Black Cowboy, Wild Horses Assessment

Answer the following questions.

Question 1

Multiple choice

Where do both the opening and closing scenes of "Black Cowboy, Wild Horses" take place?

  • on a wide, treeless plain

  • on a cliff that overlooks a corral

  • at the edge of a small frontier town

  • in a dream that the main character has

Question 2

Multiple choice

In "Black Cowboy, Wild Horses", what job sends Bob Lemmons out onto the plains?

  • finding an injured colt

  • capturing a runaway horse

  • rounding up a herd of wild horses

  • locating new pastureland for a herd of horses

Question 3

Multiple choice

Which statement is true about Bob Lemmons, according to "Black Cowboy, Wild Horses"?

  • He can't read words but he can read animal tracks.

  • He can't ride a horse but he can find herds of wild horses.

  • He can't read words but he can write messages using pictures.

  • He can't read animal tracks but he can round up wild horses.

Question 4

Multiple choice

In "Black Cowboy, Wild Horses", why can't Bob Lemmons light a fire at night?

  • The horses will see it.

  • The horses will run from it.

  • The horses will try to put it out.

  • The horses will smell the smoke on him.

Question 5

Multiple choice

In "Black Cowboy, Wild Horses", how does Bob Lemmons take control of the herd?

  • He puts ropes on the horses and leads them to the ranch and into a corral.

  • He has his horse defeat the stallion and take its place as the leader.

  • He kills the rattlesnake and thereby wins the trust of the horses.

  • He leads the horses into a ravine during a storm and traps them.

Question 6

Multiple choice

If an audience milled around before a speech, which of the following must be true? Base your answer on the meaning of milled.

  • People were waiting quietly in their seats

  • People were standing in line for tickets.

  • People were wandering around.

  • People were applauding.

Question 7

Multiple choice

If a mouse skittered under a table, what did the mouse most likely do? Base your answer on the meaning of skittered.

  • shook in terror

  • dashed quickly

  • tiptoed quietly

  • munched noisily

Question 8

Multiple choice

Which of the following situations best illustrates the meaning of quivering?

  • a sleepy child climbing into bed for the night

  • a happy child dancing at a friend's birthday party

  • a nervous child waiting to go onstage

  • a hungry child gobbling a bowl of macaroni and cheese

Group 9

The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.

Question 9a

Multiple choice

Read this excerpt from "Black Cowboy, Wild Horses". 

He looked down at the corral where the other cowboys were beginning the morning chores, then turned away and stared at the land stretching as wide as love in every direction. The sky was curved as it were a lap on which the earth lay napping like a curled cat. High above, a hawk was suspended on cold threads of unseen winds. Far, far away, at what looked to be the edge of the world, land and sky kissed.

Which of the following statements best summarizes the environment described in the excerpt?

  • The area is in a valley with farms all around.

  • The area is very flat and spread out.

  • The area is mountainous and cold.

  • The area is wooded and hilly.

Question 9b

Multiple choice

Which of the following pairs of phrases from the excerpt best support the answer to Part A?

  • beginning the morning chores; stared at the land

  • sky was curved; earth lay napping like a curled cat

  • stretching as wide as love in every direction; the edge of the world

  • hawk was suspended; cold threads of unseen winds

Question 10

Multiple choice

Read this excerpt from "Black Cowboy, Wild Horses".

He stopped, needing only to be close enough to see the horses when they came to drink. Toward evening he saw a trail of rolling, dusty clouds.

What does the appearance of "rolling, dusty clouds" most likely indicate?

  • horses galloping on dusty ground

  • an oncoming thunderstorm

  • steam rising off of the river

  • a dangerous dust storm

Question 11

Multiple choice

In "Black Cowboy, Wild Horses", what is the most important way in which Bob Lemmons is similar to the horses?

  • He loves the wild open plains.

  • He has a distrust of most people.

  • He wants to contribute to a team.

  • He feels compassion for humans.

Group 12

The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.

Question 12a

Multiple choice

In "Black Cowboy, Wild Horses", what talent does Bob Lemmons have that allows him to round up wild horses on his own?

  • He can ride any wild horse without fear.

  • He can calm the horses with only a few words.

  • He can make the horses think he is one of them.

  • He has leadership qualities that wild horses respect.

Question 12b

Multiple choice

Which of the following excerpts best supports the answer to Part A?

  • 'It was late afternoon when he saw them - the hoofprints of mustangs, the wild horses that lived on the plains.'

  • 'He stood, reached into his saddle bag, took out an apple, and gave it to Warrior, who chewed with noisy enthusiasm."

  • "The mustangs sensed his presence. They thought he was a horse."

  • "Bob raised Warrior to stand high on his back legs, fetlocks paving and kicking the air."

Group 13

The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.

