Details Details
Character Check
Vocabulary
Themes
100

According to the story, what grade is the narrator entering?

9th grade

100

Who is the 6ft 4in tall player in the gym that rarely speaks to the narrator?

Dante

100

This slang term means dunking so spectacularly over a defender that it belongs on a wall poster.

Posterized

100

What point of view or perspective is this story written in?

2nd person

200

How many weeks does the narrator have to wait before finally getting to play in a meaningful game? 

4 weeks

200

True or False: The narrator and Dante are the same age.

False

200

This vocabulary word describes a natural ability or impulse, like how the narrator plays without overthinking.

Instinct

200

According to the author, what is often more important and impactful than words?

Silence or Actions

300

What position does the narrator get subbed into after being challenged by Dante?

Dollar Bill

300

Who invites the narrator to play on his pick-up team after seeing his skills?

Slim

300

Dante uses this insult to call the narrator an unskilled or weak player.

Scrub

300

What does the narrator originally lack at the beginning of the story?

Confidence

400
Dante comes to watch the narrator's high school basketball game. What is he eating in the bleachers?

Popcorn

400

What nickname do the older players call the narrator when he starts showing his skills?

"Young Buck"

400

This word means completely surprised or astonished.

Stunned

400

At the end of the story, what freedom does the narrator think words take away from?

Our ability to think for ourselves

500

What is the name of "Don't Just Sit There Like A Punk"'s author?

Matt de la Pena

500

Who does slim decide to drop from his team so he can pick up the narrator?

Rob

500

The story uses this word to describe the narrator's state of confusion where he feels completely unable to move.

Paralysis

500

Who does the narrator end up comparing Dante to?

His father