1. Test Unit 2:
Lesson 8
“Me and Uncle Romie” 1

2. 1. Why does the selection begin with a description of James’s conflict about meeting unknown relatives?

3. Answer:
The conflict is important to the plot and will be resolved later.

4. 2. Which of these might cause a young person to feel concerned: eating a favorite meal, changing schools, getting a new puppy, driving a car for the first time?

5. Answers:
Changing schools
Driving a car

6. 3. Which story details show that James is unfamiliar with big city life?

7. Answer:
He is guided to the subway by Aunt Nanette. He says, “the city is not like North Carolina at all” and that Aunt Nanette’s home “was like nothing he’d seen before.”

8. 4. Why isn’t James likely to see much of his Uncle Romie during the early part of his vacation?

9. Answer:
Uncle Romie is working very hard getting ready for the upcoming big art show.

10. 5. Why do you think Aunt Nanette takes James to Harlem?

11. Answer:
She mentions that Uncle Romie grew up there; it’s a chance for James to get to know Uncle Romie indirectly from the things he used to do as a boy; Harlem also appears to be the center for African American life in the city.

12. 6. Name one fact and one opinion that James expresses about his tour around the city.

13. Answer:
FACT: Aunt Nanette took James all over the city – the ferry, the Empire State Building, Fifth Avenue, Central Park
OPINION: James liked Harlem the best.

14. 7. How are the things James likes to do in Harlem similar to what he does back home? How are they different?

15. Answers:
SIMILAR: In Harlem, James likes playing stickball. It is a similar game to baseball, which is a game James likes back home.
DIFFERENT: In Harlem, James plays in water from the fire hydrant and listens to street musicians. These are both things that can only be done in cities.

16. 8. Why does the author have Aunt Nanette try to convince James that his birthday celebration will be alright?

17. Answer:
To show that James might be worried that her absence might ruin his party. It also shows Aunt Nanette is wise.

18. 9. James describes Uncle Romie’s studio as a glorious mess
9. James describes Uncle Romie’s studio as a glorious mess. What does that mean?

19. Answer:
James admires Uncle Romie’s work and considers the materials that go into his paintings wonderful.

20. Why does James start to feel more comfortable with his Uncle Romie?

21. Answer:
James looks around the studio and starts to recognize parts of Harlem life that he just saw, as well as a familiar scene from his North Carolina home, in his uncle’s paintings. This tells him that his Uncle Romie likes the same things that James likes.

22. 10. What do the details from James’s birthday breakfast tell you about the relationship between James and Romie?

23. Answer:
They have more in common than James had originally thought.

24. 11. What is Uncle Romie’s message about people?

25. Answer:
That while people live in many different places and family groups, they all care about many of the same things – special foods, songs, games, and stories.

26. 12. What are some ways in which James and his uncle are alike?

27. Answer:
They both like peanuts and pepper jelly, baseball games, and watching trains.

28. 13. What does James discover at the art show
13. What does James discover at the art show? How might this affect how he feels about his Uncle Romie?

29. Answer:
James learns that his uncle’s paintings are making complete strangers remember their families friends, and special times.
James will probably admire his Uncle Romie and his art work even more.

30. 14. What is different about James’s second train trip, as compared to his earlier one?

31. Answer:
The first time, he was nervous. Now, he is more relaxed.

32. 15. How does the main conflict, or problem, of this story get resolved?

33. Answer:
James was nervous about traveling so far from home, and at first Uncle Romie seemed mysterious and distant. When Aunt Nanette left for a few days, James and Uncle Romie became close while celebrating James’s birthday.

34. 16. Why would birds appear to streak across the sky?

35. Answer:
They move so quickly that their motions seem to blur together.

36. 17. How has James changed by the end of the story?

37. Answer:
He now has good memories of New York and is closer to his aunt and uncle.

38. 18. Why do you think James is off on a treasure hunt collecting things?

39. Answer:
He is planning on making a collage as a birthday present for his Uncle Romie.