S e c o n d e d I t I o n 1 Reading for the Real World 1

Here are six words that are related to the topic but are not in the reading. 
Fill in each blank with the best word from the list. Use each word only 
once.
Creole accuse impulsive cultivate moral devastated
1.
If a person is __________, it means they are easily influenced by their 
emotions and act without thinking.
2.
A plantation’s main source of income is to ________ crops such as corn or 
wheat.
3.
Louisiana is famous for ________ food and culture that evolved from the 
different ethnic groups who first settled there. 
4.
She was completely ________ when she heard the news that her father had 
passed away in a car accident.
5.
It is a serious matter to ________ somebody of a crime.
6.
Some stories have a(n) ________ or lesson that the author wants the reader to 
consider.
First Sentence:
Desiree is so shocked by her husbands response to their son, she 
decides to end her and her baby’s life.
1.
She walked across a deserted field, where the stubble bruised her tender feet and 
tore her thin gown to shreds.
2.
She disappeared among the reeds and willows that grew thick along the banks.
3.
Desiree did not take the easy road to get to Valmonde.
4.
She did not come back again.
5.
The baby slept on Desiree’s big, mahogany bed.
Directions:
An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided 
below. Select THREE answer choices to complete the summary.

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esiree’s Baby
was one of Kate Chopin’s (1851-1904) first and most 
famous short stories. In this story, Chopin explores the theme of race 
more strongly than in any of her other works.
Desiree is married to Armand, who owns a plantation and many African-
American slaves that work on it. This was typical in the southern United States 
at that time. Black people were brought to America, primarily from Africa, as 
slaves and consequently bought and sold like property. White people viewed 
African-Americans as an inferior race, and it was shameful for a white person to 
have “mixed blood,” as would result from having parents of unequal races.
This explains Desiree’s concern after realizing that her son had black 
characteristics. When Armand told Desiree that “the child is not white” and that 
“you are not white,” he was referring to more than skin color. He meant that his 
wife and child were inferior and were no longer acceptable to him.
This rejection was more than Desiree could bear, and she felt it was better 
to die than to live in such disgrace. When she walked away, the bushes tore her 
white gown, symbolizing that she was no longer a white person.
When Armand discovered the baby’s mixed blood 
came not through Desiree but through his own mother, 
he had already lost his wife and son, and his life was 
destroyed.
One critic noted that Armand was as much a slave 
to his racial views as the real slaves that he controlled. 
“No real distinction based on color can be made 
between slave and master.”