Unit 2: Aaron's Gift Flashcards
In “Aaron’s Gift,” what do we learn about Aaron’s character when he takes Pidge home to mend his wing?
A. Aaron wants to be a doctor someday.
B. Aaron has always wanted a pet.
C. Aaron is a quick thinker.
D. Aaron is a kind, gentle person.
D. Aaron is a kind, gentle person.
Why can you conclude that Aaron is good with animals?
A. He is gentle and thoughtful with the pigeon.
B. He thinks it is funny that his grandmother feeds the birds. C. He is always helping injured or sick animals.
D. He has worked in a pet store.
A. He is gentle and thoughtful with the pigeon.
In “Aaron’s Gift,” why does Aaron’s mother tell him to stay away from Carl and the older boys?
A. She thinks he should play with children his own age.
B. She worries that they will keep Aaron out late at night.
C. She worries that they are involved in dangerous or violent activities.
D. She knows they don’t like animals.
C. She worries that they are involved in dangerous or violent activities.
Why can you conclude that Aaron’s mother is very protective of him?
A. She refuses to let him have any friends.
B. She lets him keep the pigeon.
C. She is firm about his choice of friends.
D. She gets very angry if he is late.
C. She is firm about his choice of friends.
Why does the narrator of “Aaron’s Gift” say that Aaron’s grandmother’s family was lucky?
A. The Cossacks didn’t burn down their house or kill the family.
B. The Cossacks didn’t kill all their sheep and goats.
C. The Cossacks didn’t hear the goat in the cellar.
D. The Cossacks didn’t find their house at all.
A. The Cossacks didn’t burn down their house or kill the family.
Where was the pogrom that Aaron’s grandmother experienced?
A. in New York City
B. in Germany
C. in Poland
D. in the Ukraine
D. in the Ukraine
How does Aaron feel when he calls the boys in the gang “Cossacks”?
A. hopeless
B. terrified
C. helpless
D. angry
D. angry
How are Carl and his friends like the Cossacks in “Aaron’s Gift”?
A. They are mean and violent to innocent people.
B. They enjoy burning people’s homes.
C. They kill people for no reason.
D. Everyone hates them.
A. They are mean and violent to innocent people.
Why can you conclude that Aaron’s grandmother loves birds?
A. She bandages the pigeon’s wing.
B. She feeds birds.
C. She always has a bird for a pet.
D. She once had a pet bird.
B. She feeds birds.
How does Aaron’s grandmother react when Aaron tells her the pigeon flew away?
A. She is very disappointed.
B. She is pleased and happy.
C. She is angry at Aaron.
D. She is terribly sad.
B. She is pleased and happy.
Where does the main story of “Aaron’s Gift” take place?
A. on a farm
B. in New York City
C. in the Ukraine
D. in a small town
B. in New York City
When in time does the main story of “Aaron’s Gift” take place?
A. in the present
B. in the future
C. in the past
D. at no particular time in history
C. in the past
In “Aaron’s Gift,” the story about the grandmother is within the main story. In an essay, describe the setting of the story of the Cossacks and the pogrom. Explain why the grandmother’s story is important. Use details from the selection to illus- trate your explanation.
The pogrom took place in the Ukraine, sometime about fifty or sixty years before the main story. Essays should note that the grandmother’s pogrom experience shapes the characters and the action of the story. For example, the loss of a pet in the pogrom explains the grandmother’s attitude toward animals and is why Aaron wants to give her the pigeon. The loss of freedom during the pogrom explains the importance of freedom for the pigeon.
Think about the title of “Aaron’s Gift.” In an essay, explain two or more meanings of the word gift in the story. Use details from the selection to support your explanations.
The gift in “Aaron’s Gift” stands for the actual pigeon that is meant as a birthday gift. It also means a different kind of gift: an action that helped ease his grandmother’s mind and the gift Aaron receives, which is a better understanding of his grand- mother and of the meaning of freedom.
At the end of “Aaron’s Gift,” Aaron thinks about his grandmother: “Her goat has escaped from the Cossacks at last.” In an essay, explain the meaning of Aaron’s thought. Then tell what the goat and the pigeon represent to Aaron’s grandmother. Support your analysis with examples from the story.
Aaron means that Pidge can take the place of the goat in his grandmother’s heart and that Pidge’s escape can free the goat in his grandmother’s memory. Students may point out that to Aaron’s grandmother, the goat represents her family and her past, while the pigeon represents the present, in which freedom has been attained.
