Jacob the Great
Jacob hated finishing things
almost as much as he loved starting them.
As a result, he had gotten into a million hobbies and activities, but he
never stuck with any of them long enough to get any good.
He begged his mother for months
for a guitar so that he could play Black Eyed Peas songs to Angie, a girl whom he
liked, but after he finally got one for Christmas, he found out that guitars
doesn’t play themselves. He took a few
lessons, but strumming the strings hurt his fingers and he didn’t like holding
the pick, so now the five-hundred dollar guitar lives under his bed.
After reading an ad in the back
of one of his comic books, Jacob decided that he wanted a Wonder-Sweeper 5000
metal detector, so that he could find buried pirate treasure. So he mowed lawns all summer and didn’t spend
his money on ice-cream like his younger brother, Alex. He saved it all in a shoe box in his
closet. Then he shoveled driveways all
winter, and he didn’t spend his money on candy and chips like his
classmates. By the time spring came he had
saved $200, and he purchased the Wonder-Sweeper 5000 metal detector. He beeped it around the park for a while, be he
soon found out that no pirates had ever set sail in his neighborhood, and if
they had they didn’t leave any treasure.
Even though he found a key ring, forty-seven cents, and all the bottle
caps he could throw, he buried the metal detector in his closest.
Given Jacob’s history with
hobbies, it was no surprise that Jacob’s father was reluctant to buy him a magician’s kit for his birthday. “Geez, Jacob… You sure you wouldn’t rather I
got you more guitar lessons?” He
suggested. Jacob was insistent. “Dad, you’ve got to get me the magician’s
kit. This time I’ll stick with it for
real. I promise! Come on, Dad,” Jacob begged. Jacob’s father sighed and then replied, “Oh,
I don’t know, Jacob. Things are awfully
tight right now.” But Jacob’s father was
reminded of his own youth long ago, when he quit from football and started
karate practice before hardly getting his equipment dirty. So when Jacob’s birthday came around, Jacob was
both surprised and pleased to find the magician’s kit that he had desired so
badly with a big bright bow on it.
Jacob opened up the box and unwrapped
the many parts in the kit. As he did so,
he imagined sawing his pet cat in half and putting it back together to the
amazement of his friends and family. He
took the many fake coins, trick cards, and rope pieces of varying length on the
kitchen table and imagined pulling rabbits out of his hat and turning them into
pigeons with a mysterious puff of smoke.
As Jacob continued pulling plastic thumbs, foam balls, and giant playing
cards out of the magic kit, a commercial on the TV caught his attention. “Hey
kids! Have you ever wanted to go to
space? Experience what it’s like to be
an astronaut? Do you want to explore the
universe? Well, now you can.” As the commercial continued play, Jacob
walked away from the magic kit on the kitchen table and stared at the TV screen
longingly. “For only $195 you can go to space camp and live life like an astronaut
for a whole weekend. Enroll now for a
once in a life time experience.”
Jacob’s cry rang throughout the house as he yelled, “MOM!” He now knew what his true purpose in life
was.
Comprehension and Inferential Questions
Directions: After
reading the story, choose the best answer for each question. Circle one answer.
1. According to the
text, why does Jacob stop playing the guitar?
a. It hurt his
fingers. b.
He’d rather play drums. c. It was too easy. d. He
failed math.
2. To whom did Jacob
want to play Black Eyed Peas songs?
a. Alex b.
Angie c.
Mom d. Dad
3. According to the
passage, why does Jacob decide that he wants a metal detector?
a. He sees a man at
the park with one. b. His father had one as a child.
c. He saw a TV
commercial for one. d. He read an ad for one in a comic book.
4. How does Jacob get
the items that he wants in the story?
a. He asks his mom. b. He asks his dad.
c. He shovels
driveways and mows lawns. d. He does all of these things to get what he
wants.
5. When did Jacob buy
the metal detector?
a. In the fall b.
In the summer c.
In the spring d. In the winter
6. True or
False: The metal detector was a good
investment for Jacob.
a. True
b. False
7. Why doesn’t
Jacob’s father want to get him the magician’s kit for his birthday?
a. Jacob failed math
class. b. Jacob quits too many expensive activities.
c. Jacob has been
mean to his younger brother. d. Jacob
went to the park without permission.
8. Why does Jacob’s
father buy Jacob the magician’s kit?
a. Jacob mowed the
lawn. b. Jacob reminded his father of himself.
c. Jacob bought ice
cream for his brother. d. Jacob found his father’s key ring.
9. Which word is
closest in meaning to the italicized word in the following sentence from
paragraph four: “It was no surprise that Jacob’s father was reluctant to buy him a magician’s kit
for his birthday”?
a. Happy b.
Willing
c. Proud d. Hesitant
10. What distracts
Jacob from the magician’s kit?
a. A TV commercial
b. His father c.
The kitchen table d. A comic book
11. Based on the end
of the story, Jacob is most likely to
go on and do which of the following?
a. Become a great
magician b. Learn to play guitar well
c. Detect an
incredible hidden treasure d. Raise money to go to space camp
12. Which happened
first in the text?
a. Jacob asked his
dad for the magician’s kit. b. Jacob got a guitar for Christmas.
c. Jacob mowed lawns. d. Jacob shoveled driveways.
13. Which happened
last in the text?
a. Jacob saved up
$200. b. Jacob found forty-seven cents in the park.
c. Jacob took guitar
lessons. d. Jacob was influenced by a comic book.
Literary Elements Questions
Directions: After
reading the story, choose the best answer for each question.
14. Which character trait best describes Jacob in regards to his hobbies?
a. Dedicated b.
Impulsive c.
Committed d. Devoted
15. What was the
author’s purpose in writing this text?
a. Inform b.
Persuade c.
Entertain d. Confuse
16. In what genre is
this story?
a. Fiction b.
Nonfiction c.
Folklore d. Poetry
17. In what subgenre
is this story?
a. Biography b.
Historical Fiction c.
Realistic Fiction d. Fable
18. In which pattern
is the text organized?
a. Problem and
Solution b. Chronological c.
Sequence d. Cause and Effect
19. From what point
is view is the story narrated?
a. First-Person b. Third-Person Objective
c. Second-Person d. Third-Person Omniscient
20. Which poetic
technique is used in the following line: “He beeped it around the park for a
while”?
a. Onomatopoeia
b. Simile c. Personification d. Hyperbole
21. Which technique
is used in the following line: “He had gotten into a million hobbies and
activities”
a. Onomatopoeia
b. Simile
c. Personification d.
Hyperbole
22. Which technique
is used in the following line: “The five-hundred dollar guitar lives under his
bed.”
a. Onomatopoeia
b. Simile
c. Personification d.
Hyperbole
