"The Treasure of Lemon Brown" Skills Test

The inciting incident occurs when…

• Greg’s father lectures him about his math grade.

• Greg asks Lemon Brown why his treasure is worth fighting for.

• Greg realizes he is not alone in the building.

• Local thugs enter the building.

Which excerpt includes direct characterization of Lemon Brown?

• The upper part of the figure before him was still in darkness. The lower half was in the dim rectangle of light that fell unevenly from the window.

• “Don’t try nothin’ ‘cause I got a razor sharp enough to cut a week into nine days!”

• “Hard times, boy. Hard times always after a poor man. One day I got tired, sat down to rest a spell and felt a tap on my shoulder. Hard times caught up with me.”

• The person who called himself Lemon Brown peered forward, and Greg could see him clearly. He was an old man. His black, heavily wrinkled face was surrounded by a halo of crinkly white hair and whiskers that seemed to separate his head from the layers of dirty coats piled on his smallish frame.

Which statement below is not a theme of “The Treasure of Lemon Brown”?

• A treasure’s worth is determined by its owner.

• Newspaper clippings should be treasured.

• Relationships are more important than money.

• The bond between a father and his son is a treasure.

How do the neighborhood thugs define treasure?

• something rare

• something sentimental

• something valuable

• something to pass on

Which piece of text evidence below most strongly supports your answer to the previous question?

• “Hey! Rag man!” A voice called. “We know you in here. What you got up under them rags? You got any money?”

• “What you doing here?” The figure shuffled forward again, and Greg took a small step backward.

• “What you mean, if I have one.” Lemon Brown said. “Every man got a treasure. You don’t know that, you must be a fool!”

• “Sure,” Greg said as he sat on the sofa and put one leg over the back. “What do you have, gold coins?”

Which character trait below best describes Greg in the story?

• generous

• studious

• disrespectful

• insecure

Which piece of text evidence below most strongly supports your answer to the previous question?

• His father had been a postal worker for all Greg’s life, and was proud of it, often telling Greg how hard he had worked to pass the test. Greg had heard the story too many times to be interested now.

• There was a room a few feet from the door, and from where he stood in the entrance, Greg could see a squarish patch of light on the floor. He entered the room, frowning at the musty smell.

• It was a large room that might have been someone’s parlor at one time. Squinting, Greg could see an old table on its side against one wall, what looked like a pile of rags or a torn mattress in the corner, and a couch, with one side broken, in front of the window.

• Greg, except for an involuntary tremor in his knees, stood stock still. The voice was high and brittle, like dry twigs being broken, surely not one he had ever heard before.

Which character trait below best describes Greg’s father in the story?

• strict

• unpredictable

• lighthearted

• trustworthy

Which piece of text evidence below most strongly supports your answer to the previous question?

• But the principal had ended the suspense early when she sent the letter saying Greg would probably fail math if he didn’t spend more time studying.

• “And you want to play basketball?” His father’s brows knitted over deep brown eyes. “That must be some kind of a joke. Now you just get into your room and hit those books.”

• He hadn’t been allowed to play high school ball, which he had really wanted to do, but playing for the Community Center team was the next best thing. Report cards were due in a week, and Greg had been hoping for the best.

• That had been two nights before. His father’s words, like the distant thunder that now echoed through the streets of Harlem, still rumbled softly in his ears.

Which two excerpts do not include indirect characterization of Greg’s father?

• The dark sky, filled with angry, swirling clouds, reflected Greg Ridley’s mood as he sat on the stoop of his building.

• His father’s voice came to him again, first reading the letter the principal had sent to the house, then lecturing endlessly about his poor efforts in math.

• “I had to leave school when I was thirteen,” his father had said, “that’s a year younger than you are now. If I’d had half the chances you have, I’d…”

• Greg sat in the small, pale green kitchen listening, knowing the lecture would end with his father saying he couldn’t play ball with the Scorpions.

• It wasn’t often the Scorpions took on new players, especially fourteen-year-olds, and this was a chance of a lifetime for Greg.