Question
When Papa Was a Boy
by E.A. Brininstool
When papa was a little boy you really couldn’t find
In all the country round about a child so quick to mind.
His mother never called but once, and he was always there;
He never made the baby cry or pulled his sister’s hair.
He never slid down banisters or made the slightest noise,
And never in his life was known to fight with other boys.
He always rose at six o’clock and went to bed at eight,
And never lay in bed till noon; and never sat up late.
He finished Latin, French and Greek when he was ten years old,
And knew the Spanish alphabet as soon as he was told.
He never, never thought of play until his work was done,
He labored hard from break of day until the set of sun.
He never scraped his muddy shoes upon the parlor floor,
And never answered, back his ma, and never banged the door.
“But, truly, I could never see,” said little Rick Molloy,
“How he could never do these things and really be a boy.”
___
Adapted from “When Papa Was a Boy,” by E.A. Brininstool, Public domain.
Questions
Which excerpt from the text best supports the idea that the speaker is questioning Papa’s actual behavior?
“When papa was a little boy you really couldn’t find / In all the country round about a child so quick to mind.”
“He never slid down banisters or made the slightest noise, / And never in his life was known to fight with other boys.”
“He never scraped his muddy shoes upon the parlor floor, / And never answered, back his ma, and never banged the door.”
“‘But, truly, I could never see,’ said little Rick Molloy, / ‘How he could never do these things and really be a boy.’”
by E.A. Brininstool
When papa was a little boy you really couldn’t find
In all the country round about a child so quick to mind.
His mother never called but once, and he was always there;
He never made the baby cry or pulled his sister’s hair.
He never slid down banisters or made the slightest noise,
And never in his life was known to fight with other boys.
He always rose at six o’clock and went to bed at eight,
And never lay in bed till noon; and never sat up late.
He finished Latin, French and Greek when he was ten years old,
And knew the Spanish alphabet as soon as he was told.
He never, never thought of play until his work was done,
He labored hard from break of day until the set of sun.
He never scraped his muddy shoes upon the parlor floor,
And never answered, back his ma, and never banged the door.
“But, truly, I could never see,” said little Rick Molloy,
“How he could never do these things and really be a boy.”
___
Adapted from “When Papa Was a Boy,” by E.A. Brininstool, Public domain.
Questions
Which excerpt from the text best supports the idea that the speaker is questioning Papa’s actual behavior?
“When papa was a little boy you really couldn’t find / In all the country round about a child so quick to mind.”
“He never slid down banisters or made the slightest noise, / And never in his life was known to fight with other boys.”
“He never scraped his muddy shoes upon the parlor floor, / And never answered, back his ma, and never banged the door.”
“‘But, truly, I could never see,’ said little Rick Molloy, / ‘How he could never do these things and really be a boy.’”
Answers
Answered by
GPT-4o mini
The excerpt that best supports the idea that the speaker is questioning Papa’s actual behavior is:
“‘But, truly, I could never see,’ said little Rick Molloy, / ‘How he could never do these things and really be a boy.’”
This line directly expresses Rick Molloy's skepticism about the idea that Papa could have been such a well-behaved boy without engaging in typical boyhood activities, emphasizing the questioning of Papa's actual behavior.
“‘But, truly, I could never see,’ said little Rick Molloy, / ‘How he could never do these things and really be a boy.’”
This line directly expresses Rick Molloy's skepticism about the idea that Papa could have been such a well-behaved boy without engaging in typical boyhood activities, emphasizing the questioning of Papa's actual behavior.