I Was a Skinny Tomboy Kid Study Guide

13. Which set of lines from “I Was a Skinny Tomboy Kid” best suggests a theme about the power of the imagination?

• I was a skinny tomboy kid / who walked down the streets / with my fists clenched into / tight balls.
• … I liked the edge / of almost / not making it.
• … and I vowed / to never / … be helpless like / my mother ….
• … transforming my reality / and creating a / legendary/self …

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14. Which set of lines from “I Was a Skinny Tomboy Kid” best suggests a theme about understanding others?

• I knew all the roofs / And back yard fences, / I liked traveling that way ….
• … and catching crabs / sometimes and / selling them / to some chinese guys ….
• … but then I didn’t realize / the kind of guts / it often took / for her to just keep / standing / where she was.
• … and I coil up / in a self/mothering fashion / and tell myself / it’s o.k.

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12. What is one of the themes of “I Was a Skinny Tomboy Kid”?

• People can usually see who a person really is.
• It is difficult for a child to take care of herself.
• It is important for children to feel independent.
• Someone will always want what you don’t want.

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21. Which idea is a theme both in the selection from Bad Boy and in “I Was a Skinny Tomboy Kid”?

• the importance of living an active life
• how a lack of support can affect a person
• ways in which boys and girls are expected to behave
• what people will do in order to achieve their goals in life

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1. What is the speaker’s most likely purpose in “I Was a Skinny Tomboy Kid”?

• to describe what she did and felt as a child
• to explain why she did what she did as a child
• to point out that people aren’t always what they seem
• to warn others about the dangers of being alone on the streets

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4. What do details in “I Was a Skinny Tomboy Kid” suggest about the speaker’s social relationships?

• She had many friends.
• She was basically a loner.
• She had a few close friends.
• She didn’t like other people.

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What do these lines reveal about how the speaker feels at such times?

• She feels frustrated that she can’t sleep.
• She feels alone and fearful of the real world.
• She feels glad that the streets seem to be happy.
• She feels worried that someone needs help from her.

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22. What is one way that the main character in the selection from Bad Boy is different from the main character in “I Was a Skinny Tomboy Kid”?

• The main character in the memoir spends a great deal of time with other children, but the main character in the poem does not.
• The main character in the memoir does not care what people think of him, but the main character in the poem does.
• The main character in the memoir is less involved in physical activities than the main character in the poem is.
• The main character in the memoir enjoys being outside more than the main character in the poem does.

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6. Which statement is a stubborn person most likely to make?

• “I won’t change my mind, no matter what.”
• “I hope you know that you can depend on me.”
• “I might as well not try because I never succeed.”
• “I love games and always do my best to win them.”

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5. Which word would most likely be used to describe the mood of someone whose fists are clenched?

• angry
• peaceful
• melancholy
• misunderstood

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