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©Secondary Solutions ROLL OF THUN DER, All H
Rights Reserved. EAR M
Y CRY by Mildred D. Taylor SAMPLE ONLY. NOT FOR USE OR SALE. PLEASE PURCHASE FULL VERSION FOR ACCESS. Literature Guide Developed by Mary Pat Mahoney
for Secondary Solutions
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ISBN-10: 0-9845205-1-1
ISBN-13: 978-0-9845205-1-0
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Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Literature Guide
©Secondary Solutions All Rights Reserved. SAMPLE ONLY. NOT FOR USE OR SALE. PLEASE PURCHASE FULL VERSION FOR ACCESS. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Literature Guide
About This Literature Guide ............................................................................. 4 How to Use Our Literature Guides .....................................................................5 Pre-Reading Activity: What is Equality? ............................................................ 6 Pre-Reading Ideas and Activities ....................................................................... 7 Standards Focus: Exploring Expository Writing ............................................... 9 Author Biography: Mildred D. Taylor .................................................................................. 9 Comprehension Check: Exploring Expository Writing ............................................................... 10 Standards Focus: Historical Context ................................................................ 11 African-American Life in the South During the 1930s ........................................................ 11 Comprehension Check: Exploring Expository Writing ................................................................ 12 The Great Depression and the South ................................................................................... 13 Comprehension Check: Exploring Expository Writing ................................................................ 14 The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s ............................................................................. 15 Comprehension Check: Exploring Expository Writing ................................................................ 17 Allusions, Terminology, and Expressions ........................................................ 18 Vocabulary List ............................................................................................... 20 Character Relationships .................................................................................. 21 Standards Focus: Note-Taking and Summarizing Sample ................................23 Chapter One .................................................................................................... 24 Note-Taking and Summarizing ........................................................................................... 24 Comprehension Check .......................................................................................................... 25 Standards Focus: Exposition—Setting the Story in Motion .............................................. 26 Assessment Preparation: Using Precise Words .................................................................28 Chapters Two – Three ...................................................................................... 31 Note-Taking and Summarizing ........................................................................................... 31 Comprehension Check ..........................................................................................................32 Standards Focus: Personification ....................................................................................... 33 Assessment Preparation: Using Transitions ...................................................................... 35 Chapter Four ................................................................................................... 37 Note-Taking and Summarizing ........................................................................................... 37 Comprehension Check ..........................................................................................................38 Standards Focus: Character Foil ........................................................................................ 39 Assessment Preparation: The Thesis Statement ................................................................ 41 Chapters Five – Six ......................................................................................... 44 Note-Taking and Summarizing ........................................................................................... 44 Comprehension Check .......................................................................................................... 45 Standards Focus: Dialect .....................................................................................................46 Assessment Preparation: Paragraph Development .......................................................... 49 Chapter Seven .................................................................................................. 52 Note-Taking and Summarizing ........................................................................................... 52 Comprehension Check .......................................................................................................... 53 Standards Focus: Protagonist/Antagonist Relationships ................................................. 54 Assessment Preparation: Creating an Introductory Paragraph ...................................... 57 Chapter Eight .................................................................................................. 60 Note-Taking and Summarizing .......................................................................................... 60 Comprehension Check .......................................................................................................... 61 Standards Focus: Rising Action and Resolving Tension ................................................... 62 Assessment Preparation: Writing Conclusions .................................................................. 65 Chapters Nine – Ten ....................................................................................... 69 Note-Taking and Summarizing ........................................................................................... 69 ©2010 Secondary Solutions
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Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Literature Guide
