When I Was the Greatest

Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Chapters 1-3

Reading Check

1. What game are the boys playing at the beginning of the story?

2. Which character oversees giving everyone else their nickname?

3. At Knit Wit, who steals the yarn? Who then pays for it?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why does Noodles prefer to sit on Ali’s stoop?

2. How and why did Needles start knitting?

3. How did Ali’s father get arrested?

Paired Resource

“Muhammad Ali Convicted for Refusing the Vietnam Draft”

• This article details the case surrounding Ali’s refusal to serve in the Vietnam War. Quotations from Ali describe his intent and how this decision affected his boxing career.
• This resource connects to the theme of The Effects of Inequality on the African American Experience.
• Why did Muhammad Ali avoid the draft, even though it was against the law? Is it ever justified to do things that are “against the rules”? What does Malloy’s respect for Muhammad Ali’s decision reveal about Malloy’s character?

Chapters 4-6

Reading Check

1. Which young man in the neighborhood is considered the “jackass of all trades, master of none”? (Chapter 5)

2.