A Penny Saved Is a Penny Earned GEN

The narrator’s actions in paragraphs 11 through 16 of the story show that he —

• is determined to achieve his goals

• often gets what he wants without much effort

• knows he should give money away instead of spending it

• relies on others to think of solutions to his problems

What is the meaning of the word withholding in paragraph 5?

• Increasing in amount

• Punishing harshly

• Refusing to give

• Using as one’s property

According to the story, the reason the narrator doesn’t initially have enough money to buy the pencils is that —

• he has damaged someone’s property

• he has spent his money on things he doesn’t need

• school supplies are expensive

• the sales tax is too high

Read the following sentence is paragraph 7

The solution was tossed my way the following Monday when I stopped at Thompson's after school to look at the pencils.

What can the reader conclude about the narrator from this sentence?

• He will find the money he needs at the drugstore that day.

• He will get the money he needs in an unexpected way.

• He will work at the drugstore after school each day to earn money.

• He will collect money at school before going to the drugstore.

Based on their actions described in the story, the narrator’s parents most likely think it is important to —

• buy gifts to give to neighbors

• find hobbies that require artistic ability

• help children take responsibility for their behavior

• pick up money when it is found on the street

The narrator’s actions in paragraph 13 imply that he will —

• observe his surroundings more closely wherever he goes

• keep all his pennies in his pocket until he has saved enough

• stay at the bench and collect all the pennies people throw away

• try to think of a different way to collect money

Which sentences best help to create suspense in the story?

• “They’d come to $3.22,” she reported. “Shall I ring them up for you?”

• I hurried to the school supply section. The pencils were gone.

• I looked toward the counter. She held up a set of the pencils.

• I dumped the coins out onto the counter. “Just right,” she announced.

Read these sentences from paragraph 4

The pencils were sharpened to perfect points. The rich colors offered endless possibilities compared to my set of eight basic colors at home.

The author uses the description of the pencils to show --

• how sad the narrator feels when he can't afford them

• how much the narrator wants to buy them

• that the colors inspire the narrator with ideas for his comic book

• that the pencils the narrator has are no longer usable

Mrs. Thompson contributes to solving the narrator’s problem mostly by —

• telling the narrator how much money he needs to buy the pencils

• suggesting places that the narrator should search for coins

• giving the narrator a box of chocolate-covered raisins for being a loyal customer

• saving a box of pencils behind the counter until the narrator can afford them