The Poison Pretzel

How does the author develop the narrator’s point of view about the Sluggers in the story?

• by describing the incident that occurred after winning the championship

• by explaining the competition that developed between the brothers

• by comparing the attitudes of the players to those of the fans

• by emphasizing the failures of the team throughout the years

How do the phrases “broken the heart” and “crushed the spirit” suggest about the Sluggers’ fans?

• The fans were distrustful of the team’s players.

• The fans were discouraged by the team’s losses.

• The fans were confused by the team’s performance.

• The fans were bored by the team’s lack of dedication.

Which statement expresses a main theme of the story?

• Hard work and persistence don’t always result in success.

• Winning is not the most important part of the game.

• People should hold on to their beliefs.

• There are two sides to every story.

How did Skidmore change throughout the story?

• From evil to kind

• From wealthy to needy

• From spiteful to regretful

• From mysterious to confident

Which of the following choices describes how the plot unfolds?

• The sluggers win a championship, Boddlebrooks dies, Skidmore inherits the team, the team continued to

  lose.

• Boddlebrooks dies, Skidmore invents a pretzel, the sluggers win a championship, the curse followed the

  team.

• Skidmore invents a pretzel, the team loses games, Boddlebrooks dies, Skidmore inherits the team.

• Skidmore inherits the team, Skidmore invents a pretzel, Boddlebrooks dies, the sluggers win a

  championship.

Part A: What is an inference that can be made about Boddlebrooks based on the passage?

• He was athletic.

• He was considerate.

• He was competitive.

• He was in bad health.

Part B: Choose two pieces of evidence to support the inference in Part A.

• “He weighed nearly three hundred pounds and had big, bushy sideburns and a kind smile.” (paragraph

  4)

• “He handed out gum and sweets to the players after most games. . .” (paragraph 4)

• “On the night the Sluggers won the championship, as Manchester and all his players were celebrating in

  the clubhouse. . .” (paragraph 8)

• “Now, Manchester was an educated man with a passion for junk food. . .” (paragraph 10)

• “But he didn’t want to embarrass his brother by pointing that out. . .” (paragraph 10)