Read the excerpt from Heart of a Samurai.
Manjiro tried to put his heart in order. He said a sutra – a prayer – for his ancestors, his family, his friends, and for himself. Then he waited for his heart to go back where it belonged instead of jumping all over inside his chest.
Based on this description, which word
describes Manjiro?
determined
disorganized
bored
uncaring
Read the excerpt from Heart of a Samurai.
How does Manjiro overcome his anxiety in the excerpt?
He looks for someone to talk to.
He grieves for the family he left behind.
He thinks about what he is afraid of.
He gives himself time to feel peaceful inside.
Read the excerpt from Heart of a Samurai and then answer the question.
All Manjiro could think of were all the questions he wanted to ask. But he could not speak their strange tongue, and even if he could, he would probably be punished. Silence and obedience were the safest route to staying alive.
That night, lying in his bunk, Manjiro couldn’t help trying the new words. “Buttons,†he whispered. “Pockets. Shoes. Bread.†Bread was hard to say. He tried again and again. “Captain,†he said. “Whitfield.â€Â
“What are you doing?†Goemon said.
“Maybe if I learn some words, I can ask questions.â€Â
Goemon groaned. “More questions!â€Â
“If we don’t learn their language, how will we know what they intend to do to us?â€Â
“Every time you ask questions, we get into trouble.â€Â
“You are right,†Manjiro said, “but don’t you wonder so many things? Why are there so many barbarians on such a big ship? Why are there so many small boats? What are those big cooking pots for?â€Â
“One of those pots is big enough to fit both of us!†Goemon said.
Manjiro shivered.
What do the details in this excerpt help readers to infer about Manjiro?
He is rebellious toward authority.
He likes to learn new things.
He does not like to learn new things.
He is not afraid of the barbarians.
[Manjiro] was brought back to the present moment when a bowl of steaming rice was set before him. A real bowl. Of real rice. It had not been a dream. The wonderful, unexpected smell of rice cooking had fanned the embers of memory.
Based on details in the excerpt, what can readers infer?
Manjiro is comforted by the bowl of rice.
Manjiro is not used to eating rice from a bowl.
Manjiro is smelling rice for the first time.
Manjiro is not going to eat the steaming rice.
read the excerpt from Heart of a Samurai.
The strangers leaped out of their boats and pulled them up on the small beach. By signs, they made it clear the castaways should climb aboard.
The fishermen exchanged frightened glances and whispered to one another, “What about Denzo and Jusuke?â€Â
Gesturing, Manjiro communicated to the strangers about the two men in the cave. Denzo and Jusuke were retrieved, both of them so weak they had to be carried to the boats. Everyone found a place and the sailors shoved off. The two boats rowed away from the island toward an unknown future.
Which detail helps readers infer that the strangers and the fishermen speak different languages?
The fishermen communicate with each other by whispering.
Men from both groups communicate with hand signs.
The fishermen are unable to follow the strangers’ directions.
The two groups of men leave the island in different boats
Each of them was also given a metal stick, with four prongs on one end.
“Fork,†the sailor said – and showed them they should use it to eat the rice.
The fishermen recited their prayer before eating. “Itadakimasu – I will humbly receive.â€Â
Then Goemon said, “It might be poison.â€Â
What can readers infer based on details in the excerpt?
Goemon likes new experiences.
Goemon is not afraid of his rescuers.
Goemon does not trust his rescuers.
Goemon has used a fork before.
Which description from Heart of a Samurai
gives readers a sense of Manjiro’s feelings?
“Buttons,” Manjiro repeated to himself. He had never seen buttons before. None of them had. They were accustomed to tying their clothes together with belts, sashes, or ties.
Twelve shoes, Manjiro counted, as he sat on the bottom of the boat. Stiff-looking things, brown as the skin of hairless dogs. Shiny and smooth, as if made of animal hide.
[Manjiro’s] hands wanted to explore those spaces just like, when he’d lost teeth as a boy, his tongue wanted to explore the empty holes where his teeth had been.
“Captain Whitfield,” a soldier called him, and Manjiro tucked away those words before he and the others were whisked off again.
As the boats rounded the tip of the island, the fishermen gasped. An enormous bird with many huge, white wings sat upon the water. But, no, it was a ship, bristling with masts, slung with dozens of sails, and alive with movement. Many strange foreigners scurried about on deck or crawled up the ropes that were strung all over the vessel like spiderwebs.
What does the phrase “the fishermen gasped†help readers infer?
The fishermen have never seen a large sailing ship before.
The fishermen are surprised to see Japanese sailors.
The fishermen cannot believe that they have been rescued.
The fishermen recognize the sailing ship as one from home.
The fishermen exchanged frightened glances and whispered to one another,
“What about Denzo and Jusuke?â€Â
The sun flickered on the restless waves just as it always did. The wind blew just as steadily as it always had. Yet everything had changed. They had been rescued from the island, only to be taken captive by barbarians.
Manjiro stared at the strangers when he thought they weren’t looking. Sometimes he caught them staring at him when they thought he wasn’t looking.
What do the details in this excerpt help readers to infer about the barbarians?
They are just as mean and monstrous as the fishermen expect them to be.
They are suspicious creatures who seem to be from a place other than Earth.
They have a plan to humiliate the fishermen and are waiting for the right time.
They are just as curious about the fishermen as the fishermen are about them.
Eleven eyes. When at last he dared to look up, what he noticed was their eyes. Each pair a different color: green as a stormy sea, blue as the sky, black as night, or brown as his own. One man had only one eye, and that one as gray as a cloudy day. The other eye was covered with a patch.
There did not seem to be any tails, horns, or fangs among them. There were some alarmingly hairy faces and plenty of big noses, though!
Six big noses, in fact: one long and hooked, two long and straight, one squashed and wide, one turned up at the end, and another as big and red as a radish.
Based on this excerpt, what can readers infer about the stories the fishermen were told about the barbarians?
The stories are completely true.
The stories lack detail.
The stories are completely false.
The stories are exaggerations.
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