©Secondary Solutions All Rights Reserved. SAMPLE ONLY. NOT FOR USE OR SALE. PLEASE PURCHASE FULL VERSION FOR ACCESS. Comprehension Check .......................................................................................................... 70 Standards Focus: Setting Map and Symbolism ..................................................................71 Assessment Preparation: Sentence Structure and Precise Verbs ..................................... 74 Chapters Eleven – Twelve ................................................................................ 77 Note-Taking and Summarizing........................................................................................... 77 Comprehension Check .......................................................................................................... 78 Standards Focus: Climax and Resolution .......................................................................... 79 Assessment Preparation: Proofreading ............................................................................. 82 Quiz: Chapter One........................................................................................... 85 Quiz: Chapters Two-Three ............................................................................... 87 Quiz: Chapter Four ......................................................................................... 89 Quiz: Chapters Five-Six .................................................................................... 91 Quiz: Chapter Seven ........................................................................................ 93 Quiz: Chapter Eight ..........................................................................................95 Quiz: Chapters Nine-Ten .................................................................................. 97 Quiz: Chapters Eleven-Twelve ......................................................................... 99 Final Exam ..................................................................................................... 101 Final Exam: Multiple Choice Version ............................................................. 106 Sample Agenda .................................................................................................................... 111 Teacher Notes ...................................................................................................................... 113 Summary of the Novel ........................................................................................................ 114 Vocabulary List with Definitions ...................................................................................... 120 Post-Reading Activities and Alternative Assessment ...................................................... 122 Essay/Writing Ideas .......................................................................................................... 125 Project Rubric A ................................................................................................................. 127 Project Rubric B.................................................................................................................. 128 Response to Literature Rubric........................................................................................... 129 Answer Key .................................................................................................... 131 ©2010 Secondary Solutions
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Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Literature Guide
©Secondary Solutions All Rights Reserved. SAMPLE ONLY. NOT FOR USE OR SALE. PLEASE PURCHASE FULL VERSION FOR ACCESS. About This Literature Guide
Secondary Solutions is the endeavor of a high school English teacher who could not
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including author biographies, pre-reading activities, numerous and varied
vocabulary and comprehension activities, study-guide questions, graphic organizers,
literary analysis and critical thinking activities, essay and writing ideas, extension
activities, quizzes, unit tests, alternative assessment, and much more. Each Guide is
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Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Literature Guide
©Secondary Solutions All Rights Reserved. SAMPLE ONLY. NOT FOR USE OR SALE. PLEASE PURCHASE FULL VERSION FOR ACCESS. How to Use Our Literature Guides
Our Literature Guides are based upon the National Council of Teachers of English and the
International Reading Association’s national English/Language Arts Curriculum and Content
Area Standards. The materials we offer allow you to teach the love and full enjoyment of
literature, while still addressing the concepts upon which your students are assessed.
These Guides are designed to be used in their sequential entirety, or may be divided into separate
parts. Please do not feel pressure to use everything! We have worked hard to create a variety of
helpful materials for you to choose from. Choose materials that fit the needs of the students in
your classroom, and follow your own timeframe. The important thing is that the work has been
done for you, and you are not forced into extra work.
There are several distinct categories within each Literature Guide:






Exploring Expository Writing—Worksheets designed to address the exploration and
analysis of functional and/or informational materials and of the historical aspects of the text
 Author Biography including heritage, beliefs, and customs of the author
 Historical Context, including allusions and unique diction, comparison of situations
across historical eras, analysis of theme relevant to the historical era
 Biographies of relevant non-fictional characters
Comprehension Check—Study questions designed to guide students as they read the text.
 Questions focus on Reading Comprehension and Analysis and cover a wide range of
questioning based on Bloom’s Taxonomy
Standards Focus—Worksheets and activities that directly address the content standards
and allow students extensive practice in literary skills and analysis. Standards Focus
activities are found within every chapter or section. Some examples:
 Literary Response and Analysis, including Figurative Language, Irony, Flashback,
Theme, Tone and Mood, Style, and Aesthetic Approach, etc.
 Writing Strategies, including developing thesis statements, audience and purpose,
sentence combining, concise word choice, developing research questions, etc.
Assessment Preparation—Vocabulary activities which emulate the types of vocabulary/
grammar proficiency on which students are tested in state and national assessments.
