Let’s read the story carefully and answer each question one by one.
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1. Why was Neville angry at first?
Neville was angry because he thought Raymond had tagged him unfairly — like a “tag back” when they were playing tag, but it wasn’t fair because Neville felt Raymond cheated or broke the rules of their game.
He yelled, “You’re it!” and charged after Raymond, showing he was upset.
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2. What did the narrator say to try to calm things down?
The narrator said:
> “Yeah there are! We didn’t make rules for this tag game, so I can tag you!”
This was meant to explain that since there were no real rules, tagging was okay — trying to stop the fight by saying it’s not cheating if there are no rules.
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3. How did the narrator feel about the games they played?
The narrator thought the games were boring. He says:
> “I guess this is one reason that people make rules for games,” said Raymond. “We could still be playing if we had agreed on the rules with Neville before we played.”
And earlier:
> “Then I’m not playing anymore,” replied Nevash. And just like that, our tag game was over. How annoying, I thought. Raymond and I stopped to talk.
So the narrator felt frustrated and bored because without rules, the game ended too fast and wasn’t fun.
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4. What happened when the narrator played football alone?
He tried to play football by himself — running, tackling dummies (which didn’t hurt), then went to the monkey bars, fell off, landed on Amelia who was already there, and she cried. Then he realized he couldn’t break his monkey bar record because he was alone.
He says:
> “I cried and told me that now she couldn’t break her monkey bar record. I was by myself again.”
Wait — actually, *Amelia* cried, and *he* told *her* that now *she* couldn’t break *her* record? That seems mixed up. Let’s reread:
> “She screamed when she saw me tumbling around and came back on the monkey bars, and we bumped into each other. She cried and told me that now she couldn’t break her monkey bar record. I was by myself again.”
Actually, it sounds like
Amelia cried and said *she* couldn’t break *her* record because he ruined it by bumping into her. But the narrator says “I was by myself again,” meaning he ended up alone again after messing up.
But the key point: When he played alone, nothing worked well — he got hurt, made someone else cry, and couldn’t achieve anything.
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5. What reason did the narrator think might explain why we have rules?
He thought:
> “Maybe there is a reason we have rules.”
Then he imagined what would’ve happened if they’d played football with rules:
- The game would’ve been fair.
- Everyone would still be playing.
- No one would get mad.
- They wouldn’t have broken any records (like Amelia’s monkey bar record).
- He wouldn’t have gotten hurt or made anyone cry.
So he realized rules help games stay fun, fair, and safe — and keep everyone playing together.
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Final Answer:
1. Neville was angry because he thought Raymond tagged him unfairly during their game of tag.
2. The narrator said, “Yeah there are! We didn’t make rules for this tag game, so I can tag you!” to try to calm things down.
3. The narrator felt the games were boring and annoying because they ended quickly without rules.
4. When the narrator played football alone, he tackled dummies, fell off the monkey bars, bumped into Amelia (who cried), and realized he couldn’t break any records or have fun by himself.
5. The narrator thought rules exist to make games fair, keep everyone playing, prevent fights, avoid injuries, and protect achievements like records.
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of sample third grade comprehension worksheet.
