Literature Worksheet: The Seventh Man (Grade 9) PDF

 **To be an ever-evolving school that fosters tech-oriented, highly skilful, well- balanced and future-ready successful students.** **Kingdom of Saudi Arabia** **Qimam EL Hayat International Schools** **LITERATURE WORKSHEET** **The Seventh Man** **Grade 9** **Name:...........

 **To be an ever-evolving school that fosters tech-oriented, highly skilful, well- balanced and future-ready successful students.** **Kingdom of Saudi Arabia** **Qimam EL Hayat International Schools** **LITERATURE WORKSHEET** **The Seventh Man** **Grade 9** **Name:..........................................................................................** **Class:............................................................................................** **The Seventh Man** **[A Summary]** In Haruki Murakami's "The Seventh Man," seven people tell stories on a stormy night. The seventh man tells the story of a great wave that devastated his life. He explains that as a child, he lived by the ocean in Japan. When he was ten years old, a typhoon hit his town. People stayed safely inside, but during the calm at the center of the storm, he and his best friend K. walked to the beach. As they looked around, he saw a great wave approaching. He called to K., but K. didn't hear. The seventh man ran for safety; K. was drowned. He could have reached K.---but could he have saved him, or would they both have died? For forty years, the seventh man is haunted by guilt and uncertainty---but then something makes him reconsider what he did, or failed to do, that day. **The Seventh Man** **[An Insight]** The choices survivors make are not always easy or clear. Reading "The Seventh Man" will help students begin their reflections on how complicated survival can be. Although a survivor may have escaped with his or her life, that life may never be the same. Some students may find "The Seventh Man" disturbing. The realization that a childhood decision might color someone's whole life is sobering and may require support. **Essential Question: Connection to *The Seventh Man*** **Essential Question:** **What does it take to survive?** The Seventh Man" provides an unusual perspective on the Essential Question, "What does it take to survive?" The main character physically survives a giant wave by reacting almost instinctively: Fear causes him to run away from the beach. However, the guilt that he feels about having left his best friend behind persists for years. The seventh man only truly begins to survive emotionally when he faces and overcomes his guilt. **Vocabulary** **desperate** *(adj.)*: involving extreme danger or disaster **entranced** *(adj.)*: in a state of wonder or amazement **hallucination** *(n.)*: something perceived that has no reality **premonition** *(n.)*: feeling that something bad will happen **profound** *(adj.)*: intense; deep **meditative** *(adj.)*: given to extended thought **A. Directions:** In each of the following items, think about the meaning of the italicized word or phrase, and then answer the question. **1.** Would someone have a *premonition* before or after an event takes place? **before; the prefix *pre-* means "before," so a *premonition*, or a hunch something will happen, comes before that something happens.** **2.** If a painting has a *meditative* quality, does it cause the viewer to become calm or excited? **Explain. calm; meditative is similar to meditate, which means "to reflect" or\ "to be mindful."** **4.** What is another word or phrase that can be used to describe an experience that is *profound*? ***deeply moving*** **5.** Is a person who is undergoing a *hallucination* experiencing reality or an illusion? Explain. **an illusion; *hallucination* and *illusion* have the same root. An *illusion* is a vision or belief that not real, so a *hallucination* may be similar.** 6\. If a person is entranced by the sight of a wave, what other emotions might he or she be feeling? **A person who is *entranced* may be fixated, mesmerized, or unable to move.** **[General Exercises]** **[1) Answer the following questions.]** **1. What traumatic event changes the seventh man's life?** The seventh man's life is changed when he does not try to rescue his best friend K. from a giant wave. As a result, K. drowns **2.Why does the seventh man's father allow him to go outside during the storm?** The seventh man's father allows him to go outside during the storm because it is during the eye of the storm and everything is calm. **3. At the beach, why doesn't K. respond when his friend calls out to him?** K. doesn't respond when the seventh man calls out to him because K. was likely absorbed in something that interested him, or the seventh man's voice did not reach him. **4. What does the seventh man see inside the second wave?** Inside the second wave, the seventh man sees K. grinning and reaching out to him. **5. What does the seventh man do when he returns to his hometown that shows he has finally recovered from his traumatic experience?** When he returns to his hometown, the seventh man goes into the ocean, an act that shows he has finally recovered from his traumatic experience. **6. What does the wave symbolize, or represent, to the seventh man?** To the seventh man, the wave symbolizes the loss of his childhood innocence and joy. **[Read the passage below. Then, answer the questions that follow]**. A phone call startles me out of a deep sleep. I sit up straight in bed, my heart pounding. "Hello?" "Hello, Kevin." I know his voice immediately, but am too stunned to speak. "You must be surprised to hear from me. We haven't spoken in quite a while." "No, we haven't." In fact, it has been almost ten years. As the silence stretches out between us, I recall a time, years ago, when I considered Matt my best friend. We were practically inseparable. **...** "Kevin, come inside!" my mother called. I pretended not to hear her. Matt and I were busy playing superheroes in the backyard. **1.** Underline the first sentence of the interior story. Explain your answer. ["Kevin, come inside!" my mother called]. This sentence is in the past tense.\ The earlier part of this story is in the [present] tense. **2.** What visual clue helps the reader understand that the interior story is beginning? [The ellipses and paragraph spacing cue the reader.] **3.