Meaning of Phrases and Tone

Question

A Feeder No Bird Will Enjoy
by Trey Loker

1“Kate, catch this!” The softball sails high into the air. Kate reaches up for the ball, but it bounces off of her mitt and collides with the backyard bird feeder. Mom’s backyard bird feeder!

2 “Amaya, why did you have to throw it so high,” Kate says as she bends down to pick up the missing pieces of the demolished bird feeder. “Mom made this just last week. She is going to kill you when she finds out you broke it!”

3 “Oh man, I am going to be in so much trouble!” Amaya runs over to help her sister pick up the pieces. “What should I say to mom?”

4 “You should let me help you tell the story, Kate. You know I’m better at explaining things than you are. That way she will know it was an accident.”

5 “No, I’ll be fine telling her alone.” Amaya stands up with pieces of chipped wood in both hands. “Don’t worry about it. I don’t want both of us to be in trouble.”

6 “I don’t think that’s a good idea. A girl who is her own lawyer has a fool for a client.”

7 “I said don’t worry about it!” Amaya walked inside the house and saw her mother sitting at the kitchen table. Her mom took one look at Amaya’s somber eyes and could tell something was peculiar.

8Amaya apprehensively approached the table and anxiously stammered, “Mom, I…..uh…..” But Amaya couldn’t finish before her mom’s eyes landed on the broken pieces in her hands.

9A dark, foreboding glare appeared on Amaya’s mom’s face. “What the…..how did this…..”

10 “Mom, I….I can explain…”

11 “Explain? What is there to explain? I made a bird feeder last week, and today I don’t have a bird feeder. Explain what? Upstairs! Now!”

12Amaya dropped the pieces on the table and remorsefully lumbered up to her room.
Question 1

A girl who is her own lawyer has a fool for a client.

What did Kate mean when she said this phrase to Amaya in paragraph 6?
Responses

A Amaya should have caught the ball instead of dropping it.Amaya should have caught the ball instead of dropping it.

B Amaya should have let Kate help her explain what happened.Amaya should have let Kate help her explain what happened.

C Amaya should have paid for someone to represent her in a court of law.Amaya should have paid for someone to represent her in a court of law.

D Amaya should have tried to glue the birdhouse together before telling their mom.Amaya should have tried to glue the birdhouse together before telling their mom.
Question 2

Which three word were used to show the apologetic tone Amaya displayed while talking with her mother?
Responses

A sombersomber

B peculiarpeculiar

C apprehensivelyapprehensively

D anxiouslyanxiously

E foreboding

Answer 1

Question 1:

What did Kate mean when she said this phrase to Amaya in paragraph 6?

Response: B Amaya should have let Kate help her explain what happened.

The phrase "A girl who is her own lawyer has a fool for a client" implies that it’s wise to seek help or advice from someone else instead of trying to handle everything on your own—especially in potentially difficult situations. Kate is suggesting that Amaya would benefit from having her help in explaining the situation to their mom.

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Question 2:

Which three words were used to show the apologetic tone Amaya displayed while talking with her mother?

Responses: C, D, A (C. apprehensively, D. anxiously, A. somber)

These words convey a sense of anxiety and remorse that Amaya feels as she approaches her mother after the incident. "Apprehensively" suggests fear or hesitation, "anxiously" adds to that sense of nervousness, and "somber" indicates a serious, regretful mood.