Name: Date:

The Phantom Tollbooth, Act I

Susan Nanus

FIRST READ: Comprehension

Identify the choice that best answers the question.

1. Which word best describes Milo at the beginning of The Phantom Tollbooth,
Act I?
a. tired
b. bored
c. angry
d. curious

2. At the beginning of The Phantom Tollbooth, Act I, what does the package that
Milo opens contain?
a. a phantom
b. a tollbooth
c. a clock
d. a car

3. What is it illegal to do in the Doldrums, according to Act I of The Phantom

Tollbooth?
a. think or write
b. sing or laugh
c. write or sing
d. think or laugh

4. At the end of The Phantom Tollbooth, Act I, what mission does Azaz give
Milo?
a. helping the Humbug and the Spelling Bee get along better
b. settling the quarrel between Azaz and the Mathemagician
c. rescuing the Princesses Rhyme and Reason
d. helping the Humbug find his true home

© by Savvas Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved. 1

GRADE 6 • UNIT 4 • SELECTION TEST

THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH, ACT I, BY SUSAN NANUS

Name: Date:

5. In Act I of The Phantom Tollbooth, why does Azaz give Milo a box of letters
of the alphabet?
a. so that Milo will win when he argues with the Mathemagician
b. so that Milo can eat the letters when he is hungry
c. so that Milo can make words to help overcome obstacles
d. so that Milo will learn to be a better reader

FIRST READ: Concept Vocabulary

Identify the choice that best answers the question.

6. What did the gardener most likely mean when she said, “I surmise that a rabbit
has eaten the lettuce”? Base your answer on the meaning of surmise.
a. The gardener planted the lettuce for a rabbit to eat.
b. The gardener hoped that a rabbit would eat the lettuce.
c. The gardener knew for certain a rabbit had eaten the lettuce.
d. The gardener used clues to guess that a rabbit had eaten the lettuce.

7. Which sentence best illustrates one meaning of the word speculate?

a. Leon and Jack discussed possible reasons that the power had gone out.
b. Rachel charged $2 an hour less than her friends did for babysitting.
c. Olivia told her father that she needed stronger glasses.
d. The fans at the ballgame cheered for the home team.

8. What would be the most likely outcome of a student turning in homework

based on a misapprehension of the assignment?
a. The teacher would ask the student to share the assignment with others.
b. The homework would exceed the teacher’s expectations.
c. The homework would be incorrect or inaccurate.
d. The student would receive extra credit for the homework.

© by Savvas Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved. 2

GRADE 6 • UNIT 4 • SELECTION TEST

THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH, ACT I, BY SUSAN NANUS

Name: Date:

CLOSE READ: Analyze the Text

Identify the choice that best answers the question.

9. Read these lines from Act I of The Phantom Tollbooth.

Reason. Words and numbers are of equal value, for in the cloak of knowledge, one
is the warp and the other is the woof.
Rhyme. It is no more important to count the sands than it is to name the stars.

What do these lines suggest most clearly about Rhyme and Reason?
a. They are nervous about sharing their opinions.
b. They do not like words or numbers very much.
c. They are sensible and are able to agree about things.
d. They think that stars are better than words or numbers.

10. In the Word Market during Act I of The Phantom Tollbooth, Merchant 4
declares that “‘A’ is one of our bestsellers” but that “the ‘X’…Tastes like a
trunkful of stale air.” What is the most likely reason the “A” sells better than
the “X”?
a. The letter A appears at the beginning of the alphabet.
b. Vowels are always more useful than consonants.
c. A’s are used in many more words than X’s are.
d. The letter A has a crisp and specific sound.

11. The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.

Part A What lesson does Milo learn in the Doldrums during Act I of The
Phantom Tollbooth?
a. Rules are meant to be broken.
b. Laughter is not a useful human behavior.
c. Failing to think means that you get nowhere.
d. If you lose your way, try to find someone else’s.