** Describe what you know and what you can infer about the setting of the frame story and the setting of the interior story. Remember that setting includes *time* and *place*. [The frame story is set at night, when the narrator wakes up to a sudden phone call. He is in his bedroom and it is ten years after he last spoke to his friend Matt. The interior story is set in his family's backyard, and the narrator is at least ten years younger.] **4.** How is the narration in the frame story different from the narration in the interior story? [The narration is in present tense within the frame story; but the action is interrupted. The narration changes when the interior story begins, as the narrator recalls a childhood moment with his best friend.] **5.** What technique is the author using in the interior story? Explain this technique. [The author uses verb tense and flashback to mark shifts in narration. In the past, the two friends were inseparable; but in the present, they have not spoken to each other in ten years. We assume the interior story---in the form of a flashback---might explain why.] **6.** Describe the overall story structure's effect on the reader's experience. [The story structure engages the reader by bringing them into the character's mind. In this story, the reader is about to receive some personal information that may explain why the two friends have not spoken to each other.] **[2) Identify the choice that best answers the question.]** [     ] **1.** In "The Seventh Man," which statement **best** summarizes what happens in the weeks following K.'s death? ------------------ ------------------------------------------------ [a.] [He falls ill and has nightmares.] b. He moves to Nagano. c. He starts attending a different school. d. He spends hours studying K.'s artwork. ------------------ ------------------------------------------------ [     ] **2.** Which excerpt from "The Seventh Man" **best** explains why the seventh man feels responsible for K.'s death? ------------------ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- a. He might have been so absorbed in whatever it was he had found that my call made no impression on him. b. I stood there, wondering what to do. Should I go down to the beach? c. I had always loved and protected K. as if he had been my own little brother. [d.] [I probably could have run over and dragged him out of the reach of the wave.] ------------------ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [     ] **3.** In "The Seventh Man," why does the seventh man's view of the past begin to change? ------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [a.] [Studying K.'s art, he remembers that K. was gentle and realizes that his last look was not one of hatred.] b. After his father dies, he returns home and realizes that he did not need to move to Nagano. c. Studying K.'s art, he realizes that K. would not have minded dying in the wave. d. After his father dies, he realizes that it was the second wave, not the first, that killed K. ------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [     ] **4.** In "The Seventh Man," what is the **most important** discovery that the seventh man makes when he returns to his hometown? ------------------ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- a. He discovers that K. was a gentle and artistic soul. b. He learns that his father has died of cancer. c. He sees that the town remains the same as when he was a boy. [d.] [He realizes that the dark shadow of K.'s death has left him.] ------------------ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- [     ] **5.** Which is the **most likely** reaction a person might have to a *desperate* situation? ------------------ ---------------------------------- a. a feeling of boredom b. a desire for sleep [c.] [a feeling of panic] d. a desire to learn ------------------ ---------------------------------- [     ] **6.** In which circumstances is a person **most likely** to be *entranced?* ------------------ ------------------------------------------------ [a.] [when watching a beautiful sunset] b. when hearing a window break in a storm c. when looking for a lost wallet d. when saying goodbye to old friends ------------------ ------------------------------------------------ [     ] **7.** If a person experiences *profound* sorrow, which of the following **must** be true? ------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------- a. The person's feeling of sorrow will last briefly. [b.] [The person's feeling of sorrow is deep and intense.] c. The person appears to feel sorrow but does not really. d. The person thinks long and hard about his or her feelings. ------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------- **8.** **The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.** [     ] **Part A** What does the giant wave **most clearly** represent to the seventh man? ------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- a. It represents death, which causes hatred among people. b. It represents art, which can capture the spirit of nature. [c.] [It represents our fears, which keep us from doing what we should.] d. It represents nature, which is both beautiful and awe-inspiring. ------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [     ] **Part B** Which passage from the text **most clearly** supports the answer to\ Part A? ------------------ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [a.] [I *knew* that the wave was coming, and K. didn't know. As clearly as I knew what I ought to be doing, I found myself running the other way.... What made me do this, I'm sure, was fear.] b. But it was too late. A wave like a huge snake with its head held high, poised to strike, was racing toward the shore. I had never seen anything like it before. c. In the tip of the \[second\] wave, as if enclosed in some kind of transparent capsule, floated K.'s body, reclining on its side. But that's not all. K. was looking straight at me, smiling. d. Most of \[K.'s pictures\] were landscapes, pictures of the familiar stretch of ocean and sand beach and pine woods and the town, and all done with that special clarity and coloration I knew so well from K.'s hand. ------------------ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- **9.** **The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.