Maniac Magee Mid Unit Assessment
star
star
star
star
star
Last updated over 3 years ago
10 questions
1
1. Read the following excerpt from page 84:
“Maniac stayed in the shower for an hour. He hadn’t done this since his last bath with the little ones. He smiled at the thought of them shrieking and splashing. The shower needles stung his scratches, but it was a good welcome-back-to-town stinging.”
What is the meaning of the underlined phrase in this context? (RL 5.4)
1. Read the following excerpt from page 84:
“Maniac stayed in the shower for an hour. He hadn’t done this since his last bath with the little ones. He smiled at the thought of them shrieking and splashing. The shower needles stung his scratches, but it was a good welcome-back-to-town stinging.”
What is the meaning of the underlined phrase in this context? (RL 5.4)
1
Read the following sentence from page 86:
“The old man just looked at him for a while with a mixture of puzzlement and recognition, as though the fish he had landed might be the same one he had thrown away long before.”
Based on the sentence, what can the reader infer about Grayson? (RL 5.3)
Read the following sentence from page 86:
“The old man just looked at him for a while with a mixture of puzzlement and recognition, as though the fish he had landed might be the same one he had thrown away long before.”
Based on the sentence, what can the reader infer about Grayson? (RL 5.3)
1
After getting out of the shower, Maniac and Grayson share a moment of laughter. The text states “Maniac couldn’t stop laughing. Neither could Grayson, especially when he got a load of the kid drowning in his clothes.”
What is the meaning of the underlined phrase “drowning in his clothes”? (RL 5.4)
After getting out of the shower, Maniac and Grayson share a moment of laughter. The text states “Maniac couldn’t stop laughing. Neither could Grayson, especially when he got a load of the kid drowning in his clothes.”
What is the meaning of the underlined phrase “drowning in his clothes”? (RL 5.4)
1
Select the piece of evidence that helped you determine the meaning of the phrase to Question #3. (RL 5.1)
Select the piece of evidence that helped you determine the meaning of the phrase to Question #3.
(RL 5.1)
6
Reread the bottom of page 85 & all of page 86. Compare Maniac and Grayson’s attitudes about schooling.
A tiny idea was beginning to worm its way into Grayson's head; he could barely feel it as it brushed by all the claptrap in his brain. He ignored it. He said, "What about school!" Maniac was silent. Some butterscotch icing had stayed behind on a wrapper. He scooped it up and mopped it from his finger, wishing it were Mrs. Beale's, and not his own. Grayson, who was not comfortable asking questions, was even less comfortable waiting for answers. "I said, what about school?" Maniac turned to him. "What about it?" "You gotta go. You're a kid. Ain't ya?" "I'm not going." "But you gotta. Doncha? They'll make ya." "Not if they don't find me." The old man just looked at him for a while with a mixture of puzzlement and recognition, as though the fish he had landed might be the same one he had thrown away long before. "Why!" he said. Maniac felt why more than he knew why. It had to do with homes and families and schools, and how a school seems sort of like a big home, but only a day home, because then it empties out; and you can't stay there at night because it's not really a home, and you could never use it as your address, because an address is where you stay at night, where you walk right in the front door without knocking, where everybody talks to each other and uses the same toaster. So all the other kids would be heading for their homes, their night homes, each of them, hundreds, flocking from school like birds from a tree, scattering across town, each breaking off to his or her own place, each knowing exactly where to land. School. Home. No, he was not going to have one without the other. "If you try to make me," he said, "I'll just start running." Grayson said nothing. What the kid said actually made him feel good, though he had no idea why. And the brushing little worm of a notion was beginning to tickle him now. He kept on driving.
Drag & drop two feelings for each character that best supports how the character feels about schooling. Then drag & drop the evidence that best supports the character's feeling about schooling. Be sure to place each in the correct place. (RL 5.3)
Reread the bottom of page 85 & all of page 86. Compare Maniac and Grayson’s attitudes about schooling.
A tiny idea was beginning to worm its way into Grayson's head; he could barely feel it as it brushed by all the claptrap in his brain. He ignored it. He said, "What about school!"
Maniac was silent. Some butterscotch icing had stayed behind on a wrapper. He scooped it up and mopped it from his finger, wishing it were Mrs. Beale's, and not his own.
Grayson, who was not comfortable asking questions, was even less comfortable waiting for answers. "I said, what about school?"
Maniac turned to him. "What about it?"
"You gotta go. You're a kid. Ain't ya?"
"I'm not going."
"But you gotta. Doncha? They'll make ya."
"Not if they don't find me."
The old man just looked at him for a while with a mixture of puzzlement and recognition, as though the fish he had landed might be the same one he had thrown away long before. "Why!" he said.
Maniac felt why more than he knew why. It had to do with homes and families and schools, and how a school seems sort of like a big home, but only a day home, because then it empties out; and you can't stay there at night because it's not really a home, and you could never use it as your address, because an address is where you stay at night, where you walk right in the front door without knocking, where everybody talks to each other and uses the same toaster. So all the other kids would be heading for their homes, their night homes, each of them, hundreds, flocking from school like birds from a tree, scattering across town, each breaking off to his or her own place, each knowing exactly where to land. School. Home. No, he was not going to have one without the other.
"If you try to make me," he said, "I'll just start running."
