the saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover” so appropriate?
8. Why is Montag so sad when he thinks of Millie and her hands?
9. How did the war begin and end in the same instant?
10. How does Montag imagine Millie’s last seconds in the city?
11. Where did Montag and Millie meet? Why is that memory important to Montag?
12. Why are the men covered in dust?
13. What is the Phoenix, and why is that an important reference in this part of the book?
14. Why does Granger say the first thing they need to do is build a mirror factory and have everyone spend about a year staring into them?
15. When Montag comes up with a Bible verse to share later, what does it have to do with what has just happened?
16. How much did it cost Bradbury to write Fahrenheit 451? What was his working title?
17. When Bradbury wrote a stage play for his characters a few decades after he wrote F451, we find out something special about Beatty that
explains a lot about why he was able to throw so much literature back at Montag. What is that reason?
18. Why did Beatty become so disillusioned with books and reading? What was he searching for that he never found?
19. Did Bradbury choose the names Faber and Montag on purpose? What are they (besides the characters’ names)?
20. What was ironic about what the editors at Ballantine books had chosen to do to F451?
21. Give at least two specific examples of censorship that people suggested for Bradbury’s books.
22. Write down one thing you learned about Bradbury in the “About the Author” page that surprised or interested you.
Character List (take notes on each character as you read)
o
Guy Montag (Montag)
looks like…
actions speak louder than words…
says things like…
part he plays in the story…
o
Clarisse McClellan
looks like…
actions speak louder than words…
says things like…
part she plays in the story…
o
o
o
o
o
Mildred Montag (Millie)
looks like…
actions speak louder than words…
says things like…
part she plays in the story…
Professor Faber
looks like…
actions speak louder than words…
says things like…
part he plays in the story…
Captain Beatty
looks like…
actions speak louder than words…
says things like…
part he plays in the story…
the woman who won’t leave her house
looks like…
actions speak louder than words…
part she plays in the story…
Mechanical Hound
looks like…
actions speak louder than words…
part it plays in the story…
RETURN by June 12 (the last day of final exams)
Sophomore Honors English Summer Reading Acknowledgement
I have read the attached and understand my summer reading assignment.
The assignment requires each student to read 2 books: Fahrenheit 451 AND any of the
books also on the list (or the set of two books by Kingsolver). These will be tested on the
first and second days of school, and students will have two test grades entered into the
gradebook immediately.
As an option, I also understand that the student may choose to read a third (and fourth)
book from the list and take the honors program tests (not AR tests) to earn up to 20 additional points (each) to be placed in the AR points grade for the first semester.
______________________________________ _____________________________________
Please print student’s name
Student’s Signature
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I have read the above and understand that my son/daughter will be reading books on the
summer reading list. He/She may also be reading books from the Accelerated Reader list.
______________________________________ _____________________________________
Please print parent’s name
Parent’s Signature