The Crossover

The Crossover

By Lucas Hlavacek

Multiple Choice

According to the speaker in “JB and I,” why is JB more interested in being religious than in playing basketball?

• JB had a spiritual experience at camp.

• JB is not as good a slasher as the speaker is.

• JB is interested in a girl at church.

• JB is trying to please his parents.

Multiple Choice

Near the end of “At the End of Warm-Ups, My Brother Tries to Dunk,” the brothers probably are tempted to laugh because ____________

• they already have been trying hard to make the coach’s advice work

• their teammate Vondie is making fun of the coach as he talks

• the coach does a terrible job of imitating a famous NBA coach

• the advice seems too sentimental for two fierce competitors

Multiple Choice

Which statement best describes the brothers’ father as we see him in the second and third scenes?

• He misses the days when he was a basketball player.

• He has a bond with his sons because of basketball.

• He is not as impressed with his two sons as his wife is.

• He attends his sons’ games only because he must.

Open Ended

Review lines 16–18 of “At the End of Warm-Ups, My Brother Tries to Dunk.” What mental images do these metaphors create and how do they help express what the speaker is feeling?

Open Ended

Think about these three verse novel scenes. What theme do the scenes, taken together, suggest?

Open Ended

In lines 1–2 of “JB and I,” the speaker compares JB and himself to “goals at / opposite ends of the court.” According to lines 3–15, how are the speaker and JB different?