Phoenix Farm Quiz

On page 22, the narrator says, “Then the phone rang and he ran out of the room, expecting, I guess, that it would be Courtney or Brittany or another of his girlfriends named after spaniels.” The narrator’s tone in this line could BEST be described as

• admiring.

• annoyed.

• uninterested.

• concerned.

On page 22, the narrator says, “The gray-green shell seemed to be taking minute breaths, pulsing in and out, in and out, like a tiny brittle ocean.” Context clues reveal that minute [my-NOOT] most closely means

• immeasurably small.

• much larger or more powerful than normal.

• making a noticeable or strong sound.

• not smooth or following a regular pattern.

Which detail would be LEAST important to include in a summary of the story?

• The narrator finds a magical egg.

• The family’s apartment burns down.

• The narrator’s dad returns after finding a job.

• The narrator’s mother used to be a track star.

Which BEST describes the narrator’s feelings at the end of the story?

• aware of how much she lost in the fire

• confused about where her father has been

• worried about her grandmother’s anger

• hopeful about her family starting a new life

Which statement best expresses a theme of the story?

• The recession causes the narrator’s dad to abandon the family.

• From endings can come new beginnings.

• Always listen to your elders.

• The phoenix flies off to start its new life.

Which pair of lines BEST supports your answer to question 5?

• “Having gratitude for someone doesn’t make you like them”; “Grandma would be furious of course.”

• “And then he stopped, because all of Dad’s books had been consumed in the fire”; “Mama cried, though—about the photos, mostly.”

• “The grammar bothered me more than what it said”; “I didn’t know about the fire.”

• “It was as if we could start fresh and all the rest of it had been burned away”; “Sometimes it’s better to rise up out of the ashes, singing.”