Part B Which of these lines from the act best illustrates the answer to
Part A?
a. People who don’t pay attention often get stuck in the Doldrums.
b. Well, if you can’t laugh or think, what can you do?
c. From 4:00 to 5:00 we loaf and lounge until dinner . . .
d. He’s always sniffing around to see that nobody wastes time.

© by Savvas Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved. 3

GRADE 6 • UNIT 4 • SELECTION TEST

THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH, ACT I, BY SUSAN NANUS

Name: Date:

12. The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.

Part A Most of the characters in The Phantom Tollbooth, Act I, love

knowledge and words. Which of the following characters lacks that feeling?
a. Tock
b. Azaz
c. Humbug
d. Spelling Bee

Part B Which of these lines from Act I best supports the answer to Part A?
a. Watchdog. Well, think just a little harder than that. Come on, you can
do it.
b. Spelling Bee. I was just advising the lad of the importance of proper
spelling.
c. Humbug. As soon as you learn to spell one word, they ask you to spell
another. You can never catch up, so why bother?
d. Azaz. In this box are the letters of the alphabet. With them you can form
all the words you will ever need to help you overcome the obstacles that
may stand in your path.

CLOSE READ: Analyze Craft and Structure

Identify the choice that best answers the question.

13. In The Phantom Tollbooth, Act I, what does this dialogue give you information
about?
Lethargarian 1. At 8:00 we get up and then we spend from 8 to 9 daydreaming.

a. character
b. setting
c. conflict
d. drama

© by Savvas Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved. 4

GRADE 6 • UNIT 4 • SELECTION TEST

THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH, ACT I, BY SUSAN NANUS

Name: Date:

14. Read this dialogue from Act I of The Phantom Tollbooth

Milo. What kind of place is Dictionopolis, anyway?
Tock. It’s where all the words in the world come from. It used to be a marvelous
place, but ever since Rhyme and Reason left, it hasn’t been the same.

About which of the following does the dialogue most clearly provide
information?
a. Tock’s character
b. Milo’s character
c. the audience
d. the setting

15. At the end of The Phantom Tollbooth, Act I, the travelers hear a loud noise.
The Humbug then makes this statement.
It’s something terrible, I just know it. Oh, no. Something dreadful is going to happen
to us. I can feel it in my bones.

What does this dialogue most likely suggest?

a. Milo will accomplish his goal.
b. Humbug will be very helpful to Milo.
c. Milo will have more strange adventures.
d. Milo will refuse to continue the journey.

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT: Word Study

Identify the choice that best answers the question.

16. Which sentence best illustrates the shared denotation for the words stingy,
economical, and thrifty?
a. Walter spent all his money on a car.
b. The college student was on a tight budget.
c. The wealthy businessman spent his money sparingly.
d. The organization shared its wealth with the community.

17. Which words have the same denotation but different nuances?
a. smart; funny
b. lovely; charming
c. synonym; antonym
d. somersault; cartwheel

© by Savvas Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved. 5

GRADE 6 • UNIT 4 • SELECTION TEST

THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH, ACT I, BY SUSAN NANUS

Name: Date:

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT: Conventions

Identify the choice that best answers the question.

18. Which of the following sentences contains a compound subject?

a. The theater has performances both in the afternoon and at night.
b. Do you prefer to sit in the orchestra seats or in the balcony?
c. My program lists the actors, director, and technical crew.
d. Tourists and theatergoers attended today’s matinee.

19. In the following sentence, which word or word group is the simple predicate?
The actors rehearsed for three weeks.

a. The actors
b. actors
c. rehearsed
d. rehearsed for three weeks

20. The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.

Part A In which of the following types of sentences is the simple subject

usually left out?
a. interrogative
b. exclamatory
c. declarative
d. imperative

Part B Which of these examples best illustrates the answer to Part A?

a. Hand that usher your ticket.
b. She will guide us to our seats.
c. Can you see the stage well from here?
d. How incredibly beautiful the costumes are!

© by Savvas Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved. 6