Boy Review

At Prep School in those days, a parcel of tuck was sent once a week by anxious mothers to their ravenous little sons, and an average tuck-box would probably contain, at almost any time, half a home-made currant cake, a packet of squashed-fly biscuits, a couple of oranges, an apple, a banana, a pot of strawberry jam or Marmite, a bar of chocolate, a bag of Liquorice Allsorts and a tin of Bassett’s lemonade powder. An English school in those days was purely a money-making business owned and operated by the Headmaster. It suited him, therefore, to give the boys as little food as possible himself and to encourage the parents in various cunning ways to feed their offspring by parcel-post from home.

It was important for parents to send their children food from home because __________.

• the boys were not well fed at school

• the boys only liked food from home

• Mr. Gray was hungry

• The Headmaster wanted to eat the food

So off we set, my mother and I and my trunk and my tuck-box, and we boarded the paddle-steamer and went swooshing across the Bristol Channel in a shower of spray. I liked that part of it, but I began to grow apprehensive (anxious) as I disembarked on to the pier at Westonsuper-Mare and watched my trunk and tuck-box being loaded into an English taxi which would drive us to St Peter’s. I had absolutely no idea what was in store for me. I had never spent a single night away from our large family before.

What are TWO reasons Dahl “began to grow apprehensive,” as he describes in paragraph 8?

• He does not like the seedy seaside resort town.

• He is concerned about being apart from his family.

• He does not know what to expect at boarding school.

• He is worried about misplacing his trunk and tuck-box

Read this sentence from paragraph 1 of the passage. “My mother had chosen for me a Prep School in a part of England which was as near as it could possibly be to our home in South Wales, and it was called St Peter’s.”

Now read this sentence from paragraph 8 of the passage. “I had never spent a single night away from our large family before.”

How does the sentence from paragraph 8 relate to the sentence from paragraph 1?

• It offers a possible explanation as to why Dahl is not able to attend another school.

• It offers a possible explanation for why Dahl’s mother chooses a school close to home.

• It offers a possible explanation for why Dahl has been accepted to St Peter’s Prep School.

• It offers a possible explanation for why Dahl misses his family and is glad to visit home often.

St Peter’s was on a hill above the town. It was a long three-storeyed stone building that looked rather like a private lunatic asylum, and in front of it lay the playing-fields with their three football pitches. One-third of the building was reserved for the Headmaster and his family. The rest of it housed the boys, about one hundred and fifty of them altogether, if I remember rightly.

Based on paragraph 9, how did Dahl likely feel entering St. Peter’s for the first time?

• Excited

• Impressed

• Comforted

• Intimidated

Dahl uses figurative language to describe the Headmaster in paragraph 11: “he gave me the kind of flashing grin a shark might give to a small fish just before he gobbles it up.” Which of the following statements are implied by this language? Click on the two statements that apply.

• He has tremendous strength and power.

• He is unreliable and not to be trusted.

• He shows great concern for his students.

• He is uncertain about how to talk to parents.

I have already told you that all Headmasters are giants, and this one was no exception. He advanced upon my mother and shook her by the hand, then he shook me by the hand and as he did so he gave me the kind of flashing grin a shark might give to a small fish just before he gobbles it up. One of his front teeth, I noticed, was edged all the way round with gold, and his hair was slicked down with so much hair-cream that it glistened like butter.

Which of the following statements are the MOST reasonable inferences based on paragraph 11? Select two statements.

• The Headmaster used tricky methods to influence the parents.

• The Headmaster cared about his students’ welfare.

• The Headmaster was a massive figure.

What is the central idea of the passage we read today?

• New clothes help people face unfamiliar situations.

• New adventures can be both exciting and scary

• Everyone needs a secret place for their treasures.

• Life is hard

How does Dahl’s attitude toward the boarding school change from the beginning of the passage to the end?

• a. As he gets closer to school and further from home, he grows more afraid of being alone.

• As he views his surroundings, he begins to have more of an appreciation for his family.

• As he observes the Headmaster’s behavior, he knows he has found someone he can count on.

• As he gains confidence when seeing other students, he welcomes his mother’s departure.