Lights Out

Why is Dexter awake during most of the play?

• He is nervous about traveling without his parents.

• He has difficulty falling asleep without his mother reading to him.

• He is anxious about staying with Grandma.

• He is worried about forgetting Mr. Snowball.

This play has just one scene because —

• only two characters speak

• the setting is indoors

• the setting does not change

• no new characters are introduced

Which of these is an important idea explored in this play?

• Taking a trip can be a rewarding experience.

• Children often find comfort in things that are familiar.

• It is sometimes difficult to live far away from grandparents.

• Family members often disagree with each other.

The prefix in- helps the reader know that the word insincere in paragraph 18 means —

• without understanding

• with careful thought

• explaining what is meant

• not meaning what is said

Read paragraph 10.

DEXTER: [Picks up a stuffed polar bear and strokes its head.] Mr. Snowball doesn’t like it when you call me a goof.

By having Dexter refer to Mr. Snowball’s emotions, the playwright is —

• emphasizing that Leo does not understand Dexter’s actions

• suggesting that Dexter is quite young

• showing that Mr. Snowball used to belong to Leo

• showing that Dexter is ignoring his brother

Which of these is the best summary of the play?

• Leo is trying to sleep, but his younger brother Dexter keeps talking to him about a bus trip the boys will be taking the next day. Leo finally reads Dexter his favorite book, and Dexter falls asleep.

• Leo and Dexter are about to go on a bus trip without their mom or dad, and Dexter keeps talking about it. Dexter asks Leo whether he is going to miss a girl who came over to work with him on a science project for school.

• Dexter and Leo have a conversation about missing their mom and about how they will take a bus trip to Dallas the next day. Leo says Dexter is too old for bedtime stories but admits that he used to like the same story.

• Dexter, Leo’s younger brother, wakes Leo up to ask whether they’ve packed everything and whether they might get lost when they go on a bus trip the next day. Leo tells Dexter that nothing will go wrong.

Dexter’s lines throughout the play suggest that he —

• doesn’t think Leo listens to him

• depends on Leo to help him feel secure

• does not approve of Leo’s friendship with Chloe Barnett

• likes to annoy Leo whenever possible