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Reading Between the Fundraiser Plans

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Reading Between the Fundraiser Plans

Interpret allusions and other figures of speech in a student email.

Read the Email

Use the reference notes to interpret the expressions in context. You do not need prior knowledge of the original works.

Reference notes
King Midas: In Greek mythology, Midas receives the power to turn what he touches into gold. His apparent good fortune creates unexpected difficulties.
Atlas: In Greek mythology, Atlas bears the enormous weight of the heavens on his shoulders.
Scrooge: A character in Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol who is initially unwilling to spend money or give generously.

Subject: Before We Order the Glowing Golf Balls

1To: Inaya From: Dorian Subject: Before we order the glowing golf balls Thanks for sending the plans for our indoor mini-golf fundraiser. Building a temporary course in the recreation room sounds more interesting than selling another stack of order forms. I want us to raise money for new lunchtime game equipment, but I also want the planning to leave us enough energy to enjoy the event.

2The glowing golf balls look impressive in the catalog. They remind me of King Midas’s gift: the shine is tempting, but I am checking what comes with it. Buying them would use nearly all our supply money, leaving too little for sturdy putting surfaces. The catalog arrived yesterday. I marked the page with a folded piece of paper. Ordinary balls would still work under the room’s regular lights.

3Also, please do not audition for Atlas. You have assigned yourself course construction, ticket sales, setup, and cleanup, while the other volunteers have no jobs yet. The volunteer meeting is Thursday. I can bring the signup sheet in my blue folder. The room reservation ends at eight. We should divide the work before anyone starts building.

4I know my last message made me sound like Scrooge guarding the cash box. I rejected every suggested purchase, including inexpensive tape we actually need. That was not fair to your plan. Saving money matters, but refusing useful supplies could make the course harder to build. We can compare prices tonight. The supply list is attached to this email.

5Your sketch is a compass, not a cage. Its numbered layout lets us see how players would move between holes, and we can shift obstacles if the practice round reveals a bottleneck. I printed two copies for Thursday. The printer left a gray stripe across one corner. Please bring your measuring tape so we can check the walking space.

6Finally, our poster does not need to promise the greatest evening in human history. It only needs the time, place, price, and a clear description of the activity. I spent a thousand years untangling the payment instructions yesterday. Three short directions were buried in a long paragraph, so I kept rereading it. Let us give families a simpler message—and give ourselves a workable plan. Dorian

Interpret and Support

Choose one answer for each multiple-choice question. For evidence questions, select the detail that most directly supports the interpretation.

1.
In paragraph 2, what does the allusion to Midas’s gift suggest about buying glowing golf balls?
Question 1 options
2.
In paragraph 2, underline the sentence that identifies the budget problem created by purchasing glowing golf balls.

3.
In paragraph 3, what does Dorian mean by “please do not audition for Atlas”?
Question 3 options
4.
Which sentence from paragraph 3 most directly connects Inaya’s situation to Atlas’s burden?
Question 4 options
5.
In paragraph 4, what does Dorian acknowledge by comparing himself to Scrooge?
Question 5 options
6.
Which sentence from paragraph 4 most directly explains why Dorian makes the Scrooge comparison?
Question 6 options
7.
In paragraph 5, how should readers interpret “Your sketch is a compass, not a cage”?
Question 7 options
8.
Which sentence from paragraph 5 best explains both parts of the compass-and-cage comparison?
Question 8 options
9.
In paragraph 6, what does “I spent a thousand years untangling the payment instructions” communicate?
Question 9 options
10.
Which detail from paragraph 6 most directly explains Dorian’s exaggerated description of reading the payment instructions?
Question 10 options
11.
Dorian considers replacing “Your sketch is a compass, not a cage” with another figure of speech. Which replacement preserves its meaning?
Question 11 options
12.
The Atlas allusion addresses Inaya, while the Scrooge allusion addresses Dorian himself. Explain how including both comparisons makes the email more cooperative than using the Atlas comparison alone. Use a specific detail about each student’s behavior.
13.
A reader says the Midas allusion means that Dorian dislikes anything shiny. Explain why this reading misses the point. Connect the reference note to the trade-off described in paragraph 2, and explain what the allusion adds beyond simply saying “The balls cost too much.”