The Fly

What does the word flustered mean in paragraph 12?

• Irritated
• Greedy
• Suspicious
• Sly

In Scene 1, the dialogue between the boy and the banker reveals that the boy —

• does not understand why the banker is visiting
• enjoys talking with the banker
• refuses to respond to the banker’s questions
• does not feel threatened by the banker

Read the following line from Scene 3 of the play.
NARRATOR: The boy’s parents know that their son is honest, so they have gone to court to let a mandarin decide what to do.
What is ironic about the parents’ belief that their son is honest?

• The boy realizes that the witness is unable to talk about the agreement.
• The boy does not want to reveal to the banker where his parents are.
• The boy explains that the banker said he would not collect the money owed.
• The boy lies in court in order to get the banker to tell the truth.

The playwright uses the stage directions at the end of Scene 1 to hint that —

• the banker cannot be trusted
• the boy is tired of playing
• the witness is not reliable
• the boy’s parents will be home soon

In paragraph 20, the word waver means to —

• tease
• be unhappy
• hesitate
• be humble

Paragraph 30 is important to the play because it shows that the banker —

• often forgets about agreements he has made
• has no intention of forgiving the family’s debt
• s still upset about the boy’s responses to his questions
• has an important job in the village

Which of the following lines does the playwright include to show that the boy is clever?

•  BOY: My mother has gone to the market to sell fans so that she can buy oil for our lamps. Isn’t that what you would call selling the wind to buy the moon?
•  BOY: It’s true. He promised.
• BOY: I do have a witness, Your Honor
• BOY: [Appearing in the doorway.] No! You don’t owe him. He promised me he would forget about the debt.

Read these lines from paragraph 5.
NARRATOR: [Noticing the Banker.] Oh, here comes trouble. I’m going to get out of his way. [Exits.]
The playwright includes these lines to suggest that —

• other characters have a negative view of the banker
• the narrator is cowardly
• the banker and the boy will disagree
• the banker is in a rush