Hard as Nails

Question 1

What was Russell Baker’s main reason for writing “Hard as Nails”?

A. to inform readers about the newspaper business
B. to interest readers in getting newspaper jobs
C. to entertain readers by telling about events in his childhood
D. to persuade readers that working is good for children

Answer 1

C. to entertain readers by telling about events in his childhood

Question 2

In “Hard as Nails,” why does Baker’s mother want him to have a job?

A. She cannot find a job.
B. She needs his help to support the family.
C. She thinks a job will keep him off the streets.
D. She wants him to earn his own money for college.

Answer 2

B. She needs his help to support the family.

Question 3

Which two words best describe Baker’s mother in “Hard as Nails”?

A. tough, loving
B. greedy, ambitious
C. bossy, mean
D. cheerful, silly

Answer 3

A. tough, loving

Question 4

In “Hard as Nails,” how does Baker feel about his first job?

A. He is angry because he had such a hard job.
B. He blames his mother for making him work for a tough boss.
C. He is glad that his own children won’t have to work until they are sixteen.
D. He believes that his job as a paperboy taught him important lessons.

Answer 4

D. He believes that his job as a paperboy taught him important lessons.

Question 5

In “Hard as Nails,” why does Baker tell the story about Deems’s trick to make him sell more papers?

A. to show how well he and Deems got along
B. to make readers feel sorry for him
C. to show that Deems wants to make as much money as possible
D. to show that Deems always encouraged him to do his best

Answer 5

C. to show that Deems wants to make as much money as possible

Question 6

Which quality of character is a focus of “Hard as Nails”?

A. honesty
B. kindness
C. determination
D. bravery

Answer 6

C. determination

Question 7

In “Hard as Nails,” which of the following types of details does Baker not use?

A. comments on his experiences
B. statistics
C. events
D. thoughts and feelings

Answer 7

B. statistics

Question 8

“Hard as Nails” tells about a time in the author’s life. What is this kind of writing called?

A. a dramatic essay
B. an autobiographical narrative
C. a fictional story
D. a true story

Answer 8

B. an autobiographical narrative

Question 9

In “Hard as Nails,” what does it mean to be hard as nails?

A. to be physically strong
B. to be stingy
C. to be mean to other people
D. to be tough and determined

Answer 9

D. to be tough and determined

Question 10

In “Hard as Nails,” what did Baker’s childhood experiences help him become?

A. a successful journalist
B. a good father
C. a caring boss
D. a famous person

Answer 10

A. a successful journalist

Question 11

Journalists gather and write news for newspapers, radio, and television. They report news and feature stories from all over the world. In an essay, tell why you think young Russell Baker agreed that being a newspaper man was a great life. Give examples that support this idea.

Answer 11

Being a newspaper man or woman is a great life because it is important work. It spreads world, city, and local news. It keeps people informed about their government, events, and issues that are important in people’s lives. Baker saw that he could work hard and move up the ladder of journalism and have important men notice him.

Question 12

In an essay, discuss the importance of Deems to young Russell Baker in “Hard as Nails.” Is Deems a good or a bad influence on young Russell? What part did Deems play in making Baker the kind of person he is as an adult?

Answer 12

Deems is important
to Baker because Deems was Baker’s first boss. Essays might also conclude that although Deems was hard on Baker, his influence made Baker grow up stronger than if Deems had been a pushover.

Deems seems to be a sly and driven person, and yet Baker admires Deems and likes to believe that Deems works him hard for his own good. Baker gives Deems credit for starting him off well in the newspaper business and being a role model for the kind of adult he became.

Question 13

Author Russell Baker’s main purpose in writing “Hard as Nails” is

A. to inform readers with facts and figures about the newspaper business.
B. to interest readers in journalism careers.
C. to entertain readers by telling about his life.
D. to persuade readers that children should go to work at an early age.

Answer 13

C. to entertain readers by telling about his life.

Question 14

In an autobiographical narrative such as “Hard as Nails,” Baker would not include

A. his ideas and opinions.
B. other people’s thoughts and feelings.
C. personal experiences.
D. his reactions to events.

Answer 14

B. other people’s thoughts and feelings.

Question 15

In “Hard as Nails,” Russell’s mother wants him to have a job because

A. she cannot find a job for herself.
B. she needs his help to support the family.
C. she thinks working will keep him out of trouble.
D. she wants him to start earning money for college.

