A Chance to Learn

A CHANCE TO LEARN

“Are you the lady that lets boys go to school?” asked a timid boy who came into the office of Miss Mary F. Mackie when she was busy reading her papers. Miss Mackie was startled. She looked him over and said, “Yes, I let boys go to school – when we have room for them. But just now the school is full.”

The boy’s brow wrinkled and his eyes grew troubled. Why, he had come five hundred miles! He had planned and dreamed and saved for months.

Multiple Choice

What was the boy’s purpose for visiting Miss Mary F. Mackie's office?

• To complain about the school.

• To ask for a scholarship.

• To find out if he could attend the school.

• To deliver a message.

Multiple Choice

How did Miss Mackie react when the boy asked his question?

• She ignored him.

• She was startled and then examined him.

• She immediately said no.

• She laughed at his request.

Multiple Choice

What reason did Miss Mackie give for not allowing the boy to attend the school?

• The boy was too young.

• The school was currently full.

• The boy didn’t have enough money.

• The boy didn’t have a recommendation letter.

Multiple Choice

How did the boy feel after hearing Miss Mackie's response?

• Relieved

• Happy

• Troubled

• Excited

“I – I don’t understand,” he said.

The lady forced a smile. “I’m sorry, lad, I’m really very sorry. But we can’t take you. We don’t have room for you.”

Slowly the full meaning of what she was saying came to him. He started away. At the door he stopped. Eyes filled with tears, but lighted by new hope, he turned back.

Multiple Choice

What was the boy's initial reaction when the lady said they couldn’t take him?

• He was happy.

• He was confused and didn’t understand.

• He was angry.

• He was indifferent.

Multiple Choice

How did the lady feel about not being able to accept the boy?

• She was indifferent.

• She was happy.

• She was very sorry.

• She was frustrated.

Multiple Choice

What was the boy’s emotional state as he turned back at the door?

• He was angry but determined.

• He was sad but filled with new hope.

• He was joyful and carefree.

• He was indifferent.

“Couldn’t I sleep on the floor in the hall?” he begged. “I’m a good hand. Honest, ma’am, I’ll work hard, I really will! And I won’t eat much. Please let me! Please!”

Miss Mackie rose. “I believe you mean what you say,” she said. She opened the door of a small classroom that was next to her office.

“Come here,” she said. She pointed to a broom that stood in the corner.“Take this and let me see how well you can clean up this room. While you are working, I will go and talk with Mr. Armstrong about you.”

Multiple Choice

What did the boy offer to do to be allowed to stay at the school?

• He offered to clean the classrooms.

• He offered to sleep in the hall and work hard.

• He offered to help other students.

• He offered to pay for his stay.

Multiple Choice

How did Miss Mackie initially respond to the boy's plea?

• She refused him immediately.

• She asked him to leave the office.

• She decided to test his sincerity.

• She called Mr. Armstrong right away.

Multiple Choice

What task did Miss Mackie assign to the boy?

• To sweep and clean the classroom.

• To take care of the garden.

• To arrange the books on the shelf.

• To fetch water from the well.

Multiple Choice

What did Miss Mackie plan to do while the boy was cleaning the room?

• She planned to call his parents.

• She planned to check on other students.

• She planned to talk with Mr. Armstrong about the boy.

• She planned to supervise him closely.

The boy’s heart leaped with joy, for this was something that he knew about. Back home he had worked for a rich lady. He had swept and mopped and dusted many times.

Eagerly he set to work. How he made the dust fly! Then he moved everything he could lift and swept the room a second time. Just to make sure of getting it clean, he swept it once more. Then he took a ragged shirt from his little bundle. Carefully he dusted the furniture.

Multiple Choice

Why was the boy joyful when Miss Mackie asked him to clean the room?

• He loved cleaning.

• He was happy to be indoors.

• He had experience doing similar work before.

• He thought it was an easy task.

Multiple Choice

How did the boy approach the task of cleaning the room?

• He worked slowly and carefully.

• He cleaned the room only once.

• He was eager and worked with enthusiasm.

• He asked someone else to help him.

Multiple Choice

What did the boy use to dust the furniture?

• A new cloth provided by Miss Mackie.

• A broom.

• A ragged shirt from his bundle.

• A piece of paper.

Multiple Choice

How many times did the boy sweep the room?

• One time

• Two times

• Three times

• Four times

He had finished when Miss Mackie returned. Without a word she examined

the classroom. She moved several chairs and looked carefully in all the corners.

Then, as the boy held his breath, she took a fresh white handkerchief and

rubbed it over some of the woodwork.

At last she smiled and said, “I guess you will do to enter this school!”

Multiple Choice

What did Miss Mackie do when she returned to the classroom?

• She immediately praised the boy.

• She started rearranging the furniture.

• She carefully examined the cleanliness of the room.

• She asked the boy to leave.

Multiple Choice

How did Miss Mackie check if the room was clean?

• She asked the boy if he had finished cleaning.

• She used a fresh white handkerchief to rub over some of the woodwork.

• She swept the room herself.

• She looked at the floor.

Multiple Choice

What was Miss Mackie's final decision after inspecting the classroom?

• She asked the boy to clean again.

• She told the boy he wasn’t ready for the school.

• She decided that the boy could enter the school.

• She left the room without saying anything.

Multiple Choice

How did the boy feel while Miss Mackie was inspecting the room?

• He was excited.

• He was calm.

• He held his breath, likely feeling nervous.

• He was indifferent.

Half crying now from joy, the boy tried to thank her. She explained that Mr. Armstrong had consented to let him enter on condition that he served as janitor of the school. That night the boy was too happy to sleep. For the first time in his life, he was lying between clean fresh sheets. He had taken a bath, with hot water and real soap. At supper he had eaten all the food he wanted. And the table had been covered with a cloth!!

Multiple Choice

What condition did Mr. Armstrong set for the boy to enter the school?

• He must pay a fee.

• He must serve as janitor.

• He must help other students with their homework.

• He must bring his own bedding.

Multiple Choice

Why was the boy too happy to sleep that night?

• He had received a gift.

• He had met new friends.

• He was experiencing comfort he had never known before.

• He had completed his homework.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following was NOT mentioned as something the boy experienced for the first time?

• Lying between clean sheets

• Taking a bath with hot water and soap

• Eating as much food as he wanted

• Attending a school lesson

Multiple Choice

How did the boy feel when trying to thank her?

• Indifferent

• Angry

• Joyful

• Sad

This boy was Booker T. Washington, and the year was 1872. He had come through a childhood that might easily have broken his spirit and crushed his ambition forever. Born a slave, a Negro, the humblest of the humble, this boy later became one of the most influential Americans in the United States of America.

Multiple Choice

In what year did the events described in the text take place?

• 1776

• 1865

• 1872

• 1901

Multiple Choice

What challenges did Booker T. Washington face during his childhood?

• Lack of education

• Being born into wealth

• Growing up as a slave

• Moving frequently

Multiple Choice

How is Booker T. Washington described in the passage?

• A wealthy landowner

• A famous artist

• An ordinary citizen

• The humblest of the humble