Read the legend titled "the bird chief."

1. all the birds were called together. to them was said, “whichever one of you can fly farthest into the sky shall be chief.”

all the birds flew to a great height. but wren got under the thick feathers of eagle and sat there as eagle flew. when all the birds became wing-tired, they flew down again; but eagle flew still higher. when eagle had gone as far as he could, wren flew still higher.

when all the birds reached the ground, eagle alone returned, after a great while. behold! wren only was absent. so they awaited him. at last he returned. eagle had too highly been thinking of himself, being sure of being made chief; and behold! wren was made chief.

the purpose of this legend is most likely to teach a lesson related to

a. the intelligence of different birds.
b. the dangers of being too proud.
c. the importance of doing your best.
d. the thrill of getting ahead in life.

read the excerpt from blanca flor.

2.the narrator. juanito took the thimble and started to carry the water from the lake. he worked as hard as he could, but soon he began to realize that the job really was an impossible one, and he knew he was doomed. he sat down and began to cry because his luck had abandoned him and because his parents' blessings offered no protection in that evil place. blanca flor watched juanito's valiant effort to move the water. as she watched him crying, her heart was touched, and she decided to use her powers to him. she knew that it was very dangerous to use her powers to juanito and to cross don ricardo, but she felt it was finally time to end her own torment. as juanito cried, blanca flor took out her brush and began to brush his hair. she cradled juanito in her arms and her soothing comfort soon put him to sleep . .

[as soon as juanito is asleep, blanca flor gently puts his head down and leaves, taking the thimble with her.]

what do the stage directions at the end of the excerpt indicate?

a. they indicate that blanca flor is going to juanito.
b. they indicate that juanito is doomed.
c. they indicate that blanca flor is running away.
d. they indicate that don ricardo will be back any minute. read this excerpt from holes.

3. because of the baseball schedule, stanley’s trial was delayed several months. his parents couldn’t afford a lawyer. “you don’t need a lawyer,” his mother had said. “just tell the truth.”

stanley told the truth, but perhaps it would have been better if he had lied a little. he could have said he found the shoes in the street. no one believed they fell from the sky.

based on this flashback, how does stanley feel about what happened in the past?

a. he thinks that the shoes were a gift from god.
b. he thinks that destiny brought the shoes to him.
c. he thinks that the truth was too unbelievable.
d. he thinks that he should have had a lawyer.

4. langston hughes's poem "madam and the rent man" reflects its historical setting because

a. madam's apartment is in a serious state of disrepair and the landlord will not fix it.
b. madam is at the mercy of a rent man who does not care and takes advantage of her.
c. madam's words show her frustration about being treated unfairly and her determination to fight for what is right.
d. madam does not feel that she has the power to stand up for herself when confronted by the rent man.