1. pavel stood in the dim light of steerage, the lowest section of the boat. it was a foul place, filled with the stench of his fellow passengers, who hadn’t been able to bathe since boarding the ship two weeks ago. his only escape came from the words of a letter, long memorized now, from his uncle. the letter contained no information about the difficulty of the journey—only praise for the destination. pavel wasn’t sure whether to curse his uncle for this omission or him for the descriptions that transported him from this dank vessel.

2. uncle john, who had changed his name from johannes after starting his new life in america, had written about the expansive skies, clean air, and endless available farmland in texas. “we have named our town praha, in honor of our own capital,” the letter said. “a strong young man such as you could grow rich working a nice piece of land. you would never have such an opportunity in bohemia.”

3. pavel envied the passengers in the decks above him. the price of their tickets meant that they could sleep in a bunk bed and eat at a table. but pavel had chosen to do without these comforts and save what little money he had in order to buy land in his new country.

4. among the unpleasant odors that filled his nostrils, pavel could just detect the smell of soup, now being served. from his uncle’s letter he recited silently to himself. “we had the most pleasant feast last evening. we ate smoked sausage and pickled cabbage. i played polkas on my accordion so

that we could dance after a hard week’s work. one young woman, ilona, never tires of dancing. i told her about my nephew pavel. she is eager to dance with you.”

5. as pavel imagined the delicious sausage, his stomach began to rumble. of course, the soup served here contained no sausage. still, it would offer a bit of nourishment. but when he saw the throng of people between himself and the soup pot, he despaired of reaching it before the pot was empty. a young girl beside him seemed to have come to the same conclusion. miklos, a giant of a man with a big belly, stood before the soup pot as if guarding it.

6. trying to maintain his balance as the boat suddenly lurched, pavel moved toward the soup pot. pavel’s progress was thwarted by miklos, who blocked his way.

7.“pardon me,” pavel said, hoping miklos would stand aside so he could get some soup.

8. miklos looked down at pavel with scornful amusement. “pardon you? ” he bellowed. and as if he were disposing of a sack of potatoes, miklos hoisted pavel by his trousers and deposited him on the other side of the ship.

9. pavel was enraged. but he knew that a confrontation with miklos would be pointless—like a sparrow attacking a vulture. then pavel had an idea. he began singing “beautiful america,” a song known by most of the passengers. soon other voices joined his. some even began to dance in the confined space. pavel then joined hands with the young girl and danced with her toward the soup pot.

10. as pavel ladled soup into his bowl, he thought of the closing lines of uncle john’s letter. “although you have a long way to go, keep a smile on your face and a song in your heart. a beautiful life can be yours.”

1.) in paragraph 1, which words does the author use to create a gloomy mood?

a) dim, stench

b) lowest, vessel

c) boat, section

d) letter, curse

2.) whyistheletter important to this story?

a) it shows that pavel’s countrymen have renamed their town.

b) it suggests that pavel has family members who love him.

c) it tells how pavel’s uncle managed to acquire new land.

d) it explains pavel’s motivation for enduring the journey.

3.) pavel’s interaction with miklos contributes to the plot by—

a) causing pavel to use a different strategy to get some soup

b) showing how much smaller pavel is compared with miklos

c) highlighting why miklos is rude to pavel

d) indicating where miklos is standing when pavel begins to sing a song

4.) which of these best describes pavel’s internal conflict in the story?

a) he is unhappy about the cost of his ticket.

b) a man places him on the other side of the ship.

c) a man stands between him and the soup pot.

d) he is not prepared for the misery of the voyage to america.