Dance Class

1. The conversations between James and Fran suggest that —

• A. James thinks Fran is immature.

• B. James likes it when Fran makes him laugh.

• C. James values Fran’s opinion.

• D. James is embarrassed by Fran.

By the end of the story, James’s attitude toward dance can be described as —

• A. nervous 

• B. skeptical

• C. disinterested

• D. enthusiastic

Why is James’s experience with soccer important to the plot?

• A. It reveals to the reader that James is clumsy. 

• B. It explains why James no longer enjoys playing sports. 

• C. It helps the reader understand why James is willing to join a dance class. 

• D. It demonstrates that James puts great effort into playing a sport. 

4. In paragraph 16, the author uses the sentence “I’m a walrus on roller skates” to help the reader understand that James —

• A. prefers roller-skating to dancing

• B. thinks he is too big to dance well

• C. dances well with his partner

• D. feels awkward while dancing

5. What words used in paragraph 20 help the reader understand what intently means?

• A. made many mistakes

• B. listen carefully to

• C. kept his body

• D. taught his partner

6. Read the following sentence from paragraph 13.

“Sure, but I bet you won’t regret joining,” said Mr. Harris, smiling.

Based on this sentence, the reader can infer that Mr. Harris —

• A. is confident that James's attitude will change. 

• B. thinks that asking James to take a dance class is a silly idea. 

• C. often encounters students who are hesitant to become dancers.

• D. expects students to make their best effort. 

7. What is the best summary of the story?

• A. After an unfortunate experience playing on a summer soccer team, James attempts to register for basketball during the following summer. But James learns that there is no basketball class and that his only option is to take the dance class. He agrees to give the class a try.

• B. Even though James has had a bad experience playing soccer, Ms. Hughes suggests that James consider signing up for soccer again. James refuses and decides to participate in a skills class. When James dances in the end-of-class performance, his parents congratulate him, and his sister asks him to teach her the Latin dance moves.

• C. When James discovers that his school will not have a summer basketball team, he decides to join a dance class. Initially the class is very difficult for James, but over time he improves. He and his dance partner Kristen perform a perfect cha-cha at the end-of-class performance, and James looks forward to taking the class again the following summer.

• D. James admires his sister Fran, who is very athletic. After a big mistake on the soccer field, James does not want to try playing soccer again. Instead he takes a dance class even though he would rather play basketball.

8. James agrees to sign up for dance class after —

• A. Fran tells him that practicing will improve his dancing.

• B. Mr. Harris tells him he can quit if he does not like the class. 

• C. He learns that he will be performing in front of the entire school. 

• D. Mr. and Mrs. Mendez demonstrate some Latin dance moves.