Grayson said nothing. What the kid said actually made him feel good, though he had no idea why. And the brushing little worm of a notion was beginning to tickle him now. He kept on driving.
Drag & drop two feelings for each character that best supports how the character feels about schooling. Then drag & drop the evidence that best supports the character's feeling about schooling. Be sure to place each in the correct place. (RL 5.3)
- Hesitant
- Concerned
- Furious
- Indifferent
- Confused
- Excited
- Resistant
- "Maniac was silent." (p. 85)
- “You gotta go. You’re a kid. Ain’t ya....But you gotta. Doncha? They’ll make ya.” (p. 86)
- "The old man just looked at him for a while with a mixture of puzzlement…." (p. 86)
- “I’m not going"…. "If you try to make me” he said, “I’ll just start running.” (p. 86)
- "Grayson said nothing." (p. 86)
- "What the kid said actually made him feel good… " (p. 86)
- Maniac's Feelings
- Evidence to support Maniac's Feelings
- Grayson's Feelings
- Evidence to Support Grayson's Feeling
1
Read the excerpt from pages 87-89. Then answer the question.
Grayson had a way of jumping into a subject without warning; it was during Maniac’s dessert that he abruptly said “Them black people, they eat mashed potatoes too?”… Grayson stared out the diner window, as if digesting this information. “How ‘bout meatloaf?”... This information seemed to shock the old man. Maniac laid down his fork. “Grayson, they’re just regular people, like us.”... Grayson was wagging his head. “Ain’t that somethin’...ain’t that somethin’.”
What does this excerpt explain about Grayson? (RL 5.3)
Read the excerpt from pages 87-89. Then answer the question.
Grayson had a way of jumping into a subject without warning; it was during Maniac’s dessert that he abruptly said “Them black people, they eat mashed potatoes too?”… Grayson stared out the diner window, as if digesting this information. “How ‘bout meatloaf?”... This information seemed to shock the old man. Maniac laid down his fork. “Grayson, they’re just regular people, like us.”... Grayson was wagging his head. “Ain’t that somethin’...ain’t that somethin’.”
What does this excerpt explain about Grayson? (RL 5.3)
1
Based on the same excerpt above in Question #6, select the statement that contrasts Grayson with Maniac. (RL 5.3)
Based on the same excerpt above in Question #6, select the statement that contrasts Grayson with Maniac. (RL 5.3)
1
Select the evidence that best supports your answer to Question #7. (RL 5.1)
Select the evidence that best supports your answer to Question #7. (RL 5.1)
1
Read the excerpt from page 89. Then answer the question.
Grayson was wagging his head. "Ain't that somethin'... ain't that somethin'..." It was after dark when they got back to the baseball- equipment room. The worm in Grayson's head had long since ceased to be a tiny tickle; it was now a maddening itch. As with all such itch-worms, it would exit by only one route, the mouth. He said: "Uh, I was thinkin', uh, maybe you want to come over to my place. This here floor's pretty hard." He tapped his foot to show how hard. The grizzled, gray old parkhand could never know how much Maniac was tempted, or how deeply the offer touched him. Neither could Maniac explain that the bad luck he always seemed to have with parents had led him to the conclusion that he'd better stick to himself. "Oh, it's not so bad here," he said. "Look -- " He lay down on the chest protectors and closed his eyes. "Ah ... just like a mattress. I can feel myself dozing off already." And then, not wanting to hurt the old man's feelings, he quickly added, "Hey, I told you everything about me. How about you!" He pulled Grayson's coat over himself. "A bedtime story." Grayson snorted. "Story! I don't know no stories." "Sure you do," Maniac prodded. "About yourself. You know about you. Everybody has a story." "Not me." Grayson was edging for the door. "I ain't got no story. I ain't nobody, i work at the park."
Which statement best describes Maniac’s perspective on moving in with Grayson? (RL 5.6)
Read the excerpt from page 89. Then answer the question.
Grayson was wagging his head. "Ain't that somethin'... ain't that somethin'..."
It was after dark when they got back to the baseball- equipment room. The worm in Grayson's head had long since ceased to be a tiny tickle; it was now a maddening itch. As with all such itch-worms, it would exit by only one route, the mouth. He said: "Uh, I was thinkin', uh, maybe you want to come over to my place. This here floor's pretty hard." He tapped his foot to show how hard.
The grizzled, gray old parkhand could never know how much Maniac was tempted, or how deeply the offer touched him. Neither could Maniac explain that the bad luck he always seemed to have with parents had led him to the conclusion that he'd better stick to himself.
"Oh, it's not so bad here," he said. "Look -- " He lay down on the chest protectors and closed his eyes. "Ah ... just like a mattress. I can feel myself dozing off already." And then, not wanting to hurt the old man's feelings, he quickly added, "Hey, I told you everything about me. How about you!" He pulled Grayson's coat over himself. "A bedtime story."
Grayson snorted. "Story! I don't know no stories."
"Sure you do," Maniac prodded. "About yourself. You know about you. Everybody has a story."
"Not me." Grayson was edging for the door. "I ain't got no story. I ain't nobody, i work at the park."
Which statement best describes Maniac’s perspective on moving in with Grayson? (RL 5.6)
1
Which detail best supports your answer to Question #9? (RL 5.1)
Which detail best supports your answer to Question #9? (RL 5.1)