The Power of a Dinner Table
Authored by CHRISTINE EVANS
English
9th Grade
CCSS covered
Used 559+ times
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About
This quiz focuses on reading comprehension and literary analysis of an editorial piece titled "The Power of a Dinner Table." The material is appropriate for 9th grade students, requiring them to demonstrate advanced inference skills, analyze author's purpose, interpret figurative language, and determine meaning from context. Students must read closely to understand the author's central argument about how acts of kindness can transform the lives of disadvantaged teenagers, while also examining the author's rhetorical strategies and literary techniques. The core concepts assessed include making complex inferences from textual evidence, analyzing multiple layers of author's purpose, interpreting metaphorical language and its deeper meaning, understanding how authors use expert testimony and specific examples to support their arguments, and determining vocabulary meaning through contextual analysis. Students need strong critical thinking skills to move beyond literal comprehension to analyze the author's craft and evaluate how textual elements work together to convey meaning. Created by Christine Evans, an English teacher in the US who teaches grade 9. This quiz serves as an excellent tool for formative assessment of reading comprehension and analytical thinking skills in the high school English classroom. Teachers can deploy this quiz after students have read the complete editorial to gauge their understanding of both surface-level content and deeper analytical concepts. The quiz works effectively as a follow-up activity after class discussion, as homework to reinforce reading strategies, or as preparation for more complex writing assignments about the text. The variety of question types—from inference and author's purpose to figurative language and vocabulary—makes this particularly useful for comprehensive review before assessments. This quiz aligns with Common Core standards CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.1 for citing textual evidence to support analysis, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.4 for determining meaning of words and phrases including figurative language, and CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.6 for analyzing author's purpose and rhetorical strategies.
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10 questions
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1.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
5 mins • 1 pt
Given the information the author provides in paragraphs 1–4, one can infer that so many teenagers attend Kathy and David’s Thursday night dinner because
they appreciate an occasional free meal
there are often birthday and graduation celebrations
they want to escape the problems of poverty
there are too few homeless shelters
Tags
CCSS.RL.9-10.2
CCSS.RL.7.2
CCSS.RI. 9-10.1
CCSS.RI.8.1
CCSS.RL.8.1
2.
MULTIPLE SELECT QUESTION
5 mins • 1 pt
Which two choices are reasons why the author wrote this editorial?
To personalize the issues faced by many people in the country
To reward people who choose to help others instead of themselves
To spotlight the leaders of the next generation
To express the transformative power of love
To encourage the passing of new legislation
Tags
CCSS.RI. 9-10.6
CCSS.RI.8.6
CCSS.RI.8.9
CCSS.RL.8.6
CCSS.RL.9-10.6
3.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
5 mins • 1 pt
What does the author mean in paragraph 5 when he writes that hostile soil has produced charismatic flowers?
The teenagers are transformed from angry people into happy ones.
The teenagers are wonderful people despite their harsh backgrounds.
The teenagers start out as total strangers and end up a loving family.
The teenagers hunger for the emotional support they have been denied.
Tags
CCSS.RL.9-10.2
CCSS.RI. 9-10.2
CCSS.RI.8.2
CCSS.RL.7.2
CCSS.RL.8.2
4.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
5 mins • 1 pt
In paragraph 7, the author states that he started attending the dinner hungry for something beyond food. Based on the opinions he expresses elsewhere in the editorial, what was he hungering for?
A human interest story to write about for his readers
The love he himself hungered for when he was a child
An antidote to the political ugliness in recent times
The feeling that people are becoming more empathetic
Tags
CCSS.RI.9-10.1
CCSS.RI.9-10.2
CCSS.RI.9-10.3
CCSS.RI.9-10.6
CCSS.RL.9-10.1
5.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
5 mins • 1 pt
What does the author mean in paragraph 13 when he says that there’s no margin for error for these kids?
The stakes are high if these teenagers do not get everything right.
The demands these teenagers put on themselves are very harsh.
The errors the teenagers make are more obvious than those of other teenagers
The consequences of their actions could affect these teenagers for years to come
Tags
CCSS.RL.9-10.2
CCSS.RI. 9-10.2
CCSS.RI.8.2
CCSS.RL.8.2
CCSS.RL.11-12.2
6.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
5 mins • 1 pt
What is the author’s purpose for writing about specific kids in paragraph 14?
To introduce five teenagers who regularly attend dinner
To examine the need homeless teenagers have for love and attention
To indicate the level of success these teenagers achieve
To highlight the abilities and talents these teenagers have
Tags
CCSS.RI. 9-10.6
CCSS.RI.8.6
CCSS.RI.8.9
CCSS.RL.8.6
CCSS.RL.9-10.6
7.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION
5 mins • 1 pt
The author’s purpose for quoting Bill Milliken in paragraph 16 is to provide —
a counterargument
an expert opinion
an example
a piece of evidence
Tags
CCSS.RL.8.3
CCSS.RL.2.6
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