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. What does Ali’s father want in exchange for the fancy clothes?

Short Answer

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

1. How do the boys get invited to Momo’s party?

2. Why does Noodles get mad at Black?

3. How does Noodles react when Ali confronts him about mistreating Needles?

Paired Resource

“History of Spawn”

• This 11-minute video discusses the history and origin of Spawn, a lesser-known superhero who is important to Noodles. (Note: After some background on Spawn’s commercial success, the core description of Spawn’s character can be found at 2:49-4:46 in the video.)
• This resource connects to the theme of Fear of Embarrassment.
• Why do you think Noodles feels so connected to comic books and superheroes?

Chapters 7-9

Reading Check

1. Who is the subject of Jazz’s crush?

2. What early fear prompted Ali to begin shadowboxing in the shower?

3. Who cooks dinner for Ali and Noodles?

4. What part of Noodle’s outfit doesn’t fit?

Short Answer

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

1. What does Ali discover about his father when looking for clothes?

2. Why does Noodles leave the dinner table in anger, without cleaning up after himself?

3. Why do the boys have trouble finding the house party at first?

Paired Resource

“History of Braids: More Than Just a Hairstyle”

• This article discusses the significance of different braid styles in Black and African cultures.
• This resource connects to the themes of The Effects of Inequality on the African American Experience and The Complexities of Defining “Family.”
• What does the scene in which Jazz braids Ali’s hair show us about their relationship?

Chapters 10-12

Reading Check

1. Who sneaks in to check on Ali?

2. What body part does Ali hurt in the fight?

3. Whose help will Ali seek with his injury?

Short Answer

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

1. Why isn’t Ali around when the fight begins?

2. How does the fight start?

3. What do we learn about Noodles’s family after the boys get Needles home?

4. How do Ali’s parents react when he reveals the events of the party?

Paired Resource

“Friendship Relationships”

• This chapter from an open-source textbook, Interpersonal Communication, explains the different types of relationships that friends often have, as well as what criteria people typically look for in a friend.
• This resource connects to the themes of Fear of Embarrassment and The Complexities of Defining “Family.”
• After the fight, Ali comments on his relationship with Noodles: “I was his friend, but was he mine?” (Chapter 11). Do you think Noodles is his friend? Why or why not?

Chapters 13-16

Reading Check

1. What does Ali remember seeing in his father’s car?

2. What does Noodles say to Needles to finally get him to calm down?

Short Answer

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

1. How does Jazz help Ali out with his punishment?

2. What news does Black have for Ali and his father?

3. Why is Saturday the “best day ever”?

Recommended Next Reads 

Long Way Down  by Jason Reynolds

• In this novel in verse, a young Black boy named Will has to decide how to cope with his brother’s recent murder. Will questions whether revenge, which is the neighborhood rule, is really the best path.
• A shared theme includes The Effects of Inequality on the African American Experience.
• Long Way Down on SuperSummary

The House You Pass on the Way by Jacqueline Woodson

• A 14-year-old girl named Evangeline deals with racism and finding love in her small fictional South Carolina town.
• A shared theme includes The Effects of Inequality on the African American Experience.
• The House You Pass on the Way on SuperSummary