A Checkup
"Aaaah..." I said.
"A
little wider, please."
"Aaaaaaaaah..." I said, opening my mouth as wide as I
could.
Dr.
Cooper poked around with a metal pick.
He scraped my teeth, even digging inside of a few. A couple of times he even poked my gums, and
I'm sure they were bleeding.
"I
hear you’re playing soccer," said the doctor as if it were casual
conversation. "How's it
going?"
"Aaaga laaka naaya,"
is what came out of my mouth.
"That's
great," Dr.
Cooper said, as if he understood what I had said. "Now can you open a little wider?"
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaah..." I said. My mouth was wide enough to eat a bowling
ball.
"Does
that feel okay?" he asked, continuing to explore my teeth with the
pick. This seemed to anger my tongue,
which fought him every step of the way.
"Aaayaa," was my answer. The doctor seemed okay with that, because he
didn't stop poking around.
Finally
he was finished "That
wasn't so bad, was it?" Dr. Cooper asked.
"No,
it wasn't bad at all," I lied.
Reading
Comprehension Questions
1) Which of the following best describes the narrator’s mood
in the above passage?
a.
peaceful
b.
uncomfortable
c.
relaxed
d.
happy
2) The phrase, “This
seemed to anger my tongue, which fought him every step of the way” is an
example of which of the following?
a.
a “slang” term
b.
metaphor
c.
simile
d.
personification
3) Which of the following is the setting for the above passage?
a.
a hospital
emergency room
b.
a gymnasium
c.
a doctor’s house
d.
a dentist’s
office
4) The phase, “My mouth
was wide enough to eat a bowling ball” can best be described as which of
the following?
a.
an understatement
b.
an exaggeration
c.
a simile
d.
a mixed metaphor
5) At the end of the above passage, the narrator says:
“No, it wasn’t bad at all,” I lied.
In what way did he “lie”?
a.
it wasn’t a fun experience
b.
it went by very fast
c.
he was in a hurry
d.
he was angry
Answer Key
1)
Which of the
following best describes the narrator’s mood in the above passage?
a.
peaceful
b.
uncomfortable
c.
relaxed
d.
happy
2)
The phrase, “This seemed to anger my tongue, which fought
him every step of the way” is an example of which of the following?
a.
a “slang” term
b.
metaphor
c.
simile
d.
personification
3)
Which of the
following is the setting for the above passage?
a. a hospital emergency room
b. a gymnasium
c. a doctor’s house
d.
a dentist’s office
4)
The phase, “My mouth was wide enough to eat a bowling
ball” can best be described as which of the following?
a.
an understatement
b.
an exaggeration
c.
a simile
d.
a mixed metaphor
5)
At the end of
the above passage, the narrator says:
“No, it wasn’t bad at all,” I lied.
In what way
did he “lie”?
a.
it wasn’t a fun
experience
b.
it went by very fast
c.
he was in a hurry
d.
he was angry