Assessment Preparation activities are found within every chapter or section. Some
examples:
 Writing Conventions, including Parts of Speech, Precise Word Choice, Punctuation
 Vocabulary and Word Development, including Context Clues,
Connotation/Denotation, Word Roots, Analogies, Literal and Figurative Language
Quizzes and Tests—Quizzes are included for each chapter or designated section; final tests
as well as alternative assessment are available at the end of each Guide.
Pre-Reading, Post-Reading Activities, Essay/Writing Ideas plus Sample
Rubrics—Each Guide also has its own unique pre-reading, post-reading, and essay/writing
ideas and alternative assessment activities.
Each Guide contains handouts and activities for varied levels of difficulty. We know that not all
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©2010 Secondary Solutions
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Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Literature Guide
Name _________________________________
Period ________
©Secondary Solutions All Rights Reserved. SAMPLE ONLY. NOT FOR USE OR SALE. PLEASE PURCHASE FULL VERSION FOR ACCESS. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Pre-Reading Activity: What is Equality?
What is equality? On the lines below, write your definition of equality.
Now share your definition with your classmates. Do your ideas sound the same or
are they different? Share with the class how your definitions are alike and different.
In Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry you’ll read about two schools: the Jefferson Davis
County School and Great Faith Elementary and Secondary School. One school is for
white students only, and the other school is for black students. It will become clear
as you read that the two schools are different. One school has buses for the students,
and the other has none. One school receives the cast-off textbooks that are
considered too badly damaged for the other school. Even the length of the school
year differs for the two schools.
The differences between the two schools can be linked to a United States Supreme
Court decision in 1896. In a case called Plessy vs. Ferguson, the Supreme Court
decided that it was constitutional to have segregated and separate facilities for blacks
and whites as long as they were equal. This policy was referred to as “separate but
equal.”
The Supreme Court’s ruling was eventually overturned in 1954 with the case of
Brown vs. The Board of Education. The result of that case was the integration of
black and white schools.
Directions: Answer the following questions on a separate piece of paper using
complete sentences.
1. Why do you think a term like “equality” is difficult to define?
2. What problems do you think the concept of “separate but equal” caused?
3. Why might it be difficult to provide “separate but equal” facilities for blacks and
whites?
4. Infer how the segregation of blacks and whites affected African-Americans.
5. Infer how the segregation of blacks and whites affected Caucasians.
6. Formulate an idea of the events that followed the decision of Brown vs. The
Board of Education.
©2010 Secondary Solutions
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Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Literature Guide
Name _________________________________
Period ________
©Secondary Solutions All Rights Reserved. SAMPLE ONLY. NOT FOR USE OR SALE. PLEASE PURCHASE FULL VERSION FOR ACCESS. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Pre-Reading Ideas and Activities
The following are suggested activities to supplement the study of Roll of Thunder, Hear
My Cry before reading the novel. Activities can be presented in any form.
The following activities can be completed after students have finished the pre-reading
activity “What is Equality?” (pg. 6)
1. Have students write their definitions of equality on strips of paper. Use those strips to
create a wall display.
2. What power does the Supreme Court have? Have students learn more about the court
cases Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. The Board of Education. Students can present
their research in the form of a poster, short speech, or other method.
3. Have students work together in groups to create a Venn diagram of their definitions of
equality showing how their definitions are similar and different.
4. Have students expand their definitions into a short essay entitled “What Equality Means
to Me.”
5. Read students The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss. Discuss the theme of the story. Be sure to
distinguish between theme and moral.
Have students read Mildred D. Taylor’s acceptance speech for the 1997 ALAN Award,
available on The ALAN Review website at
http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/spring98/taylor.html. When they have
completed the reading, have students answer the questions below.
1. What are some of the reasons she states that people want to remove Roll of Thunder,
Hear My Cry from schools?
2. Why does Mildred D. Taylor think it is important that children learn the truth presented
in the stories she tells?
