Maniac Magee - Chapters 38-39 (Word Study)

"The witnesses there were twice fifteen this time -- went with him as far as Hector Street. They halted at the curb. He crossed the street and went on alone." What is the best synonym for halted?

• continued

• stopped

• hurried

• connected

"They halted at the curb. He crossed the street and went on alone. Piper megaphoned after him: 'Maniac! Come back! We was just kidding! You don't have to!' Maniac just waved and went on." What does the author mean by using the word "megaphoned"?

• Piper's voice was exhausted.

• Piper's voice was quiet.

• Piper's voice was loud.

• Piper's voice was shaky.

"He knew he should be feeling afraid of these East Enders, these so-called black people. But he wasn't. It was himself he was afraid of, afraid of any trouble he might cause just by being there." This choice of words from the author reveal Maniac's _______.

• external conflict

• internal conflict

• resolution

• genre

"And so as Maniac moved through the East End, he felt the presence of not one but two populations, both occupying the same territory, yet each unmindful of the other -- one yelping and playing and chasing and laughing, the other lost and silent and dying by the millions." What does the word occupying mean?

• taking up the same space

• agreeing on a conflict

• avoiding due to difficulty

• staying organized during stress

"And so as Maniac moved through the East End, he felt the presence of not one but two populations, both occupying the same territory, yet each unmindful of the other -- one yelping and playing and chasing and laughing, the other lost and silent and dying by the millions." What word from the excerpt contains both a prefix AND a suffix?

• presence

• populations

• unmindful

• millions

"Maniac turned to face him fully. Mars Bar did not stop till he was inside Maniac's phone booth of space, inches from his face." What can the reader infer about Mars Bar?

• Mars Bar is confident about approaching Maniac.

• Mars Bar is scared to approach Maniac.

• Mars Bar is headed home after this meeting.

• Mars Bar is calling Maniac after this meeting.

"He jabbed a finger at Maniac's nose, pressed it, flattening the soft end of it." What type of imagery is used above?

• sight

• smell

• taste

• touch

"The race was set up on Plum Street, the long, level block between Ash and Jackson. By the time they were ready, half the kids in the East End were there, from the tiniest pipsqueaks to high-schoolers. The little kids ran races of their own from curb to curb. The bigger kids shouldered blasters and dug into their jeans for coins to bet with. For the first time since last fall, mothers opened windows and leaned out from second stories. Traffic was detoured from both ends of the block." What can the reader infer about this scene?

• The race has drawn a lot of attention.

• The race is going to be over quickly.

• The race will have few viewers.

• The biggest race will be between two large groups of people.

"The next problem came when the starter, Bump Gilliam, who was also Mars Bar's best pal, called, 'Get ready!'- and someone in the crowd yelled, 'That ain't what you say! You say, 'Take your mark'!' Well, everybody jumped into it, then. There was shoving and jawing and almost a fistfight over the proper way to start a race." What word best describes the mood of this scene?

• exhausted

• excited

• tense

• terrifying

"Even as the race began -- even after it began -- Maniac wasn't sure how to run it. Naturally he wanted to win, or at least to do his best. All his instincts told him that. But there were other considerations: whom he was racing against, and where, and what the consequences might be if he won." What is the best meaning of the word considerations?

• quickness or speed

• something to think about

• organization of a sporting event

• next steps down a flight of stairs