Amos and Boris

from Amos & Boris

by William Steig

Amos introduced himself and told Boris how he came to be there in the middle of the ocean. The whale said he would be happy to take Amos to the Ivory Coast of Africa, where he happened to be headed anyway, to attend a meeting of whales from all the seven seas. But Amos said he’d had enough adventure to last him a while. He wanted only to get back home and hoped the whale wouldn’t mind going out of his way to take him there.

“Not only would I not mind,” said Boris, “I would consider it a privilege. What other whale in all the world ever had the chance to get to know such a strange creature as you! Please climb aboard.” And Amos got on Boris’s back.

“Are you sure you’re a mammal?” Amos asked. “You smell more like a fish.” Then Boris the whale went swimming along, with Amos the mouse on his back.

Which statement is the best summary of the passage?

• Boris goes to meet other whales and is excited to take Amos home

• Amos meets Boris, and Boris happily agrees to take Amos home.

• Amos questions whether Boris is really a mammal and not a fish

• Boris finds Amos and tells him about the Ivory Coast of Africa

How did Amos lose his boat?

• He saw Boris in the ocean.

• He was overwhelmed with the beautiful sea and sky and rolled off.

• A big wave knocked him down.

• He saw a shark and got scared.

Based on the text, why doesn't Boris think Amos will be able to help him one day.

• Amos is living too far away

• Amos is weak.

• Amos is not a helpful mouse.

• Amos is too little.

How can you tell the events in this story are fiction?

• A mouse couldn't really build a sailboat

• There are illustrations, not photographs

• Animals can't talk

• All of the above

What is a setting?

• The order in which events happen

• Where the story takes place

• What the story is mostly about

• Who the story is about

What is the setting in Amos and Boris?

• The ocean

• a lake

• the forest

• a cave

What are main characters?

• The order in which events happen

• Where the story takes place

• What the story is mostly about

• The people and the animals the story is about

The author says that the "waves were as big as mountains". He uses figurative language to help the reader understand.....

• that the waves were big and the ocean was rough.

• that the waves were small and the ocean was calm.

• that Amos was on a mountain.

Look at the word underlined. What part of speech is the underlined word?

Amos, a mouse, lived by the ocean.

• noun

• verb

• adverb

Look at the word underlined. What part of speech is the underlined word?

Amos, a mouse, lived by the ocean.

• noun

• verb

• adverb