Question

The Adventures of Buster Bear
Buster Bear yawned as he lay on his comfortable bed of leaves and watched the first early morning sunbeams creeping through the Green Forest to chase out the Black Shadows. Once more he yawned, and slowly got to his feet and shook himself. Then he walked over to a big pine-tree, stood up on his hind legs, reached as high up on the trunk of the tree as he could, and scratched the bark with his great claws. After that he yawned until it seemed as if his jaws would crack, and then sat down to think what he wanted for breakfast.

While he sat there, trying to make up his mind what would taste best, he was listening to the sounds that told of the waking of all the little people who live in the Green Forest. He heard Sammy Jay way off in the distance screaming, “Thief! Thief!” and grinned. "I wonder," thought Buster, "if someone has stolen Sammy’s breakfast, or if he has stolen the breakfast of someone else. Probably he is the thief himself."

He heard Chatterer the Red Squirrel scolding as fast as he could make his tongue go and working himself into a terrible rage. "Must be that Chatterer got out of bed the wrong way this morning," thought he.

He heard Blacky the Crow cawing at the top of his lungs, and he knew by the sound that Blacky was getting into mischief of some kind. He heard the sweet voices of happy little singers, and they were good to hear. But most of all he listened to a merry, low, silvery laugh that never stopped but went on and on, until he just felt as if he must laugh too. It was the voice of the Laughing Brook. And as Buster listened it suddenly came to him just what he wanted for breakfast.


"I’m going fishing," said he in his deep grumbly-rumbly voice to no one in particular. "Yes, Sir, I’m going fishing. I want some fat trout for my breakfast."

He shuffled along over to the Laughing Brook, and straight to a little pool of which he knew, and as he drew near he took the greatest care not to make the teeniest, weeniest bit of noise. Now it just happened that early as he was, someone was before Buster Bear. When he came in sight of the little pool, who should he see but another fisherman there, who had already caught a fine fat trout. Who was it? Why, Little Joe Otter to be sure. He was just climbing up the bank with the fat trout in his mouth. Buster Bear’s own mouth watered as he saw it. Little Joe sat down on the bank and prepared to enjoy his breakfast. He hadn’t seen Buster Bear, and he didn’t know that he or anyone else was anywhere near.

Buster Bear tiptoed up very softly until he was right behind Little Joe Otter. "Woof, woof!" said he in his deepest, most grumbly-rumbly voice. "That’s a very fine looking trout. I wouldn’t mind if I had it myself."

Little Joe Otter gave a frightened squeal and without even turning to see who was speaking dropped his fish and dived headfirst into the Laughing Brook. Buster Bear sprang forward and with one of his big paws caught the fat trout just as it was slipping back into the water.

"Here’s your trout, Mr. Otter," said he, as Little Joe put his head out of water to see who had frightened him so. "Come and get it."

Source: The Adventures of Buster Bear by Thornton W. Burgess, Public Domain

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Questions
"After that he yawned until it seemed as if his jaws would crack." This sentence is a(n):

Simile

Hyperbole

Metaphor

Alliteration
How do Buster Bear’s thoughts contribute to the text?

They explain the relationship between Buster Bear and Little Joe Otter.

They demonstrate that Buster Bear doesn’t think about others very often.

They reveal what Buster Bear thinks of other characters.

They show that Buster Bear is not actually hungry.
What is Buster Bear’s opinion of Sammy Jay?

Sammy Jay is clever and conniving.

Sammy Jay moody and impolite.

Sammy Jay foolish and simple-minded.

Sammy Jay is weak and helpless.
How might this written story differ if it were turned into an audio version?

It would depict Buster Bear’s morning routine.

It would include Buster Bear’s inner thoughts.

It would use lighting to capture the time of day.

It would incorporate yawning and scratching sounds.
As the story pauses, Buster Bear tells Little Joe Otter to come and get the trout from him. Finish the rest of the story. Be sure to include what happens to Buster Bear, Little Joe Otter, and the trout. End the story with a lesson. as a 7th grader

Answer 1

Answers to the questions
1) "After that he yawned until it seemed as if his jaws would crack." This sentence is a(n): Hyperbole. (It's an obvious exaggeration to show how big his yawn was.)

2) How do Buster Bear’s thoughts contribute to the text? They reveal what Buster Bear thinks of other characters. (He imagines Sammy Jay as a thief, Chatterer as angry, Blacky as mischievous, etc.)

3) What is Buster Bear’s opinion of Sammy Jay? Sammy Jay is clever and conniving. (Buster suspects Sammy of stealing or tricking others.)

4) How might this written story differ if it were turned into an audio version? It would incorporate yawning and scratching sounds. (Audio can use sound effects to show actions that prose describes with words.)

Continue the story (7th-grade level)

Little Joe poked his head out of the water and glared at Buster. "That was mine!" he snapped. "I worked for that trout—I've been fishing since before the sun got up." Buster, still holding the slippery fish, felt a little proud of himself and a little mean at the same time. He set the trout on the bank and planted his big paws by it like he was guarding a treasure.

Joe stood trembling with anger, but instead of lunging, he tried to make Buster see how unfair it was to scare someone and grab their breakfast. "You frightened me and then took my fish," he said. "You shouldn't do that." Buster's grumbly voice softened when he heard the truth. He remembered how frightened Joe had looked when he dropped the fish and how his own paw had closed around it while Joe was gone.

Before they could argue more, the trout gave one great wriggle. The belly slipped on the wet sand, it bumped Buster's paw, and with a quick flop it slid back toward the Laughing Brook. Both animals reached at once—Buster with his heavy paw, Joe with his long otter arms—but the trout was quicker. It slipped past them and dove into the laughing water, swimming away as if to say "no more fighting here." Buster and Joe watched it go, both breathing hard, and both feeling a little foolish.

After a few quiet moments, Buster's grumble turned into a small, honest laugh. "I'm sorry I scared you, Joe," he said. Joe nodded. "And I'm sorry I got so mad," he replied. They didn't have a trout for breakfast, but they had something better—a clearer idea of how to treat each other. They agreed to fish together the next morning and share whatever they caught so no one would be frightened or cheated.

Lesson: Don't be greedy or mean to get what you want—treat others fairly, and you'll do better by being honest and sharing.