Quiz on Jerry Spinelli's Loser

What is the full name of the main character in "Loser" by Jerry Spinelli?

• Donald Zinkoff

• Andrew Orwell

• Gary Hobin

• Claudia Zinkoff

Who is Zinkoff’s best friend in the early part of the story?

• Hector Binns

• Andrew Orwell

• Gary Hobin

• Claudia Zinkoff

What does Zinkoff’s father do for a living?

• He is a teacher

• He is a mailman

• He is a doctor

• He is a coach

What is the name of Zinkoff’s little sister?

• Polly

• Claudia

• Wendy

• Alice

Why do Zinkoff’s classmates call him a “loser”?

• He is always late to school

• He is not good at sports and makes mistakes

• He forgets his homework

• He is very quiet

How does Zinkoff feel about participating in the Field Day at school?

• He is nervous and dreads it

• He is excited and looks forward to it

• He doesn’t care about it

• He wants to skip it

What lesson does Zinkoff learn from his experiences at school and with his friends?

• That winning is the most important thing

• That being kind and trying your best matters more than winning

• That you should always be the fastest

• That you should avoid making mistakes

Why does Zinkoff go out into the snowstorm in the story?

• To find his lost hat

• To help look for a missing child

• To deliver a letter

• To play with his friends

How does Zinkoff’s attitude toward being called a “loser” show his character?

• He becomes angry and fights back

• He ignores it and keeps being himself

• He tries to change who he is

• He stops going to school

If you were Zinkoff, how would you feel after the Field Day events? Use evidence from the story to support your answer.

• Proud, because he tried his best even if he didn’t win

• Embarrassed, because everyone laughed at him

• Angry, because he lost

• Uninterested, because Field Day is not important