Topic: Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Theme and Genre

how Jim swings in paragraph 8

the woods on the far side of the pasture in paragraph 8

Uncle Zeno on the pitcher's mound in paragraph 6

how the uncles chant in paragraphs 10 and 11J

Ashima was too upset to read the letter when it finally arrived

the letter had expressed the last wish of Ashima's grandmother

Ashima's grandmother had hoped that the letter would unite the two cultures

the letter failed to reach Ashima because it was lost in the mail

the contrast between Chinese and foreign supermarkets

the advertising techniques used in foreign magazines

their mythic appeal

their universal symbolism

Family bonds are priceless.

Appearances can be deceiving.

Working hard is the best way to accomplish a goal.

Responsibility is often difficult to accept.

love of wildlife in its natural habitat

belief in realities beyond the reach of experience or proof

fear of facing mortality

desire to escape the confines and complexities of modern urban life

It offers specific pieces of advice for the reader to use.

It reminds readers that different kinds of people respond differently to criticism.

It emphasizes the importance of defending yourself when you have been criticized.

It employs the viewpoint of a sympathetic first-person narrator.

She had recycled his culture, refined it with her own and then given it to him.

Maybe what her friend had told her about foreigners eating pizza for breakfast, lunch and dinner was true after all.

He was doing something kind for her, and all she could think of were the rumors about him.

Foreigners like to hear their English and he wasn't going to get the sound of it from anywhere but his own mouth.

the faithfulness of an animal companion

the perceptiveness of wild animals

the impulse to connect with nature

the desire to control nature

gaining personal freedom

cherishing particular memories

showing respect for the older generation

protecting the natural environment

I desired their instruction-as if, by watching them, I might learn to belong somewhere as they so thoroughly belonged here.

Science had complicated her vision without lessening her delight in other creatures.

I am a poor sort of shaman. My shape never changes, except, year by year, to wrinkle and sag.

We had been canoeing in the Boundary Waters Wilderness for several days, long enough for the men's faces to stubble with beards, for the women's faces to burnish from wind and sun.

Drawn by our whispers and watchfulness, the others from our camp soon joined us on the granite bluff, some bearing mugs of coffee, some with plates of steaming blueberry pancakes.

"I'd love to sit on that boulder and let them do the swimming," I answered.

I was pleased to find a label for this animate scrap, as though by pinning the right word on the shape-shifter I could hold it still.

I wanted them to go about their lives in my presence as though I were kin to them, no matter how much I might differ from them outwardly.

the importance of self-care

the opportunity for renewal

the rewards of honest work

the inaccuracies found in images

As a child, I lived some distance back in the woods.

I didn't know what it was to be lonely.

Mama was a delightful person.

Life was simple for us, but it was good.

reverence for the natural world

survival in extreme conditions

courage in the face of danger

standing up for a principle

It details the advantages of books to support his belief about their value.

It offers a solution to the problem of books becoming outdated.

It explores whether the best source of knowledge is the Internet or libraries.

It presents his argument for replacing libraries with modern technology.