Analyze
In the selection from Bad Boy, why does Walter carry his books home from the library in a brown paper bag?
a. He is embarrassed to be reading books that are too young for him.
b. He does not want the neighborhood boys to see that he likes reading.
c. He is unable to afford his own books, so the librarians give him bags of library books to take home.
d. He does not want Dorothy to find any of his books because she would probably take them away from him.
b. He does not want the neighborhood boys to see that he likes reading.
Which of the following statements is a central idea in the selection from Bad Boy?
a. If you organize your friends into categories, you might lose them.
b. People often have sides of themselves that they do not let others see.
c. Making fun of people in “harmless” ways can have lasting negative effects.
d. Playing sports can build character, but not when a person is pressured to play.
b. People often have sides of themselves that they do not let others see.
According to the selection from Bad Boy, what is Walter led to believe that boys should not do? Choose THREE options.
a. dance
b. exercise
c. read books
d. write poems
e. follow hockey
f. play stoop ball
a. dance, c. read books, d. write poems
Which word in this sentence is an adverb?
My cousin Jaime eagerly reads every new book in the popular series.
a. cousin
b. eagerly
c. popular
d. series
b. eagerly
In paragraph 4 of bad boy, Myers refers to books as his "secret vice." When does Myers mean by this?
a. He views books as his secret escape.
b. Books make him sad.
c. Books keep him from playing ball.
d. He views books as his bad habit.
d. He views books as his bad habit.
Which quotation from Bad Boy best supports the answer to Part A?
a. Sometimes on rainy days I would sit in the library and read. The librarians always suggested books that were too young for me, but I still went on a regular basis.
b. I could never have afforded to buy the books and was pleased to have the library with its free supply.
c. Dorothy Dodson, daughter of the Wicked Witch, read books, and I knew she did, but she couldn’t stand me and was more than happy to tell me so on a number of occasions.
d. When I brought a book home from the library, I would sometimes run into older kids who would tease me about my reading.
d
Which quotation from Bad Boy most clearly supports the answer to Part A?
a. Most of the girls I knew couldn’t play ball, and that excluded them from most of what I wanted to do with my life.
b. I didn’t want to fight about books. Books were special and said something about me that I didn’t want to reveal.
c. We often played ball in the church gym, and one rainy day, along with my brother Mickey and some of “my guys,” I went to the gym.
d. A teenager, Lorelle Henry, was leading the group, and she was pretty, so we sent a few woo-woos her way.
b. I didn’t want to fight about books. Books were special and said something about me that I didn’t want to reveal.
At what stage of life is Walter, the narrator, when the events of the selection from Bad Boy take place?
a. small child
b. grade schooler
c. teenager
d. young adult
b. grade schooler
Which word in this sentence is an adjective?
So far, his favorite book is Nine Lives, the story of a cat named Speedy who travels in Asia, Africa, and Europe.
a. favorite
b. Speedy
c. travels
d. Europe
a. favorite
What is the most likely meaning of respected as it is used in the following sentence? Mrs. Evans is the most respected dance teacher in our town.
a. feared
b. graceful
c. admired
d. expensive
c. admired
What is the most likely reason why Walter, the narrator of Bad Boy, plays basketball and other sports?
a. Walter is a naturally gifted athlete.
b. All of the kids in the neighborhood play sports.
c. People in Walter’s neighborhood look up to athletes and push boys to play sports.
d. Walter wants to impress girls, and playing sports gives him a way to show off to them.
c. People in Walter’s neighborhood look up to athletes and push boys to play sports.
Which detail is MOST effective in supporting the central idea that boys are supposed to act a certain way?
a. "I was very comfortable being a boy, but there were times when the role was uncomfortable."
b. "I liked dancing, too, but I had to pretend that I didn't like it."
c. "That year I learned that being a boy meant that I was supposed to do certain things and act in a certain way."
d. "Being a boy meant to me that I was not particularly like girls."
c. "That year I learned that being a boy meant that I was supposed to do certain things and act in a certain way."
