Oranges Soto

What figurative language of poetry appears in these lines from “Oranges”?

Outside / A few cars hissing past

• Metaphor

• Onomatopoeia

• Simile

• Personification

Which of the following BEST describes the setting of “Oranges”?

• summer, in a park

• fall, by the ocean

• winter, in a city

• spring, in a store

In “Oranges”, why does the speaker put one orange on the counter of the drugstore?

• He wants to use it to pay for half of the candy the girl chooses.

• He wants to give it to the girl he brought to the drugstore.

• He wants to throw it away because it isn’t ripe.

• He wants the saleslady to give it to the girl he brought to the drugstore.

Which of the following is the BEST main idea of “Oranges”?

• A boy compares a bright orange to a bright fire.

• A boy describes the experiences he had during his first walk with a girl.

• A boy uses an orange to help buy chocolate for a girl in a drugstore.

• A girl unwraps chocolate candy bought at a drugstore for her.

Which statement is true about “Oranges”?

• The poem is about a family trip.

• The poem is about people laughing and having fun.

• The poem is about a happy memory.

• The poem is about a greedy young girl wanting chocolate.

Gary Soto compares the bright color of an orange with the color of a fire. Which of the following lines expresses that thought as a metaphor?

• The orange was bright as a fire.

• The orange was like a fire in his hands.

• The orange peel crackled like a fire.

• The orange was a fire in his hands.

In “Oranges”, what problem must the speaker solve?

• The girl’s dog barks and barks at him.

• He doesn’t have enough money to pay for the chocolate.

• He’s not sure how to get home from the drugstore.

• It is a very cold day, and he has trouble staying warm.

Which of these lines by Gary Soto uses a simile?

• “I was making a fire in my hands.”

• “Fog hanging like old / Coats between the trees.”

• “That was so bright against / The gray of December”

• “Bringing a saleslady / Down a narrow aisle of goods.”

Which of the following is the BEST theme of the poem?

• Pursuing one’s dreams often requires doubt and obstacles.

• Money will never solve our problems.

• Acts of kindness can be more powerful than our words.

• Our inner guilt is often worse than our outward punishment.

Why was Gary Soto’s use of non-verbal communication effective in this poem?

• It allows the reader to like this girl without the narrator’s words.

• It allows the reader to decide what the characters are thinking and feeling.

• It allows the reader to feel like he or she is a saleslady in a drugstore.

• It allows the reader to know what it’s like to want something so bad.