Question

at the ball game
\i have a surprise, finn,\ grandma said,
holding an envelope with our names.
inside were tickets to the arena
for the women’s basketball game

5 i didn’t know much about basketball
would it be fun? time would tell.
but since it was a day with grandma,
i was sure it would go well!

our seats were right next to the court.
10 we watched the players start to play.
first, one team had the basketball
then the other took it away.

the players ran up and down the court
making passes and dribbling the ball.
15 each player was strong and fast
and they were also very tall.

there was a player named cheryl
and i thought she was the best.
she shot one basket after another
20 scoring more points than the rest.

one of the players dribbled so fast
the basketball slipped from her hands.
it quickly bounced across the court
headed toward my seat in the stands!

25 the ball landed in my lap with a thud.
i was surprised. how could this be?
the crowd got quiet as everyone stared
but then cheryl came over to me

30 \pass the ball, little man,\ she said,
giving me a smile and a wink.
i tossed it right into her hands
and she ran off before i could blink.

cheryl’s team scored the most and won.
as the game ended, she waved my way.
35 i waved back, turned to grandma, and said,
\i love this game. it’s been the best day!\

1
choose two correct answers.
read lines 29–32.
\pass the ball, little man,\ she said,
30 giving me a smile and a wink.
i tossed it right into her hands
and she ran off before i could blink.

how does this stanza build on what happens earlier in the poem? choose two answers.

□ it describes the rules of a basketball game.
□ it shows finn imagining that he is part of the game.
□ it describes finn meeting the player who has become his favorite.
□ it describes how finn grows closer to grandma.
□ it shows finn discovering that basketball games are fun.

Explanation:

1. The stanza shows Finn interacting with Cheryl, the player he previously called "the best" (lines 21-22), so it builds on his earlier positive impression of her.
2. By the end of the poem, Finn says he loved the game, and this moment of participating in the action (passing the ball) is part of him realizing he enjoys the game.

Answer:

• It describes Finn meeting the player who has become his favorite.
• It shows Finn discovering that basketball games are fun.