3. Interpret what you think she means by the final statement: “It is not polite, and it is full
of pain.”
4. Do you agree or disagree with Mildred D. Taylor’s views? Explain.
Cross-Curricular Activities (Multiple Subjects)
1. Interview. What family stories can students find? Have students interview grandparents
or older relatives about life when they were children. Students can record the interviews
or write the stories down. Be sure students prepare interview questions in advance.
2. Nicknames. “Little Man” and “Big Ma” are some of the nicknames in the novel. Have
students find out the story behind their own nickname or another family member’s
nickname. How did the name come about and how does the person feel about having
that nickname?
3. Family pictures. Have students find a photo of a relative as a child. Share photos in
class and have students observe the photos. Have students write about how life might
have been the same for relative and the student and how life might have been different
for the two.
©2010 Secondary Solutions
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Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Literature Guide
Name _________________________________
Period ________
©Secondary Solutions All Rights Reserved. SAMPLE ONLY. NOT FOR USE OR SALE. PLEASE PURCHASE FULL VERSION FOR ACCESS. 4. Information from a photo. What can students learn about the past from close
observation of photos from the past? Using photos of the Great Depression or of
sharecroppers (widely available through the Internet and books) have students find
information and conclusions about what life might have been like for people during that
time period.
5. Dorothea Lang took many Depression Era photos. Have students view a collection of her
photos and research her career as a photographer. Have students discuss how a
photograph can speak to the viewer.
6. Create a timeline of the Great Depression either as a class or individually.
**For each of the following, have students prepare a presentation to share with
the class what they have learned.
7. What was a chain gang? Have students research the history and definition of chain
gangs.
8. Have students research the Jim Crow laws.
9. What was the role of African-Americans who fought in World War I? Have students
research the treatment of black soldiers.
10. What happened in the South after the Civil War? Have students research the
Reconstruction period. How did Reconstruction affect the way blacks were treated in the
South?
11. Discuss/define the “American Dream.” What was the “American Dream” to immigrants
coming to the United States one hundred years ago? How would you define the idea of
the “American Dream” today? Is the Dream still possible?
12. Create a presentation of famous black Americans of the 1930s such as George
Washington Carver, Jesse Owens, Jackie Robinson, W.E.B. Du Bois, Mary McLeod
Bethune, Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, Charles Drew, Duke Ellington, Benny
Goodman, Hattie McDaniel, James Weldon Johnson, Countee Cullen, Eugene Toomer,
Sterling Brown, and/or Claude McKay.
13. Gather and analyze two or more poems by Harlem Renaissance poets Langston Hughes,
Richard Wright, Zora Neale Hurston, Ralph Ellison, Claude McKay, Margaret Walker,
Willard Motley, or Frank Yerby, or others such as the Auden Group, John Wheelwright,
William Butler Yeats, Louis Zukofsky, George Oppen, or writers who contributed to the
Federal Writers’ Project.
14. Create a presentation on the economic and political concerns of the 1930s, including The
New Deal, Dust Bowl, Hoover, Roosevelt, Social Security, the WPA, Wall Street, Hitler,
Stalin, the League of Nations, and Winston Churchill. Include statistics on the U.S.
population, average salary, and cost of living, including home, rent, car, etc.
15. Create a presentation chronicling daily life during the Depression. Some ideas you may
also wish to include: plastic, nylon stockings, lawn tennis, stamp collecting, Baseball Hall
of Fame, Howard Hughes, Lindbergh kidnapping, 21st amendment, Empire State
Building, Monopoly, radio, riding the rails, Tarzan, comics Laurel and Hardy, Dick and
Jane books, and/or the Harlem Renaissance. (Keep in mind that not everyone had the
same experiences during the Depression.)
