November, Week 2, The Dilemma

1. Line 18 shows that the speaker – (TEKS: 3.6F, CCSS: RL.4.1)

• wants to get to the end of the game quickly
• questions if his best friend is really that good at checkers
• knows he should have chosen another friend
• is concerned about what his friend has done

2. How can the reader tell that this is a free verse poem? (TEKS: 3.9B, CCSS: RL.4.1)

• The lines of the poem do not have a regular rhyme scheme.
• The lines of the poem have a regular rhyming pattern.
• The poem uses imagery and visual pictures to describe events.
• The poem tells a story with characters and a setting.

3. A synonym for the word choose in line 3 is – (TEKS: 3.3D, CCSS: L.4.5.C)

• reject
• select
• ask
• refuse

4. The poet uses the line below mainly to show that the speaker is feeling – (TEKS: 3.10D, CCSS: RL.4.1)

• angry
• embarrassed
• careless
• upset

5. What is the main message of the poem? (TEKS: 3.8A, CCSS: RL.4.2)

• Friendship is something you have to work at.
• A true friend is always honest.
• Some events in life are difficult to win.
• Competition can often tear friendships apart.

6. In the poem, which words does the author use to help the reader imagine the speaker’s experience at the beginning of the game? (TEKS: 3.10D, CCSS: RL.4.1)

• started out friendly
• had me beaten
• would it last
• brains were in a stew

7. The speaker is upset when – (TEKS: 3.6F, CCSS: RL.4.1)

• he can’t think of a game to play
• Grover cheats on a test
• his friend is not honest
• he plays checkers

8. By the end of the poem, the reader realizes that the speaker – (TEKS: 3.6F, CCSS: RL.4.1)

• needs to be a better friend
• does not know whether his friendship can be saved
• is able to use his imagination to guess about the next move in the game
• calls a more honest friend over to play the next game of checkers

9. A synonym for the word mend in line 20 is – (TEKS: 3.3D, CCSS: L.4.5.C)

• break
• sew
• stitch
• repair

10. Read lines 4, 5, and 6 from the poem. The poet uses these lines mainly to help the reader imagine what the decision the two boys had to make at the beginning of the poem – (TEKS: 3.10D, CCSS: RL.4.1)

• sounds like
• smells like
• feels like
• looks like