In the selection from Bad Boy, why does Walter feel a connection to the children he sees on the trolley?
a. The children appear to Walter as if they, too, are trying to fit in with their friends.
b. The children are from Walter’s neighborhood and share similar struggles.
c. The children are on their way to the library, a place Walter loves.
d. The children, like Walter, are readers who are carrying books.
d. The children, like Walter, are readers who are carrying books.
She wore a beautiful dress to the party.
a. adjective
b. adverb
c. interjection
d. noun
a. adjective
If Marla can correctly be described as desperate for an afternoon nap, which of the following must be true?
a. She refuses to take an afternoon nap.
b. She greatly desires to take an afternoon nap.
c. She is too busy for an afternoon nap.
d. She is about to wake up from an afternoon nap.
b. She greatly desires to take an afternoon nap.
Why does young Myers decide he doesn't want to fight about books?
a. books are too special to him.
b. books are too girly to fight over.
c. books bring him too much peace.
d. it's stupid to fight over books.
a. books are too special to him.
Which quotation directly expresses a central idea about books in the selection from Bad Boy?
a. With school out and me not having access to Mrs. Conway’s cache of books, I rediscovered the George Bruce Branch of the public library on 125th Street.
b. The librarians always suggested books that were too young for me, but I still went on a regular basis.
c. Away from books I was, at times, almost desperate to fill up the spaces of my life. Books filled those spaces for me.
d. I began taking a brown paper bag to the library to bring my books home in.
c. Away from books I was, at times, almost desperate to fill up the spaces of my life. Books filled those spaces for me.
In the selection from Bad Boy, what happens when Walter and his friends run into a group of girls exercising in the gym?
a. The boys make fun of the girls for not being interested in basketball.
b. The girls and boys dance together while Walter reads a poem aloud.
c. The girls challenge the boys to do their exercises, but the boys cannot.
d. The boys invite the girls to play basketball, but the girls do dancing exercises instead.
c. The girls challenge the boys to do their exercises, but the boys cannot.
Place the books against the wall.
a. interjection
b. noun
c. preposition
d. verb
c. preposition
If it is correct to say that Teresa is disgusted by a joke, then which of the following statements must be true? Base your answer on the meaning of disgusted.
a. She finds the joke funny.
b. She thinks the joke is stupid.
c. She finds the joke unpleasant.
d. She has heard the joke too often.
c. She finds the joke unpleasant.
Which quote from the text BEST supports how young Myers feels about books?
a. "As much as I enjoyed reading, in the world in which I was living it had to be a secret vice."
b. "I was already keeping reading and writing poems a secret; I would just add dancing."
c. "...for some reason I didn't want to fight about books."
d. "Away from books I was, at times, almost desperate to fill up the spaces of my life. Books filled those spaces for me."
d
One central idea in the selection from Bad Boy is that boys are “supposed to” act in a certain way. Which sentences from the selection best suggest this idea? Choose two options.
a. There wasn’t any ice to skate on in Harlem, so I gave up hockey.
b. Most of the girls I knew couldn’t play ball, and that excluded them from most of what I wanted to do with my life.
c. … I would sometimes run into older kids who would tease me about my reading. It was, they made it clear, not what boys did.
d. When the girls had finished their dancing, they went through some stretching exercises.
e. I liked dancing, too, but I had to pretend I didn’t like it.
c & e
Which of the following statements best explains how Walter, the narrator of the selection from Bad Boy, feels about books?
a. Walter values books because they provide comfort and escape.
b. Walter is interested in books because the people he respects read them.
c. Walter is passionate about books and will fight the older boys over them.
d. Walter likes books but prefers “boy” activities, such as basketball and punchball.
a. Walter values books because they provide comfort and escape.
Oh, I didn't realize that it would be so dark in the forest.
a. adjective
b. interjection
c. preposition
d. verb
b. interjection
In Paragraph 2 of Bad Boy, Myers states, "With school out and me not having access to Mrs. Conway's cache of books, I rediscovered the George Bruce Branch of the public library on 125th street.
What does the word Cache mean in this context?
a. an abundance
b. a hidden supply
c. very few
d. very expensive
b. a hidden supply