Name________________________Block_________Date_________________
“The Gun” Quiz
Do NOT write on this quiz. Place all answers on your scantron.
Multiple Choice Directions: Circle the best answer to each question.
1. How does Derek react when he first sees the police detectives coming toward
him?
A. He tells Jerry the story they should respond with.
B. He tries to run.
C. He keeps playing basketball and ignores them.
D. He immediately worries that they will ask him about the gun.
2. Which quote from Carol Ellis’s story is an example of interior monologue (a
character talking to him/herself)?
A. “Reed stayed on his feet, looking around.”
B. “Plenty of people saw you with it,” Kramer said.
C. “And we’ll find it, Derek, you can count on that.”
D. “Great,” Derek thought. “The guy had seen him.”
3. When the policeman question Derek about his whereabouts, he is frightened.
Then he
A. shows them the revolver.
B. lies about the gun.
C. loses his fear when he recalls he was with Jerry.
D. Immediately tells them about shooting the gun
4. Derek thinks the policeman want to question him about the gun, but they
surprise him by
A. telling him they already have it.
B. wanting to speak with Jerry, too.
C. accusing him of robbing the hardware store.
D. asking questions about basketball.
5. By admitting he knows the gun was a .38 caliber, Derek
A. gives the detectives another piece of information.
B. gets the detectives off his back.
C. links himself to the robbery.
D. convinces the policeman he know what he was doing.
6. Why did the police accuse Derek of robbing the hardware store?
A. It was a trick to make his confess to the robbery.
B. It was their way of solving the robbery.
C. It was probably a trick to get Derek to talk.
D. It was a wild guess at trying to solve the robbery.
7. While proving he didn’t rob the hardware store, Derek
A. unknowingly gave the detectives what they needed.
B. avoided being charged with possession of the gun.
C. got Jerry off the hook.
D. confused the detectives for a few minutes.
8. Derek fired the gun only when trains passed in order to
A. know what time it was.
B. hide behind the train.
C. shoot at a moving target.
D. cover the noise of the gun.
9. What makes the ending of the story so powerful?
A. The author builds up to it by giving the reader many clear hints.
B. The reader loses track of events until the end.
C. The author has the characters speak in realistic dialogue.
D. It is abrupt and completely different from what’s expected.
10. What message can be drawn from this story?
A. Seemingly harmless activities can have terrible consequences.
B. Be careful about doing things with questionable friends.
C. Detectives will always get the criminals.
D. Always tell the truth when policemen ask you questions.
True and False Directions: NOTE the directions on your scantron for True/False.
11. __________ Derek and Jerry were playing basketball when the story began.
12. __________ Derek brought a gun to school and threatened a teacher.
13. __________The policemen first heard about the gun when Jerry told them.
14. __________The policemen eventually accused Derek of robbing a hardware
store.
15. ___________Derek suspected the two men who came to the playground were
police.
16. ___________Derek shot only when the trains passed through.
17. ___________ Derek had no one to verify where he was that afternoon.
18. ___________The policemen found the gun in a vacant lot.
19. ___________The policemen eventually dropped the charges that Derek
robbed the hardware store.
20. ___________A stray bullet from the gun killed a young woman on the train.
Short Answer: Answer the following questions in COMPLETE
sentences on the BACK of your scantron!!! Write at least 5
complete sentences for each question!!!
21. How do the policemen draw a confession from Derek without his knowledge?
22. Do you think Derek is a criminal or a victim of circumstances and why? Back up
your opinion with evidence and details from the story!