The Art Lesson

Tommy's cousins, who were in art school, told him to ________________. 

• erase, erase, erase
• practice, practice, practice 
• read every book he could about art 
• forget about becoming an artist 

Why didn't Tommy like painting in kindergarten? 

• All the students had to share the three paintbrushes. 
• The teacher made the students do the same painting many times. 
• The children all had to wear silly paint smocks. 
• The paints didn't stick to the paper very well, and they cracked. 

What did Tommy's parents give him for his birthday after school began? 

• a box of sixty-four Crayola crayons 
• an artist's sketch pad 
• tickets to an art gallery opening 
• every color of Play-Doh that was made

During the art lessons in first grade, every student received __________________. 

• an "A" in the class, just for trying 
• just one color of crayon 
• his or her box of chalk to keep 
• only one piece of paper 

Tommy told the art teacher that real artists don't ______________. 

• smile 
• copy 
• use color
• practice 

Why did the author write the art lesson? 

• to explain how to draw a Pilgrim man 
• to describe what happened to him as a boy 
• to ask people to draw more 
• to tell his feelings 

What clues in the story tell you that the author's family is important to him? 

• The author writes about his mom, dad, brother, cousins, and grandparents.
• The author writes about drawing on the walls. 
• The author writes about his birthday presents. 
• The author writes about drawing on the sheets. 

"And remember, don't ruin it, because it is the only piece you'll get." 
In the sentence above, what does ruin mean? 

• to make bigger
• to clean up
• to lose something 
• to hurt or spoil 

I always pit on a smock before I paint. What is a smock? 

• a kind of shirt worn over clothes to protect them 
• a kind of covering for shoes 
• a kind of smile, like a grin 
• a kind of thick coat to keep from getting cold

Tommy's twin cousins told him not to copy. What does copy mean? 

• to do your best work 
• to make one thing like another
• to play a game with your friend 
• to complete your work on time