Question 1

What do the details in paragraphs 5 through 9 mainly reveal about Kareem?

Accepted Answer

He desires to learn more about his heritage.

Answer

He enjoys playing competitive games.

Answer

He wishes to visit more museums.

Answer

He prefers listening to jazz music.

Question 2

Which quotation best represents the idea that the opinion of classmates can have a major effect on teenagers?

Accepted Answer

“As a card-carrying Good Boy, I wanted to meet adults’ expectations and get their praise, but as a Regular Kid, I wanted to be like my peers and get their friendship. . . .” (paragraph 1)

Answer

“And back and forth we’d go, trying to one-up the other in a cultural heritage version of rock, paper, scissors.” (paragraph 9)

Answer

“Weekends, I hung out with my only close friend left in the projects, Norbert.” (paragraph 5)

Answer

“Size implies maturity. Yes, I was the size of an adult (actually, bigger than most!), but I was still just a kid.” (paragraph 1)

Question 3

Which statement best describes the importance of Norbert in Kareem’s life?

Accepted Answer

“. . . I had a friend in whom I could confide any thought or feeling, knowing he would never make fun of me.” (paragraph 9)

Answer

“And back and forth we’d go, trying to one-up the other in a cultural heritage version of rock, paper, scissors.” (paragraph 9)

Answer

“We would shut ourselves in my room to play chess and talk about our plans for the future.” (paragraph 5)

Answer

“. . . both of us had started to take an interest in finding out more about our ethnic origins.” (paragraph 6)

Question 4

In paragraph 10, what does Kareem mean when he says, “I didn’t have an aggressive nature”?

Accepted Answer

He believes he needs to change the way he plays basketball.

Answer

He discovers the other players know more ways to score in basketball.

Answer

He understands he may not be a strong player because of his age.

Answer

He realizes he needs to practice more if he wants to improve as a player.

Question 5

What does paragraph 14 show about the relationship between Kareem and Coach Donahue?

Accepted Answer

Kareem is beginning to understand and appreciate Coach Donahue’s personality.

Answer

Kareem expected Coach Donahue’s decision to have him play varsity.

Answer

Kareem is worried that Coach Donahue is disappointed by his performance as a player.

Answer

Kareem and Coach Donahue understand the importance of studying.

Question 6

Which quotation best expresses a central idea in the article?

Accepted Answer

“My refuge from the explosive turmoil outside, and the implosive turmoil I had started to feel inside, was basketball.” (paragraph 4)

Answer

“I hurried away on a mission to tell anyone who would listen that I would be playing varsity that afternoon.” (paragraph 15)

Answer

“We even took the subway to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to find out more about Filipino and African cultures.” (paragraph 9)

Answer

“The scary thing about being so tall when you’re so young is that people automatically treat you as if you’re older.” (paragraph 1)

Question 7

How is Kareem and Norbert’s friendship developed in the article?

Accepted Answer

The authors describe the various interests that Kareem and Norbert have.

Answer

The authors present a problem Kareem and Norbert encounter and describe how they solve it.

Answer

The authors compare and contrast the friendship of Kareem and Norbert to the friendships of other students.

Answer

The authors use cause and effect to describe how Kareem and Norbert became friends.

Question 8

How do lines 1 through 8 develop the speaker’s point of view?

Accepted Answer

by showing how the speaker knows the reason for feeling discontented

Answer

by explaining why the speaker moved away from the sea

Answer

by suggesting the speaker is happiest when moving from place to place

Answer

by revealing why the speaker dislikes being around people

Question 9

How do lines 1 through 16 (the first two stanzas) contribute to the structure of the poem?

Accepted Answer

They contrast the speaker’s experiences and feelings about living in different places.

Answer

They show the causes and effects of the speaker deciding to live in a different place.

Answer

They introduce the conflict the speaker feels about her opportunities in different places.

Answer

They compare phases in the speaker’s life when she wanted to be in a different place.

Question 10

The repetition of the phrase “once again” in lines 19, 23, 25, and 27 affects the meaning of the poem by

Accepted Answer

emphasizing how strongly the speaker wishes to return to the sea

Answer

indicating the main places the speaker wishes to revisit

Answer

illustrating some of the speaker’s most cherished memories

Answer

revealing the speaker’s concern about some features of the sea

Question 11

Which lines best support a theme of the poem?

Accepted Answer

“Searching my heart for its true sorrow, / This is the thing I find to be: / That I am weary of words and people, / Sick of the city, wanting the sea;” (lines 1–4)

Answer

“If I could see the weedy mussels / Crusting the wrecked and rotting hulls, / Hear once again the hungry crying / Overhead, of the wheeling gulls.” (lines 21–24)

Answer

“If I could hear the green piles groaning / Under the windy, wooden piers, / See once again the bobbing barrels, / And the black sticks that fence the weirs;” (lines 17–20)

Answer

“Feel once again the shanty straining / Under the turning of the tide, / Fear once again the rising freshet, / Dread the bell in the fog outside,” (lines 25–28)

Question 12

Which phrase best states the speaker’s problem in the poem?

