This page shows questions in the Dorothy public release module at MSDE. 4th Grade ELA
"Dorothy"

Read the passage "The Rescue of the Tin Woodman." Then answer the questions.

The Rescue of the Tin Woodman

from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

by L. Frank Baum

1 When Dorothy awoke the sun was shining through the trees and Toto had long been out chasing birds around him and squirrels. She sat up and looked around her. Scarecrow, still standing patiently in his corner, waiting for her.

2 "We must go and search for water," she said to him.

3 "Why do you want water?" he asked.

4 "To wash my face clean after the dust of the road, and to drink, so the dry bread will not stick in my throat."

5 "It must be inconvenient to be made of flesh," said the Scarecrow thoughtfully, "for you must sleep, and eat and drink. However, you have brains, and it is worth a lot of bother to be able to think properly."

6 They left the cottage and walked through the trees until they found a little spring of clear water, where Dorothy drank and bathed and ate her breakfast. She saw there was not much bread left in the basket, and the girl was thankful the Scarecrow did not have to eat anything, for there was scarcely enough for herself and Toto for the day.

7 When she had finished her meal, and was about to go back to the road of yellow brick, she was startled to hear a deep groan nearby.

8 "What was that?" she asked timidly.

9 "I cannot imagine," replied the Scarecrow; "but we can go and see."

10 Just then another groan reached their ears, and the sound seemed to come from behind them. They turned and walked through the forest a few steps, when Dorothy discovered something shining in a ray of sunshine that fell between the trees. She ran to the place and then stopped short, with a little cry of surprise.

11 One of the big trees had been partly chopped through, and standing beside it, with an uplifted axe in his hands, was a man made entirely of tin. His head and arms and legs were jointed upon his body, but he stood perfectly motionless, as if he could not stir at all.

12 Dorothy looked at him in amazement, and so did the Scarecrow, while Toto barked sharply and made a snap at the tin legs, which hurt his teeth.

13 "Did you groan?" asked Dorothy.

14 "Yes," answered the tin man, "I did. I've been groaning for more than a year, and no one has ever heard me before or come to help me."

15 "What can I do for you?" she inquired softly, for she was moved by the sad voice in which the man spoke.

16 "Get an oil-can and oil my joints," he answered. "They are rusted so badly that I cannot move them at all; if I am well oiled I shall soon be all right again. You will find an oil-can on a shelf in my cottage."

17 Dorothy at once ran back to the cottage and found the oil-can, and then she returned and asked anxiously, "Where are your joints?"

18 "Oil my neck, first," replied the Tin Woodman. So she oiled it, and as it was quite badly rusted the Scarecrow took hold of the tin head and moved it gently from side to side until it worked freely, and then the man could turn it himself.

19 "Now oil the joints in my arms," he said. And Dorothy oiled them and the Scarecrow bent them carefully until they were quite free from rust and as good as new.

20 The Tin Woodman gave a sigh of satisfaction and lowered his axe, which he leaned against the tree.

21 "This is a great comfort," he said. "I have been holding that axe in the air ever since I rusted, and I'm glad to be able to put it down at last. Now, if you will oil the joints of my legs, I shall be all right once more."

22 So they oiled his legs until he could move them freely; and he thanked them again and again for his release, for he seemed a very polite creature, and very grateful.

From THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ—Public Domain

Read the passage "Arriving at Emerald City." Then answer the questions.

Arriving at Emerald City

from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

by L. Frank Baum

1 The next morning, as soon as the sun was up, they started on their way, and soon saw a beautiful green glow in the sky just before them.

2 "That must be the Emerald City," said Dorothy.

3 As they walked on, the green glow became brighter and brighter, and it seemed that at last they were nearing the end of their travels. Yet it was afternoon before they came to the great wall that surrounded the City. It was high and thick and of a bright green color.

4 In front of them, and at the end of the road of yellow brick, was a big gate, all studded with emeralds that glittered so in the sun that even the painted eyes of the Scarecrow were dazzled by their brilliancy.

5 There was a bell beside the gate, and Dorothy pushed the button and heard a silvery tinkle sound within. Then the big gate swung slowly open, and they all passed through and found themselves in a high-arched room, the walls of which glistened with countless emeralds.

6 Before them stood a little man about the same size as the Munchkins. He was clothed all in green, from his head to his feet, and even his skin was of a greenish tint. At his side was a large green box.

7 When he saw Dorothy and her companions, the man asked, "What do you wish in the Emerald City?"

8 "We came here to see the Great Oz," said Dorothy.

9 The man was so surprised at this answer that he sat down to think it over.

10 "It has been many years since anyone asked me to see Oz," he said, shaking his head in perplexity. "He is powerful and terrible, and if you come on an idle or foolish errand to bother the wise reflections of the Great Wizard, he might be angry and destroy you all in an instant."

11 "But it is not a foolish errand, nor an idle one," replied the Scarecrow. "It is important. And we have been told that Oz is a good Wizard."

12 "So he is," said the green man, "and he rules the Emerald City wisely and well. But to those who are not honest, or who approach him from curiosity, he is most terrible, and few have ever dared ask to see his face. I am the Guardian of the Gates, and since you demand to see the Great Oz, I must take you to his Palace. But first you must put on the spectacles."

13 "Why?" asked Dorothy.

14 "Because if you did not wear spectacles the brightness and glory of the Emerald City would blind you. Even those who live in the City must wear spectacles night and day. They are all locked on, for Oz so ordered it when the City was first built, and I have the only key that will unlock them."

15 He opened the big box, and Dorothy saw that it was filled with spectacles of every size and shape. All of them had green glasses in them. The Guardian of the Gates found a pair that would just fit Dorothy and put them over her eyes. There were two golden bands fastened to them that passed around the back of her head, where they were locked together by a little key that was at the end of a chain the Guardian of the Gates wore around his neck. When they were on, Dorothy could not take them off had she wished, but of course she did not wish to be blinded by the glare of the Emerald City, so she said nothing.

16 Then the green man fitted spectacles for the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman and the Lion, and even on little Toto; and all were locked fast with the key.

17 Then the Guardian of the Gates put on his own glasses and told them he was ready to show them to the Palace. Taking a big golden key from a peg on the wall, he opened another gate, and they all followed him through the portal into the streets of the Emerald City.

From THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ—Public Domain

In both "The Rescue of the Tin Woodman" and "Arriving at Emerald City," Dorothy has interesting adventures that reveal her character. Based on her words and actions in both passages, describe two of Dorothy's qualities. Think about the person that Dorothy is. How do those qualities affect her adventures? Support your response with details from both passages.

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