TBWHTW Mid Assessment

“We began in July, when we cleared the remnants of the previous season’s

harvest. We collected the old maize stalks and placed them into piles”.

Which two words from the excerpt best help the reader to understand the meaning of the word remnants?

• A. cleared

• B. previous

• C. old

• D. harvest

“With no rain, the sun rose angry in the sky each morning and showed no

mercy on the seedlings that had survived. By February, the stalks were

wilted and bent toward the ground. By May, half of our crop was scorched.

The plants that remained were only as high as my father’s chest. If you took

one of the leaves in your hand, it would crumble to dust” (68).

Which phrase from the excerpt best helps the reader to understand the

meaning of the word scorched? (RI.6.1, RI.6.4, L.6.4a)

• “stalks were wilted”

• “bent toward the ground”

• “as high as my father’s chest”

• “crumble to dust”

Part A

Which of the following best describes a central idea in this chapter?

• William preferred being a scientist to a farmer, and he didn’t want to

  help with the maize crop in 2000.

• Nsima, the “doughy porridge” made from corn, is critical to the people

  who live in Malawi and William’s village.

• Political and environmental events made things very different for the

  maize crop in the year 2000.

• A surprise reward for working hard to clear the old corn stalks was a

  chance to catch something to eat.

Part B

Which two pieces of evidence from the chapter best help to convey the

central idea from Part A?

• “ . . . the country began to flood”

• “ . . . after the rains stopped, they never came back”

• “ . . . being a scientist was loads better than farming . . . ”

• “ . . . nothing more delicious than crunchy, roasted grasshoppers with

  nsima”

Which of the following is a method used by the writers on pages 64 and 65

to further develop the reader’s understanding of William? (RI.6.3)

• anecdote

• physical description

• example

• inner thoughts

Part A

Which of the following is something the reader can infer about William’s

character from page 64? (RI.6.3)

• He is joyful.

• He is competitive.

• He is selfish.

• He is determined.

Part B

Which piece of evidence from page 64 best supports the answer in Part

A? (RI.6.1)

• “ . . . weren’t supposed to be hunting and eating grasshoppers.”

• “How many do you have, Mr. Geoffrey?”

• “We caught them and put them into sugar bags.”

• “ . . . we did with great excitement.”

Part A

Which of the following is something the reader can infer about William’s

character from page 65? (RI.6.3)

• He is smart.

• He is resentful.

• He is afraid.

• He is reliable.

Part B

Which piece of evidence from page 65 best supports the answer in Part

A? (RI.6.1)

• “ . . . we didn’t use a plow or a tractor to dig them . . . ”

• “I’d start in the morning before school . . . ”

• “I walked quickly, trying not to think . . . ”

• “ . . . caused me to jump out of my trousers.”