Eleven & Words as Free as Confetti

...the way you grow old is kind of like an onion or like the rings inside a tree trunk or like my little wooden dolls that fit one inside the other.

Q1: The author's use of simile in these lines convey to the reader that Rachel believes

• we are only ever our current age

• we carry with us all the years that come before our current age.

• we change physically as we get older

• we need to take better care of our hygiene as we get older

Q2: What is the main theme of this story?

• Young people should be kind to one another

• Adults can be too strict when dealing with kids

• No matter how old you get, you can still feel like a child

• It's better to remain silent in tough situations

Q3: What is the best summary of the story?

• Rachel wishes she was older because she would have known what to say to Mrs. Price when Mrs. Price believes an ugly red sweater belongs to Rachel thus ruining her eleventh birthday.

• Rachel's eleventh birthday is ruined when her teacher forces her to take responsibility for an ugly sweater that isn't hers. Feeling overwhelmed and embarrassed, Rachel bursts into tears like she is three in front of her classmates and wishes she were older.

• Rachel is upset that Mrs. Price believes an unclaimed, ugly, red sweater belongs to her just because Sylvia Saldivar said so. It is only after Phyllis Lopez remembers that the sweater is hers that Mrs. Price frees Rachel of the sweater.

• Rachel things back on her day and wishes she was older so she would have known what to say when Mrs. Price places an ugly red sweater on Rachel's desk and makes her wear it. It is only after Phyllis Lopez remembers the sweater is hers that Mrs. Price lets Rachel hand it over.

It's an ugly sweater with red plastic buttons and a collar and sleeves all stretched out like you could use it for a jump rope.

Q4: In what way does the imagery in the sentence contribute to the story?

• It emphasizes why Rachel is so upset that Mrs. Price has asked her to take ownership of the sweater.

• It explains why Sylvia Saldivar said the sweater belonged to Rachel.

• It suggests that the sweater has been used as a game.

• It shows why no one claimed the sweater.

Q5: Which sentence best illustrates the rising action of the story?

• Not mine, not mine, not mine, but Mrs. Price is already turning to page thirty-two, and math problem number four.

• I don't know why but all of a sudden I'm feeling sick inside, like the part of me that's three wants to come out of my eyes only I squeeze them shut tight and bite down on my teeth real hard and try to remember today I am eleven, eleven.

• I'm eleven and it's my birthday today, and I'm crying like I'm three in front of everybody.

• There'll be candles and presents and everybody will sing Happy birthday, happy birthday to you, Rachel, only, it's too late.

Q6: Which sentence from the story best explains how people sometimes feel younger than they are?

• What they don't understand about birthdays and what they never tell you is that when you're eleven, you're also ten, and nine, and eight, and seven, and six, and five, and four, and three, and two, and one.

• Only today I wish I didn't have only eleven years rattling inside me like pennies in a tin Band-Aid box.

• It's maybe a thousand years old and even if it belonged to me I wouldn't say so.

• I wish I was anything but eleven because I want today to be far away already, far away like a runaway balloon, like a tiny dot in the sky, so tiny-tiny you have to close your eyes to see it.

The events described in paragraph one caused Rachel to feel _______.

• disappointed in her friends

• angry at her class for creating the situation

• relieved they finally know who the sweater belonged to

• embarrassed because of the injustice

Why does Rachel say the cake will be "too late"?

• because she will be in trouble when she gets home for what happened at school

• because the incident with the sweater has upset her and ruined her birthday

• because her dad will not be home until late that night

• because it will be too late when she gets home from school.

What's the author's main purpose for writing this selection?

• to inform about birthday celebrations in the U.S.

• to encourage students to think less of their classroom teachers.

• to question why young people can be cruel to each other in school

• to entertain with a story about a character's feelings about growing up.

What is the main theme of the story?

• Young people should be kind to one another

• Adults can be too overbearing when dealing with kids

• no matter how old you get, you can still feel like a child sometimes.

• When dealing with teachers, it can be hard to speak up for yourself.