Shel Silverstein Poems

Author's Purpose: What is the author's primary purpose for writing this poem?

• to entertain

• to inform

• to persuade

• to explain

Point of View: From which point of view is this poem written?

• first person

• second person

• third person

Math Calculations: How much money did the narrator get from old blind Bates?

• 50 cents

• 30 cents

• 20 cents

• 5 cents

Main Idea: Which is the best short summary of the poem?

• A boy gets a dollar and makes trades until he is left with 5 pennies.

• A boy gets a dollar from his dad for being so smart.

• A boy is smart because he trades his dollar for more money.

Drawing Conclusions: Which detail from the poem tells us that the narrator's dad is not happy with the trades?

• "my dad gave me one dollar bill"

• "he got red in the cheeks"

• "cause I'm his smartest son"

• "too proud of me to speak"

Main Idea: Which phrase tells what this poem is mostly about?

• Two quarters

• Bad trades

• A proud dad

• A smart son

Synonyms: Which of the following words from the poem is the best synonym for "swapped"?

• proud

• showed

• took

• traded

Who is the poet?

• the dad

• the teacher

• Hiram Coombs

• Shel Silverstein

How much money did the dad gave his son?

• one dollar

• two shiny quarters

• three dimes

• five pennies

How many lines does the poem have?

• 18

• 15

• 5

• 20