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

CHAPTERS 1-4

Reading Check

1. How old is Jojo turning in Chapter 1?

2. What is the name of the bar where Leonie works?

3. What does Jojo find hidden in his clothing?

4. What event caused Michael to lose his job, resulting in a life of cooking and selling meth?

Short Answer

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

1. What is Jojo’s mother’s name, and why does he decide to start calling her by her first name?

2. Who does Leonie begin to see in her present-day life, and what is unsettling about these visions?

3. Why was Given killed, and how did the authorities respond to his death?

4. Why does Leonie insist that Michael tells the violent details of life in prison, and what is Michael’s response?

Paired Resource

“Inside Mississippi’s Notorious Parchman Prison”

• This webpage from PBS Newshour describes Parchman Prison (the Mississippi State Penitentiary) and explores the way its legacy influenced Mississippi’s identity and culture.
• This resource connects to the theme of The Violent Legacies of Racism and Poverty.