Unit Test, Part 2: Challenges and Turning Points

Graded Assignment
Unit Test, Part 2: Challenges and Turning Points
Answer the questions in complete sentences.
(7 points)
1. Both Paul in “The Rocking-Horse Winner” and Jerry in “Through the Tunnel” set a challenge for themselves. What is the challenge for each, and what motivates each toward his goals? How are the challenges similar and different?
Answer:
They both wanted something from their mothers. Jerry wanted attention from his mother and Paul wanted his mother to think that he was lucky. Paul's challenge was to prove to his mother that he was lucky by winning every bet he placed on the horse races. Jerry's challenge was to gain attention from his mother by making it to the tunnel underwater.

(7 points)
2. Racism is important to the setting and context of both “The Train from Rhodesia” and “Poison.” What do the stories reveal about the power of racism on both sides of the racial divide?
Answer:
In “The Train from Rhodesia”, we see that the rich white man took advantage of the poor black man by cheating him out of his money. This shows that some white people may feel superior to the black people. In “poison” it demonstrates that because Harry was white, he didn't feel that he should be questioned by a black doctor.

(6 points)
3. In several of the stories in the unit, the turning point results from an intense building of suspense. Choose one of the stories and describe how the author builds intensity and suspense.
Answer:
I think “poison” was the best at building suspense. The entire time that they're working on a solution for the snake problem Harry moves and talks which makes us believe that he was going to get bitten. Then when he gets injected with the serum, we believe that he's going to be okay but then the doctor in the story tells Timber that it's not a good serum. Finally, after all the chaos the time comes for them to turn back the sheets to see the snake and nothing is there! Too much suspense for nothing!