The Drummer Boy of Shiloh

The General says Joby is "the heart of the army" because-

• Joby has more training than the other soldiers

• Joby's drumbeat sets the pace for the battle

• Joby gives the orders for the soldiers to march

• Joby's battle position is in the middle of the action

This question has two parts. First answer, Part A. Then, answer Part B.

Part A

Which statement best describes Joby's main conflict in the story?

• He does not have a weapon.

• He has run away from home.

• He is frightened to go into battle.

• He does not want to talk to the General.

Part B

Which quote from the selection best supports the answer to Part A?

• In silence he listened to his own heart ruffle away, away at last gone from his ears and back in his chest again. (Paragraph 1)

• For the careless bones of the young men harvested by night and bindled around campfires were the similarly strewn bones of their rifles, with bayonets fixed like eternal lightning lost in the orchard grass. (Paragraph 30)

• And the voice was about to move on when the boy, startled, touched the drum at his elbow. (Paragraph 18)

• "Run off from home or joined legitimately, boy?"

  (Paragraph 28)

Which words from paragraph 47 help the reader understand what resolute means?

• left knee up

• make the head proud

• tighten the hands

• blood moving fast

Read the following sentences about the story.

The drummer boy is important to the soldiers. Because he helps them march together.

What is the BEST way to rewrite these sentences?

• The drummer boy is important to the soldiers because he helps them march together.

• The drummer boy is important to the soldiers, because he helps them march together.

• Because the drummer boy is important to the soldiers he helps them march together.

• Because the drummer boy is important to the soldiers, he helps them march together.

Which two reasons best explain why this selection is a work of historical fiction?

• There is believable dialogue between the characters.

• The details of the time period are accurately portrayed.

• The main purpose of the text is to provide facts about an event.

• The characters are involved in a conflict that is realistic to the era.

• There are specific details about the traits and appearances of each character.

Read the sentence from paragraph 6.

A mile yet farther on, another army was strewn helter-skelter, turning slow, basting themselves with the thought of what they would do when the time came: a leap, a yell, a blind plunge their strategy, raw youth their protection and benediction.

What does helter-skelter mean as used in this sentence?

• Distant

• Frightened

• Disorderly

• Under military control

The "vast wind" that Joby hears in paragraph 7 indicates that-

• April weather in Tennessee is windy and cold.

• Joby is frightened to be alone in the darkness.

• the battle is likely to begin at any moment.

• the two armies are camped very close together

How does Joby feel at the end of the story?

• He misses his father even more than before.

• He feels ready to face the next battle.

• He is overwhelmed by the task before him.

• He is confident that he is the most important soldier.

What is the correct definition for the word solemn as used in paragraph 3.

• deeply serious

• to be off center

• to scatter things around

• to do something lawfully