Worksheets"The Scarlet Ibis" Comprehension Questions
Total questions: 35
Worksheet time: 45mins
Why is the narrator's brother three months old before he is named?
His parents cannot agree on a name.
It is traditional to wait three months before naming a baby.
Everybody thinks the baby will die.
The baby first has to be baptized.
What prompts the narrator to show Doodle the coffin?
The narrator thinks that Doodle will find it amusing.
He intends to shut Doodle up inside the coffin as a joke.
He has a cruel streak that surfaces occasionally.
He wants to impress on Doodle how surprised they all were that Doodle survived.
Once Doodle has learned to walk, what motivates the narrator to persist with Doodle's development program?
His belief in his own infallibility
His belief in Doodle's infallibility
His sympathy for Doodle
His defiance of his parents
Which passage from "The Scarlet Ibis" best illustrates a feeling of triumph?
". . . I put him on his feet at least a hundred times each afternoon."
"And before I'll help you down from the loft, you're going to have to touch it."
"Finally I could see I was licked. Doodle was my brother and he was going to cling to me forever."
"There wasn't a sound as Doodle walked slowly across the room and sat down at his place at the table."
Which line most clearly indicates what the scarlet Ibis symbolizes?
"At that moment the bird began to flutter, but the wings were uncoordinated . . ."
"Its long, graceful neck jerked twice into an S, then it straightened out, and the bird was still."
"Even death did not mar its grace, for it lay on the earth like a broken vase of red flowers . . ."
"For a long time, it seemed forever, I lay there crying, sheltering my fallen scarlet ibis from the heresy of rain."
In "The Scarlet Ibis," how does the weather contribute to the atmosphere, or mood?
The weather creates a mood of confinement.
The weather seems reliable and reassuring.
The weather seems threatening and unpredictable.
The weather creates a feeling of lightheartedness.
Which passage from "The Scarlet Ibis" conveys a feeling of optimism?
"Hope no longer hid in the dark palmetto thicket but perched like a cardinal in the lacy toothbrush tree, brilliantly visible."
"Then when the slanted rays of the sun burned orange in the tops of the pines, we'd drop our jewels into the stream and watch them float away toward the sea."
"But sometimes (like right now), as I sit in the cool, green-draped parlor, the grindstone begins to turn, and time with all its changes is ground away . . ."
". . . The peacock spread his magnificent tail, enfolding the boy gently like a closing go-to-sleep flower, burying him in the gloriously iridescent, rustling vortex."
What is the main lesson of the relationship of the two brothers in "The Scarlet Ibis"?
To appreciate a brother or sister for who they are.
To teach someone how to do something.
To tease a brother or sister.
To be cruel when you get upset.
The theme of a story
announces the topic in one or two words
is stated directly in the story
provides entertainment only
makes some revelation abut the subject
Which theme is represented in the story "The Scarlet Ibis"?
Cherish the time you have.
You don't know what you've got until it's gone.
Determination is a driving force.
Pride has two faces.
How does the author emphasize the beauty of the setting?
Alliteration - "We were down in Old Woman Swamp and it was spring and the sick-sweet smell of bay flowers hung everywhere like a mournful song."
Simile-"Keeping a nice secret is very hard to do, like holding your breath."
Hyperbole- "We danced together quite well until she came down on my big toe with her brogans, hurting me so badly, I thought I was crippled for life."
Oxymoron- "I did not know then that pride is a wonderful, terrible thing"
What mood is established in the beginning of the story with the words "rotting", "graveyard", "stained", "empty" and "summer was dead" ?
violent
somber
mysterious
curious
Define "burden"
He was a burden in many ways.
something helpful
where a bird lives
a weight, or pressure
being free or liberated
Which is an accurate setting of the story?
1920, during the Roaring Golden era in the North
1999, during the technological boom in the South
1918, during WWI in the South
1819, in the North
What does THE HURRICANE symbolize?
Swamp; drowning; perseverance
Violence; death; impending doom
The ibis; Doodle; Brother's love
Determination; high expectations
What does the color RED symbolize?
Roses; birds; Doodle
The ibis; warning/danger & love
Anger; caul; mahogany coffin
Friendship; Doodle; love
