"Greyling" by Jane Yolen

Why does Greyling pull free from his mother's arms and dive off the cliff?

• He is tired of his mother's worrying.
• He wants to show the townspeople that he's not a coward.
• He's already becoming a seal and he doesn't want his mother to see.
• He wants to save his father.

Which pair of words best describes the townspeople?

• enthusiastic and helpful
• uninvolved and afraid
• kindly and energetic
• friendly and talkative

Which sentence best describes the fisherman's feelings at the end of the story?

• He feels he will never get over his grief.
• He is more worried about his wife than himself.
• He is angry at the townspeople.
• He misses his son, but accepts Greyling's decision.

Which of the following best describes Greyling's internal conflict while growing up with his parents?

• Greyling is very lonely, but he doesn't want his parents to know.
• Greyling is drawn to the sea, but he doesn't understand why.
• Greyling would like to swim, but he's afraid to jump from the cliff.
• Greyling wants to forget his past life as a selchie, but he can't.

Choose the statement that best explains why the fisherman wrapped the seal in his shirt and hurried home to his wife.

• He was afraid someone would try to claim the seal.
• He was tired of fishing that day.
• He thought his wife would want to keep the seal in place of a child.
• The fisherman had a feeling the seal was a selchie.

The fisherman's wife's conflict about Greyling returning to the sea is resolved . . .

• when Greyling returns to them forever
• when she thinks Greyling has drowned
• when she sees how determined Greyling is to rescue his father
• when she realizes that Greyling, being part seal, will be happied in the sea.

Once a year, when Greyling visits the waters near the hut of the fisherman and his wife,

• they cry and tell him how much they miss him
• Greyling feels the desire to become human again
• Greyling watches his parents, but they don't know he's there
• Greyling tells his parents about his adventures

Which of the following details best helps you predict that the townspeople will refuse to rescue the drowning fisherman?

• It is the worst storm the townspeople have ever seen.
• The townspeople gather to watch the storm on a very steep cliff.
• The townspeople ignore the repeated pleas of the fisherman's wife.
• The fisherman's boat is far from shore.

Which of the following best summarizes what the fisherman and his wife learn at the end of this story?

• Parents need to keep a closer watch on their children.
• Sometimes you need to let go of someone you love.
• Those who upset the balance of nature are punished.
• To have friends, you must be a friend.

Which of the following best explains the conflict between the fisherman's wife and the townspeople?

• They think her son is strange.
• They refuse to help her husband.
• They live in town and she lives on the shore.
• The sea storm has destroyed the family's hut.