"Priscilla and the Wimp" Author's Craft

Which passage from the text best supports the narrator being bullied by Klutter's Kobras.

• “He reaches down and grabs little Melvin by the neck and slams his head against the locker door. The sound of skull against steel rippled all the way down the locker row, speeding the crowds on their way.”

• “I admit it. I’m five foot five, and when the Kobras slithered by, with or without Monk, I shrank. I admit this, too: I paid up on a regular basis. And I might add: so would you.”

• “Until one winter day after school when we were all grabbing our coats out of our lockers. And hurrying, since Klutter’s Kobras made sweeps of the halls for after-school shakedowns.”

• “Speaking of lunch, there were a few cases of advanced malnutrition among the newer kids. The ones who were a little slow in handing over a cut of their lunch money and were therefore barred from the cafeteria. Monk ran a tight ship.”

Which passage from the text best supports that Melvin has been bullied by the Klutter's Kobras before?

• “‘Okay, let’s see your pass,’ snarls the Kobra. ‘A pass for what this time?’ Melvin asks, probably still dazed.”

• “Anyway, up to Melvin’s locker swaggers one of the Kobras. Never mind his name. Gang members don’t need names. They’ve got a group identity. He reaches down and grabs little Melvin by the neck and slams his head against the locker door.”

• “Then, quicker than the eye, she brings the side of her enormous hand down in a chop that breaks the Kobra’s hold on Melvin’s throat.”

• “Melvin’s one of the smallest guys above midget status ever seen. A really nice guy, but, you know—little.”

What is a theme of the story?

• There is always someone bigger and "badder" than a bully.

• Keep your friends close but your enemies closer.

• Be respectful of your elders.

• Taking pride in one's work is one's own reward.

What word could be used to describe Priscilla in the story?

• flirty

• loyal

• humorous

• stingy

The following sentence from the story is an example of ____.

_{"Priscilla could have a gang that would turn Klutters Kobras into garter snakes."}

• Simile

• Metaphor

• Imagery

• Idiom

The following sentence from the story is an example of ____.

_{"There were a few cases of advance malnutrition in the lunchroom."}

• Allusion

• Imagery

• Hyperbole

• Simile

The following sentence from the story is an example of ____.

_{"His neck's popping like gunfire."}

• Euphemism

• Personification

• Metaphor

• Simile

The following sentence from the story is an example of ____.

_{"This practically blows the Kobras away."}

• Imagery

• Hyperbole

• Idiom

• Simile

"Monk didn't recognize trouble when it was staring him in the face."

• Personification

• Metaphor

• Simile

• Hyperbole

The following sentence from the story is an example of ____.

_{"...ostrich-skin boots click once in the air and suddenly he's gone, neatly wedged into the locker, a perfect fit."}

• Allusion

• Imagery

• Alliteration

• Irony