Poem “Why We Play Basketball”

In the first stanza, the speaker says for him and his friends, basketball is more than simply a game. What word does he use to describe what basketball is for them?

What is the literal definition of war?

In the final stanza of the poem, Alexie names two reasons why the boys play basketball. What are those two reasons?

The poet says other people refer to basketball as…

• a good source of exercise

• a boring waste of time

• a difficult sport to master

• a game

The speaker and his friends compare basketball to…

• war

• school

• winter

• sunshine

Write a line from the poem that shows the boys plays basketball with aggression.

The poet claims they play basketball because they want…

• to separate things

• to make new things

• a scholarship to a good school

• to become professional athletes

Which statement do you think the poet would most likely agree with?

• Basketball is unsafe and should be banned in schools.

• Water tastes best in the winter when there is fallen snow on the ground.

• Basketball is hard to learn, and nobody is really good at it.

• Sports can provide an outlet for children who are stressed.