** [     ] **Part A** When the seventh man begins to tell his story, he introduces it in this way: "In my case, it was a wave," he said. "There is no way for me to tell, of course, what it will be for each of you. But in my case it just happened to take the form of a gigantic wave. It presented itself to me all of a sudden one day without warning. And it was devastating." What does this excerpt **most clearly** imply? To help you choose your answer, consider the events of the story. ------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [a.] [He believes that in life, every individual must confront fear in some form or another.] b. He believes that his life was changed by a disaster in a way that others cannot understand. c. He believes that he has succeeded despite not knowing what will happen to others. d. He believes that in life, everyone will face the risk of a giant wave caused by a storm. ------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [     ] **Part B** Which part of the excerpt **most clearly** supports the answer to Part A? ------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [a.] ["There is no way for me to tell... what it will be for each of you."] b. "\[I\]t just happened to take the form of a gigantic wave." c. "It presented itself to me all of a sudden one day without warning." d. "And it was devastating." ------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- **10.** **The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.** [     ] **Part A** At the end of the story, the narrator says that if we "turn our backs on" fear, "we take the most precious thing inside us and surrender it to something else." What does he **most likely** mean by these statements? ------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ a. If we avoid our fear, we will lose our lives to a natural force such as a storm. [b.] [If we avoid our fear, then we give the fear power over ourselves and lose our freedom.] c. If we do not respect our fear, then we will need to surrender to our enemies. d. If we do not respect our fear, then others will lose their respect for us. ------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [     ] **Part B** In what way does "The Seventh Man" illustrate the statement in\ Part A? ------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- a. K. dies because he is too afraid to move out of the way of the wave. b. If K. had respected his fear, he would have known the wave was bearing down. c. The seventh man is afraid his brother no longer respects him. [d.] [Fear of the wave makes the seventh man run away instead of saving his friend.] ------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [     ] **11.** Which of the following **best** describes the situation in the frame story of\ "The Seventh Man"? ------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ a. The seventh man is speaking to fellow soldiers, all facing the dangers of war together. [b.] [The seventh man is addressing a group, but the reader does not know why.] c. After a devastating loss, the seventh man finally makes peace with his past. d. After failing to save his childhood friend, the seventh man finally learns to forgive himself. ------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [     ] **12.** Which of the following is a key difference between the frame story and the story within the frame story in "The Seventh Man"? ------------------ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [a.] [The frame story is told in the third person, and the interior story is told in the first person.] b. The frame story is told in the first person, and the interior story is told in the third person. c. The frame story is set in the past, and the interior story is set in the present. d. The frame story is set in a future world, and the interior story is set in the present. ------------------ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [     ] **13.** What is one **main** purpose of the frame story in "The Seventh Man"? ------------------ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- a. By using vivid descriptions, it helps explain why the seventh man was so attached to his friend K. and why he valued K.'s art. b. By presenting events in clear sequence, it shows how the seventh man has been changed by his experiences. c. By describing listeners' responses to the seventh man's story, it shows that he is a good storyteller and a wise person. [d.] [By leaving out details about where and why the seventh man is telling his story, it suggests that his story applies generally.] ------------------ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [     ] **14.** In "The Seventh Man," which of the following is an important effect the writer achieves through the use of first-person narration? ------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ a. The seventh man's experiences are presented in a fair, objective way. b. The pacing is more rapid because many story events are quickly summarized. [c.] [The seventh man's feelings are vivid because he shares them himself.] d. Suspense increases because the reader does not know what the seventh man knows. ------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [     ] **15.** Choose the **best** definition for the word *elation.* Base your answer on\ your knowledge of the Latin suffix *-tion.* ------------------ ----------------------------------------------------------------- a. to cause someone not to be elated; to deprive of joy b. to cause someone to be elated; to cause great joy c. not being elated; being sad [d.] [the state of being elated; a feeling of great joy] ------------------ ----------------------------------------------------------------- [     ] **16.** The word *evacuation* is formed by adding the Latin suffix *-tion* to *evacuate*. Choose the answer that **best** shows the meanings of *evacuation* and *evacuate*. Base your answer on your knowledge of *-tion*. ------------------ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- a. *evacuate: "the act of emptying out" / evacuation: "to empty out"* [b.] *[evacuate: "to empty out" / evacuation: "the act of emptying out"]* c. *evacuate: "being empty" / evacuation: "the act of emptying out"* d. *evacuate: "being empty" / evacuation: "to empty out"* ------------------ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------  ***Good Luck***