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Part 2: Language
Novel Study: The Season of Styx Malone
Part 1: Vocabulary
He gave me his favorite shirt with no strings attached.
What does “no strings attached” mean in the sentence?
The sound echoed through the sky like fireworks on the 4th of July.
Which two types of figurative language are used in the sentence? (Select all that apply.)
We went home.
Which sentence uses a prepositional phrase to add more information?
A baby bird fell out of its nest during the windstorm. Dad climb the ladder to put it back when the mother bird returned.
What is the past progressive tense of the underlined verb?
What are two ways that The Season of Styx Malone is similar to “The Price of a Pencil”? (Select all that apply.)
Rumbling thunder offered the foreshadowing of a rainstorm soon to arrive.
What does the word foreshadowing mean in the sentence?
Which sentence uses the word mediator correctly?
In which sentence does the word proceeds mean the amount of money made in a deal?
Angela’s cryptic smile made everyone wonder what she was thinking.
Which word means about the same thing as cryptic in the sentence?
Choose the word that best completes the sentence to indicate that something is being done out of a sense of obligation.
wryly dutifully tentatively
Nadine ____________ feeds her pet fish every morning before school.
Mr. Quang’s students are dissatisfied with their rehearsal, so they will practice again.
What does the word dissatisfied mean in the sentence?
Which sentence describes something that might demonstrate optimism?
Which sentence uses the word preceded correctly?
Choose the word that best completes the sentence.
idiom imagery tone
The feeling or mood an author creates with words is described as the ____________ of a story.
Which sentence uses the word underestimated correctly?
My local library forbade loud talking so everyone could read quietly.
What does the word forbade mean in the sentence?
The medieval fortress had an impenetrable gate that kept everyone safe inside.
What does the word impenetrable mean in the sentence?
The roller coaster’s many twists and turns gave us an exhilarating ride today.
Which word means about the same thing as exhilarating in the sentence?
Which sentence uses the word underrated correctly?
Choose the word that best completes the sentence.
foreshadowing   imagery   resolution
Authors often use _____________ to help a reader imagine how something looks, sounds, smells, feels, or tastes.
(1) Numbers make sense to me. They line up. They tell the truth. They are predictable. People are often not predictable. People have thoughts. Opinions. Feelings. And today, people are my focus.
(2) At recess, Nina and I run a school supplies stand. Our pencils are shiny wands just waiting in a cup to solve the most cryptic math problem. We sell our goods and dutifully give the proceeds to Coach Davis to help buy new soccer nets.
(3) “Should we offer a bundle deal starting today?” I asked Nina one morning. “Three pencils and an eraser for a dollar?”
(4) “That is smart,” Nina replied. “Easy to read. Easy to say.”
(5) I made a sign, and the deal took off. Coins chimed their way into the cashbox, and happy kids showed their treasures to their friends. By lunch, my notebook was a happy forest of green check marks, the sign of a very successful day.
(6) However, my own pride was whispering to me. “Show them you’re the numbers kid, Carter.”
(7) “Hey! If we bump the bundle to $1.25, we would make more profit,” I told Nina.
(8) Nina bit her lip, giving me a wary glance, “But will they still buy the supplies at that price?”
(9) “Probably,” I said. The word felt safe but hollow. “Let’s give it a try anyway.” I made a new sign because I really wanted our sales to be more profitable.
(10) The next day, the winds of change blew through, and my optimism fell. A girl grimaced as she looked at the new sign. “I brought exactly one dollar, and now I can’t buy a bundle,” the dissatisfied fourth grader grumbled.
(11) A first grader lifted three bright dimes. “I wanted a pencil,” he whispered, “and to help the team.”
(12) Heat climbed my neck. I had missed a key variable: feelings. I had underestimated how people would feel if we raised our prices. The inner struggle between admitting I was wrong and doing the right thing seemed to need a mediator. I could defend the price, or I could listen to our customers.
(13) “Okay,” I said after talking with Nina. “Let’s make a new plan. Clear and fair.”
(14) We rewrote the sign:
Original bundle prices
$1.00 for three pencils and an eraser
Single items priced low
Pay-what-you-can jar for some items
(15) Nina called to the crowd of students, “We made a mistake! Check the new sign! Thanks for being patient!”
(16) The line formed again—slow at first, then steady. The first grader poured his dimes into my hand like tiny diamonds, proud to help. A teacher nearby nodded, “Transparent and honest. I respect that.” Their response was exhilarating!
(17) As sales moved along, something in me shifted. Our goal wasn’t higher profit; it was more money for the team. Those sound alike but they aren’t the same.
(18) When the bell rang, the cashbox seemed to have gained ten pounds. “Sold out!” Nina said. “And the pay-what-you-can jar really helped.”
(19) Coach Davis waved to us from the field. “The first new net arrives tomorrow.”
(20) Walking back, Nina bumped my shoulder playfully. “You’re more than a numbers kid, Carter.”
(21) “I hope so,” I said.
(22) After school, I totaled the day: $46.30 in the cashbox—$6.30 from the pay-what-you-can jar—more than yesterday, and every coin felt like a vote for the team. We didn’t just sell out; we showed up. Trust, I realized, compounds like interest. The math was clear: Fairness adds up.
The author of “The Price of a Pencil” uses the pronouns I, me, we, my, and our to tell the story. From what point of view is “The Price of a Pencil” told?
Who is the narrator of the story?
“Numbers make sense to me. They line up. They tell the truth. They are predictable. People are often not predictable. People have thoughts. Opinions. Feelings. And today, people are my focus.”
How does the use of these short sentences help convey the tone of this story?
What can you infer about the relationship between Nina and Carter?
What is the bundle deal offered by Carter and Nina at the beginning of the story?
“The next day, the winds of change blew through, and my optimism fell.”
What might the author be foreshadowing in the sentence?
“Probably,” I said. The word felt safe but hollow.
Which of the sentences below means the same thing as this sentence?
“A girl grimaced as she looked at the new sign.”
How does the word grimaced help you understand how the girl is feeling when she sees the higher prices on the sign?
What happens when Nina and Carter raise the price of the bundle?
“We made a mistake! Check the new sign! Thanks for being patient!”
How does the author’s use of these short exclamatory sentences help convey the tone in this scene?
“The first grader poured his dimes into my hand like tiny diamonds, proud to help.”
Why might the author compare dimes to tiny diamonds in the sentence?
Carter sees himself as a “numbers” or “math” person. What are two ways that this contributes to the events in the story? (Select all that apply.)
Number the events from “The Price of a Pencil” in order from earliest (1) to latest (4).
Earliest to latest:
Carter and Nina return to fair pricing with a pay-what-you-can option, sell out completely, and earn more money than before.
Carter convinces Nina to raise the bundle price to $1.25 to increase profits.
Carter and Nina run a school supplies stand with a $1.00 bundle deal that proves very popular with students.
Students complain that they can’t afford the higher prices, making Carter realize he has ignored their feelings.
Which event describes the climax or turning point of the story?
What is one thing Carter realizes at the end of “The Price of a Pencil”?