The Lady and the Spider

Question 1

When Fulghum’s neighbor in “The Lady and the Spider” walks into the spider web, what does the spider think?

A. A human being is trying to kill her.
B. A haystack has blown apart.
C. She is about to have a big meal.
D. Something terrible is taking place.

Answer 1

D. Something terrible is taking place.

Question 2

In “The Lady and the Spider,” what does Fulghum’s neighbor think of when she sees the spider?

A. a piece of painted raw meat
B. a dangerous escaped prisoner
C. a creature with poisonous fangs
D. an amazing million-year-old creature

Answer 2

C. a creature with poisonous fangs

Question 3

Which word best describes the tone of “The Lady and the Spider”?

A. informal
B. scary
C. formal
D. serious

Answer 3

A. informal

Question 4

Which quotation from “The Lady and the Spider” contains a fact that can be proved by observation or by checking resources?

A. “[It is a] medium gray . . . spider.”
B. “[She is] feeling good.”
C. “Spiders. Amazing creatures.” D. “It boggles the mind.”

Answer 4

A. “[It is a] medium gray . . . spider.”

Question 5

Which statement sums up one point that Robert Fulghum makes about spiders?

A. They have a good sense of humor.
B. They do not scare most human beings.
C. Their webs are unique and amazing.
D. Some of them are poisonous.

Answer 5

C. Their webs are unique and amazing.

Question 6

Which statement is a fact that can be checked in an encyclopedia?

A. Spiders have existed for about 350 million years.
B. Most human beings fear spiders.
C. Human beings and spiders are alike.
D. Spiders are amazing creatures.

Answer 6

A. Spiders have existed for about 350 million years.

Question 7

In “The Lady and the Spider,” what point does Robert Fulghum make when he describes the song “Eensy, Weensy Spider”?

A. It is important to teach songs to children.
B. It is important to keep on going and not give up.
C. People should be kind to all creatures, even spiders.
D. Looking for adventure can be a dangerous undertaking.

Answer 7

B. It is important to keep on going and not give up.

Question 8

According to the author of “The Lady and the Spider,” how are all living things alike?

A. They fear each other.
B. They make mistakes.
C. They sing in their own way.
D. They are survivors.

Answer 8

D. They are survivors.

Question 9

Which is the best definition of the tone of “The Lady and the Spider”?

A. The tone is Robert Fulghum’s idea about life.
B. The tone is the ancecdote at the beginning of the essay.
C. The tone is Robert Fulghum’s attitude toward his audience and subject.
D. The tone is the combination of facts and opinions that Robert Fulghum presents.

Answer 9

C. The tone is Robert Fulghum’s attitude toward his audience and subject.

Question 10

Which characteristic describes the tone of “The Lady and the Spider”?

A. It contains complex sentences.
B. It contains many sentence fragments.
C. It contains no contractions.
D. It contains scientific vocabulary.

Answer 10

B. It contains many sentence fragments.

Question 11

“The Lady and the Spider” is a humorous essay that contains some serious ideas. How does Robert Fulghum make his essay funny? Explain your answer in an essay. Include two examples of humor from “The Lady and the Spider.”

Answer 11

Fulghum’s uses exaggeration: the scene in which the woman is described from the point of view of the spider, the description of the spider as if it were human, the consideration of what humans might do if they had the capabilities of spiders, and the repetition of the woman’s scream.

Question 12

Robert Fulghum has written an informal, friendly essay that includes some serious ideas. Imagine that he had written a serious, formal essay instead. How would a serious essay on the same topic differ from “The Lady and the Spider”? In an essay, explain your answer. Name two ways in which the essays would be different. Would you prefer the serious, formal essay? Why or why not?

Answer 12

A serious essay would not use informal language, exaggeration, and sentence fragments. It might be more scientific, and it might contain longer, more complex sentences and more difficult words. Students are likely to say that they prefer the humorous, informal essay because it is funny and easy to read while still making a serious point.

Question 13

What does the following passage contribute to the tone of “The Lady and the Spider”?

And goes “AAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!” (That’s a direct quote.) At about the level of a fire engine at full cry.

A. It includes humor as well as an exaggerated comparison.
B. It uses formal language and a complicated sentence structure. C. It includes humor, yet the language is formal and scientific.
D. It uses an exaggerated comparison and formal language.

Answer 13

A. It includes humor as well as an exaggerated comparison.

Question 14

In “The Lady and the Spider,” the author imagines the spider thinking that

A. a human being is trying to kill her.
B. a haystack has destroyed her web.
C. a natural disaster is taking place.
D. a delicious meal has landed in her web.

