"The Million Pound Bank Note" by Mark Twain
How do decide whether someone is trustworthy if you don't already know them?
Why do we trust people with money more than people without money?
Do actor/sports star/celebrity endorsements work? Why do corporations spend millions on them then?
Vocabulary.
lark (not the bird), rebuke, eccentric, notoriety, ad-lib, discreet, judicious, benefactor, congenial
  1. Please be ___________ about keeping this very important secret.
  2. He hadn't properly prepared, and had to ________ his speech.
  3. My mom ________(ed) me for coming home late.
  4. Please make __________ use of the last of our supplies; we can't get any more.
  5. Some unknown __________ gave the school a million dollar gift.
  6. Amy was very ___________; in fact she won that award in the beauty pangeant.
  7. Because of his _________, he couldn't travel anywhere without being noticed.
  8. He was an _________ man, brilliant, but weird.
  9. It was just a _______that we went to the beach.
More Vocabulary Practice
  1. The teacher _________(ed) me for chewing gum in class.
  2. (2) The restaurant owner thought that Henry Adams was some __________ millionaire who dressed in rags as a _______.
  3. Henry didn't know whether to think of the brothers who "gave" him the money as ___________(s) or pranksters.
  4. The million pound bill gave Henry __________ all over London; he even got his picture on the cover of a magazine.
  5. Whose Line Is It Anyway is a TV show all about __________(ing); there is no script, and the actors have to make it up as they go along.
  6. Everybody's attitude toward Henry turned from surly to __________ once they saw the bank note.
  7. Henry was very _________ in his use of the bank note; he was very savvy.
  8. It wasn't very _______ to talk to a reporter before the deal went through.
  9. "What if I lost the bet for my nameless _______? What if he failed to give me a position?"
Quiz.
  1. What's the real reason Henry doesn't want to go to London with Hastings?  a) He hates London.  b) He thinks Hastins' business venture would fail.  c) He thought he would lose his job.  d) His wife won't let him go.
  2. How does he end up in London anyway?
  3. The play's rising action begins when...a) Henry shows up in London anyway.  b) the brothers call him into their house.  c) Henry sees that there is money in the envelope.  d) Mr. Hawkins doesn't make Henry pay for his meal.
  4. A "situation" or "position" in this story means a __________.
  5. (QUOTE) When Mr. Smedley sees the bank note, show how he tries to imply that millionaires shop at his store all the time.
  6. Henry's inability to spend the bank note is part of the... a) exposition.  b) rising action.  c) conflict.  d) climax.  e) resolution.
  7. (QUOTE) How does Henry help Hastings?
  8. The part of the story when Hastings asks Henry for money is part of the... a) exposition.  b) rising action.  c) conflict.  d) climax.  e) resolution.
  9. The brothers say that they decided to use Henry for the bet after talking to him, but they also say that something else really sealed the deal. What?
  10. The part of the story when Henry reveals that he now has 200,000 pounds in the bank is called the... a) exposition.  b) rising action.  c) conflict.  d) climax.  e) resolution.
  11. The part of the story when Portia agrees to marry Henry is called the... a) exposition.  b) rising action.  c) conflict.  d) climax.  e) resolution.
  12. At the end, Henry says that he "got the article for only about a tenth part of its value." What is the "article"?
    [Read the poem after the story ("We Alone" p279), and answer the rest of the questions.]
  13. Walker's point about the value of gold in the first sentence is...a) that gold is valuable because of what it is.  b) that gold is only valuable because we have decided it is.  c) that money is the most important thing. d) that we shouldn't care about gold.
  14. What does she mean by the line "wherever there is gold there is a chain"?  a) We make gold chains for jewelry.  b) That gold "chains" us all together.  c) There is a price to be paid for valuing gold too much.  d) Gold is strong.
  15. How does this poem connect to the story of The Million Pound Bank Note?  a) Henry values gold.  b) Everyone suddenly decides that Henry is valuable when he has the bank note, so he becomes valuable; just like gold.  c) Having the bank note made Henry rich, like gold.  d) Henry is so good, he's like gold.