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Ramona the Pest · Garden Heights
Part 6
for Ramona the Pest · Part 6 · Chapter 6
8 Parts40 min
What Happens in Part 6
Halloween comes to kindergarten, and Ramona knows exactly who she will be: not a fairy, not a princess — a witch, and not just any witch: the baddest witch in the world. Behind her rubber mask she growls and glories, scaring classmates to her heart’s content. But at the school’s costume parade, a new and creeping worry finds her: behind the mask, nobody knows she is Ramona. Everyone looks at the witch — and nobody sees HER. What good is being the baddest witch in the world if nobody knows the witch is you? For a girl whose name is her proudest possession, being invisible is scarier than any costume. So Ramona solves it the Ramona way: she makes a sign with her own name on it, big and clear, and carries it in the parade — witch below, RAMONA QUIMBY above — so the whole school can know exactly which witch is which.
A problem no grown-up predicted, and a very Ramona solution
Cross-Curricular
Why masks change how we feel, and why names matter so much
Chapter Summary
Ch.
What happens
6
The Baddest Witch in the World — Ramona’s witch costume is a triumph until the parade, where the mask makes her invisible — so she marches with a sign bearing her own name, and gets to be bad AND known.
Part 1
Vocabulary
Study 10 key words from Chapter 6, then answer each question.
🧠Knowledge Bank · The Halloween Costume Parade
Lexicology · The Halloween Costume Parade
For generations, American schools have marked Halloween with a costumeparade, a happy morning when children march around the playground dressed as witches, ghosts and cats. In Ramona’s day, most costumes were homemade rather than bought — sewn or pieced together from old sheets, cardboard and paint. Because dressing up was a family craft, a child’s costume carried real effort and pride. Yet a good disguise does its job almost too well, hiding the child inside it. That school tradition sets up Ramona’s adventure, because the better her mask works, the more it raises a startling question: if no one can see your face, are you still the same person?
Visual AidA homemade costume on parade day
Photograph taken in October 2016 of a child dressed up for a Halloween party. The Knowledge Bank explains that American schools have marked Halloween with a costume parade for generations, and that in Ramona’s day most costumes were homemade rather than bought — sewn or pieced together from old sheets, cardboard and paint. This costume is a modern one and this is not a school parade; what the picture supplies is the size of the occasion for a child of about Ramona’s age. Notice that her face is uncovered, which is exactly the difference a mask would make.
Child in costume at a Halloween event, October 2016; photograph by Airman 1st Class William Tracy, U.S. Air Force. Source: Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
costumen.Ch.6
Clothes that turn you into someone else
“Ramona’s witch costume was her proudest creation.”
maskn.Ch.6
A face covering that hides who you are
“Behind the rubber mask, nobody could tell who was growling.”
paraden.Ch.6
A line of people marching for others to watch
“The whole school watched the Halloween parade.”
invisibleadj.Ch.6
Impossible to see
“Inside the costume, Ramona felt strangely invisible.”
disguisen.Ch.6
An outfit that hides your identity
“A good disguise works too well, Ramona discovered.”
identityn.Ch.6
Who you are
“Her name was the heart of Ramona’s identity.”
growlv.Ch.6
To make a low, scary rumble
“The baddest witch could growl most impressively.”
worryn.Ch.6
An uneasy feeling that something is wrong
“A new worry crept in with the parade music.”
solutionn.Ch.6
The answer to a problem
“The name-sign was a solution nobody expected.”
recognizev.Ch.6
To know who someone is when you see them
“Nobody could recognize the girl behind the mask.”
ⓘ The vocabulary words in this list are selected to help you understand and complete this workbook. Some may not appear verbatim in the original novel.
🧠Knowledge Bank question
1According to the Knowledge Bank, costumes in Ramona’s day were usually ___.Ch.6
2A ‘mask’ is a face covering that hides who you are.Ch.6
3Impossible to see is ___.Ch.6
4To ‘recognize’ someone is to know who they are when you see them.Ch.6
5Fill in each blank with the correct word.Ch.6
Word choices:paradegrowlidentityworry- some words will not be used
The costumes marched past in the school .
The baddest witch could like a monster.
6Who you are is your ___.Ch.6
7A ‘solution’ is a brand-new problem you discover.Ch.6
8An outfit that hides your identity is a ___.Ch.6
9Fill in the blanks with the correct words.Ch.6
Word choices:invisiblesolutionmaskcostume- some words will not be used
Behind the rubber , nobody knew her.
The name-sign was Ramona’s .
10An uneasy feeling that something is wrong is a ___.Ch.6
Part 2
Comprehension
Show you understood what happens in Chapter 6.
