Quiz on Loser

What is the significance of the flashback in the plot of "Loser"?

• It suggests that the young man’s ability to find things is related to his loss.

• It explains why the young man plays basketball instead of going swimming.

• It implies that the young man owes money to the community for raising him.

• It makes the young man’s character seem related to supernatural occurrences.

In “Loser,” the young man wants to call Leonard “son” because it —

• is what people call boys who are much younger than they are

• reflects his longing to connect emotionally with another person

• is how he usually refers to the younger boys in the neighborhood

• reflects the way his father spoke to him when he was younger

How does the author of “Loser” develop the character of the young man?

• By giving a complete description of the young man’s appearance and details about how he lives

• By showing that the young man is a normal person through details like basketball games

• By using the young man’s feelings and other people’s reactions to imply his loneliness

• By revealing details about the young man’s relationships with the other characters

Which statement best describes the irony of the boy in “Loser” saying, *Where did you go? Come find me?*

• It is ironic that the boy thinks people could find him when he hides.

• It is ironic that the boy wants to be found because he wants to be lost.

• It is ironic that the boy says this because he already found the missing boy.

• It is ironic that the boy asks to be found when he is the one who finds things.

Lines 1–4 of “At Dusk” are important to the poem because —

• the speaker gives her impression of someone calling a cat

• the speaker shows how the neighbor startled her

• the poet establishes a sense of the setting

• the poet uses a symbol of a broken home

What is the effect of the phrase *the lines stitching here to there* in “At Dusk,” lines 27–28?

• It conveys the speaker’s loneliness.

• It conveys wonder about technology.

• It is a metaphor for bringing people together.

• It is a simile for a map that exists in the speaker’s mind.

How is the theme of “At Dusk” revealed in the events that unfold in the poem?

• The speaker listens to sounds commonly heard at dusk and wants to make her own music.

• The speaker hears the call of the neighbor and ponders reaching out to another person.

• The speaker listens to the cat being called and wishes to not be so stuck in her life.

• The speaker observes a cat resisting the neighbor and considers rebelling herself.

In "At Dusk," what is the author's purpose in using words and phrases relating to sound? Cite evidence from the selection to support your response.

Must Respond in ACE format

The reader learns of the private thoughts of both the young man in the story and the speaker of the poem when night is approaching. This influences the themes of both selections because dusk is a time when people —

• have difficulty seeing each other in the darkness

• are often left alone with their thoughts

• make plans to see each other

• get ready to go out

Which two sentences describe something the young man in the story and the speaker of the poem have in common?

• Both yearn for a personal connection to others.

• Both are apprehensive about the darkness.

• Both possess a strange ability to find things.

• Both are deeply concerned about their neighbors.

• Both seem isolated from the life around them.