The Treasure of Lemon Brown

Identify the figurative language in the following sentence.

Gusts of wind made bits of paper dance between the parked cars.

• simile
• metaphor
• personification
• hyperbole

Read the following sentences.
_{“And you want to play basketball?” His father’s brows knitted over deep brown eyes. “That must be some kind of a joke. Now you just get into your room and hit those books.”}

Based upon these sentences, what is the meaning of the idiom “hit those books”?

• Strike the books to release tension
• Focus on the information to increase learning
• Use the books for target practice
• Read the books to study how to make the basketball team.

Read the following sentence.
“Don’t try nothing’ ‘cause I got a razor here sharp enough to cut a week into nine days!”

What does Lemon Brown mean by his use of the figurative expression “sharp enough to cut a week into nine days”?

• Time can be broken into distinct pieces
• The knife has magical powers.
• There are nine days within a week.
• The knife is extremely sharp.

Which choice from the story contains an example of onomatopoeia?

• The car tires hissing
• The voice high and brittle
• The squarish patch of light
• The cracked, dirty shoes

Read the following passage to answer questions 5 and 6.
“Hard times, boy. Hard times always after a poor man. One day I got tired, sat down to rest a spell and felt a tap on my shoulder. Hard times caught up with me.”
What literary device does the author use?

• simile
• metaphor
•  personification
• hyperbole

“Hard times, boy. Hard times always after a poor man. One day I got tired, sat down to rest a spell and felt a tap on my shoulder. Hard times caught up with me.”

What is the author’s purpose for using this literary device?

• to compare Sweet Lemon Brown, the old man, to Greg, the young boy

• to compare poor men to wealthy men

• to show how hard times and poor men are at times friends

• to emphasize how difficult life can be

Read the paragraph from the story and answer questions 7-8.Greg looked at the old man, saw the distant look in his eye, then turned to the clippings. (2) They told of Sweet Lemon Brown, a blues singer and harmonica player who was appearing at different theaters in the South. (3) One of the clippings said he had been the hit of the show, although not the headliner. (4) All of the clippings were reviews of shows Lemon Brown had been in more than 50 years ago. (5) Greg looked at the harmonica. (6) It was dented badly on one side, with the reed holes on one end nearly closed.

Which of the following revisions to sentence 5 provides the most vivid language?

• Greg looked at the harmonica with intensity.
• Greg stared at the worn harmonica, the instrument that had given Sweet Lemon Brown his fame.
• Greg picked up the harmonica, ran his fingers along the edge, and noticed the faded smooth-like edges that once depicted its brand name.
• Greg examined the harmonica and noticed many things

Greg looked at the old man, saw the distant look in his eye, then turned to the clippings. (2) They told of Sweet Lemon Brown, a blues singer and harmonica player who was appearing at different theaters in the South. (3) One of the clippings said he had been the hit of the show, although not the headliner. (4) All of the clippings were reviews of shows Lemon Brown had been in more than 50 years ago. (5) Greg looked at the harmonica. (6) It was dented badly on one side, with the reed holes on one end nearly closed.

Which of the following could Myers add to the paragraph as supporting detail?

• He wondered, despite its condition, if the bluesy sound Lemon had shown the world 50 years ago could be resurrected.

• Lemon Brown’s wife and little boy loved to listen to him play.

• Greg thought of his own musical instrument at home, his guitar, and hoped he would be successful one day.

• Lemon Brown was puzzled to see Greg interested in his clippings and harmonica.

Identify the figurative language in the following sentence.  
The voice was high and brittle, like dry twigs being broken, surely not one he had ever heard before.

• simile
• metaphor
• onomatopoeia
• personification

Identify the figurative language in the following sentence.

There was a footstep on the stairs, and the beam from the flashlight danced crazily along the peeling wallpaper

• metaphor
• hyperbole
• onomatopeoia
• personification