"The Ransom of the Red Chief"  by O. Henry
Vocabulary
"Ransom of the Red Chief"  by O. Henry -- Vocabulary.
1. His mother used a little sugar to make the medicine more _____________.
2. He _______________(ly) looked at his notes during the test.
3. I _____________(ed) with their request to stop parking on the lawn.
4. After his ____________ at the meeting they don't let him talk any more.
5. Most of your grandparents would consider today's kids much more _______ than kids used to be.
6. After three days without sleep, he started seeing _____________(s) and spirits.
7. The sub had no class management skills, and so second period was ___________.
8. The _______________ effects of smoking on your health are well-documented.
9. The thick smoke __________(ed) the building, so he had to crawl to safety.
10. The teacher _________(ed) him for his recent hard work.
diatribe, impudent, palatable, pervade, surreptitious, comply, apparition, bedlam, deleterious, commend
Across 
1. Do what you're told.
5. Easily "swallowed."
6. Harmful.
7. A "going off" sort of thing.
8. Offensively disrespectful.
Down 
2. Spread throughout.
3. Are you seeing things?
4. Chaos.

Vocabulary Pretest
diatribe, impudent, palatable, pervade, surreptitious, comply, apparition, bedlam, deleterious, commend

  1. "There was a sylvan attitude of somnolent sleepiness __________(ing) that section...of Alabama that lay exposed to my view."
  2. After the parolee committed another crime, there was a ___________ in the paper about the governor being "soft on crime."
  3. He ___________(ly) palmed the quarter, and pretended to pull it from her ear.
  4. The townsfolk thought Muff Potter was being ______ for returning to the scene of his crime.
  5. The police officer received a __________(ation) after he heroically saved the young boy.
  6. The connoisseur did not find the expensive wine _____ at all; in fact he thought it was vinegar.
  7. The combination of heat and fatigue while he was driving made him see _________(s) rising from the pavement.
  8. When they turned off the lights at the junior high assembly, it was sheer __________.
  9. Mr. Coward's _____ about paying attention made his second period class say he was mean.
  10. Near the end of those commercials for various drugs, they always very quickly list the possible _____________ effects of the drugs.
Questions.
  1. (3) Identify the following historical persons by saying what they are most famous for: Buffalo Bill, David and Goliath, King Herod.
  2. (1) What do we call words like buzz, hum, and hiss? (Words that sound like what they are.)
  3. (1) What do we call expressions that seem contradictory, like "jumbo shrimp" and "larger half" and "unbiased opinion"? Give other examples for extra credit.
  4. (1) What do we call expressions like this: "he put up a fight like a welterweight bear"?
  • What is a ransom?
    In your green book, circle the part of the text that answers each question. Be sure to label very clearly which question you are answering.
    1. How did Sam foreshadow that the kidnapping wouldn't go exactly as planned?
    2. Why did Sam and Bill choose to do a kidnapping for their crime?
    3. Why did they choose Summit for the scene of their crime?
    4. Who is "Old Hank"?
    5. What does Bill say is the only reason the boy doesn't burn Sam at the stake?
    6. (3) Give three examples of irony so far. (Irony 1, Irony 2, etc.)
    7. What does the word reconnoiter (p43, circled) mean?
    8. Why does Bill say his favorite Biblical character is King Herod? (+1)
    9. What threat does Sam use to make the boy promise to behave? (+1)
    Analogies.
    1. * disobey : comply :: beneficial : ________
    2. * respectful : impudent :: tranquility : __________
    3. * disobey : comply :: commendation : ___________
    4. * obvious : surreptitious :: reality : __________
    5. * beneficial : deleterious :: unacceptable : ___________
    6. * order : bedlam :: polite : ___________
    7. Give an example of an oxymoron.
    8. Give an example of onomatopoeia.
    9. "...as flat as a flannel-cake, and called Summit" is an example of... a) oxymoron.  b) simile. c) irony.  d) all of the above. e) none of the above.

       1. Ebenezer Dorset was a... a) banker.  b) minister.  c) real estate man.  d) prominent merchant.
       2. Why did Bill and Sam pick Summit for the scene of their crime?
       3. Why does Bill say his favorite Biblical character is King Herod?
       4. What threat does Sam use to make the boy promise to behave?
       5. "...as flat as a flannel-cake, and called Summit" is an example of... a) oxymoron.  b) simile. c) irony.  d) all of the above. e) none of the above.
       6. (3) Give three examples of irony from the story. (Do not use any of the examples referred to in this quiz.)
       7. When Bill tells Sam why he took the boy back, he compares his suffering with the boy to...?
       8. The part of the story where Sam tells why he and Bill are going to kidnap the boy is... a) the exposition.  b) the rising action.  c) the climax.  d) the resolution.  e) the conflict.
       9. The part of the story where Sam and Bill pay the boy's father to take him back is... a) the exposition.  b) the rising action.  c) the climax.  d) the resolution.  e) the conflict.
      10. The part of the story where Mr. Dorset makes his "counterproposition"  is... a) the exposition.  b) the rising action.  c) the climax.  d) the resolution.  e) the conflict.
      11. Why does Sam ask Bill about the history of heart disease in his family?
      12. Why don't they just drop the boy back off at his house?
      13. What's Red Chief's real name?
      14. Give an example of a simile from the story. (Do not use any of the examples referred to in this quiz.)
      15. What is onomatopoeia? (Define, do not give an example.)
      16. What do we call expressions like this: "he put up a fight like a welterweight bear"?
      17. "Jumbo shrimp" is an example of _____________.
      18. What is Buffalo Bill famous for?