"What's So Funny, Mr. Scieszka?"
Authored by Tara York
English
5th - 6th Grade
CCSS covered
Used 683+ times
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This quiz focuses on reading comprehension and literary analysis of a narrative text, specifically examining Jon Scieszka's personal account of a formative childhood experience. The questions assess skills appropriate for grades 5-6, requiring students to analyze author's craft elements including word choice, mood, organizational structure, and author's purpose. Students must demonstrate inferencing abilities by drawing conclusions about character traits based on textual evidence, understand pronoun references within context, and interpret Latin root words to determine meaning. The quiz emphasizes close reading skills through questions about how specific paragraphs contribute to the overall narrative, context clues for vocabulary understanding, and identifying textual evidence that supports thematic interpretations. Students need strong foundational skills in literary devices such as personification, narrative structure analysis, and the ability to synthesize multiple text details to support broader conclusions about the author's message and purpose. Created by Tara York, an English teacher in the US who teaches grades 5-6. This quiz serves as an excellent tool for formative assessment following a guided reading of Scieszka's narrative, allowing teachers to evaluate student comprehension of both literal and inferential reading skills. The varied question formats, including multiple-choice and multiple-select options, make it versatile for use as a post-reading assessment, homework assignment, or review activity before summative testing. Teachers can use this quiz to gauge student understanding of author's craft and purpose while reinforcing close reading strategies essential for literary analysis. The questions align with Common Core standards RL.5.1, RL.5.4, RL.5.5, and RL.6.1, RL.6.4, RL.6.5, focusing on citing textual evidence, determining word meanings, analyzing text structure, and understanding how authors develop ideas through specific choices in content and presentation.
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9 questions
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1.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
2 mins • 1 pt
How does the author's word choice in the first sentence of the story contribute to the mood?
The personification establishes fear.
The personification produces sympathy.
The personification creates optimism.
The personification builds tension.
Tags
CCSS.RL.5.4
CCSS.RL.6.4
CCSS.RL.3.4
CCSS.RL.4.4
CCSS.RL.7.4
2.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
2 mins • 1 pt
Based on paragraphs 5-8 of the story, what can the reader infer about Jon Scieszka when he was a fifth grader?
He stayed out of trouble as long as he did not talk to classmates.
He was a class clown who knew how to get out of trouble.
He was serious student who got distracted by friends.
He often got into trouble and was disliked by teachers.
Tags
CCSS.RL.5.1
CCSS.RI.5.1
CCSS.RI.6.1
CCSS.RL.6.1
CCSS.RL.7.1
3.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
2 mins • 1 pt
In paragraph 10, the apology contains the Latin root word apo-, which means-
a reason or cause
before, in front of
wonder, amazement
get away from, separate from
Tags
CCSS.RL.5.1
CCSS.RL.5.4
CCSS.RL.6.4
CCSS.RI.5.4
CCSS.RI.6.4
4.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
2 mins • 1 pt
In paragraph 8, the pronoun it refers to--
the reason Jon is laughing
the secret Jon just heard
the person who told the joke
the note that was passed
Tags
CCSS.RL.5.1
CCSS.RL.5.4
CCSS.RL.6.4
CCSS.RI.5.4
CCSS.RI.6.4
5.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
2 mins • 1 pt
How does the organization of paragraphs 13-16 contribute to the selection?
A sense of suspense is built as Jon begins to tell his joke.
A comparison is made between Jon's potential paths.
An argument is made to prove that Jon made the right decision.
A description is given of the classroom and of the people in it.
Tags
CCSS.RI.3.5
CCSS.RI.4.5
CCSS.RI.5.5
CCSS.RI.6.5
CCSS.RI.7.5
6.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
2 mins • 1 pt
Which phrase from paragraph 23 helps the reader understand the meaning of the word pause?
feel the whole world
just a single beat
like it always does
a good punch line
Tags
CCSS.RL.5.1
CCSS.RL.5.4
CCSS.RL.6.4
CCSS.RI.5.4
CCSS.RI.6.4
7.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
2 mins • 1 pt
The author wrote this selection most likely to
inform the reader about an early experience in his life
persuade the reader to always be honest when speaking
entertain readers with a humorous story from his childhood
provide evidence of the strict rules at the school he attended
Tags
CCSS.RI.6.6
CCSS.RI.6.9
CCSS.RL.5.6
CCSS.RL.6.6
CCSS.RL.7.6
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