A Summer's Reading

LOTS

W-2013 When George went to the park he wished for a better life. Give TWO
5 examples of things he wished for.
(1) A nice house with a porch
(2) A good job
(5 points)
B-2012 Answer TWO facts that we learn about George's family.
5 (1) They are poor
(2) Their mother died.
(5 points)
B-2012 Why does George like Mr. Cattanzara? Give ONE reason.
5 ANSWER: He gave him a nickel for a lemon ice when he was a little kid.
(5 points)
W-2012 Before speaking to Mr. Cattanzara, how did George spend his days? Give
5 TWO examples from the story.
(1) Reading magazines
(2) Listening to a ball game
(5 points)
W-2012 Give ONE way that people’s attitude towards George change after his first
5 meeting with Mr. Cattanzara.
ANSWER: They smiled when they saw George.
(5 points)
S-2013 What does George feel is missing from his life? Give TWO answers.
4 (1) A nice house
(2) A good job
(6 points)
S-2013 How does George relate to the people in the neighborhood at the beginning of
4 the story?
(i) He likes to spend time with them.
(ii) He hangs out at the candy store.
(iii) He doesn’t speak to anyone.
 (iv) He only speaks to Mr. Cattanzara.
(6 points)

S-2013 Why does George like to go to the park?

4 ANSWER: He can dream privately about a better life there.
(6 points)
B-2012 Give TWO things we learn about Mr. Cattanzara from the story.
4 (1) He reads "New Your Time".
(2) He works as a change maker.
(6 points)
S-2012 What does George want from life? Give TWO things.
4 (1) A nice house
(2) A good job
(6 points)
S-2012 How does Sophie try to help George after she hears that he is reading 100
4 books?
ANSWER: She gives him money.
(6 points)
W-2014 Why did George cross the street when he saw Mr. Cattanzara reading the
4 newspaper outside his house?
(i) He wanted to see something interesting in a store window.
(ii) He was in a hurry to get to the park.
(iii) He did not want Mr. Cattanzara to ask him about his reading.
(iv) He didn’t want to get home late.
(6 points)
W-2014 Give ONE reason why George doesn't have any money.
4 ANSWER: He does not work.
(6 points)
B-2014 Why did George feel ashamed at the beginning of the story? Give ONE
4 answer.
ANSWER: He left school on impulse when he was 16 years old.
(6 points)
B-2014 After his first meeting with Mr. Cattanzara, what changed in the
 4 neighborhood to make George not want to visit the park?
ANSWER: He felt the approval of the neighbors.
(6 points)
B-2014 Sophie gave George a dollar a week because she thought he was (-).
4 (i) helping Mr. Cattanzara
(ii) reading books
(iii) looking for a job
(iv) cleaning the house
(6 points)
S-2014 Give TWO reasons why George is dissatisfied with his life.
5 (1) People do not respect him.
(2) He does not have a job.
(5 points)
S-2014 What was the rumor that went around the neighborhood after George’s first
5 conversation with Mr. Cattanzara?
ANSWER: That George was reading 100 books.
(5 points)

S-2015 At the beginning of the story, the narrator tells us that George "stayed
4 off the streets and in his room most of the day". Why does George
do this?

i) He doesn't want to see Mr. Cattanzara.

ii) He is busy studying for his exams.
iii) He doesn’t have a job.
iv) He doesn't like to work with his father.
(7 points)

S-2015 How do things change for George after he tells Mr. Cattanzara he is
4 going to read books?
i) He goes to the park to read.
ii) He spends time at the candy store.
 iii) He begins to look for a job.
iv) He gets money from Sophie. (7
points)

S-2015 How is Mr. Cattanzara different from other people in the neighborhood?
4 ANSWER: He askes different questions.
(7 points)

B-2015 What does George read at the beginning of the story?

