A Boy's Life

How does the sentence help develop the plot of the passage?

• a. It presents the climax.

• b. It introduces the conflict.

• c. It indicates how the narrator changes.

• d. It establishes how the narrator learns a lesson.

What is the genre of Boy’s Life?

• a. realistic fiction

• b. historical fiction

• c. mystery

• d. fantasy

Read the sentence from paragraph 31 in the passage from Boy’s Life I ran out along the corridor, my arms unencumbered by books, my mind unencumbered by facts and figures, quotations and dates. What does the word unencumbered mean as it is used in the sentence?

• not burdened

• not excited

• not hurried

• not aged

In the passage from Boy’s Life, how does the narrator’s attitude toward Mrs. Neville gradually (slowly) change?

• from confused to angry

• from worried to comforted

• from pitying (feeling bad for) to discouraged

• from impatient to understanding

PART A: Read the sentence from paragraph 31 in the passage from Boy’s Life. I ran out along the corridor, my arms unencumbered by books, my mind unencumbered by facts and figures, quotations and dates. What does the word unencumbered mean as it is used in the sentence?

• “‘Have a good summer,’ Mrs. Neville said, and I realized suddenly that I was free.”

• “Before I got out, though, I looked back at Mrs. Neville.”

• “Mrs. Neville suddenly looked awfully old.”

• “Mrs. Neville suddenly looked awfully old.”

Part A: Read the sentence from paragraph 5 in the passage from Boy’s Life. How does the sentence help develop the plot of the passage? Part B Which detail from the passage best supports the answer to Part A?

• “The sun had grown steadily hotter . . . .”

• “. . . the baseball field had been mowed . . . .”

• “. . . and how much we’d learned . . .”

• “. . . sat with one eye fixed to the clock.”

Part A In the passage from Boy’s Life, how does the narrator’s attitude toward Mrs. Neville gradually change? PART B: Which sentence from the passage best support the gradual (slow) change in the answer to Part A?

• “In spite of what the calendar says, I have always counted the last day of school as the first day of summer.”

• “From the hallway we heard a stirring and rustling, followed by laughter and shouts of pure, bubbling joy.”

• “My insides quaked at the injustice of it.”

• “She wanted to hold us as long as she possibly could, not out of sheer teacher spite but maybe because she didn’t have anybody to go home to, and summer alone is no summer at all.”

What is the main theme of 'A Boy's Life'?

• Coming of age

• Adventure

• Mystery

• Romance

Which literary device is predominantly used in 'A Boy's Life'?

• Metaphor

• Simile

• Personification

• Irony

In 'A Boy's Life', how does the protagonist's relationship with his father evolve?

• From distant to close

• From close to distant

• Remains unchanged

• From hostile to friendly