Accepted Answer

“I am too long away from the water;” (line 35)

Answer

“Wanting the loud sound and the soft sound” (line 7)

Answer

“Crusting the wrecked and rotting hulls,” (line 22)

Answer

“Fear once again the rising freshet,” (line 27)

Question 13

How does paragraph 4 develop a theme in the story?

Accepted Answer

by showing the value of music in the mother’s life

Answer

by explaining the importance of the concert for the mother

Answer

by identifying the mother’s opinion about Haydn

Answer

by describing the crates where the mother keeps her music

Question 14

Which quotation shows a change in the direction of the story?

Accepted Answer

“When Josh was five, he discovered the cello.” (paragraph 4)

Answer

“. . . she landed in Takoma Park, at Ahimsa House.” (paragraph 2)

Answer

“But he loved hearing stories about the people who lived there.” (paragraph 3)

Answer

“The next day, Mom signed him up for cello lessons . . .” (paragraph 5)

Question 15

In paragraph 6, how does the narrator’s question to Josh affect the resolution of the story?

Accepted Answer

by giving Josh an opportunity to express his feelings

Answer

by letting the narrator share a memory with her brother

Answer

by revealing how Josh has grown in his ability to play the cello

Answer

by allowing the narrator to make dinner while her brother is occupied

Question 16

In paragraph 8, the word “wilted” most likely means that Josh is

Accepted Answer

sad

Answer

tired

Answer

confused

Answer

frustrated

Question 17

People often use food as a way to create a sense of community. Which phrase from the story best supports this idea?

Accepted Answer

“Everyone took turns cooking” (paragraph 1)

Answer

“when Mom served chai lattes at the Sunflower Café” (paragraph 3)

Answer

“Cottage Cheese Contraption, invented by an old woman” (paragraph 2)

Answer

“fried it all into a delicious hot mush, while Josh ‘talked’ to me” (paragraph 9)

Question 18

In paragraph 9, why is the word “talked” in quotation marks?

Accepted Answer

Josh communicates with the narrator by using the cello as his voice.

Answer

Josh does not wish to have a discussion with the narrator.

Answer

Josh does not want the narrator to share his feelings with their mother.

Answer

Josh only pretends to communicate with the narrator.

Question 19

How does the author best develop the narrator’s point of view in the story?

Accepted Answer

by sharing the narrator’s memories

Answer

through the narrator’s dialogue

Answer

through the narrator’s reactions to events

Answer

by describing the narrator’s opinions

Question 20

Which word best defines the phrase “family myth” in paragraph 1?

Accepted Answer

fantasy

Answer

background

Answer

knowledge

Answer

promise

Question 21

What does the word “footnote” mean as it is used in paragraph 2?

Accepted Answer

a small but important role

Answer

a reference to an idea

Answer

an explanation or definition of an event

Answer

an accomplishment of a goal

Question 22

How does paragraph 3 contribute to the organization of the article?

Accepted Answer

It foreshadows that Liz Bedell and her family will be surprised by the truth.

Answer

It introduces the distrust that existed in Liz Bedell’s family.

Answer

It shows how little Liz Bedell knew about her past.

Answer

It establishes the position Liz Bedell’s grandfather had in the family.

Question 23

How does paragraph 10 contribute to the development of a central idea in the article?

Accepted Answer

by revealing the effect of Liz Bedell’s grandfather’s influence on her

Answer

by demonstrating Liz Bedell’s experience in different states

Answer

by showing how Liz Bedell chose to honor her great-great aunt’s legacy

Answer

by identifying important people that Liz Bedell knows

Question 24

In paragraph 12, Grace Bedell supports her argument that Lincoln should grow a beard. Which statement does not support the argument?

Accepted Answer

“I have got 4 brother’s and part of them will vote for you any way . . .”

Answer

“All the ladies like whiskers and they would tease their husband’s to vote for you . . .

Answer

“. . . if you will let your whiskers grow I will try and get the rest of them to vote for you . . .”

Answer

“. . . you would look a great deal better for your face is so thin . . .”

Question 25

In paragraph 15, what does the word “flustered” suggest?

Accepted Answer

Receiving a kiss from Abraham Lincoln made Grace Bedell nervous.

Answer

Grace Bedell lost interest in the candidate by the time of the meeting.

Answer

Meeting Abraham Lincoln was worrisome for Grace Bedell.

Answer

Grace Bedell became shy around the large crowd.

Question 26

Which quotation best reveals the author’s purpose for writing the article?

Accepted Answer

“. . . she dismissed as ‘family myth’ a story her grandfather often told about his Aunt Grace Bedell.” (paragraph 1)

Answer

“Her grandfather encouraged her to pursue a lifelong interest in politics.” (paragraph 8)

Answer

“He explained that this Lincoln exhibition was the first time, to his knowledge, that the two letters had been displayed together.” (paragraph 16)

Answer

“As to the whiskers, having never worn any, do you not think people would call it a piece of silly affectation . . . ?” (paragraph 14)

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