Answer 14

C. a natural disaster is taking place.

Question 15

In “The Lady and the Spider,” the woman thinks that the spider

A. is a piece of raw, painted meat.
B. is ready for action.
C. has rubber lips and poisonous fangs.
D. is an amazing creature.

Answer 15

C. has rubber lips and poisonous fangs.

Question 16

In “The Lady and the Spider,” Robert Fulghum’s neighbor comes out her front door in the morning. He imagines that she ends up

A. at her aerobics class.
B. at her desk at work.
C. in the shower.
D. in the hospital.

Answer 16

C. in the shower.

Question 17

Which sentence is an opinion?

A. This is my neighbor.
B. She has walked . . . into a spider web.
C. Now a different view of this scene.
D. The neighbor lady will probably strip to the skin.

Answer 17

D. The neighbor lady will probably strip to the skin.

Question 18

Which statement is a fact that can be proved by observation?

A. A woman walks out her front door and into a spider web.
B. A scream can sound like the siren on a fire engine.
C. There are 60,000 to 70,000 spiders per suburban acre.
D. The woman does not care what her neighbor thinks about her.

Answer 18

A. A woman walks out her front door and into a spider web.

Question 19

In “The Lady and the Spider,” Fulghum’s question “What’s the deal here?” is an example of

A. the essay’s use of incorrect grammar.
B. a question with many meanings.
C. the essay’s informal tone.
D. language that is used in business.

Answer 19

C. the essay’s informal tone.

Question 20

Which sentence contains a fact?

A. [It is a] medium gray. . . lady spider.
B. [She is] feeling good.
C. Spiders. Amazing creatures.
D. It’s a little wiser now.

Answer 20

A. [It is a] medium gray. . . lady spider.

Question 21

Which two statements in “The Lady and the Spider” best reflect what the author thinks of spiders?

I. They have a good sense of humor.
II. They do not scare most humans.
III. Their webs are unique and amazing.
IV. They can survive many disasters.

A. I and II
B. I and IV
C. II and III
D. III and IV

Answer 21

D. III and IV

Question 22

In “The Lady and the Spider,” Fulghum uses the song “Eensy, Weensy Spider” to make the point that

A. spiders can survive rainstorms.
B. spiders can teach us an important lesson.
C. it is important to learn songs when we are young.
D. it is important to be kind to all living creatures.

Answer 22

B. spiders can teach us an important lesson.

Question 23

Which statement is a fact that you can prove true or false by checking an encyclopedia?

A. Women fear spiders, whereas men understand them.
B. Spiders have been around for about 350 million years.
C. Human beings and spiders are alike in some ways.
D. Human beings have passed on a song about spiders.

Answer 23

B. Spiders have been around for about 350 million years.

Question 24

In “The Lady and the Spider,” what does Fulghum say that living things have been doing for a long time?

A. They have been surviving disasters, setbacks, and catastrophes.
B. They have been fearing spiders and other kinds of insects.
C. They have been singing songs about spiders and rainstorms.
D. They have been teaching important lessons to their children.

Answer 24

A. They have been surviving disasters, setbacks, and catastrophes.

Question 25

Which is the best definition of an essay’s tone?

A. It is the writer’s central idea, or overall message, about life.
B. It is the point of view from which the writer writes the essay.
C. It is the writer’s attitude toward his or her audience and subject.
D. It is the audience’s attitude toward the writer and his or her subject.

Answer 25

C. It is the writer’s attitude toward his or her audience and subject.

Question 26

The tone of “The Lady and the Spider” may best be described as

A. scary and formal.
B. humorous and informal.
C. friendly and formal.
D. serious and informal.

Answer 26

B. humorous and informal.

Question 27

In an essay, describe the tone of “The Lady and the Spiders,” and name three factors that contribute to it. Then, think of a very different tone, and imagine an essay on peo- ple and spiders written in that tone. How would it differ from Fulghum’s essay? Explain your opinion in your essay, and explain which tone you would prefer.

Answer 27

Recognize that the tone of “The Lady and the Spider” is informal, friendly, and humorous. As contributing factors, point to contractions, slang, exaggeration, and sentence fragments. Show how an essay on the same topic might have a different tone—most likely a formal one—and present valid reasons for preferring one tone or the other.

Question 28

In an essay, analyze two humorous characteristics of Robert Fulghum’s writing. Explain what makes each one funny.

Answer 28

The instance of exaggeration,
the repetition of the woman’s scream, and/or the woman seen from the spider’s point of view. Recognize that the humor is appropriate to the essay’s casual, informal style.