Lesson 21 Comprehension

Which sentence from the passage uses adjectives to create the feeling that danger surround Francis, Lottie, and Billie?

• "Unlike Francis and Jason Grimes, the one-armed mountain main."
• "It was a decent plan--it was their only plan--and it seemed to be working."
• "The Comancheros were an outlaw band, ruthless, terrifying, inhumanely tough."
• "Francis knew that brushing out the tracks would only work in the pitch dark of night."

What does the phrase, "they'll be on us like dogs" mean in the sentence below?
"If we don't keep moving they'll be on us like dogs, won't they, Francis?"

• They will insult us terribly.
• They will make a loud noise. 
• They will attack us immediately.
• They will make us a part of their pack.

What is the meaning of the phrase, "drove Francis over the edge", in the sentence below?
Lottie would explain every little detail of every little part of every little thing she was talking about so that not a single aspect of it was missed, and she sometimes drove Francis over the edge.

• put Francis in danger
• took Francis to a cliff
• asked Francis for help
• irritated Francis greatly

What is the effect of the author's shift in nouns from "mile" to "yard" to "step" in the sentence below?
Then Francis picked Billy up and carried him piggyback, mile after mile, then yard after yard, and finally, step after step.

• It helps the reader understand how old Billy is.
• It signals that the author is about to flash back in time.
• It shows that the task of carrying Billy is getting harder.
• It provides an accurate measure of the distance Francis travels.

Billy falls sound asleep...

• during the storm
• while Francis carries him
• before Francis carries him
• after Francis puts him down

What kind of language is the phrase "breath of wind" as used in the text below?
 There hadn't been a breath of wind to blow the dust over the brush marks he'd left.

• adage
• alliteration
• personification
• simile

After Francis tells Lottie to dig, Lottie

• sees a mirage
• digs and finds water
• digs and finds nothing
• sees the dust from the Comancheros

What do Francis and the children do after the bolt of lightning hits close to them?

• They wake Billy up.
• They drink lots of water.
• They take cover under a ledge.
• They run for the shelter of the trees.

Which sentence from the passage uses verbs to create a feeling of swift action?

• "He had never seen such rain."
• "The streambed filled in the heavy downpour."
• "He pushed against Billy, who slammed into Lottie."
• "He straightened slowly, working the pain out of his legs."

Francis is relieved after the heavy rainfall because

• they are all safe
• their footprints are gone
• Lottie and Billy are safe
• the Comancheros are lost