"The Wife's Story" by Ursula K. Le Guin Close Reading Worksheet

Support the development of close reading analysis skills for high school with this worksheet composed of challenging questions to complement "The Wife's Story" by Ursula K. Le Guin. Delivered in printable Word Document and PDF formats, this resource helps teachers save valuable time at home without sacrificing rigor in the classroom. A detailed answer key is included. By completing this exercise, students will:

• Identify what the text states explicitly as well as implicitly

• Apply knowledge of anaphora to the text

• Articulate how anaphora contributes to the narrator's characterization

• Analyze the narrator's statements to infer details about her husband

• Discern meaning in less familiar words and phrases, taking into consideration the context of the passage

• Analyze an excerpt to discern tone in context

• Analyze an excerpt to discern and articulate the narrator's internal conflict

• Apply knowledge of simile to the text

• Articulate the significance of the narrator's "grief howl"

• Analyze character statements and actions to discern and articulate character motivations

• Analyze the term "blessed dark" to discern and articulate what it conveys about the narrator's mindset

• Cite and explain textual details that evoke a sense of sympathy within readers

• Revisit the text to identify details that foreshadow the major revelation near the story's conclusion

• Analyze the author's craft to explain how language contributes to the major revelation near the story's conclusion

• Write with clarity and precision