©2010 Secondary Solutions
8
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Literature Guide
Name _________________________________
Period ________
©Secondary Solutions All Rights Reserved. SAMPLE ONLY. NOT FOR USE OR SALE. PLEASE PURCHASE FULL VERSION FOR ACCESS. Standards Focus: Exploring Expository Writing
Author Biography: Mildred D. Taylor
Think about the last family gathering or party you went to. Maybe it was a birthday
party, wedding, graduation, or holiday celebration. Did anyone tell family stories?
Did any relatives say to you, “I remember when you were just a baby…” and then
proceed to tell a story about something you did or said?
Family stories have a way of getting passed around and down through generations.
Maybe you know a story about the ancestors of your family or something your parent
or a grandparent did as a child or young adult. Those stories can be interesting, sad,
or just plain funny!
When Mildred Taylor wrote Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, she retold her own
family stories. As she was growing up, she loved listening to the family stories told
by relatives. Her father was a wonderful storyteller. Taylor describes his abilities in
the Author’s Note of Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry: “He could tell a fine old story
that made me hold my sides with rolling laughter and sent happy tears down my
cheeks, or a story of stark reality that made me shiver and be grateful for my own
warm, secure surroundings.” The family stories he told were about Taylor’s greatgrandfather, who was the son of a white plantation owner and a slave woman. In the
1880s, her great-grandfather bought land in Mississippi. The Taylor family still
owns the land, and the importance of family land is part of Roll of Thunder, Hear
My Cry.
Taylor drew on her family stories as the
foundation for her novels. In 1974, her first
book Song of the Trees received the Council on
Interracial Books for Children Award. Her next
book Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry won the
Newbery Award in 1977. The books that
followed continued telling her family stories by
adding to the Logan family saga that you’ll be
introduced to in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.
Not all of the family stories are happy ones. In
the time period of her novels before the Civil
Rights Movement, life was difficult for AfricanAmericans. Especially in the South where
segregation was the norm, the law didn’t always
protect the rights of African-Americans. Their
white neighbors often mistreated them, and the
law, instead of protecting them, often turned a
blind eye to their plight. In her acceptance
speech for the 1997 Alan Award, Taylor said, “In
the writing of my books I have tried to present
not only a history of my family, but the effects
©2010 Secondary Solutions
9
Mildred Taylor was born
in Jackson, Mississippi in
1943. Shortly afterwards,
her family moved north to
Toledo, Ohio. Although
Taylor grew up in the
north, she often traveled
back to Mississippi to visit
her family. When Taylor
finished high school in
Toledo, she went on to
college. After college, she
joined the Peace Corps
and taught in Ethiopia.
When she returned to the
United States, she went
back to college to earn a
master’s degree, and then
she began her writing
career.
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Literature Guide
Name _________________________________
Period ________
©Secondary Solutions All Rights Reserved. SAMPLE ONLY. NOT FOR USE OR SALE. PLEASE PURCHASE FULL VERSION FOR ACCESS. What is a saga?
Book reviewers describe
Taylor’s novels as a saga. A
saga is a novel that’s based
on the history of a family
that spans one or more
generations. Roll of Thunder,
Hear My Cry contains stories
about Cassie’s life, but also
the life of her parents and
grandparents. That story is
continued in subsequent
novels.
of racism, not only to the victims of racism but
also to the racists themselves. I have recounted
events that were painful to write and painful to be
read, but I had hoped they brought more
understanding.”
As you read Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, you
will feel the joys and the injustices that the Logan
family felt. You will learn, through the powerful
stories of another family, what life was like in the
United States at a different time.
Comprehension Check: Exploring Expository Writing
Part A
Directions: Use a dictionary to find the part of speech and definition of each of
the following words from the article about Mildred D. Taylor. Write your answers
on a separate piece of paper.
proceed, stark, foundation, segregation, plight, injustices, subsequent
Part B
Directions: Use the information you read about Mildred D. Taylor’s life to answer
the following questions on your paper using complete sentences.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Where did Mildred D. Taylor grow up?
What kind of education did Taylor have?
How did she feel about the stories she heard as she was growing up?
Where did Mildred D. Taylor get the ideas for her novels?
