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By the Waters of Babylon

$1.00

  • 2 pages total

  • 3 differentiated practice exercises

  • 1 answer key page

  • 2 pages total

  • 3 differentiated practice exercises

  • 1 answer key page

“The old gods are dead, but the new god is stronger.”
— By the Waters of Babylon, Stephen Vincent Benét

This Grade 9 literature worksheet is based on By the Waters of Babylon by Stephen Vincent Benét and focuses on reading comprehension, inference, symbolism, and theme analysis. Aligned with CCSS, CEFR, and Cambridge English standards, the worksheet guides students from literal understanding to higher-order literary analysis through differentiated activities: Try This, Challenge Yourself, and Push Your Limits. Students analyze character development, setting, symbolism, and the author’s message about knowledge and civilization. A complete answer key is included, making the worksheet suitable for classroom instruction, homework, or independent study.

Additional Info:

  1. Text type: Short story

  2. Difficulty Level: Medium to Difficult

  3. Grade Level: Grade 9 

  4. Skill Focus: This worksheet develops reading comprehension, inference, theme analysis, and author’s craft, with a focus on understanding how setting, symbolism, and point of view shape meaning in a post-apocalyptic text.

  5. Standards Alignment

CCSS (Grades 9–10):

  • RL.9-10.1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis.

  • RL.9-10.2: Determine a theme or central idea and analyze its development.

  • RL.9-10.4: Analyze the cumulative impact of word choice and symbolism.

CEFR:

  • B1+–B2 (Reading): Can understand texts expressing viewpoints, symbolism, and implicit meaning.

Cambridge English:

  • Reading for Meaning & Interpretation – Identifying attitudes, opinions, and deeper meaning in literary texts.

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