4 i) Books from the library
ii) Sophie’s magazines
iii) The New York Times
iv) School books
(6 points)
B-2015 What kind of education does George think he will get if he reads a hundred
4 books? An education that (-).
i) is different from the one he can get in school
ii) will help him succeed in school
iii) will let him help his family
iv) is like the education Mr. Cattanzara got

(6 points)

B-2015 After George tells Mr. Cattanzara he is reading books, people start to treat
4 him nicely. As a result, George (-).
i) reads all the books on his list
ii) feels better about things
iii) goes to the park more often
iv) enjoys being with his friends
(6 points)
B-2015 When Mr. Cattanzara asks George about his reading, George (-).
4 i) talks about a book
 ii) runs away
iii) can’t answer
iv) gets angry
(6 points)

HOTS

B-2012 After Sophie realizes that George hasn't been reading the 100 books she says,
5 "Why should I break my back for you? Go on out, you bum, and get a job."
Do you agree with Sophie's opinion of George? Explain, with reference to the
text.
ANSWER: Yes, because George is lazy. George dreams about having a
better life but is not ready to do anything to attain his dream. He lies Mr.
Cattanzara about reading 100 books because he wants to be respected.
However, he is too lazy to change the situation and begin reading the books.
Instead of making an effort to change his life he escapes Mr. Cattanzara
who may ask him questions about the books.
(10 points)
S-2013 During the first meeting with Mr. Cattanzara George says that he wants an
4 education that teachers “don’t … give you in high school.”
What kind of education do you think he is talking about?
ANSWER: George talks about education which may prepare him for life,
which may help him to learn how to deal with the real life situations.
(10 points)
S-2012 During their first conversation Mr. Cattanzara says to George: “… maybe
4 you and I can shoot the breeze about them [the 100 books]?”
Why does Mr. Cattanzara want to talk to George about the books?
ANSWER: Mr. Cattanzara is a clever person who realizes that George is
lying about reading 100 books. So Mr. Cattanzara tells George that he
would like to talk about the books to push George to begin reading the
books and as a result to change his life. Mr. Cattanzara likes Geroge, so he
does not want George to lose his potential. Mr. Cattanzara want George to
 have a better life.
(10 points)
S-2014 “For a few weeks he [George] had talked only once with Mr. Cattanzara,
5 and though the change maker had said nothing more about the books,
asked no questions, his silence made George a little uneasy.”
Why did Mr. Cattanzara’a silence make George “a little uneasy”?
ANSWER: George is afraid that Mr. Cattanzara knows the truth that
George does not read the books he told him about. He is afraid that if Mr.
Cattanzara asks him questions about the books the truth will be revealed
and then Mr. Cattanzara may tell other neighbors that George is a liar. As a
result, people will stop respecting George. That is what George is afraid of
and that is why he feels uneasy.
(10 points)

With Justification

W-2013 For this question use ONE of the thinking skills from the Appendix (‫ )נספח‬on
5 page 15 OR any thinking skill studies in class. Write the thinking skill you
chose and then answer the question (10 points for the content of the answer, 5
points for the correct use of the thinking skill).

How do you think Mr. Cattanzara sees George? Support your answer with
information from the story.

Thinking skill I chose: Inferring

ANSWER: By reading between the lines I understand that Mr. Cattanzara

sees George as his own version when he was young. Mr. Cattanzara
understands that George is a smart boy who has a lot of potential. So Mr.
Cattanzara, who did not succeed to change his life, wants George's life to be
better. This is why Mr. Cattanzara spreads a rumor that George reads 100
 books. He wants to push George to gain education and to have a better
future, to change his life.
(15 points)

B-2012 For this question use ONE of the thinking skills from the Appendix (‫ )נספח‬on
5 page 15 OR any thinking skill studies in class. Write the thinking skill you
chose and then answer the question (10 points for the content of the answer, 5
points for the correct use of the thinking skill).

How does what we learn about George's family and / or his neighborhood
help explain his situation at the beginning of the story?

Thinking skill I chose: Inferring

ANSWER: By reading between the lines I understand that George was

under no social pressure to change his life. His mother died, his family is
poor and uneducated. His father works in a fish market and his sister is a
waitress in a cafeteria. His lives in an immigrant neighborhood. This is why
he does not understand the importance of education, he quit school and did
not read books.
(15 points)

W-2012 For this question use ONE of the thinking skills from the Appendix (‫ )נספח‬on
5 page 15 OR any thinking skill studies in class. Write the thinking skill you
chose and then answer the question (10 points for the content of the answer, 5
points for the correct use of the thinking skill).

Why do you think it was so important to Mr. Cattanzara to help George

change his life? Support your answer with reference to the story.

Thinking skill I chose: Inferring

 ANSWER: By reading between the lines I understand that Mr. Cattanzara
sees George as his own version when he was young. Mr. Cattanzara
understands that George is a smart boy who has a lot of potential. So Mr.
Cattanzara, who did not succeed to change his life, wants George's life to be
better. This is why Mr. Cattanzara spreads a rumor that George reads 100
books. He wants to push George to gain education and to have a better
future, to change his life.

