Out of the Dust January 1934

From whose perspective is the story told?

• Mr. Kelby

• the narrator

• Billie Jo

• Mama

Billie Jo writes, "I hollared myself red the day I was born. Red's the color I've stayed ever since." A reasonable inference from this statement is

• Billie Jo's skin and hair are red

• Billie Jo always seems unhappy about something.

• Billie Jo likes the color red.

• Billie Jo has a very loud voice.

Why does Billie Jo's father treat her like a boy?

• He always wanted a son.

• She looks just like her brother.

• She looks just like he did as a child.

The text states that Ma says Great-uncle Floyd is as "mean as a rattler" to insinuate

• that he has a nasty personality

• he has a very long body

• when he yells he hisses like a snake

• he gets so angry he shakes

Billie Jo compares her Ma to an "old mule on the subject of [her] school." What does she mean by this?

• Her ma is stubborn and doesn't like her playing the piano on a school night.

• Her Ma thinks Billie Jo's teachers should teach more about animals.

• Her Ma is confused and unaware of what kids in school are learning about.

• Her Ma thinks Billie Jo should have homework every night of the week.

Mr. Hardly is described as a man known for "charging too much for his stale food, and he made bad change when he could get away with it." Which character traits describe him?

• generous and sneaky

• mean and courteous

• shifty and devious

• giving and tricky

Who is president of the United States during the setting of this novel?

• Theodore Roosevelt

• Herbert Hoover

• Woodrow Wilson

• Franklin Roosevelt

What is unusual about how the Kilby family prepares for supper?

• They do not turn utensils over until time to eat.

• They do not eat at the table.

• They do not sit together to eat

• They do not eat supper.

How long did the drought last before the rain came in February of 1934?

• thirty days

• fifty days

• a month

• seventy days

Billie Jo writes, "and we were all whittled down to the bone these days," meaning that they

• have all learned how to carve wood

• all know how to play a new instrument

• are so hungry that they eat all meat down to the bone

• are so hungry that their bodies are getting very thin