''Blizzard in Birmingham''
The Turner kids were not accustomed to snow. The most they ever got in their southern city of Birmingham was an inch or so per year. Even that was quite infrequent—it never snowed more than once or twice each winter. And on the few occasions that it did snow, it was always too warm for the snow to accumulate. The temperature almost never got below freezing.
What was funny was that even the slightest bit of snow was enough to cancel school and close businesses. No one knew how to drive in the stuff. It was never enough for young Lily Mae Turner, though, because the snow that came was always too sparse to build a snowman or to go sledding.
But one night, in March of 1993, something magical happened. An unexpected blast of cold air from Canada and moist air from the Caribbean converged on the eastern part of the United States to create the “Storm of the Century.”
All that the Turner kids knew was that when they woke up Saturday morning, there was 17 inches of unbelievable snow on their front lawn and as far as the eye could see.
The Turner parents were in shock. Most folks in town were ill-prepared for such a storm. They had no shovels to dig their way out and no salt to keep from slipping. They had no idea what to do.
While the adults seemed paralyzed with disbelief, the Turner kids set about having the time of their lives. Lily Mae discovered that a rope tied to a metal trash can lid made a perfect sled. John Henry figured out that if he put his feet in plastic grocery bags before putting on his rain boots, his feet stayed warm for a longer time. Rachel made snow angels in every part of the yard. Together, all the kids made a huge snowman and dressed it in their dad’s hat and jacket. (Mr. Turner didn’t own a scarf!)
For three straight days, the Turner kids had a splendid time. On Tuesday, the temperature hit 70 degrees, and life for these Southerners went back to normal.
Questions:
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1) As used at the beginning of the story, what does accustomed mean?
A. used to
B. aware of
C. scared of
D. interested in
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2) As used at the beginning of the story, which is the best antonym for infrequent?
A. common
B. long
C. rare
D. surprising
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3) Which other title would best fit this passage?
A. “1993”
B. “A Cold March”
C. “Magical Snow”
D. “Ill-Prepared Parents”
4) The author may have described the storm as magical because
A. Lily Mae believed the snow was magic
B. it was such an unusual thing to happen that it felt like magic
C. there was no other explanation for why the storm occurred
D. the author wanted to cast doubt on whether the storm actually took place
6) What conclusions can be drawn about what the weather is typically like in Birmingham during the month of March?
I. It is warm.
II. It does not snow.
III. It is windy.
A. I only
B. I and II
C. II and III
D. I, II, and III
8) "What was funny was that even the slightest bit of snow was enough to cancel school and close businesses."
"No one knew how to drive in the stuff."
Which of the following punctuation marks could best be used to combine the above sentences?
A. a comma ( , )
B. a semicolon ( ; )
C. an ellipsis ( … )
D. a hyphen ( - )
10) As used at the end of the story, which is the best antonym for splendid?
A. great
B. perfect
C. happy
D. terrible
12) Pick one of these two situations, and write a paragraph to describe what would you do and why if you were in the same shoes as:
1-Turner kids
2- the Turner parents
If I were the Turner kids, I would build a snowman with my friends or maybe, I could take some funny pictures to show to my school's friends, because I think they would like to see.
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5) How are the children different than the adults in this passage?
A. The kids stayed warm, while the adults were very cold.
B. The kids knew the storm was coming, while the adults did not.
C. The kids went out and had fun, while the adults did not know what to do.
D. The adults still had to go to work, while the kids stayed home.
7) What can be said about the Turner kids' ideas for playing in the snow without the usual snow gear?
I. They were creative.
II. They were effective.
III. They were complicated.
A. I only
B. I and II
C. II and III
D. I, II, and III
9) What was going on outside of Birmingham during the snowstorm?
A. The rest of the country was also dealing with snow.
B. Nothing—Birmingham was the only area affected by the storm.
C. The Eastern United States was also hit by the storm.
D. The passage does not provide enough information to say.
11) Find synonyms for all the underlined words in the passage and then use them in sentences of your own.
sledding = amazing
accustomed= usual
infrequent= rarely
blast =blow
paralyzed = without action
13) Click on this link and record one to two minutes of a personal experienced that you had once and you felt "ill-prepared" for it. Then save the link and add it on your blog. You need to include the following points:
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