Comparing Prose, Drama,
and Poetry Quiz
Name: _______________________________
Date: ________________________________
I. Read the selection, then answer the questions that follow.
from
Tuck Everlasting
by Natalie Babbitt
1 And so there were flapjacks again for breakfast, but no one seemed to mind. “Didn’t get a bite, eh?” said
Mae.
2 “No,” said Miles, “nothing we wanted to keep.”
3 That was true anyway. And though Winnie blushed as he said it, she was grateful that he didn’t explain.
4 “Never mind,” said Mae. “You’re likely out of practice. Tomorrow, maybe.”
5 “Sure,” said Miles. “Tomorrow.”
6 But it was the thought of seeing Jesse again that kept Winnie’s stomach fluttering. And at last he came
down from the loft, yawning and rosy, rubbing his curls, just as Mae was piling the plates with flapjacks.
“Well, slug-a-bed,” she said to him fondly. “You come near to missing breakfast. Miles and Winnie been
up for hours, out fishing and back already.”
7 “Oh?” said Jesse, his eyes on Miles. “Where’s the fish, then? How come we got nothing but flapjacks?”
8 “No luck,” said Mae. “They wasn’t biting for some reason.”
9 “Reason is, Miles don’t know how to fish,” said Jesse. He grinned at Winnie and she lowered her eyes,
her heart thumping. At that moment someone knocked at the door.
10 It was such an alien sound, so sudden and surprising, that Mae dropped her fork, and everyone looked up
startled. “Who’s that?” said Tuck.
11 “I can’t imagine,” whispered Mae. “We ain’t never had callers in all the years we been here.”
12 The knock came again.
13 “I’ll go, Ma,” said Miles.
14 “No, stay where you are,” she said. “I’ll go.” She put her plate down carefully on the floor and stood up,
straightening her skirts. Then she went to the kitchen and opened the door.
15 Winnie recognized the voice at once. It was a rich and pleasant voice. The man in the yellow suit. And
he was saying, “Good morning, Mrs. Tuck. It is Mrs. Tuck, isn’t it. May I come in?”
1. The sentences below are from paragraph 14 of the story.
She put her plate down carefully on the floor and stood up, straightening her skirts. Then she went to
the kitchen and opened the door.
What element in the text of a play would most likely give this information to the reader?
cast of characters
setting
dialogue
stage directions
2. What is the best definition of “callers” as it is used in paragraph 11 of the story?
people who call on the phone
people who come to the door
people who call out numbers in a Bingo game
people who call someone’s name out loud
3. How would the story be different if told from Jesse’s point of view?
The reader would know why Jesse was late getting out of bed.
The reader would know why Jesse didn’t go fishing.
The reader would know Jesse’s inner thoughts instead of Winnie’s.
The reader would know why Jesse doesn’t offer to go answer the door.
4. The setting is the time and place where the story happens. How does the reader know the setting in the
story?
The author states the setting in the first paragraph.
The reader must infer the setting from clues in the text.
The author reveals the setting through the dialogue in paragraph 6.
The author doesn’t provide enough clues for the reader to know the setting.
5. Which best describes the narrator in the story?
The narrator is one of the characters.
The narrator tells the story in first-person.
The narrator tells the story in third-person.
There is no narrator.
1. The sentences below are from paragraph 14 of the story.
She put her plate down carefully on the floor and stood up, straightening her skirts. Then she went to
the kitchen and opened the door.
What element in the text of a play would most likely give this information to the reader?
cast of characters
setting
dialogue
stage directions
2. What is the best definition of “callers” as it is used in paragraph 11 of the story?
people who call on the phone
people who come to the door
people who call out numbers in a Bingo game
people who call someone’s name out loud
3. How would the story be different if told from Jesse’s point of view?
The reader would know why Jesse was late getting out of bed.
The reader would know why Jesse didn’t go fishing.
The reader would know Jesse’s inner thoughts instead of Winnie’s.
The reader would know why Jesse doesn’t offer to go answer the door.
4. The setting is the time and place where the story happens. How does the reader know the setting in the
story?
The author states the setting in the first paragraph.
The reader must infer the setting from clues in the text.
The author reveals the setting through the dialogue in paragraph 6.
The author doesn’t provide enough clues for the reader to know the setting.
5. Which best describes the narrator in the story?
The narrator is one of the characters.
The narrator tells the story in first-person.
The narrator tells the story in third-person.
There is no narrator.