🧠Knowledge Bank · Finding the Trouble and the Fix
Narrative Logic · Finding the Trouble and the Fix
Most good stories turn on a problem that a character must somehow solve, and skilled readers hunt for it early. Once you can name the trouble, everything that follows makes sense, because you know what the character is trying to fix. Ramona’s problem here is a surprising one: her costume works so well that no one recognizes her, and she begins to feel frighteningly invisible. Watch how she reaches for a solution — a way to be known again. Following the path from problem to solution trains you to ask, in every book, what the character needs and how she finally sets things right.
🧠Knowledge Bank question
1The Knowledge Bank says Ramona’s problem in this chapter is a surprising one because ___.Ch.6
2At first, how does Ramona feel inside her costume?Ch.6
3Ramona’s worry begins at the school costume parade.Ch.6
4What exactly is Ramona’s worry behind the mask?Ch.6
5Write the numbers 1–5 in the boxes to show the correct order of events in Chapter 6. Number 1 = what happens first.Ch.6
She makes a big sign with her own name.
She growls and happily scares her classmates.
Ramona becomes the baddest witch in the world.
She marches as a witch everyone can name.
At the parade, she realizes nobody knows her.
6Ramona solves her problem by taking off the costume and quitting the parade.Ch.6
7What does Ramona’s sign say?Ch.6
8Why is being unrecognized so upsetting for Ramona in particular?Ch.6
9The costume parade takes place at school, where everyone watches.Ch.6
10What makes the name-sign such a perfectly Ramona solution?Ch.6
Part 3
Literary Elements
Understanding HOW and WHY Beverly Cleary tells the story across Chapter 6.
🧠Knowledge Bank · The Mask That Erased Her
Literary Technique · The Mask That Erased Her
A paradox is an idea that seems to argue with itself yet holds a deep truth inside. This chapter is built on a perfect one. Ramona puts on her marvelous witch costume hoping to be the most noticed child of all — but the disguise works so completely that no one can tell who she is, and the girl who longed to stand out suddenly feels erased. The very thing meant to make her special is the thing that hides her. Learning to notice a paradox, a truth wearing the mask of a contradiction, is one of the most grown-up ways to read a story.
Visual AidThe mask does both things at once
Diagram for the Knowledge Bank on paradox. Card 1 is the single mask, and the two cards below are the opposite things the Knowledge Bank says it does at the same time: it was meant to make her the most noticed child, and it makes her unrecognizable. The wording is the Knowledge Bank’s own. Notice that both branches come from one card — that is what makes it a paradox rather than a choice.
The paradox of the mask as set out in the Knowledge Bank. Drawn for Garden Heights Academy.
Unexpected problem
Trouble no grown-up would predict — the scariest thing about a mask is disappearing inside it.
Paradox
Two true things that seem to clash — the costume gives Ramona power AND erases her.
Character-driven resolution
A fix that could only come from THIS character — a name-sign, from the girl who loves her name.
🧠Knowledge Bank question
1According to the Knowledge Bank, a paradox is an idea that ___.Ch.6
2Fill in the blank with the correct literary term.Ch.6
Word choices:paradoxresolutionsimilesequel- some words will not be used
Two true things that seem to clash form a .
The fixing of a story’s problem is its .
3Why is the invisibility problem called an ‘unexpected’ one?Ch.6
4The name-sign resolution could have come from any character in the book.Ch.6
5Cleary treats Ramona’s worry seriously instead of laughing at it, which shows the book’s ___.Ch.6
6The sign in the parade echoes an earlier chapter — which one, and why?Ch.6
7A paradox contains two statements that both turn out to be false.Ch.6
8Fill in the blank with the correct literary term.Ch.6
Word choices:unexpectedpredictableinvisiblefinal- some words will not be used
Trouble no grown-up would guess is an problem.
9By letting Ramona fix her own problem, Cleary shows that in this book ___.Ch.6
10The image of the witch marching under her own name captures the book’s big idea that Ramona wants ___.Ch.6
Part 4
Think Deeper
Four deeper challenges — no single-word recall. Read, weigh the evidence, and reason it out.
🧠Knowledge Bank · The Deep Need to Be Known
Ethical Reasoning · The Deep Need to Be Known
Under the giggles, this chapter touches something deep: every person carries a powerful need to be recognized — to be seen, named and known by the people around them. For a young child that need is especially strong, because a five-year-old is still learning who she is by watching how others respond. So when Ramona’s mask makes her a stranger to everyone, she does not just feel shy; she feels genuinely lost. Because our sense of self is built partly from being known by others, to go unrecognized can shake a child to the core. We each long, more than we realize, simply to be truly seen.
Think back over the chapter. A small witch stalks the kindergarten, growling magnificently, scattering classmates like leaves — the baddest witch in the world, and loving it. Then the parade begins, and the schoolyard fills with masks, and somewhere between one growl and the next the witch understands: every face is hidden, including hers. Nobody is pointing and saying her name. So the next time the witch marches past, she carries something no witch has carried before — a large, proud, hand-lettered sign, announcing to the world exactly who is being this bad.
Original passage written for Garden Heights — not a quotation from the novel.
