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WorksheetsBad Boy and Skinny Tomboy Kid
Total questions: 16
Worksheet time: 31mins
At what stage of life is Walter, the narrator, when the events of the
selection from Bad Boy take place?
small child
grade schooler
teenager
young adult
In the selection from Bad Boy, why does Walter feel a connection to the children he sees on the trolley?
The children appear to Walter as if they, too, are trying to fit in with their friends.
The children are from Walter’s neighborhood and share similar struggles.
The children are on their way to the library, a place Walter loves.
The children, like Walter, are readers who are carrying books.
In the selection from Bad Boy, what happens when Walter and his friends run into a group of girls exercising in the gym?
The boys make fun of the girls for not being interested in basketball.
The girls and boys dance together while Walter reads a poem aloud.
The girls challenge the boys to do their exercises, but the boys cannot.
The boys invite the girls to play basketball, but the girls do dancing exercises instead.
According to the selection from Bad Boy, what is Walter led to believe that boys should not do? Choose three options.
dance
exercise
read books
write poems
play stoop ball
Which of the following statements best explains how Walter, the narrator of the selection from Bad Boy, feels about books?
Walter values books because they provide comfort and escape.
Walter is interested in books because the people he respects read them.
Walter is passionate about books and will fight the older boys over them.
Walter likes books but prefers “boy” activities, such as basketball and punchball.
Boys should be allowed to pursue whatever interests them. Which quotation from Bad Boy most clearly supports this statement:
There were two categories of friends in my life: those with whom I played ball and everyone else. Athletes were highly respected in the black community, and boys my age were encouraged to play some sport.
With school out and me not having access to Mrs. Conway’s cache of books, I rediscovered the George Bruce Branch of the public library on 125th Street. Sometimes on rainy days I would sit in the library and read.
That year I learned that being a boy meant that I was supposed to do certain things and act in a certain way. I was very comfortable being a boy, but there were times when the role was uncomfortable.
Then we saw that the girls were doing some kind of dance, so we imitated them, cracking ourselves up.
Which quotation directly expresses a central idea about books in the selection from Bad Boy?
With school out and me not having access to Mrs. Conway’s cache of books, I rediscovered the George Bruce Branch of the public library on 125th Street.
The librarians always suggested books that were too young for me, but I still went on a regular basis.
Away from books I was, at times, almost desperate to fill up the spaces of my life. Books filled those spaces for me.
I began taking a brown paper bag to the library to bring my books home in.
One central idea in the selection from Bad Boy is that boys are “supposed to” act in a certain way.
Which two sentences from the selection best suggest this idea?
Choose two options.
There wasn’t any ice to skate on in Harlem, so I gave up hockey.
Most of the girls I knew couldn’t play ball, and that excluded them from most of what I wanted to do with my life.
… I would sometimes run into older kids who would tease me about my reading. It was, they made it clear, not what boys did.
When the girls had finished their dancing, they went through some stretching exercises.
I liked dancing, too, but I had to pretend I didn’t like it.
What is the speaker’s most likely purpose in “I Was a Skinny Tomboy Kid”?
to describe what she did and felt as a child
to explain why she did what she did as a child
to point out that people aren’t always what they seem
to warn others about the dangers of being alone on the streets
How did the speaker of “I Was a Skinny Tomboy Kid” like to move around outside?
very quietly
without being seen
as quickly as possible
without touching the ground
What conclusions can be drawn about the speaker of “I Was a Skinny Tomboy Kid” when she was a child?
Choose three options.
She was brave.
She never slept well.
She did some dangerous things.
She lived near the sea.
She wanted to be a boy.
What do details in “I Was a Skinny Tomboy Kid” suggest about the speaker’s social relationships?
She had many friends.
She was basically a loner.
She had a few close friends.
She didn’t like other people.
Which set of lines from “I Was a Skinny Tomboy Kid” best suggests a theme about the power of the imagination?
I was a skinny tomboy kid / who walked down the streets / with my fists clenched into / tight balls.
… I liked the edge / of almost / not making it.
… and I vowed / to never / … be helpless like / my mother ….
… transforming my reality / and creating a / legendary/self …
Which set of lines from “I Was a Skinny Tomboy Kid” best suggests a theme about understanding others?
I knew all the roofs / And back yard fences, / I liked traveling that way….
… and catching crabs / sometimes and / selling them / to some Chinese guys ….
… but then I didn’t realize / the kind of guts / it often took / for her to just keep / standing / where she was.
… and I coil up / in a self/mothering fashion / and tell myself / it’s o.k.
Which idea is a theme both in the selection from Bad Boy and in “I Was a Skinny Tomboy Kid”?
the importance of living an active life
how a lack of support can affect a person
ways in which boys and girls are expected to behave
what people will do in order to achieve their goals in life
What is one way that the main character in the selection from Bad Boy is different from the main character in “I Was a Skinny Tomboy Kid”?
The main character in the memoir spends a great deal of time with other children, but the main character in the poem does not.
The main character in the memoir does not care what people think of him, but the main character in the poem does.
The main character in the memoir is less involved in physical activities than the main character in the poem is.
The main character in the memoir enjoys being outside more than the main character in the poem does.