Question 13a

Multiple choice

What does the reader learn in the exposition of "Black Cowboy, Wild Horses"?

  • The reader learns about Bob's background.

  • The reader learns about the threat of rattlesnakes.

  • The reader learns what happens when wild horses are rounded up.

  • The reader learns how Bob was able to lead horses across the plains.

Question 13b

Multiple choice

Which of the following sentences from "Black Cowboy, Wild Horses" best illustrates the answer to Part A?

  • "Bob had been a slave and never learned to read words."

  • "Bob took the saddle, saddleback, and blanket off Warrior."

  • "He ate, filled his canteen, and saddling Warrior, rode away."

  • "When the stallion went back to grazing, but Bob moved forward again."

Question 14

Multiple choice

Which of the following best illustrates Bob Lemmons' inner conflict in "Black Cowboy, Wild Horses"?

  • Bob's decision to do his job rather than run to the horizon.

  • The stallion's smelling the air and turning in Bob's direction.

  • Bob's charging on Warrior toward the wild stallion.

  • The colt's being attacked by a rattlesnake.

Question 15

Multiple choice

Which of these event's from "Black Cowboy, Wild Horses" best represents the story's climax?

  • The death of the colt.

  • Vultures circling over the herd.

  • Warrior's fight with the mustang.

  • The arrival of the herd at the corral.

Question 16

Multiple choice

The word plain has more than one meaning. Which meaning of plain is used in the following sentence?

The trail followed the river for miles and then crossed a large plain.

  • simple

  • natural

  • flatland

  • ordinary

Question 17

Multiple choice

The word track has more than one meaning. Which meaning of track is used in the following sentence?

It was hard to track the mountain lion through the hills, but the rangers were very experienced.

  • racehorse

  • footprint

  • pathway

  • follow

Question 18

Multiple choice

What is true of a verb in the present perfect tense?

  • It shows an action that happened in the past but continues now.

  • It shows an action that is happening now and will happen again.

  • It shows a condition that would have ended before another began.

  • It shows a past action that ended before another past action started.

Question 19

Multiple choice

Which of the following sentences contains a verb in the future perfect tense?

  • Our family's vacations have included visits to the foothills of the Rockies.

  • Last year, I had seen several major blizzards before winter even started.

  • By May this year, the snow will have melted on the lower slopes.

  • We will travel to Colorado again early this summer.

Question 20

Multiple choice

Which of the following forms of the verb to grow is in the past perfect tense?

  • grew

  • grown

  • has grown

  • had grown

Question 21

Essay

After reading both "Black Cowboy, Wild Horses" and "Reversing Extinction", write a multi-paragraph essay where you compare and contrast the events of both stories.

When writing, make sure to...

  1. Use paper to plan your writing.
  2. Draft your response.
  3. Include and introduction containing a thesis statement and a conclusion.
  4. Use the RACE method when writing your body paragraphs containing at least SIX sentences.
  5. Leave enough time to revise and edit your writing.

Question 22

Multiple choice

For the walls, Jenny thought she would use a bright yellow paint. She would pick a border that had mostly bright red and green colors, and maybe a little bit of blue. She already had found some curtains that were sky blue with streaks of red, blue and yellow that she thought would go great with the walls. And finally, she had picked a carpet that was mostly blue with specks of red and yellow. Jenny couldn't wait till she was done decorating her room. It was really going to look awesome.


 The best summary of this passage is:

  • Jenny likes bright colors.

  • Jenny was picking out colors and materials to decorate her room.

  • Jenny was going to paint her room.

  • Yellow is a good color to paint your walls.

Question 23

Multiple choice

It started when they got to the bears. Peter felt tired and his stomach hurt. He dragged himself over to see the elephants, which were eating from a stack of hay. Normally, the elephants were his favorite. Without much interest, Peter followed his classmates to the camels, which were busy swatting flies with their tails. Peter knew he should be having fun at the zoo, but he just felt terrible and all he wanted to do was lie down and rest. Even the lions and tigers did not interest him now. 


The best summary of this passage is...

  • Peter's favorite animals were the elephants.

  • It was really hot at the zoo.

  • The camels were swatting flies with their tails.

  • Peter didn't enjoy the zoo because he felt really bad.

Question 24

Multiple choice

The crowd began to roar as I made a few practice swings with the bat. The umpire called to me sharply to hurry. I was not in any hurry to face the most famous pitcher in history.

Which character is most likely telling this story?

  • football player

  • basketball player

  • baseball player

  • soccer player

Question 25

Multiple choice

I often work in the early morning when the light is best. The canvas has had time to dry over night. When I start, I make sure all of my brushes are clean.

Which character is most likely telling this story?

  • housekeeper

  • artist

  • landscaper

  • scientist

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