Rocks in My Pocket

Underline the sentence from paragraph 5 of “Kids at Work” that supports the inference

that Hine used the emotional impact of his photographs to make a point.

• America can thank a man named Lewis Hine for demonstrating the need for well-enforced child labor laws.

• Hine photographed children as young as three years old working in dangerous conditions in fields, factories, mines, and mills.

• Lewis Hine was a teacher in New York who left his job in 1908 to become a photographer for the newly-formed National Child Labor Committee.

• One of Hine’s most famous photographs showed a young girl looking longingly out the window of the mill where she worked.

What is the meaning of the expression followed suit as it is used in the passage “Kids at Work”?

“In 1842, Massachusetts passed a law that limited children’s workdays to ten hours.

Many other states followed suit.” (paragraph 4)

• The states sued to keep the laws from being enforced.

• The states passed similar laws.

• The states paid close attention to the results.

• The states wrote pro-factory laws.

How did industrialization change the nature of children’s work?

• The workers didn’t learn valuable skills that they

  could use to support themselves independently.

• Technology such as the steam engine and the cotton mill made it possible to make bigger numbers of products in factories instead of one at a time in people’s homes.

• These laws keep minors safe and make sure they

  can get an education.

• In colonial times, even very young children worked right alongside their parents.

The following question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then, answer Part B.

Part A

What point of view do Mama and Papa share with Sophie in “Rocks in My Pocket”?

• They feel that the family should not have sold the piano.

• They feel that acting morally is more important than earning money.

• They feel that Sophie should keep trying to find work legally.

• They feel that the family should not worry about earning money.

The following question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then, answer Part B.

Part B

How does the author of “Rocks in My Pocket” show that Mama and Papa share the point

of view described in Part A?

• Mama is curious about where Sophie is going in such a rush.

• Papa says Sophie “should not have done a dishonest thing.”

• Mama tells Sophie that they will “make out, somehow.”

• Both sneak extra food to Sophie so she can meet the weight limit.

Why might the National Child Labor Committee have preferred that Sophie work at a movie house instead of a factory?

• because she would face fewer dangers at a movie house

• because she would make more money at a movie house

• because she would still get an education working at a movie house

• because she would need a work permit for the job at a movie house

Which law described in “Kids at Work” prevents Sophie in “Rocks in My Pocket” from getting a work permit?

• an 1842 Massachusetts law

• a 1903 New York law

• the 1916 federal child labor law

• the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act

Which sentence from “Rocks in My Pocket” reflects the idea from “Kids at Work” that child labor was “robbing children of their educations”?

• “Papa’s injury at work meant no money coming in until he recovered.”

• “ ‘I don’t want to quit school, but I must get a job.’ ”

• “She stood in the line trying to look mature.”

• “ ‘You girls think you can fool me, but I’ve seen this trick before.’

Which character from “Rocks in My Pocket” would have been the best subject for Lewis Hine to photograph?

• Sophie, who gets a job playing piano at a movie house

• Papa, who is injured at his job before the events in the story

• Judith, who tells Sophie about jobs at the coat factory

• Mama, who is forced to sell the family piano

How might “Rocks in My Pocket” have been different if the Fair Labor Standards Act had been in place?

• The factory owner might not have been able to hire Sophie.

• Sophie might not have had to meet a weight requirement.

• Sophie’s father might not have been injured at work.

• The factory would have had to pay Sophie as much as an adult.