How do you think her father may have influenced her as a novelist?
Why do you think Taylor used family stories in more than one novel?
Explain why using family stories is a good source of ideas for a novel.
Infer why people enjoy telling family stories.
©2010 Secondary Solutions
10
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Literature Guide
Name _________________________________
Period ________
©Secondary Solutions All Rights Reserved. SAMPLE ONLY. NOT FOR USE OR SALE. PLEASE PURCHASE FULL VERSION FOR ACCESS. Standards Focus: Historical Context
African-American Life in the South During the 1930s
Sharecropping
After the Civil War, which eventually made slavery illegal in the United States,
landowners lost their slave workforce. Landowners had the land, but couldn’t afford
to hire workers to plant, care for, and harvest crops; as a result, the sharecropping
system was adopted.
In this system, laborers worked land that belonged to someone else. Workers would
plant and harvest the land. In return, the landowner would provide them with a
home and the tools, animals, seeds, and other resources the sharecropper needed to
work the land. The landowner extended credit to the sharecropper for the basic
necessities of life. At harvest time, the sharecropper would usually receive half of the
value of the crop – minus whatever was owed to the landowner.
You can probably already see what kinds of abuses this type of system would have.
The sharecroppers were dependent on the landowner and at the mercy of the
weather. If there was drought, insect infestation, or flood that caused a lost or
diminished crop, the sharecropper could fall further into debt to the landowner. If
the landowner was dishonest, the sharecropper wouldn’t make a profit. The
landowner might even own a plantation store and require sharecroppers to shop in
his store. Landowners could keep the sharecroppers in debt, and thereby control
them. Sharecroppers had little hope of getting out of debt or earning enough money
to buy their own farms and finally have true independence as landowners
themselves.
Sharecroppers were both black and white although the majority of sharecroppers
were African-Americans. Regardless of their race, sharecroppers had a difficult life.
The entire family had to help work the land. Children might not be able to regularly
attend school if a school was even available in the rural area. If an African-American
spoke up against the system, the “night riders” might visit them. Night riders were
whites who intimidated and sometimes murdered African-Americans.
Fact: Sharecropping is
not a new concept.
The ancient cultures of
Mesopotamia, Egypt
and Rome practiced a
system of
sharecropping.
Sharecropping is still
practiced in some parts
of the world today.
©2010 Secondary Solutions
During this time, many African-Americans left the
South. They moved in an effort to find a better life in
another part of the United States and to escape the deep
racial discrimination that was prevalent in the South.
From 1910 – 1930, over one million African-Americans
moved from the South.
Sharecropping eventually died out. In response to the
Great Depression, the Agricultural Advancement Act
was passed in 1933. The AAA was designed to reduce
the surplus of crops by paying landowners a subsidy for
not planting crops. While this may have helped the
landowners, it put many sharecroppers out of work
because the landowners no longer needed the crops.
Additionally, farming became more mechanized and
11
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Literature Guide
Name _________________________________
Period ________
©Secondary Solutions All Rights Reserved. SAMPLE ONLY. NOT FOR USE OR SALE. PLEASE PURCHASE FULL VERSION FOR ACCESS. machines began to take the job of human laborers – making sharecroppers in
America a thing of the past.
Civil Rights/ Jim Crow Laws
Imagine not being allowed to go into a restaurant or drink from a water fountain
because of the color of your skin. In the South, segregation was the norm. Jim Crow
laws were designed to separate blacks and whites – separate schools, public
buildings, public transportation, restaurants, even water fountains.
The laws were justified by an 1896 Supreme Court ruling called Plessy vs. Ferguson.
The ruling stated that it was constitutional for public facilities for whites and black to
be “separate but equal.” However, it was widely accepted that the facilities for blacks
were inferior to those for whites.
