Off and Running Study Guide

Which sentence from the passage is an example of informal language? A)"Maybe even half an hour, homeboys!" B)"Please think of me when you vote on Tuesday." C)"It was obvious that the audience was siding with Rudy." D)"He was prodded from the multipurpose room toward the principal's office."

A)"Maybe even half an hour, homeboys!"

. Which sentence from the passage contains an idiom? A)"She climbed onto a box that was set there for her." B)"With that, Mrs. Castillo, now stern faced, shook a finger at him." C)"Yeah, let's knock it off," Rudy yelled, getting to his feet. D)"There was more applause, but not enough to make Miata feel confident."

C)"Yeah, let's knock it off," Rudy yelled, getting to his feet.

How is Rudy different from Miata?

He seems more popular

What is the most important lesson Miata learns in this story?

Miata learns that doing the right things for the right reasons is more important than doing the wrong things to be popular

When Rudy compares himself to Miata as president, he says

Miata would make a good president, but he would make a great one.

What lesson does Miata learn from running for office?

She learns that she can accomplish her goals even if she isn't class president.

How is Miata different during the debate compared to when she practiced her speech at home?

She loses faith in her ability to persuade the students

What is a main idea of the story, "Off and Running?"

The main idea is that it is more important to help people than to be popular

to signal ( a person), as by nodding or waving The principal ________ us to her office.

beckon

Miata shows she is more serious about school than Rudy by

by following the rules

Miata's campaign promises differ from Rudy's because they focus on

cleaning up the school

a discussion or consideration of arguments for and against something; The class held a _________ to discuss the fairness of the school dress code.

debate

to furnish with something attractive, beautiful, or striking; adorn The students _________ the auditorium with flowers for graduation

decorated

Read this sentence from this passage. "We can't push our luck, dude," Rudy responded. What is the meaning of push our luck as used in the sentence above?

expect way too much

What does the word inflated mean in the sentence below? The girl inflated the tire before attempting to ride her bicycle.

filled with air

occurring in small stages or degrees, or by even, continuous change The water level in the lake changed __________.

gradually

to be slow to act, speak, or decide We _________ about whether to go over the rickety bridge.

hesitated

to cause to expand with air or gas; She ________ the tires on her bicycle.

inflated

What does the word gradually mean in the sentence below? Isabel gradually figured out how to solve her problem.

little by little

What does the word scanned mean in the sentence below? I scanned the crowd to see if I could find my friends.

looked over

to stir to action; urge She continually _________ him to do his homework.

prodded

What does the word prodded mean in the sentence below? The teacher prodded her student to do a science fair project.

pushed

to examine (something) closely She ___________ the report card.

scanned

to make uneasy; disturb; agitate; She was _________ by the bad news.

shaken

What does the word beckoned mean in the sentence below? Zaniya beckoned to her brother to peek at the baby birds in the nest.

signaled

. Overall, Rudy's speech style is more informal than Miata's because Rudy uses a lot of

slang

to slow down or stop the process of; bring to a standstill The traffic ________ because of the accident ahead.

stalled

What is true about both Miata's and Rudy's speech styles?

they mix two languages