MLS Preparatory Two

Text analysis: Conflicts and subplots

Reading Skills: sequence

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 MLS Preparatory Two
Essential Question: When does trash become treasure?

Vocabulary

Word\part Definition Word in context

of speech
vileness the fact of being extremely The vileness of his
(noun) unpleasant or bad. language surprised
us.
dingy lacking light or brightness; dirty; Shops were small
(adjective) discolored,dark and unattractive es and dingy.
p. because of being dirty or
not cared for.
turmoil a state of confusion, uncertainty, The country is in
(noun) or disorder. a state of political tur
moil.

Exercises:

Directions (1) Complete with a word from the box in its correct
form.:

vileness –turmoil -dingy

(1) His statement threw the court into ____________and confusion.

(2) Words cannot describe the ________________ of the decor. It is horrible.

(3) I find that they are very _______________ and dirty.

Directions (2) Choose the correct word:

1. The quality of being very unpleasant, and

usually immoral and unacceptable
a)vileness b)dingy c)turmoil d)collapse

2. Dark and unattractive especially because of being dirty or

not cared for.

a)vileness b)dingy c)turmoil d)relax

3. Her mind was in.___________ after her long discussion with her friend.

a)vileness b)dingy c)turmoil d)freak

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MLS Preparatory Two
4. This flat looks so ____________ and dirty - let’s decorate it"

a)enemy b)vileness c)dingy d)prodigy

5. She felt horrified at her own ___________.She couldn’t accept that.

a)freak b)dingy c)vileness d)meets

Directions (3) Replace the underlined word with a suitable

option:

1. His life has been in constant turmoils.

a) turmoil b)dingy c)no change d) tumor

2. The vile of the disease was a threat to public health. It spreads

quickly.

a) vileness b)vilely c)no change d)vily

3. His prison is in a dingier room.

a)dingiest b) dingily c)no change d)dingy

Text analysis:

Conflicts and subplots

Directions (1): Read the description of the story. Determine the

protagonist (central character) and antagonist (opposing
force). Then describe the type of conflict (example: person vs.
nature).

1. After breaking his mother's favorite vase, Casey struggles to decide

whether he should tell his mother the truth or attempt to hide his
mistake and blame the family dog.

Protagonist: ______________________________

Antagonist: ______________________________

Type of Conflict :______________________________

2. Kiko is a ninja warrior trained by Mountain Master Yoho Mahrati. When

Master Mahrati is slain by Shan Bhutan of the Lotus Clan in the most
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MLS Preparatory Two
cowardly of fashions, Kiko lays it all on the line to avenge the death of his
master. Will Kiko overcome Shan Bhutan and the powerful Lotus Clan?

Protagonist: ______________________________

Antagonist: ______________________________

Type of Conflict: ___________________________

Exercises (2)

Internal/External Conflict Practice

Directions 1: Define the conflict in the following excerpts

Internal Conflict (Man. vs. Self)

External Conflict (Man. vs. Man, Man vs. Nature, Man vs.
Society)

1. Mom decided to make lasagna instead of meatloaf for dinner. Once

she got halfway through making the lasagna, she started questioning
her decision. Although her family likes lasagna, they had just had
spaghetti over the weekend. Would they even like the meal that she had
put a lot of effort into? By the time her kids got home from school, she
was quite disappointed in her dinner plan.
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________

__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________

2. Matt believed that his friends were mean when they picked on a new
student on her first day of school. Instead of joining in, he chose to
walk away. However, later in the day he thought back to this situation.
Matt wondered if he made the best decision after all. Although he didn’t
participate, he didn’t help the new girl out either by defending her. Matt
was unsure if he handled the situation correctly.

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MLS Preparatory Two
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________

3. At a party, you spent a lot of time talking to a friend from your math
class just chatting. Now another classmate has spread rumors around
school about the two of you. You are mad at this other person for getting
involved in your personal life. When you tell this person how you feel,
she starts yelling at you.

__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________

4. For the past month, you have been bullied on the school bus by older
students. They typically call you names and hit your books out of your
hands. Finally one day, you get fed up and scream, “Don’t ever touch me
again!”

__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

Exercise (3)

The Power of the subplot

A subplot is otherwise known as a minor story or a secondary plot which

often runs parallel to the main plot. It can be about your main
character(s) or about another character whose narrative interacts or
impacts their narrative.

