Highlight words and phrases in the dialogue that reflect the historical context of the story.

"I know," Manjiro said. "I'm sorry." He hung his head, but then looked up again. "I hope the barbarians will never find us. May the gods protect us from them!" he cried. Then he plucked up two pieces of driftwood of unequal length. He bowed to his friend, presenting the smooth, worn sticks in both his outstretched hands. "Oh, honored friend," he said, "I present your katana – your long sword."

—Heart of a Samurai,

Margi Preus

Which word indicates that this story takes place in another country?

Which line in the dialogue best indicates that the story does not take place in the present day?

Answer and Explanation:

Highlight words and phrases in the dialogue that reflect the historical context of the story.

"I know," Manjiro said. "I'm sorry." He hung his head, but then looked up again. "I hope the barbarians will never find us. May the gods protect us from them!" he cried. Then he plucked up two pieces of driftwood of unequal length. He bowed to his friend, presenting the smooth, worn sticks in both his outstretched hands. "Oh, honored friend," he said, "I present your katana – your long sword."

Which word indicates that this story takes place in another country?

The word that indicates that this story takes place in another country is "katana". Katana is a type of sword used traditionally by Japanese samurais in feudal Japan. Of course, anyone in the world can buy a katana nowadays for purposes such a collecting them. However, as we can see it is a part of the characters' culture, we can read this excerpt and safely assume the story is most likely set in Japan.

Which line in the dialogue best indicates that the story does not take place in the present day?

I believe the line that shows this story takes place at a different time is: "I hope the barbarians will never find us." "Barbarians" is a word used to refer to any person who is considered uncivilized, as well as for those who are considered evil. When foreign people invaded lands killing and looting, they were often called "barbarians" by those being attacked. This is not a common term anymore. We do not refer to people from other countries as barbarians. This is a sign that this story is set in an older period in history.

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