Jim the Boy/Memories of Yankee Stadium

Which words best help the reader understand the meaning of the word "chides'' in paragraph 2?

• Uncle Zeno pitches.

• retrieves it without complaint

• He blames himself

• The bat is simply too heavy.

Why does Uncle Zeno call the boy "Doc" in paragraph 6?

• "Doc" is an affectionate nickname.

• The boy wants to be a doctor.

• The uncle is teasing the boy for playing ball poorly.

• The uncle is frustrated with the boy.

Which sentence provides the strongest evidence that Jim's uncles are kind and caring?

• He blames himself for the boy's lack of success.

• They do not creep closer because it would make the boy feel bad.

• All three of the uncles wear the small, pocketless, old-fashioned baseball gloves they have had since they were boys.

• Each uncle would still gladly play a game of baseball, should anyone ask, though no one has asked for several years.

What effect does the narrator have on the story?

• The narrator helps the reader understand how the characters feel.

• The narrator helps the reader understand when the characters learned baseball.

• The narrator helps the reader understand how the uncles feel about their youth.

• The narrator helps the reader understand why the boy began playing baseball.

Which sentence provides the strongest evidence that Jim's pleasure in playing ball exceeds his frustration?

• The boy studies Uncle Zeno until Uncle Zeno's face seems to light up from the inside..

• The boy is arm-weary; he swings as hard as he is able.

• "I hit it just about every time," the boy says.

• He does not want it to stop.

From paragraphs 1 and 2, the reader can infer that --

• Jim's abilities don't match his expectations

• Jim suffers from delusions of grandeur

• Uncle Zeno is not good at pitching to children

• the ball is defective

The information in paragraph 6 substantiates the opinion that --

• Crystal's father was a planner who had arranged Crystal's day of surprises far in advance

• Crystal's first visit to Yankee Stadium was a day of extraordinary occurences

• legendary jazz artist Louis Armstrong was generous to his friends

• Crystal's older brother never got over missing Mantle's long home run hit

Which of the following ideas does this example illustrate?

• The heavy-handed way adults have of forcing children to enjoy the same sports that adults do

• The key role Casey Stengel played in launching Crystal's college baseball career

• The debt of gratitude Crystal felt toward Stengel for allowing Crystal to pitch

• The long-lasting impact that a kind word from an idol can have on a child

From paragraph 10 the reader can infer that --

• Crystal was never very serious about playing baseball in college

• Crystal was secretly relieved when his college dropped its baseball program

• When colleges have financial problems, sports programs are the first to suffer

• If his college had not dropped its ball program, Crystal might have pursued a baseball career

Which line suggests that Crystal was able to combine professional activities with his love of baseball?

• He...eventually studied film and television at New York University, where one of his professors was Academy Award-winning director Martin Socrsese

• Crystal debuted the film 61, which took a behind the scenes look at Mantle and Roger Maris's pursuit of Babe Ruth's homerun record...

• Though he lives on the West Coast, he has returned often to the ballpark to watch gamed and take part in special ceremonies

• "The joy it gave me when I was...pretending with my brother that we were broadcasting the games."