Growing Up on Alcatraz

1. How does author Talia Cowen portray Jolene Babyak’s childhood on Alcatraz?

• A. boring
• B. terrifying
• C. sad
• D. out of the ordinary

2. The main purpose of the section “Escape-Proof” is to describe __________. Choose TWO.

• A. Alcatraz’s various uses through time
• B. how children of Alcatraz got to school
• C. Jolene’s experiences with inmates
• D. what made Alcatraz a tough prison

3. Describing her move to Alcatraz, Jolene says, “‘It was like going from black-and-white to full color.’” She means __________. Choose TWO.

• A. cameras had become more advanced
• B. the island of Alcatraz was bright and beautiful
• C. the prison was made of colorful buildings
• D. Jolene found Alcatraz more exciting than her previous home

4. Author Talia Cowen writes, “Still, interactions with inmates sometimes happened. And when they did, kids traded stories of their encounters like valuable baseball cards.” She means that talking with prisoners was __________.

• A. scary
• B. common
• C. rare and exciting
• D. allowed

5. The sidebar “Life on Alcatraz” includes a photo of a girl bowling most likely to show that __________.

• A. kids on Alcatraz were similar to kids everywhere
• B. bowling was a popular sport in America
• C. the public was fascinated by life on Alcatraz
• D. kids were required to participate in sports on Alcatraz

6. Why did Esther Faulk most likely write two versions of her poem “The Isle of Alcatraz”?

• A. to give equal weight to two points of view
• B. to provide additional details about Alcatraz
• C. to show that living on Alcatraz was not the way most people thought it was
• D. to show both a prisoner’s and a resident’s point of view

7. How was life for kids on Alcatraz similar to life in other places in America? How was it different? Use text evidence in your answer.