Identifying Speaker
Uncle Dave's Car
I pleaded with my Uncle Dave
to take us for a ride.
My sisters grabbed a window seat.
I sat right by his side.
He zoomed across a garden
and knocked some hedges down,
then barreled over sidewalks
in a busy part of town.
He zipped along a winding road—
a siren made him stop.
My uncle got a ticket from
a very angry cop.
At home our mother asked us,
"Did all of you behave?"
We answered her, "Of course we did."
(Except for Uncle Dave!)
adapted from "Uncle Dave's Car" by Helen Ksypka
1. From what point of view is this poem told?
A. It changes from second to third person.
B. second person
C. third person
D. first person
2. Who is the speaker in this poem?
A. a cop
B. Uncle Dave
C. a mother
D. a nephew or niece
How Clifford Was Born
by Lorraine St. Pierre
There is only one Clifford the Big Red Dog. Children all over the world enjoy reading about his adventures.
But why is Clifford red? Why isn’t he brown or black or tan? When I visited Norman Bridwell, who is Clifford’s
creator and my neighbor, I asked him just that. His answer surprised me.
"There was a jar of red paint on the end of my drawing table,” he said, laughing. “I dunked my brush in it and
decided the dog would be red.”
Clifford wasn’t even the dog’s name at first. When Mr. Bridwell finished painting him, he wanted to give him a
funny name. Because the dog was so big, he thought Tiny would be a good name. But Mr. Bridwell’s wife,
Norma, felt that it didn’t fit him.
“He needs a strong name,” she said, and mentioned Clifford, the name of the pretend friend she’d had as a
child. Mr. Bridwell liked the sound of it. He decided it was perfect.
He also thought the big red dog would need a friend. He drew a little girl with a happy smile. Mr. Bridwell
named her Emily Elizabeth, after his daughter. Then he wrote a story about them and drew pictures for it.
More than sixty books about Clifford have been published. What makes him so popular? When I asked Mr.
Bridwell, he said, “Maybe it’s because, even though Clifford is klutzy and funny, he always, always tries to be
helpful.”
Mr. Bridwell has a sunny studio in his home. It's on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, in Massachusetts. His
studio is small and cluttered, but very comfortable. The ceiling is papered with covers from all the books he has
written. Mr. Bridwell does most of his work there.
Every now and then, however, he finds a quiet spot on one of the island beaches and works for an hour or
two. I see Mr. Bridwell often, down by our town’s pier. He stands there looking out at the ocean, deep in
thought. I always wonder if he’s planning another Clifford story.
Copyright (c) 1999 by Highlights for Children, Inc., Columbus, Ohio.
3. Who is the narrator in the passage?
A. Norman Bridwell
B. Lorraine St. Pierre
C. Clifford
D. Norma Bridwell
4. What point of view does the author use when she talks about watching Norman on the
island beaches?
A. third person
B. second person
C. The point of view changes from third to second person.
D. first person
My Child
He stares at the glowing box,
Filled with moving pictures, and
I’m afraid that bright box is
Sucking him into a Zombie World,
Teaching him things I can’t understand.
I watch as my child sits spellbound.
Rainbow light dances upon his face.
5. From what point of view is the poem told?
A. second person
B. The point of view changes from third to second person.
C. third person
D. first person
Answers
1. D
2. D
3. B
4. D
5. D
Explanations
1. The poem is told from the first person point of view. This is clear from the phrases the speaker
uses: "I pleaded with my Uncle Dave. First person uses the first person pronouns "I," "we," "my,"
"our," or "me."
2. The poem isn't clear whether the speaker is a boy or a girl, but it does say, "I pleaded with my
Uncle Dave." This means that the speaker must be either Uncle Dave's niece or nephew.
3. The narrator is the one telling the story to the audience. In this passage, the narrator is the author,
Lorraine St. Pierre. She is interviewing Normal Bridwell. She is asking him questions about his
character, Clifford.
4. The interview is told mostly from the third person point of view. The author is asking questions of
Norman and is telling the audience what he's like, what his house is like, and how he came up with
Clifford. In the end, however, the author uses first person point of view to describe watching
Norman writing on the beach. The word "I" is a big clue.
5. The poem is told from the first person. This is clear from the phrases the speaker uses: "I watch as
my child sits spellbound." First person uses the pronouns "I," "we," "my," "our," or "me."