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WorksheetsMalcolm X - Learning to Read
Total questions: 18
Worksheet time: 36mins
Which quote from the text shows that Malcolm X had a “take charge” personality ?
“I spent two days just riffling uncertainly through the dictionary’s pages.”
“In the street, I had been the most articulate hustler out there.”
“You couldn’t have gotten me out of books with a wedge.”
“Everything I've ever felt strongly about, I've done something about.”
Based on information provided in the text, we can infer that one difference between the friends Malcolm X had outside of prison and the people he was surrounded by in prison was that-
Malcolm X’s friends outside of Norfolk were followers of Elijah Muhammed that encouraged learning, while Malcolm’s company in prison was mostly criminals that couldn’t read
His friends outside of prison were street hustlers that hid the fact that they were uneducated, while the men in Norfolk were convicts that were praised for their intelligence
Malcolm X’s friends before he went to prison were street hustlers and the men in prison with him were high level criminals
In Charlestown Prison, the men frequently held debates, and on the streets they spent most of their time gambling
What sparked Malcolm X’s desire to “learn to read”?
He wanted his letters and conversation to be more articulate
He wanted to impress Elijah Muhammed.
He wanted to be more active in Civil Rights.
He wanted Bimbi to think he was smart.
How did Malcolm become well known in the streets, before going to prison?
he was a very successful hustler
he was a smooth talker
he had been to prison before
he wrote letters to everyone
In paragraph 4, Malcolm X states “In the street, I had been the most articulate hustler out there...But now, trying to write simple English…I wasn’t even functional.”. By this he means that….
He was a better writer than speaker
He enjoyed being on the streets more than he enjoyed writing
he was good at fitting in on the streets, but he didn’t really know how to read or write
He was a great speaker in casual, face to face conversations, but he didn’t know how to put words together on paper
Why does the author italicize the last line in paragraph 4 ?
To show an internal thought.
To signify a title.
To highlight a contrast.
to emphasize a word.
The purpose of paragraph 5 is to...
suggest the impact that his “prison studies” had on his life
explain his motivation for learning to read.
emphasize the fame of Malcolm X.
explain why he went to Charlestown prison.
What frustrations did Malcolm X encounter in his efforts to be more like Bimbi?
he felt like he could never match Bimbi’s intelligence
he couldn’t understand most of the words in the books he picked up
Bimbi made him feel bad about learning
Bimbi never returned his letters
In paragraph 15, Malcolm X suggests that reading
made him feel smarter than college students
gave him a status symbol so that he could be successful
gave him a new perspective on many things in his life and surroundings
made him more sensitive to others
According to the excerpt, Malcolm X began using a dictionary to ....
acquire new vocabulary and improve his writing.
impress his relatives and keep himself busy.
improve his conversations with his friends.
assist him in understanding legal documents.
Read the following line from the text.
“…months passed without me even thinking about being imprisoned. In fact, up to then, I never had been so truly free in my life.”
This line suggests that -
Malcolm X found a new type of freedom in prison.
Malcolm X’s idol, Elijah Muhammad, joined him in prison.
Malcolm X lost track of time while in prison.
Malcolm X disliked having visitors in prison.
For many years, Malcolm X followed and admired _________, the leader of the Nation of Islam at that time.
Elijah Muhammad
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Bimbi
Louis Farrakhan
Christians are people who follow Christianity, ______ are followers of Islam.
Jews
Catholics
Muslims
Islamics
(3) It was because of my letters that I happened to acquire some kind of a homemade education.
learn
want
lose
gain
(6) It had really begun back in the Charlestown Prison, when [my friend] Bimbi first made me feel envy of his knowledge.
anger
jealousy
influence
desire
(9) I woke up the next morning immensely proud to realize that not only had I written so much, but I’d written words that I never knew were in the world.
somewhat
greatly
surprisingly
sleepy
(p11)
Inevitable means...
not invited
cannot be avoided
very good
normal
(p12)
Devour means....
to consume agressively
to destroy
to waste
to eat up little by little
