Sixth Grade Check in #6

Reread paragraphs 1-8 of the story. Then answer the multiple choice questions that follow.

From Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

1 When supper was ready, I eagerly grabbed the iron bell before Christopher-John or Little Man could claim it, and ran onto the back porch to summon Papa, Mr. Morrison, and Stacey from the fields. As the three of them washed up on the back porch, Mama went to the end of the porch where Papa stood alone. “What did Mr. Jamison want?” she asked, her voice barely audible.

2 Papa took the towel Mama handed him, but did not reply immediately. I was just inside the kitchen dipping out the butter beans. I moved closer to the window so that I could hear his answer.

3 “Don’t keep anything from me, David. If there’s trouble, I want to know.”

4 Papa looked down at her. “Nothing to worry ’bout, honey . . . . just seems that Thurston Wallace been in town talking ’bout how he’s not gonna let a few smart colored folks ruin his business. Says he’s gonna put a stop to this shopping in Vicksburg. That’s all.”

5 Mama sighed and stared out across the plowed field to the sloping pasture land. “I’m feeling scared, David,” she said.

6 Papa put down the towel. “Not yet, Mary. It’s not time to be scared yet. They’re just talking.”

7 Mama turned and faced him. “And when they stop talking?”

8 “Then . . . then maybe it’ll be time. But right now, pretty lady,” he said, leading her by the hand toward the kitchen door, “right now I’ve got better things to think about.”

1. What can the reader infer about Mrs. Logan from these lines of dialogue?

• 1. She is shy about speaking to her husband.

• 1. She is not afraid to confront problems head on.

• 1. She expects her husband to protect her.

• 1. She feels easily scared over small events.

From Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

1 When supper was ready, I eagerly grabbed the iron bell before Christopher-John or Little Man could claim it, and ran onto the back porch to summon Papa, Mr. Morrison, and Stacey from the fields. As the three of them washed up on the back porch, Mama went to the end of the porch where Papa stood alone. “What did Mr. Jamison want?” she asked, her voice barely audible.

2 Papa took the towel Mama handed him, but did not reply immediately. I was just inside the kitchen dipping out the butter beans. I moved closer to the window so that I could hear his answer.

3 “Don’t keep anything from me, David. If there’s trouble, I want to know.”

4 Papa looked down at her. “Nothing to worry ’bout, honey . . . . just seems that Thurston Wallace been in town talking ’bout how he’s not gonna let a few smart colored folks ruin his business. Says he’s gonna put a stop to this shopping in Vicksburg. That’s all.”

5 Mama sighed and stared out across the plowed field to the sloping pasture land. “I’m feeling scared, David,” she said.

6 Papa put down the towel. “Not yet, Mary. It’s not time to be scared yet. They’re just talking.”

7 Mama turned and faced him. “And when they stop talking?”

8 “Then . . . then maybe it’ll be time. But right now, pretty lady,” he said, leading her by the hand toward the kitchen door, “right now I’ve got better things to think about.”

1. What can the reader infer about Mr. Logan from these lines of dialogue?

• 1. He doesn’t trust his wife with information.

• 1. He is often silent during a conflict.

• 1. He remains reasonable in the face of conflict.

• 1. He is quick to anger.

From Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

1 When supper was ready, I eagerly grabbed the iron bell before Christopher-John or Little Man could claim it, and ran onto the back porch to summon Papa, Mr. Morrison, and Stacey from the fields. As the three of them washed up on the back porch, Mama went to the end of the porch where Papa stood alone. “What did Mr. Jamison want?” she asked, her voice barely audible.

2 Papa took the towel Mama handed him, but did not reply immediately. I was just inside the kitchen dipping out the butter beans. I moved closer to the window so that I could hear his answer.

3 “Don’t keep anything from me, David. If there’s trouble, I want to know.”

4 Papa looked down at her. “Nothing to worry ’bout, honey . . . . just seems that Thurston Wallace been in town talking ’bout how he’s not gonna let a few smart colored folks ruin his business. Says he’s gonna put a stop to this shopping in Vicksburg. That’s all.”

5 Mama sighed and stared out across the plowed field to the sloping pasture land. “I’m feeling scared, David,” she said.

6 Papa put down the towel. “Not yet, Mary. It’s not time to be scared yet. They’re just talking.”

7 Mama turned and faced him. “And when they stop talking?”

8 “Then . . . then maybe it’ll be time. But right now, pretty lady,” he said, leading her by the hand toward the kitchen door, “right now I’ve got better things to think about.”

1. What theme can readers infer from the dialogue between Mr. and Mrs. Logan?

• 1. It’s best for a family if secrets are kept from the children.

• 1. When a person feels fear, he or she should back down from a conflict.

• 1. Don’t go looking for trouble, but don’t shy away from defending your rights either.

• 1. It’s best to ignore problems until they work themselves out or go away on their own.

Which of the following inferences is best supported by the second stanza (lines 6-8)?

I pace the hall, hear whispers,
a code I knew but can’t remember,
mouthed by mouths I taught to speak.

• The speaker of the poem used to work as an English teacher.

• The speaker’s children are whispering so that their parents can’t hear them.

• The speaker of the poem is beginning to lose her memory.

• The speaker’s teenage children are learning another language at school.

1. The word code in the following passage most closely refers to .

   I pace the hall, hear whispers,
   a code I knew but can’t remember,
   mouthed by mouths I taught to speak.

• 1. a password or PIN number

• 1. a way of communicating

• 1. a set of rules or ethics

• 1. instructions for a computer or program

1. Lines 9-14 of the poem mainly suggest that .

   Years later the door opens.
   I see faces I once held,
   open as sunflowers in my hands. I see
   familiar skin now stretched on long bodies
   that move past me
   glowing almost like pearls.

• 1. the speaker’s children are well over six feet tall

• 1. the speaker doesn’t even recognize the children now that they are grown

• 1. the speaker is amazed at how the children have grown into adults

• 1. the children look nothing like they did when they were younger

She asked her voice barely audible. What does audible mean?

• able to be heard

• a loan of money to buy a house

• to do or undertake something despite the risk or danger

• confined or restrained in any way.

I released the butterfly imprisoned in my hand. What does imprisoned mean?

• to cause something to seem less important than something else

• a loan of money to buy a house

• confined or restrained in any way

• able to be heard

They need to pay the mortgage on their house. What does mortage mean?

• to do or undertake something despite the risk or danger

• able to be heard

• confined or restrained in any way

• loan of money to buy a house or property

He ventured out during the snowstorm. What does venture mean?

• to do or undertake something despite the risk or danger

• confined or restrained in any way

• able to be heard

• to cause something to seem less important than something else