An American Childhood

At the beginning of the excerpt from An American Childhood, what important thing do you learn about Annie Dillard when she talks about playing football?

• She thinks football is a difficult game.

• She has never fooled the other team.

• She values concentration and courage.

• She realizes how hard it is to get hurt.

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

In An American Childhood, why are the children throwing snowballs at cars?

• They are already bored with winter.

• They want the drivers to chase them.

• The cars are getting in the way of their street game.

• The cars are moving slowly and make good targets.

Tags

CCSS.RI.2.1

CCSS.RI.3.1

CCSS.RL.1.1

CCSS.RL.2.1

CCSS.RL.3.1

Use context clues in the following passage from An American Childhood to choose the correct meaning of the underlined word.

He chased us silently over picket fences, through thorny hedges, between houses, around garbage cans, and across streets. Every time I glanced back, choking for breath, I expected he would have quit.

• fell

• looked quickly

• gasped loudly

• shoved

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

Use context clues in the following passage from An American Childhood to choose the correct meaning of the underlined word.

Mikey and I had nowhere to go, in our own neighborhood or out of it, but away from this man who was chasing us. He impelled us forward.

• caught

• pushed

• helped

• called

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

In An American Childhood, after the man catches her and Mikey, Dillard says:

He had released our jackets; . . . he knew we weren’t going anywhere. We all played by the rules.

What does she mean?

• The children will have to unzip their jackets so they do not catch cold.

• The children will have to help the man find his way back to his car.

• The children will not try to run away once they have been fairly caught.

• The children will wait for the man to catch his breath so he can scold them.

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

Why does the man chase the children in An American Childhood?

• to have some fun

• to get some exercise

• to get their names and call the police

• to teach them a lesson

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

Dillard writes from the first-person point of view in An American Childhood. Which of the following statements is always true of a first-person narrative?

• It is about a childhood memory.

• It is told by one of the characters.

• It describes characters’ thoughts and actions.

• It includes conversations among characters.

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.10

CCSS.RI.6.10

CCSS.RI.7.10

CCSS.RI.8.10

CCSS.RI.9-10.10

An American Childhood is told from the first-person point of view. What information must therefore be left out of the story?

• how the man feels as he chases the two children

• how Dillard feels when she plays football

• how Dillard feels when she is chased by the man

• how the neighborhood looks as Dillard runs through it

Tags

CCSS.RL.1.6

CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

Which word best describes the young Annie Dillard in An American Childhood?

• troublesome

• funny

• adventurous

• lonely

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.10

CCSS.RI.6.10

CCSS.RI.7.10

CCSS.RI.8.10

CCSS.RI.9-10.10

Why does Dillard admire the driver of the Buick in An American Childhood?

• He eventually outruns her and Mikey.

• He throws himself into the chase.

• He is braver than other drivers.

• He scolds them after he has caught them.

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3