LANGUAGE EXAM

According to the selection from Bad Boy, what is Walter led to believe that boys should not do?

• dance, follow hockey, read books

• exercise, follow hockey, play stoopball

• read books, dance, write poems

• write poems, dance. play stoopball

• play stoopball, follow hockey, dance

Which of the following statements best explains how Walter, the narrator ofthe selection from Bad Boy, feels about books?

• Walter values books because they provide comfort and escape.

• Walter is interested in books becuase the people he respects reads them.

• Walter is passionate about books and will fight the older boys about them.

• Walter likes books but prefers "boy" actvities, such as basketball.

Why does Walter feel he has a connection to the children he sees on the trolley?

• The children appear to Walter as if they, too, are trying to fit in with their friends.

• The children are from Walter's neighborhood and share similar struggles.

• The children are on their way tot he library, a place Walter loves.

• The children, like Walter, are readers who are carrying books.

Why does Walter carry his books home from the library in a brown paper bag?

• The book titles are embarrassing to him because they are for little kids.

• He is hiding the fact that he likes reading from the neighborhood boys.

• Because he cannot afford to buy his own books, the librarians give him bags full of books to take home.

• He is afraid Dorothy would steal the books if she saw them.

What is the most likely reason that Walter plays sports?

• He wants to impress the girls.

• People in his neighborhood look up to athletes and push the boys to play sports.

• He is a naturally gifted athlete.

• Everyone in his neighborhood plays sports.

How does Walter change and grow after the incident with the girls in the gym?

• He decides to pursue another secret interest, despite his friends' disapproval.

• He faces up to his friends and tells them about his love of reading.

• He becomes interested in Lorelle Henry, the dancing girl from the gym.

• He discovers that he has a talent for writing poetry.

With which one of the following statements would the narrator of Bad Boy most likely agree?

• Boys should not be encouraged to play sports.

• Writing poetry and dancing are "girl" activities.

• Reading is the most interesting and rewarding activity for boys.

• Boys should be allowed to pursue whatever interests them.

Which of the following statements is a central idea in the selection from Bad Boy?

• If you organize your friends into categories, you might lose them.

• People often have sides of themselves that they do not let others see.

• Making fun of people in "harmless" ways can have lasting negative effects.

• Playing sports can build character, but not when a person is pressured to play.

What is the central idea of a story?

• It refers to what the text is mainly about. Central idea is NOT the topic of the text. Central idea can most often be stated in one sentence.

• It is what the center of the setting is. For example, if the setting is Alabama, the central idea would be Montgomery.

• It refers to a summary of the story.

• Elephants.

Which quotation directly expresses a central idea about books in the selection from Bad Boy?

• The librarians always suggested books that were too young for me, but I still went on a regular basis.

• Away from books I was, at times, almost desperate to fill up the spaces of my life. Books filled those spaces for me.

• I began taking a brown paper bag to the library to bring my books home in.

• With school out and me not having access to Mrs. Conway's cache of books, I rediscovered the George Bruce Branch of the public library on 125th Street.