Figurative Language
What is the personification used on page 52 when Josh explains JB’s reaction to the new girl?
He says that his mouth was “swimming on the floor, meaning that his mouth was hung open.
What is another word for hypertension?
High blood pressure.
How is tone used in pages 30 & 31?
The big words are used to represent Josh’s flow and tone in the game, and how the tone of himself is when he plays basketball.
“In the driveway, I’m
SHAKING AND BAKING
You don’t want none of this, I say.
I’m about to TAKE IT TO THE HOLE.
Keep your eye on the ball.
I’d hate to see you
F
A
L
L”
What is the rhyme scheme in the first half of this poem from an excerpt on page 59
ABAB
“OH, WOW-DID YOU SEE THAT NASTY CROSS-OVER?
Now you see why they call me Filthy.
Folks, I hope you got your tickets,
because I’m about to put on a show.”
- What is Filthy’s tone in this excerpt from page 28?
The tone is confident and boastful, because Filthy exclaims he’s about to put on a show, meaning that he’s both confident and excellent at playing basketball.
What does Josh reference on page 56 when his friend Vondie runs laps faster than him during practice?
Apollo 17, showing how Vondie’s fast while Running.
What does it mean to lob?
To throw or hit a ball in high arc.
What is the imagery in this part of page 24?
”The gym is a loud, crowded circus.
My stomach is a roller coaster.
My head, a carousel.
The air, heavy with the smell of sweat, popcorn, and the sweet perfume of mothers watching sons.“
The imagery is that Josh was feeling pressured at this time, because he states what was going on in the atmosphere of the game. One of these can be when he refers to his stomach as a roller coaster and his head as a carousel, displaying nervousness & anxiety.
CLANK!- it hits the rim.”
What is the onomatopoeia in this excerpt from page 67?
CLANK!
and I’m the crook”
What does this part of the poem on page 30 tell about Josh’s experiences with getting across opposing players?
It tells us that he can easily slip up opponent players by doing a crossover move or other methods. This also explains that he’s fast on the court.
What type of figurative language does Josh/Filthy use when describing his relationship with math?
Allusion. He says that he is “no Pythagoras,” meaning that he isn’t that good at math.
What is Josh’s father‘s disease as introduced in page 48?
Patellar Tendinitis
What is Josh’s tone towards basketball in this excerpt from page 30?
“A quick shoulder SHAKE,
a slick eye FAKE-
Number 28 is. Way past late.
He’s reading me like a
BOOK
but I turn the page
and watch him look,
which can only mean I got him
SHOOK.
His feet are the bank
and I’m the crook
Breaking, Braking,
taking him to the left-
now he’s took.
Number 14 joins in..
Now he’s on the H
O
O
K
I got TWO in my kitchen
and I’m fixing to COOK.
The tone is that he’s fast and swift, and he describes that using bolded, or large words. Also specific rhyme schemes.
”If my hair were a tree
I’d climb it
I’d kneel down beneath
and enshrine it.”
Climb and Enshrine.
“JB bounces the ball back to me.
JB’s a shooter, but I’m sneaky and silkey as a snake-“
What does this text tell us about Josh’s character?
That he is fast and sneaky in basketball, and he’s smart in his methods at basketball.
Why is “her mouth wide shut” an oxymoron?
Because the words wide and shut contrast, and have different meanings.
What is a crossover?
When a basketball player dribbles the ball quickly from one hand to another.
“I’m six feet, all legs.”
What does Filthy want the reader to imagine he’s like in this sentence on page 27?
Filthy wants the reader to imagine that he’s tall.
How is rhythm used on page 32?
”Trouble owns our faces
But Coach isn’t worried.
Says we haven’t found our rhythm yet.
Then, all of a sudden, out of nowhere
Vondie starts dancing the Snake,
only he looks like a seal.
Then Coach blasts his favorite dance music,
and before you know it
we’re all doing the Cha - Cha Slide:
To the left, take it back now, Y’all.
One hop this time, right foot let‘s stomp.”
Rhythm is used by displaying Josh’s basketball team’s connection by dancing. The team connects through dancing (probably), and that’s where they find their rhythm.
“If we didn’t love each other, we‘d HATE each other. He‘s a shooting guard. I play forward. He ahs the better jumper, but I’m the better slasher. And much faster. We both pass well. Especially to each other.” What does the tone in this text tell about Josh and JB’s relationship In basketball?
The tone tells us that Josh mainly thinks that because they have different characteristics of how they play in basketball, their relationship would be drastically different.
What does Filthy mean when he says ”Her hair dances to her own song.” During the test in English?
He means that her hair is swaying or moving in a certain way, and he’s using personification as well.
What word does Josh use to describe the new girl on page 54?
Pulchritudinous. Having great physical beauty or appeal.
What does “I love this game like the winter loves snow” symbolize about Josh’s main connection to basketball?
The metaphor symbolizes how basketball is the main desire and a characteristic of himself. Filthy is tied to basketball wholeheartedly, meaning that his love for basketball is strong.
“In the driveway, I’m SHAKING AND BAKING.”
Why are the words Shaking and Baking at the end of the line an end rhyme?
Because they both rhyme. Simple.
“The hoop too high for you? I snicker
But it’s not funny to him, especially when I take off from center court,
my hair like wings, each lock lifting me higher and HIGHER
like a 747 ZOOM ZOOM!
I throw down so hard
The fiberglass trembles.”
What sentence explains Josh’s tone in the excerpt of page 24?
“My hair like wings, each lock lifting me higher and HIGHER
like a 747 ZOOM ZOOM!”
Is the sentence that best explains the tone.