Answer 15

B. she needs his help to support the family.

Question 16

In “Hard as Nails,” the two words that best describe Baker’s mother are

A. tough and loving.
B. greedy and ambitious.
C. bossy and determined.
D. careful and independent.

Answer 16

A. tough and loving.

Question 17

In “Hard as Nails,” Baker

A. feels angry that he had to go
to work at such a young age.
B. wishes his mother had never moved the family from New Jersey to Baltimore.
C. is glad that his children won’t have to work.
D. thinks that his job as a paperboy taught him valuable lessons.

Answer 17

D. thinks that his job as a paperboy taught him valuable lessons.

Question 18

In “Hard as Nails,” Baker’s description of himself as a child reveals that he was

A. desperate to make money.
B. optimistic about the future.
C. a good judge of character.
D. a fun-loving, twelve-year-old boy.

Answer 18

B. optimistic about the future.

Question 19

What is the author’s general purpose for including this detail in “Hard as Nails”? No matter how awful it got, and it sometimes got terrible, I never quit believing it was a great life.

A. to entertain
B. to inform
C. to persuade
D. to reflect

Answer 19

D. to reflect

Question 20

The quality of character that “Hard as Nails” focuses on is

A. honesty.
B. kindness.
C. determination.
D. bravery.

Answer 20

C. determination.

Question 21

Which sentence best describes young Russell Baker’s feelings about Deems?

A. He hopes to be just like Deems some day.
B. He resents and respects Deems at the same time.
C. He is afraid of Deems because Deems might fire him.
D. He is suspicious of Deems because Deems cannot be trusted.

Answer 21

B. He resents and respects Deems at the same time.

Question 22

In “Hard as Nails,” Baker tells how Deems raises Baker’s paper order, leaving him with the choice of selling the extra papers or losing money. Baker includes this information to show

A. that Deems was trying to make as much money as possible.
B. how easily Deems could fool Baker.
C. that Deems was already thinking of quitting his job.
D. how Deems encouraged the boys to do their best.

Answer 22

A. that Deems was trying to make as much money as possible.

Question 23

Baker includes details about Deems’s speech at the newsroom, because it shows that Deems

A. was a poor speaker.
B. was a personal friend of William Randolph Hearst.
C. hoped that someone at the newspaper would overhear his speech.
D. may have believed in the same dreams he described for the boys.

Answer 23

D. may have believed in the same dreams he described for the boys.

Question 24

In “Hard as Nails,” Russell Baker thinks that Deems may have quit his job because

A. the men who ran the paper did not appreciate his work.
B. parents complained that he was cheating the paperboys.
C. the ugly newsroom discouraged him from wanting to become a reporter.
D. he regretted having to be so hard on the paperboys.

Answer 24

D. he regretted having to be so hard on the paperboys.

Question 25

Author Russell Baker uses all the following types of details in “Hard as Nails” except

A. comments on his experiences. B. statistics.
C. events.
D. thoughts and feelings.

Answer 25

B. statistics.

Question 26

In “Hard as Nails,” Russell Baker’s phrase “hard as nails” means

A. to be physically strong.
B. to be stubborn.
C. to be unfeeling toward other people.
D. to be tough and determined.

Answer 26

D. to be tough and determined.

Question 27

How is Deems in “Hard as Nails” important to Russell? Was he a good or a bad influence? Write an essay that discusses the role Deems played in Russell Baker’s life.

Answer 27

Deems is important to
Russell Baker because he is his first boss, and might have been his only male role model.

Deems can be said to be a bad influence in that is he is somewhat sly or sneaky and takes advantage of the boys so he can make more money. He can be considered a good influence because Baker says Deems works him hard for his own good and gives Baker pride in the newspaper business.

Question 28

What does the author, Russell Baker, mean by the phrase “hard as nails”? In an essay, tell why characters in “Hard as Nails” fit this description.

Answer 28

A definition of “hard as
nails,” is like “tough in the face of adversity.” Russell Baker’s mother was hard as nails. She was hardened by the death of her husband and unable to get a job to support her family and be independent of her relatives’ charity. She also expected her son to work at an early age.

Deems is “hard as nails,” because he pushed the boys who worked for him and loved the grittiness of the newspaper business. Russell Baker was “hard as nails” because he worked hard to be successful and was determined to improve his situation and help support his family.