Not only were blacks barred from “white only” places, blacks were expected to defer
to whites regardless of any differences in education or financial status. The manner
and tone in which some whites spoke to blacks also conveyed discrimination. Blacks
were referred to in offensive terms. You’ll read some of those terms in Roll of
Thunder, Hear My Cry. You’ll also read about how the segregation of schools was
clearly not “equal.” The black school is given the cast-off books from a white school,
and the black students don’t have a school bus, but the white students do.
You will probably feel the same indignation and anger over these events that the
characters in the book feel. And, as you read in the biography of Mildred Taylor, that
is part of her purpose for writing the novel: to bring “understanding” to the reader.
Comprehension Check: Exploring Expository Writing
Part A
Directions: Use a dictionary to find the part of speech and definition of each of
the following words from the article. Write your answers on a separate piece of
paper.
drought, infestation, diminished, intimidated, discrimination, prevalent, surplus,
subsidy, barred, defer, indignation
Part B
Directions: Use the information you read about African-American Life in the
South during 1930s to answer the following questions on your own paper using
complete sentences.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
List three problems African-Americans encountered in the South in the 1930s.
How did sharecropping work?
Why did African-Americans move from the South during this time period?
Why might the landowners want to keep the sharecroppers indebted to them?
Why do you think laborers decided to become sharecroppers?
What did segregation in the South mean?
Explain the term “separate but equal.”
How did the Supreme Court’s ruling on “Plessy vs. Ferguson” contribute to the
discrimination against blacks?
©2010 Secondary Solutions
12
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Literature Guide
Name _________________________________
Period ________
©Secondary Solutions All Rights Reserved. SAMPLE ONLY. NOT FOR USE OR SALE. PLEASE PURCHASE FULL VERSION FOR ACCESS. Standards Focus: Historical Context
The Great Depression and the South
What happens if you take out a loan for a car or house and can’t pay it back? The
bank will repossess the car and foreclose on your house. In other words, the bank
takes those items back, and you may find yourself without a house or a car. You can
see how someone could get into serious financial trouble if he or she couldn’t pay
creditors. But what if this happened to the majority of Americans? And what if
people couldn’t repay their loans, the banks couldn’t pay their investors or give
people the money they put in the bank, and the stocks in the stock market lost much
of their value? There would be an economic collapse, and that is what happened
during an era called the Gre2
at Depression.
The Great Depression began with the stock market crash on October 29, 1929; that
day is now referred to as Black Tuesday. While multiple factors were responsible for
the stock market crash, one of the primary reasons was the fact that many Americans
had overextended themselves financially by buying houses, cars, and appliances on
credit. In addition to that, many Americans invested in the stock market –
speculating in stocks that they were sure would provide quick money. When the
stock market crashed and banks needed cash to pay their customers and creditors,
they asked for loans to be paid, but the money that people thought they had was
gone. In a downward spiral, families lost everything – money, homes, cars, and even
their jobs, as businesses laid off thousands of employees in order to pay their own
debts rather than pay employees.
During the worst of the Depression, the nation’s unemployment rate rose to 25%.
Families struggled to find food for their families. Some families waited for hours in
line to get soup from soup kitchens that opened to help those without enough to eat.
Unable to care for their families, men left home in search of work – sometimes never
to return.
All areas of the United States (and the world) felt the effects of the Great Depression.
In the South, families and farms were hit hard. The South was traditionally an
agricultural region, and its prime crop was cotton. But as the price of cotton
dropped, farmers couldn’t make enough money from the sale of their crops to pay
their taxes. Because of that, many farmers were forced to auction their farms off to
raise money to pay taxes. Without land to farm, many families moved to cities or
other agricultural areas to look for work. Many traveled to California in hopes of
finding jobs on other farms.
The Great Depression lasted until the early 1940s when the United States entered
World War II. Farms began to prosper again and industries were created in the
South to support the war effort. However, the trauma and fear the Great Depression
brought to the United States was not quickly forgotten.