1Claim: “Ramona’s parade crisis was about identity, not about the costume itself.” — choose the two details that best prove it.Claim & Evidence
2What the mask GAVE Ramona, or What the mask TOOK from Ramona? Tap each detail to sort it — tap again to switch sides. You can keep tapping to change your answer.Sort into two
◄ What the mask GAVE RamonaWhat the mask TOOK from Ramona ►
3Match each cause to its result. For each cause, pick its result.Cause & Effect
Ramona puts on the witch mask→
The parade fills with hidden faces→
Being unknown starts to sting→
The sign joins the costume→
🧠Knowledge Bank question
4Fill both blanks to complete the reasoning.Build the Argument
The Knowledge Bank says the need to be recognized is especially strong in a young child because , and she learns it by .
Part 5
Standardized Test
Reading passage · Who Is Behind the Mask? · SAT & TOEFL-style practice
Read the passage — the highlighted words are tested — then answer. Tap an answer, then tap it again to confirm.
SATCentral Ideas — the passage's main point
SATWords in Context — a word's meaning in this passage
SATText Connections — how two parts of the text relate
TOEFLFactual Information — a fact stated in the passage
TOEFLRhetorical Purpose — why the author included a detail
TOEFLProse Summary — the three sentences that sum it up
The Psychology of Wearing a Mask
Put on a mask, and something curious happens inside you. Scientists who study behavior call it anonymity — the state of not being known — and it works like a lever on the human heart. Hidden faces feel freer: children in a costume dare bigger dares, speak in louder growls, and act out characters they would never play barefaced. The mask seems to whisper that whatever happens, it happened to the witch and not to you. But the same lever lifts a second, stranger weight. Being unknown also means being unseen, and humans, especially small ones, deeply need others to recognize them: to know them by name, spot them in a crowd, wave at them. Young children, still building their sense of identity, can find a mask’s eraser side genuinely upsetting: the costume that makes them brave also makes them nobody. Grown-ups see this at every Halloween party: the child who begs for the mask, then tugs it off to shout that it is her. One kindergarten witch, marching with her own name lettered on a sign, may have found the smartest answer yet: keep the power, and sign the work.
Original passage written for Garden Heights — not a quotation from the novel.
1What is the main idea of the passage?SAT · Central Ideas
2In the passage, a costume is ___.SAT · Words in Context
3According to the passage, why do hidden faces feel freer?TOEFL · Factual Information
4In the passage, to recognize someone is to ___.SAT · Words in Context
5Why can a mask upset young children in particular?TOEFL · Factual Information
6In the passage, a child’s identity is ___.SAT · Words in Context
7What does the child at the Halloween party do after ten proud minutes?TOEFL · Factual Information
8The passage calls the name-sign ‘the smartest answer yet’ because it ___.TOEFL · Rhetorical Purpose
9The ‘kindergarten witch’ at the end of the passage is ___.SAT · Text Connections
10Prose Summary (TOEFL).The passage explains what masks do to the people inside them. This TOEFL task lists six sentences; choose the THREE that best capture the passage’s main ideas. The other three do not belong — they state minor details or ideas the passage does not present.TOEFL · Prose Summary
Part 6 · Optional
Creative Writing
A bonus challenge to practice your English. Take your time and have fun with it.
About This Section
This writing task is optional and is not part of your auto-graded score. The feedback below checks only the basics — length, spelling, and grammar — not whether your ideas are right or wrong. It is meant for classroom discussion and creative practice, so feel free to use your imagination!
Writing Task — Part 6 “The Mask and the Name”
Ramona wanted to be the baddest witch AND to be known. Imagine your perfect costume — anything at all. Describe it in 6–10 sentences: what it turns you into, what it lets you do that plain-you cannot, and what part of the real you should still show through. End by designing YOUR version of Ramona’s sign — what would it say?
You can start with: “In this costume I could finally do the one thing I have always wanted to do...”
0 / 40 words minimum
🗣 Teach It · Just for Fun (optional)
No right or wrong — close the screen and tell someone nearby what happened in this part. Can’t find anyone? Tell yourself out loud. The moment you teach it, you truly understand it.
Part 6 Complete!
You finished Chapter 6 of Ramona the Pest.
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Teach it to someone
The best last step is to teach it. In your own words, explain what happened — retell a favorite scene, teach a character’s big choice, or sum up the main idea for a parent, friend, or classmate. When you can teach it clearly, you truly own it.
Independent study guide by Garden Heights. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Beverly Cleary. Contains original analysis only; no text from the novel is reproduced. Reference text: This workbook follows Beverly Cleary’s classic text (the standard Puffin edition sold worldwide). Revised 2023 UK editions change some wording and may not match the vocabulary studied here.
SAT® is a registered trademark of College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, these materials. TOEFL® is a registered trademark of ETS. These materials are not endorsed or approved by ETS. Garden Heights is an independent provider of test-style reading practice.
