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Worksheets

The Watsons Go to Birmingham: 1963

Total questions: 37

Worksheet time: 45mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Who was narrating the story?

a)

Byron Watson

b)

Daniel Watson

c)

Grandma Sands

d)

Kenny Watson

2.
What part of Michigan are the Watsons from?
a)
Flint
b)
Detroit
c)
Ann Harbor
d)
Birmingham
3.

"The furnace was banging...but it still felt like Jack Frost had moved in with us."


What type of figurative language is this?

a)

Simile

b)

Hyperbole

c)

Metaphor

d)

Personification

4.

"It was about a zillion degrees below zero."


What type of figurative language is this?

a)

Hyperbole

b)

Personification

c)

Metaphor

d)

Simile

5.
What is the name of the family car?
a)
The Brown Bomber
b)
The Blue Bomber
c)
The Mauve Bomber
d)
The Black Bomber
6.

What did Byron do that made Kenny think he was part of the "Weird Watsons"?

a)

Byron dressed up like a bear.

b)

Byron put his lips on the cold mirror and they got stuck.

c)

Byron sang in the shower.

d)

Byron shaved his head.

7.

Byron was described as this:


"a _____ deliniquent".

a)

juvenile

b)

welfare

c)

generous

d)

punctual

8.

Byron helped Kenny by showing him how to what?

a)

Wear his shirts to cover the scars on his neck

b)

Fix his hair so his big ears didn't stick out

c)

Hold a baseball bat so he didn't look ridiculous

d)

Look at people so he didn't appear cockeyed

9.

"I've got about a million (dinosaurs), but before LJ started coming over I had two million."


What type of figurative language is this?

a)

Hyperbole

b)

Simile

c)

Metaphor

d)

Personification

10.
Why did Kenny believe that one of the new kids would be his personal "saver"?
a)
Because he thought the new kid would be easier to bully
b)
Because he let him cheat off of his paper 
c)
Because he saved him from a bully
d)
Because the kid told Kenny he would save him
11.

Rufus stopped coming over to play with Kenny after Kenny---

a)

Told byron and Buphead that Rufus' family was on welfare

b)

Stood up on the bus and said that Rufus couldn't read

c)

Laughed when Larry Dunn made fun of Rufus

d)

Stole some plastic army men from Rufus's brother, Cody

12.

What did Kenny regret telling Byron about?

a)

LJ stealing his dinosaurs

b)

Larry Dunn stealing his gloves

c)

Him laughing at Rufus being bullied

d)

He liked reading to his class.

13.

Byron was embarrassed at the thought thait his family was on this.

a)

juvenile

b)

welfare

c)

generous

d)

punctual

14.

What did Byron tell Joetta in order to make her stop whining about the amount of clothes she has to wear outside?

a)

He told her that she would get sick and not be able to go to school.

b)

If she wore all the clothes, her friends would think she was Olaf.

c)

He told her that Momma would take away her dessert.

d)

He told her that she would freeze solid and the special garbage truck would have to come and pick her up.

15.

How does the author, Christopher Paul Curtis, show Byron's soft side?

a)

He only threw a few apples at Kenny.

b)

He cried when he killed a bird.

c)

He cussed at his little brother.

d)

He didn't want to sign for the groceries.

16.

What did Momma do when she caught Byron lighting matches?

a)

She started to burn his finger, but Joey kept blowing out the matches.

b)

She took him to the ruins of a house where a fire had killed a young boy.

c)

She made him play dolls with Joey every afternoon for an entire month.

d)

She tied a string from his wrist to hers and made him follow her everywhere.

17.

What did Byron do that his dad had to cut his hair and shave him bald?

a)

He got gum stuck in his hair and it wouldn't come out

b)

He cussed at his daddy and momma

c)

He got a conk

d)

He smacked Joey

18.

What was the invention that Daniel Watson bought?

a)

The Ultra Glide

b)

A smelly pine tree

c)

A hood ornament

19.

