Bad Boy and Skinny Tomboy Kid

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

Tags

CCSS.RL.1.6

CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

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.

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

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.

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

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

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

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.

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.3

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

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.

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

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.

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

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.

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

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

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

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

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5