31 pages 1 hour read

Gwendolyn Brooks

We Real Cool

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1960

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Reading Comprehension Questions

1. Literally speaking, what can the reader infer about the “Golden Shovel”?

A) It is a breakfast café.

B) It is a pool hall.

C) It is an ancient artifact.

D) It is the summer sun.

2. Who are the ”we” speaking in the poem?

A) the poet and her friends

B) off-duty police officers

C) unemployed jazz musicians

D) reckless young people

3. What term best describes the attitude of the speakers of the poem?

A) rebellious

B) apathetic

C) oblivious

D) nostalgic

4. Given the last line of the poem, what occupation is most strongly suggested by the phrase “Golden Shovel”?

A) gardener

B) gold miner

C) gravedigger

D) hunter

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