Why doesn't Joey like the gift Mrs. Davidson gave her?

a)

Joey didn't like the angel because it looked just like her

b)

Joey liked the new dress, and put it on right away

c)

Joey didn't like the angel because it was white and didn't look like her.

d)

Joey didn't like the new dress, and immediately placed it in her sock drawer

20.

Why is Byron upset about going to Grandma Sands?

a)

He is scared of the heat.

b)

He knows that Grandma Sands is very strict

c)

He doesn't want to leave Kenny and Joetta.

d)

He's close to his parents and sad to leave them.

21.
How has Byron been behaving in Alabama?
a)
He has been sneaking out of the house at night.
b)
He has been respectful and stayed out of trouble.
c)
He has made new friends that have gotten him into trouble.
d)
He has been moping around the house and not speaking to anyone.
22.

What tragic event happened at the part of the lake Grandma tells the kids to stay away from?

a)

A girl was murdered there.

b)

A little boy drowned.

c)

A family was beaten.

d)

A little girl was bitten and died.

23.
What or who does Kenny think he sees when he is about to drown?
a)
Winnie the Pooh
b)
Grandma Sands
c)
The Wool Pooh
d)
a police officer
24.
Who appears as an angel to help Kenny?
a)
Mrs. Watson
b)
Mrs. Davidson
c)
Grandma Sands
d)
Joetta
25.
Why did Byron keep kissing the top of Kenny’s head during chapter 13?
a)
He was afraid that Kenny was trapped in the church.
b)
He realized that Kenny could have actually died in the whirlpool.
c)
He knows Kenny has a headache and is trying to make him feel better.
d)
He is trying to convince Kenny not to tell his parents about the incident.
26.

How did the mood change during the last three chapters?

a)

It went from sad in the beginning of the book, to happy at the end.

b)

It went from serious in the beginning of the book, to scary at the end.

c)

It went from funny in the beginning of the book, to serious at the end.

d)

It went from tragic in the beginning of the book, to even more serious at the end.

27.
What is the climax of Watsons Go To Birmingham?
a)
Byron gets a conk
b)
The Watsons go to Birmingham
c)
The church Joey was visiting was  bombed
d)
The World's Greatest Dinosaur Fight
28.

What does Kenny take from the place where the bombing occurred?

a)

A piece of charred wood

b)

A ribbon

c)

A burned brick

d)

A shoe

29.

Joetta thinks that she saw Kenny across the street from the church, calling her to follow him away from the church.

a)

True

b)

False

30.

What does the Wool Pooh symbolize?

a)

Forgiveness

b)

Death

c)

Anger

d)

Evil

31.
Where does Kenny spend time after the family returns from Alabama?
a)
Kenny spends time behind the couch.
b)
Kenny spends time at Rufus' house
c)
Kenny spends time in his room.
d)
Kenny spends time at school.
32.
Byron starts to take Kenny with him when he spends time with his friends.
a)
True
b)
False
33.
What is the theme of The Watsons Go To Birmingham?
a)
Guilt and Blame
b)
Segregation
c)
Importance of family
d)
Welfare
34.

What nickname does everyone give Kenny because he's so smart?

a)

egghead

b)

Edison

c)

Pointdexter

d)

Einstein

35.

In Chapter 5, Byron plays with matches and gets in trouble. Which of the following would be another good title for this chapter?

a)

Byron Directs a Movie

b)

Byron Gets Burned

c)

Momma Becomes a Snake

d)

Joetta, the Traffic Cop

36.

Think of Byron at the beginning of the novel. Which of the following would NOT be a character trait for Byron?

a)

Sensitive

b)

Conceited

c)

Arrogant

d)

Mean

37.

Why was Kenny ashamed of himself for staying in the "World Famous Watson Pet Hospital"?

a)

He thought he should have gone to Sunday School with Joey.

b)

He regretted going inside the church after it exploded.

c)

He was embarrassed because he couldn't stop crying.

d)

He felt like he should have been brave and fought the Wool Pooh like Byron did.