Tall Tale and Pecos Bill

Which sentence best illustrates Bill as larger than life?

• Before he knew it, he was roaming the prairies with the pack.
• But Pecos Bill wasn’t scared in the least.
• He invented tarantulas and scorpions as practical jokes.
• Bill just growled at the feller like any coyote worth his salt would.

The worst drought in history contributes to the plot because it,

• creates an element of suspense regarding the town’s future
• is a metaphor for the sadness Bill feels because of being forgotten
• sets the tone for the ending of the story
• is the dilemma needed for Bill to rope the cyclone

Read the following sentence from the paragraph. What can we infer about Pecos Bill’s personality? When the moon came up, Bill started to sing the way the coyotes had taught him, except this time he made up some human words to go along so that the cowboys would understand.

• He was determined to control the cowboys.
• Bill was a compassionate man that thought about others.
• Bill created singing in it's entirety.
• Coyote speak and English are very similar.

What is the definition of barren as used in Pecos Bill? They moved through a barren wasteland.

• An area full of potential
• (of land) too poor to produce much or any vegetation.
• The bars used to make jail cells in the early frontier.
• the end of a lasso.

As they rode across the desert prairie, Bill caught a rattlesnake. Whoosh, in a second he turned that rattlesnake into a rope. He threw that rattlesnake rope right out there and caught a few Gila monsters with it. "This here is a lasso," he said to the cowboy. And that was just the first of Bill's many inventions. In the previous paragraph, the descriptions used in Bill’s creation of the lasso are examples of which of the following?

• Details
• Humor
• Tone
• Sarcasm

Which detail best supports a shift in the plot from the beginning of the tale?

• “Varmint,” said Bill hoarsely, for he hadn’t used his human voice in seventeen years.
• So with a heavy heart he said good-bye to his four-legged friends and took off with the cowpoke for the nearest ranch
• “You’re a cowboy! So start acting like one
• Bill just growled at the feller like any coyote worth his salt would.

Read this sentence from paragraph 2: He teethed on horseshoes instead of teething rings and played with grizzly bears instead of teddy bears.The author uses imagery in this sentence most likely to show:

• readers the importance of having strong background knowledge
• the understated elements of folklore
• how dramatics can affect a story
• the exaggerated nature of tall tales

Pecos Bill is written in the _______ person point of view.

• third
• second
• last
• first

By using the third person point of view, the author of Pecos Bill allows us to...

• understand how plain Bill would have been in his eyes?
• understand just how amazing Pecos Bill was.
• view the story through his experience.
• experience the actions of Pecos Bill first hand, with zero exaggerations.

Why do you think the story of Pecos bill is still told today?

• It gives valuable life lessons
• Because it is action packed and funny.
• Due to the nature of the great values the story instills on it's readers.
• it is still told today because the life and accomplishments of Pecos Bill are things we should attempt to duplicate.