The Jacket by Gary Soto

What does Mr.Soto mean by his clothes having “failed” him?

"My clothes have failed me."

• they tore apart

• they didn't pass a test

• they didn't do what he wanted them to do

• they caught fire and were a fire hazard

2. What are the first two Details that Mr. Soto remembers about this jacket?

"I remember the green coat that I wore in fifth and sixth grade when you either danced like a champ or pressed yourself against a greasy wall, bitter as a penny toward the happy couples.

When I needed a new jacket and my mother asked what kind I wanted, I described something like bikers wear: black leather and silver studs, with enough belts to hold down a

small town. We were in the kitchen, steam on the windows from her cooking. She listened so long while stirring dinner that I thought she understood for sure the kind I wanted. The next day when I got home from school, I discovered draped on my bedpost a jacket the color of day-old guacamole. I threw my books on the bed and approached the jacket slowly, as if it were a stranger whose hand I had to shake. I touched the vinyl sleeve, the collar, and peeked

at the mustard-colored lining. "

• A. color and size

• B. color and price

• C. when he wore it and its size

• D. when he wore it and its color

4. What word choice best shows Mr. Soto’s view of the jacket going from bad to worse?

• A. so big

• B. so ugly

• C. enemy

• D. thinking

5. By “doing something natural,” Mr. Soto means that he is imagining himself where?

"I zipped it up and down several times, and rolled the cuffs up so they didn’t cover my hands. I put my hands in the pockets and flapped the jacket like a bird’s wings. I stood in front of the mirror, full face, then profile, and then looked over my shoulder as if someone had called me. I sat on the bed, stood against the bed, and combed my hair to see what I would look like doing something natural."

• A. in public

• B. in private

6. Why did Mr. Soto throw the jacket onto “my brother’s bed”?

"I threw it on my brother’s bed and looked at it for a long time before I slipped it on and went out to the backyard, smiling a “thank you” to my mom as I passed her in the kitchen."

• A. he saw a spider on it

• B. he was trying to throw it out the window

• C. he noticed another tear in one sleeve

• D. he was really wishing that Mom had bought the jacket for his brother

10. Why does Gary sit “with the lights out”?

"Dumb dog, I thought, and pushed him away hard when he tried to bite again. I got up from my knees and went to my bedroom to sit with my jacket on my lap, with the lights out."

• A. it was past his bedtime

• B. he couldn’t stand seeing himself in the jacket

• C. his mother ordered him to turn the lights out

• D. he was exhausted and trying to fall asleep

11. Which word is the best example of using specific word choice?

• A. kickball

• B. walking

• C. Finally

• D. paraded

13. What is “that thing” in paragraph nine?

" wore that thing for three years until the sleeves grew short and my forearms stuck out like necks of turtles."

• A. the jacket’s left sleeve

• B. the jacket’s right sleeve

• C. the jacket

15. Using Context Clues, what does “palsied” mean in paragraph 10?

"I finally Scotchtaped it closed, but in rain or cold weather the tape peeled off like a scab and more stuffing fell out until that sleeve shriveled into a palsied arm. That winter the elbows began to crack and whole chunks of green began to fall off."

• A. moving around quickly

• B. moving around slowly

• C. without movement

17. What is the jacket a symbol/reminder of for Gary?

• A. his loss of female friends

• B. his family’s economic status when he was a child

• C. his like or dislike of avocados/guacamole