Question

figurative language
except from schools
by gordon korman
i was on my way to homeroom when mr. kasigi, the assistant principal, flagged me down. standing beside him was the strangest - looking kid id ever seen. he was tall and skinny as a rake. i swear hed never been anywhere near a barbershop in his life. his long blond flyaway hair stretched all the way down to the middle of his back. his clothes looked like pajamas - homemade pajamas. and his shoes were something out of a social studies project on the pioneer days. they were sandals woven out of cornhusks, and rustled when he moved. kasigi introduced us. \zachary powers, meet capricorn anderson. cap just transferred here.\ yeah, from the planet krypton. \show him to locker 743 and make sure he gets to homeroom.\ he rushed off in the direction of the office.
the simile \skinny as a rake\ shows that the boy is -
a tall and thin
b extremely skinny
c the size of a rake
d unhealthy and sick
what does the narrator mean when he thinks \yeah, from the planet krypton\ in the passage?
a the boy transferred from a weird place, such as another planet.
b the boy seems to be similar to superman and must be from krypton.
c the boy is dressed in an unusual way that looks like an alien.
d the boy is so different from everyone at school that he seems to be from another planet.
short answer: what character traits does the narrator possess?

Explanation:

• First question: A simile compares two things using "as" or "like". "Skinny as a rake" emphasizes extreme thinness. "Tall and thin" doesn't fully capture the "extreme" aspect of the simile. "Size of a rake" is a literal mis - interpretation. "Unhealthy and sick" is not indicated by the simile itself.
• Second question: "From the planet Krypton" is a hyperbolic way to say the boy is very different. It's not about actual transfer (A). There's no indication of similarity to Superman (B). While his clothes are unusual, the phrase is more about overall difference from the norm at school rather than just alien - like appearance (C).

Answer:

• First question: B. extremely skinny
• Second question: D. The boy is so different from everyone at school that he seems to be from another planet.