(15 points)

B-2012 For this question use ONE of the thinking skills from the Appendix (‫ )נספח‬on
4 page 15 OR any thinking skill studies in class. Write the thinking skill you
chose and then answer the question (10 points for the content of the answer, 5
points for the correct use of the thinking skill).

George meets Mr. Cattanzara in the street towards the end of the story. The
writer says, “His eyes were sad as he gazed at George, and George felt so
intensely uncomfortable he was tempted to shove the drunk aside and
continue on his walk.”
Why do you think Mr. Cattanzara’s eyes were sad? Explain.

Thinking skill I chose: Inferring

ANSWER: By reading between the lines I understand that Mr. Cattanzara’s

eyes were sad because he was disappointed since he realized that George
was lying to him about reading 100 books. Mr. Cattanzara was sad because
he saw that George was not going to fulfil his potential and was not going
to change his life.

(15 points)
S-2012 For this question use ONE of the thinking skills from the Appendix (‫ )נספח‬on
4 page 15 OR any thinking skill studies in class. Write the thinking skill you
chose and then answer the question (10 points for the content of the answer, 5
points for the correct use of the thinking skill).

Mr. Cattanzara is an unhappy man. How do we know this from the story?

Thinking skill I chose: Inferring

ANSWER: By reading between the lines I understand that Mr. Cattanzara

is an unhappy man because he is a quite drinker. He drinks alcohol to
escape from the reality he lives in. He is an intelligent man who lost his
potential: he works as a change maker, his eyes are always said, he lives in
a poor neighborhood and his wife is fat and sick and he has nothing to talk
about with his wife.
(15 points)

W-2014 For this question use ONE of the thinking skills from the Appendix (‫ )נספח‬on
4 page 15 OR any thinking skill studies in class. Write the thinking skill you
chose and then answer the question (10 points for the content of the answer, 5
points for the correct use of the thinking skill).

Why was Mr. Cattanzara an important person for George? Give

information from the story to support your answer.

Thinking skill I chose: Inferring

ANSWER: By reading between the lines I understand that Mr. Cattanzara

was an important person for George because he has been interested in his
life since George was a young boy. He gave George a nickel to buy a lemon
ice when George was a child. In addition, Mr. Cattanzara is a change
maker. Eventually, in the story Mr. Cattanzara changes George's life.
(15 points)
S-2014 For this question use ONE of the thinking skills from the Appendix (‫ )נספח‬on
5 page 15 OR any thinking skill studies in class. Write the thinking skill you
chose and then answer the question (10 points for the content of the answer, 5
points for the correct use of the thinking skill).

George “had never exactly disliked the people in it [neighborhood], yet he

had never liked them very much either. It was the fault of the
neighborhood.”
How does George’s attitude towards the people in the neighborhood reflect
his character in general? Give information from the story to support your
answer.

Thinking skill I chose: Inferring

ANSWER: By reading between the lines I understand that George is an

indifferent person in general. In addition to the fact that he is indifferent
towards the people in the neighborhood, he is indifferent towards his life
too. George is lazy: on the one hand, he is dissatisfied with his life, but on
the other hand, he does nothing to change it. He lies Mr. Cattanzara about
reading 100 books because he wants to be respected, but he does not begin
reading the books because he is too lazy to make an effort needed to change
his life.
(15 points)
S-2015 For this question use ONE of the thinking skills from the Appendix (‫ )נספח‬on
4 page 15 OR any thinking skill studies in class. Write the thinking skill you
chose and then answer the question (10 points for the content of the answer, 5
points for the correct use of the thinking skill).

After George says he is reading books, the people in the neighborhood change
their opinion of him. Why are the neighbors' reactions towards him
throughout the story important for George? Give TWO examples from the
story to support your answer.
Thinking skill I chose: Inferring

ANSWER: By reading between the lines I understand that neighbors'

reactions towards him throughout the story are important for George
because George wants to attain the American dream, and being respected
and loved by others is an essential part of it. In the story we can see that,
first of all, George did not go to the night school because there he felt that
teachers did not respect him, he did not like the idea of teachers telling him
what to do. In addition, George lied to Mr. Cattanzara about reading 100
books because he also wanted Mr. Cattanzara to respect him.

(15 points)