II. Read the selection, then answer the questions that follow.
The Stranger
adapted from Tuck Everlasting, by Natalie Babbitt
CAST OF CHARACTERS
MAE………………………………….…………..MILES’ AND JESSE’S MOTHER
TUCK………………………………………………...……………..MAE’S HUSBAND
MILES………………...…………………………MAE AND TUCK’S OLDER SON
JESSE………………………………...…….MAE AND TUCK’S YOUNGER SON
WINNIE…………………………………..………………...A TEN-YEAR-OLD GIRL
MAN IN THE YELLOW SUIT…………………………..……...….A STRANGER
1 [Setting: Breakfast time at the Tuck’s house in the late 1800’s.]
2 [Curtain opens with MAE and TUCK eating flapjacks. MILES and WINNIE are just returning from an early
morning fishing trip.]
3 MAE: Didn’t get a bite, eh?
4 MILES: No, nothing we wanted to keep. [Winnie blushes, grateful MILES doesn’t explain.]
5 MAE: Never mind. You’re likely out of practice. Tomorrow, maybe.
6 MILES: Sure. Tomorrow.
7 [JESSE comes down from the loft, yawning and rubbing his curly hair. MAE is piling flapjacks on a plate.]
8 MAE: [fondly] Well, slug-a-bed! You come near to missing breakfast. Miles and Winnie been up for hours,
out fishing and back already.
9 JESSE: [looks at MILES] Oh? Where’s the fish, then? How come we got nothing but flapjacks?
10 MAE: No luck. They wasn’t biting for some reason.
11 JESSE: [grinning at WINNIE] Reason is, Miles don’t know how to fish. [WINNIE looks down, blushing.
Someone knocks at the door. MAE drops her fork, and everyone appears startled.]
12 TUCK: Who’s that?
13 MAE: [whispering] I can’t imagine. We ain’t never had callers in all the years we been here. [Someone
knocks again.]
14 MILES: I’ll go, Ma.
15 MAE: No, stay where you are. “I’ll go.” [MAE puts her plate down, stands up, straightens her skirts, then
goes to the kitchen and opens the door.]
16 MAN IN THE YELLOW SUIT: Good morning, Mrs. Tuck. It is Mrs. Tuck, isn’t it. May I come in?
6. Below is a line from the play of “Tuck Everlasting.”
JESSE: [looks at MILES] Oh? Where’s the fish, then? How come we got nothing but flapjacks?
What two features of a play does this line include?
cast of characters and stage directions
setting and dialogue
stage directions and dialogue
cast of characters and dialogue
7. Read the following line from the play, “Tuck Everlasting.”
Well, slug-a-bed! You come near to missing breakfast. Miles and Winnie been up for hours, out fishing and back already.
What does the term “slug-a-bed” mean?
someone who sleeps in
someone who has slugs in his bed
someone whose alarm clock doesn’t go off
someone who doesn't usually eat breakfast
8. The stage directions tell that Miles and Winnie are returning from an early-morning fishing trip. Which line
from the play best explains why they aren’t carrying any fish?
line 3
line 4
line 5
line 6
9. Look at the table below.
Type of Literature
Major Features
Story of Tuck Everlasting
?
Play of Tuck Everlasting
cast of characters, stage directions, and dialogue
Which of the following correctly completes the table?
paragraphs, narration, and dialogue
cast of characters, paragraphs, and rhyme
stanzas, dialogue, and meter
verse, meter, and rhythm
6. Below is a line from the play of “Tuck Everlasting.”
JESSE: [looks at MILES] Oh? Where’s the fish, then? How come we got nothing but flapjacks?
What two features of a play does this line include?
cast of characters and stage directions
setting and dialogue
stage directions and dialogue
cast of characters and dialogue
7. Read the following line from the play, “Tuck Everlasting.”
Well, slug-a-bed! You come near to missing breakfast. Miles and Winnie been up for hours, out fishing and back already.
What does the term “slug-a-bed” mean?
someone who sleeps in
someone who has slugs in his bed
someone whose alarm clock doesn’t go off
someone who doesn't usually eat breakfast
8. The stage directions tell that Miles and Winnie are returning from an early-morning fishing trip. Which line
from the play best explains why they aren’t carrying any fish?
line 3
line 4
line 5
line 6
9. Look at the table below.
Type of Literature
Major Features
Story of Tuck Everlasting
?
