Name: _________________________________

English 10
SOL practice Questions: Contents of a Dead Mans Pockets
Directions: Read and answer the questions below referring to the short story that we read Contents of a
Dead Mans Pockets.
Read the passage to answer questions 1 and 2:
He got up, shoving his hands into the back pockets of his gray wash slacks, stepped to the livingroom window beside the desk, and stood breathing on the glass, watching the expanding circlet of mist,
staring down through the autumn night at Lexington Avenue, eleven stories below. He knew that the
chance to go out with his wife on a night like this occurred only once in a blue moon, but he had to stay
home to complete his project for work.
1 From the passage, the reader can infer that Tom is_________.
A a fair person
B an insensitive person
C a tranquil person
D an anxious person
2 From the passage, the reader can infer that Tom and his wife__________.
F rarely go out on the town.
G often spend time together.
H enjoy intellectual conversation.
J revel in nights spent working together.
----- -----3 Which sentence is an example of imagery?
A He was a tall, lean, dark-haired young man in a pullover sweater.
B But as usual the window didn't budge, and he had to use his power to open it.
C When his wife answered, he said, Sure you dont mind going alone?
D It was hard for him to understand that he actually had to abandon it.
4 Which sentence express the conflict in Contents of a Dead Mans Pocket?
F He heaved on the window with all his strength and it shot open with a bang, the window weight rattling
in the casing.
G As the door opening narrowed, the current of warm air from the hallway, channeled through this
smaller opening now, suddenly rushed past him with accelerated force.
H Then as the moving air stilled completely, the curtains swinging back from the wall to hang free again,
he saw the yellow sheet drop to the window ledge and slide over out of sight.
J And he had carried it with him to the Public Library on Fifth Avenue, where he'd spent a dozen lunch
hours and early evenings adding more.

5 For many seconds, Tom believed he was going to abandon the yellow sheet, that there was
nothing else to do.

This sentence shows that Tom_________.

A regretted opening the window and the door at the same time.
B realized that the paper was not risking his life.
C was concerned about his wife going to the movies alone.
D valued the paper more than his work.