Directions (1) Read the five-stage plot summary. Answer the

questions that follow:
Exposition-Lia must make plans for spring break. She and her parents
disagree. Lia wants to visit New York City with friends. Lia's parents want
a local art program, citing cost and her love of art.
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MLS Preparatory Two
Rising Action- Airlin's announce a sale, and fares to New York drop to
$99. Lia’s friends call and suggest a shopping spree in New York City. A
trip seems exciting especially with city hotel rates. The arts program at
home, however, costs this year on medieval tapestry, which doesn't
interest Lia. Art study, though interesting to Lia than shopping.
Climax After some arguing and much discussion with her parent long-
estranged uncle in New York to see if he would let her City Lia and her
family decide she should go on an art mission to New york City and stay
at her uncle's.
Falling Action-In New York Lia enjoys art galleries and visits museums.
After dinner the city, Lia's uncle tells her how much he has enjoyed
getting to spend time with her.
Resolution At home, Lia and her parents discuss the value of
negotiation, compromise, and family. Lia thanks her parents for the
wonderful trip and also sends a thank-you note for her uncle. Her uncle
writes back, saying he'd love to renew his ties with her family and
suggests a yearly visit to New York.
Answer the following questions:

1. Based on the information in the passage, what is the main conflict?

__________________________________________________________

2. Based on the information in the passage, identify the subplot.

___________________________________________________________
3. How does the subplot enrich the main plot?

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Directions (2):Read the selections and answer the questions that
follow:

A Year Down Yonder

By Richard Peck
1 As the train pulled out behind me, there came Grandma up the
platform steps. My goodness, she was a big woman. I’d
forgotten .And taller still with her spidery old umbrella held up to
keep off the sun of high noon. A fan of white hair escaped the big

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MLS Preparatory Two
bun on the back of her head. She drew nearer till she blotted out the
day.
2 You couldn’t call her a welcoming woman, and there wasn’t a hug in
her.
She didn't put out her arms, so I had nothing to run into.
3 Nobody had told Grandma that skirts were shorter this year. Her
skirt tails
brushed her shoes. I recognized the dress. It was the one she put on in
hot weather to walk uptown in .Though I was two years older, two
years taller than
last time, she wasn’t one for personal comments. The picnic hamper
quivered, and she noticed “What’s in there?”
4 “Bootsie ,” I said “My cat”
5 “Hoo-boy, Grandma said, another mouth to feed." Her lips pleated.
”And what’s that thing?” She nodded to my other hand.
6 “My radio" But it was more than a radio to me. It was my last touch
with the world.
7 “That's all we need.” Grandma looked skyward,” More noise.”

8 She aimed one of her chins down the platform. "That yours?” She
meant the trunk. It was the food locker. Dad had brought home from
the Great War.
9 "Leave it," she said. "They'll bring it to the house “She turned out
and trudged away, and I was supposed to follow. I walked away
from my trunk, wondering if I’d ever see it again. It wouldn't have
lasted long on the platform in Chicago, hot tongs wouldn't have
separated me from Bootsie and my radio.
10 The recession of thirty-seven had hit Grandma’s own harder than it
had hit Chicago. Grass grew in the main street. Only a face or two
showed in the window of The Coffee Pot Café. Moore's Store was
hunting for trade. Weidenbach's bank looked to be just barely in
business.
11 On the other side of the weedy road, Grandma turned the wrong
way, away from her house. Two old slab-sided dogs slept on the
sidewalk. Bootsie knew because she was having a conniption in the
hamper. And my radio was getting heavier .I caught up with
Grandma.
12 "Where are we going?”
13 "Going she said, the picture of surprise. "Why, to school. You ‘ve
already missed pretty nearly two weeks."

Directions (3) :Use "A Year Down Yonder" to choose a , b,c, d.