Play of Tuck Everlasting
cast of characters, stage directions, and dialogue
Which of the following correctly completes the table?
paragraphs, narration, and dialogue
cast of characters, paragraphs, and rhyme
stanzas, dialogue, and meter
verse, meter, and rhythm
III. Read the poem, then answer the questions that follow.
The Stranger
A poem adapted from the book, Tuck Everlasting, by Natalie Babbitt
Early one morn a boy and girl had been fishing, but no fish did they find
So breakfast was flapjacks again, but no one seemed to mind.
Winnie, the girl, could scarcely eat—her stomach was all aflutter
For occupying her mind was a boy named Jesse with curls the color of butter.
Jesse finally awoke from his slumber, and as all sat down to consume,
One glimpse of Jesse and Winnie’s heart began to bloom.
Then suddenly a knock, and forks dropped to the floor.
Their stomachs churned. Who could be at the door?
10. How does the mood of the poem change from the beginning to the end?
It changes from happiness to sadness.
It changes from anger to contentment.
It changes from calm to worry.
It changes from boredom to anger.
11. Look at the table below.
Type of Literature
Major Features
Play of Tuck Everlasting
cast of characters and dialogue
Poem of Tuck Everlasting
?
Which of the following correctly completes the table?
stage directions, rhyme, and meter
narration, dialogue, and meter
description, stage directions, and dialogue
verse, meter, and rhythm
III. Read the poem, then answer the questions that follow.
The Stranger
A poem adapted from the book, Tuck Everlasting, by Natalie Babbitt
Early one morn a boy and girl had been fishing, but no fish did they find
So breakfast was flapjacks again, but no one seemed to mind.
Winnie, the girl, could scarcely eat—her stomach was all aflutter
For occupying her mind was a boy named Jesse with curls the color of butter.
Jesse finally awoke from his slumber, and as all sat down to consume,
One glimpse of Jesse and Winnie’s heart began to bloom.
Then suddenly a knock, and forks dropped to the floor.
Their stomachs churned. Who could be at the door?
10. How does the mood of the poem change from the beginning to the end?
It changes from happiness to sadness.
It changes from anger to contentment.
It changes from calm to worry.
It changes from boredom to anger.
11. Look at the table below.
Type of Literature
Major Features
Play of Tuck Everlasting
cast of characters and dialogue
Poem of Tuck Everlasting
?
Which of the following correctly completes the table?
stage directions, rhyme, and meter
narration, dialogue, and meter
description, stage directions, and dialogue
verse, meter, and rhythm
12. What is the rhyming pattern of the poem?
ABAB
AABB
ABAC
There is not a rhyming pattern.
13. What is the most likely meaning of the idiom “occupying her mind” in line 4 of the poem?
Winnie is always thinking.
Winnie’s mind works a lot.
Winnie can think of only one thing.
Jesse makes Winnie work out a lot of things in her mind.
14. What is the total number of stanzas and total number of verses in the poem?
2 stanzas and 4 verses
4 verses and 2 stanzas
8 stanzas and 2 verses
2 stanzas and 8 verses
15. What emotion does “and forks dropped to the floor” in line 7 indicate in the poem?
excitement
happiness
surprise
confusion
16. Which best explains how the poem, “The Stranger” tells the story compared to the prose selection from
Tuck Everlasting?
The poem uses rhyme and dialogue, and the story uses stage directions and a narrator.
The poem uses rhyme and verse, and the story uses a third-person narrator and dialogue.
The poem uses verse and stage directions, and the story uses a cast of characters and dialogue.
The poem uses dialogue and rhythm, and the story uses stanzas and stage directions.
12. What is the rhyming pattern of the poem?
ABAB
AABB
ABAC
There is not a rhyming pattern.
13. What is the most likely meaning of the idiom “occupying her mind” in line 4 of the poem?
Winnie is always thinking.
Winnie’s mind works a lot.
Winnie can think of only one thing.
Jesse makes Winnie work out a lot of things in her mind.
14. What is the total number of stanzas and total number of verses in the poem?
2 stanzas and 4 verses
4 verses and 2 stanzas
8 stanzas and 2 verses
2 stanzas and 8 verses
15. What emotion does “and forks dropped to the floor” in line 7 indicate in the poem?
excitement
happiness
surprise
confusion
16. Which best explains how the poem, “The Stranger” tells the story compared to the prose selection from
Tuck Everlasting?
The poem uses rhyme and dialogue, and the story uses stage directions and a narrator.
The poem uses rhyme and verse, and the story uses a third-person narrator and dialogue.
The poem uses verse and stage directions, and the story uses a cast of characters and dialogue.
The poem uses dialogue and rhythm, and the story uses stanzas and stage directions.