Seventh Grade/Melting Pot

​Seventh Grade/ Melting Pot

​Literary Analysis: Comparing Idioms

An idiom is an expression that cannot be understood by simply putting together the literal word-for-word meaning. Its meaning lies in a common use of the expression, which is often unique to a region or language.

For example, the sentence “This long line is for the birds!” contains an idiom. The phrase “for the birds” doesn’t mean that the line is actually meant to be for birds. Some people use this expression to mean “not desirable” or “not good.”

Multiple Choice

In “Seventh Grade,” why does Victor want to take French as his elective?

• He loves foreign languages, and he wants to please his parents.

• He might travel to France one day, and a girl he likes is in the class.

• It is the only elective that is available by the time he gets to sign up.

• It is a way to avoid having to take mathematics, which he dislikes.

Multiple Choice

In “Seventh Grade,” Victor and Michael discuss “picking grapes in order to buy

their fall clothes.” What does this conversation reveal about their characters?

• They avoid working.

• They are hardworking.

• They think picking grapes is messy.

• They would rather gossip than work.

Multiple Choice

In “Seventh Grade,” how does Victor try to impress Teresa on the first day of

French class?

• He scowls.

• He ignores her.

• He asks her about her summer.

• He pretends he speaks French.

Multiple Choice

In “Seventh Grade,” how does Victor feel about Mr. Bueller after the first

French class?

• Victor is grateful to him.

• Victor is angry with him.

• Victor is embarrassed by him.

• Victor is confused about him.

Multiple Choice

In “Melting Pot,” what kind of neighborhood does the narrator live in?

• a suburban neighborhood

• an upper-class neighborhood

• an ethnically diverse neighborhood

• a warehouse district

Multiple Choice

Why are old-timers in “Melting Pot” angry with the new professionals?

• They think the newcomers are bigots.

• They think they are taking over their town.

• They think they are snobs.

• They think they are too noisy.

Multiple Choice

How did the narrator of “Melting Pot” get to know her neighbors?

• by shopping at the same stores

• by asking them to help her move in

• by holding potluck dinners

• through their children’s friendships

Multiple Choice

How did the narrator of “Melting Pot” feel when the family of rough types

moved away?

• ecstatic

• disappointed

• anxious

• nostalgic

Multiple Choice

What does the narrator of “Melting Pot” like about the Mexican restaurant?

• She loves the food.

• She is friends with the people who eat there.

• It is open all night.

• It replaced a seedy bar.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is an idiomatic expression from “Seventh Grade”?

• He bought a tuna casserole.

• His mind is somewhere else.

• Some of the girls giggled.

• He sat in the back.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following phrases from “Melting Pot” is not an idiom?

• Singles . . . have made the restaurant their second home.

• Sometimes the baby slips out with the bathwater.

• The greengrocer stocks yellow peppers.

• We melt together.

Multiple Choice

What is the intended meaning of the idiom “We live in a pressure cooker” in

the story “Melting Pot”?

• There is a lot of tension among neighbors.

• It is very hot in the neighborhood.

• The neighbors live in airtight metal containers used for cooking.

• There is a lot of pressure to be successful.

Multiple Choice

In which situation would Victor be most likely to scowl?

• He sees his friend Michael for the first time since last spring.

• He learns that the French class Teresa has signed up for is full.

• He realizes that math class is not as difficult as he had expected.

• He fools Teresa into believing that he can speak some French.

Multiple Choice

The narrator of “Melting Pot” describes her neighbors as fluent in their native

and adopted languages. How would they most likely speak?

• They speak haltingly.

• They make a lot of mistakes.

• They speak smoothly.

• They know very few words.

Multiple Choice

Which subject would be considered an elective in “Seventh Grade”?

• sculpture

• science

• math

• English