1. You can tell that this story is told from the first person point of view
because the narrator
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MLS Preparatory Two
a) is a minor character in the story who reveals some
information
b) is an outside observer rather than a character in the story
c) reveals the grandmother's and the girl's thoughts
d) uses the pronouns I and me to refer to himself

2. The author brings Grandma's character to life mainly by revealing

a) the townspeople's opinions of Grandma
b) Grandma's own thoughts about her granddaughter
c)the granddaughter's reactions to Grandma
d) a detailed description of Grandma's life

3. The narrator makes you aware that Grandma is not a sentimental

person when she says
a) My goodness, she was a big woman.
b) She drew nearer till she blotted out the day.
c) You couldn't call her a welcoming woman, and there wasn’t a
hug in her.
d) She aimed one of her chins down the platform

4. Grandma can be described as-

a) easygoing
b) generous
c) no-nonsense
d) self- important

5. Which character trait do the narrator and her grandmother seem to

share?
a) Determination
b) Idealism
c) Lightheartedness
d) Talkativeness

6. The narrator brings her radio with her because she:

a) is afraid that her radio will be taken
b) thinks that people in Grandma’s town don't have radios
c) does not want to make friends in Grandma’s town
d) thinks she will be in an isolated place

Luke Baldwin's Vow

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MLS Preparatory Two
By Morley Callaghan
Directions (1): Read the text and answer the questions that
follow.
1 That summer when twelve-year-old Luke Baldwin came to live with his
uncle Henry in the house on the stream by the sawmill, he did not
forget that he had promised his dying father he would try to learn
things from his uncle; so he used to watch him very carefully.
2 Uncle Henry, who was the manager of the sawmill, was a big, burly
man weighing more than two hundred and thirty pounds, and he had a
rough- skinned, and brick-colored face. He looked like a powerful man,
but his health was good.
He had aches and pains in his back and shoulders which puzzled the
doctor. The first thing Luke learned about Uncle Henry was that
everybody had great respect for him. The four men he employed in the
sawmill were always polite and attentive when he spoke to them. His
wife, Luke's Aunt Helen, a kindly, plump, straightforward woman, never
argued with him. “You should try and be like your Uncle Henry," she
would say to Luke. "He's so wonderfully practical. He takes care of
everything in a sensible, easy way.
3 " Luke used to trail around the sawmill after Uncle Henry, not only
because he liked the fresh, clean smell of the newly cut wood and the
big piles of sawdust, but because he was impressed by his uncle's
precise, firm tone when he spoke to the men.
4 Sometimes Uncle Henry would stop and explain to Luke something
about a piece of timber. "Always try and learn the essential facts, son,”
he would say. “If you ‘ve got the facts, you know what's useful and
what isn't useful, and no can fool you."
5 He showed Luke that nothing of value was ever wasted around the mill.
Luke used to listen, and wonder if there was another man in the world
who knew so well what was needed and what ought to be thrown
away. Uncle Henry had known at once that Luke needed a bicycle to
ride to his school, which was two miles away in town, and he bought
him a good one. He knew Luke needed good, serviceable clothes. He
also knew exactly how much Helen needed to run the house, the price
of everything, and how much woman should be paid for doing the
family washing. In the evenings Luke used to sit in the living room
watching his uncle making notations in a black book which he always
carried in his vest pocket, and he knew that he was assessing the
value of the smallest transaction that had taken place during the day.
Directions (2) : Choose a,b,c ,d .
7. You can tell this excerpt is told from a third - person limited point of
view
because the narrator
a) is a main character in the story
b) tells about the thoughts and feelings of all of the characters
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MLS Preparatory Two
c) is outside the story and tells what one character sees, thinks,
and feels
d) describes his or her own thoughts

8. The story's point of view helps you understand

a) the importance of sawmills
b) what Aunt Helen thinks about her husband
c) that nothing of value should be
d) what Luke learns from his uncle

9. Uncle Henry’s words and actions in paragraph 4 show him to be a

a) patient teacher
b) strict boss
c)fun-loving relative
d) dishonest businessman

Use both selections to answer question 10.

10. The granddaughter and Luke can both be described as-
a) cheerful
b)confused
c) observant
d) spoiled

SHORT RESPONSE
Directions: (3) Write two or three sentences to answer each
question.
11. Reread paragraph 3 in the excerpt from A Year Down Yonder.
What can you infer about the grandmother from this description?
__________________________________________________________________________

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__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

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12. Read paragraph 3 in the excerpt from "Luke Baldwin's Vow." What
motivates Luke to follow Uncle Henry around the sawmill?

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MLS Preparatory Two

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