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©Secondary Solutions All Rights Reserved. SAMPLE ONLY. NOT FOR USE OR SALE. PLEASE PURCHASE FULL VERSION FOR ACCESS. Comprehension Check: Exploring Expository Writing
Part A
Directions: Use a dictionary to find the part of speech and definition of each of
the following words from the article. Write your answers on a separate piece of
paper.
repossess, overextended, speculating, agricultural, auction, prosper
Part B
Directions: Use the information you read about The Great Depression and the
South to answer the following questions on your paper using complete sentences.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
When was the Great Depression?
What were some of the causes of the Great Depression?
What happened to people during the Great Depression?
What were some of the problems in the South?
Explain how many events of the Great Depression caused a chain reaction.
Movies were very popular during the Great Depression. Why do you think that
was so?
7. What might be an impact of the Great Depression on the people who lived
through it?
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The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s
When you think of civil rights, you may think of the phrase from the Declaration of
Independence: “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” These are rights human
beings possess – rights that are not granted by a government, but “inalienable”
rights that cannot be taken away. Even though civil rights are referred to in the
Declaration of Independence and protected by the United States Constitution, the
United States has had many struggles regarding granting, establishing, and
protecting the civil rights of citizens. One of the greatest struggles has been that of
racial equality.
After the Civil War, the Thirteenth through Fifteenth Amendments were added to the
Constitution. They abolished slavery, protected the rights of all citizens, and granted
the right to vote to all men (over 21) regardless of race. Civil rights were protected by
the Constitution, but even one hundred years after the Civil War, citizens were still
fighting to exercise their constitutional and civil rights as set forth in the
Constitution.
In 1954, the United States Supreme Court heard a case called Brown v. The Board of
Education. This case challenged the “separate but equal” decision of the earlier
court in Plessy v. Ferguson. The Supreme Court unanimously overruled the
“separate but equal” ruling – schools could no longer be segregated. This ruling was
not well received in many areas of the country, including the South. Communities
resisted desegregation, sometimes with violent results.
One infamous situation involved nine African-American high school students who
tried to attend an all-white school in Little Rock, Arkansas. The students, referred to
as the Little Rock Nine, struggled against not
only citizens of Little Rock, but also the
De jure/ de facto
governor of Arkansas, who ordered the state
The Latin term “de jure”
national guard to physically block the students
means “by law.”
from entering the school building. Eventually,
the students were allowed to attend school
The Latin term “de facto”
there, but not until President Eisenhower called
means “by the fact.”
on the army to escort students to class.
In 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat
on the bus to a white man. She was arrested,
but her arrest sparked a yearlong bus boycott in
Montgomery, Alabama. Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr. was instrumental in leading that
boycott and bringing national attention to the
inequalities in the South. The boycott
eventually led to desegregated buses.
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By law (de jure) AfricanAmericans should have had
equal rights after the Civil
War. But in actuality (de
facto), they were denied
those rights. The Civil
Rights Movement worked
to bring the facts and laws
in line.
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Boycott: One of the most effective
means to protest something is with
money – either by giving it or
withholding it. During a boycott,
consumers refuse to purchase a
product or service. During the
Montgomery bus boycott, AfricanAmericans withdrew their financial
support for the bus system by refusing
to ride the bus. Instead, they walked,
took cabs or carpooled. In spite of the
city’s effort to break the boycott, the
African-American community
continued the boycott. The bus
system felt the financial impact
through the loss of revenue from
African-American customers, and the
boycott was instrumental in ending
segregation on buses.
Sit-ins: Another type of civil protest
that occurred during the Civil Rights
Movement was called a “sit-in.”
African-American college students
would go to a lunch counter and order
lunch. If they were not served because
it was a segregated facility, the
students would remain at the counter –
just sitting. They were taking up
valuable space for paying customers,
but they were not causing any
problems in the facility. Sit-ins grew
in popularity during the 1960s and
were an effective form of nonviolent
protest.
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In order to call attention to the inequalities
African-Americans faced, Martin Luther
King instructed his followers to participate
in nonviolent disobedience. He was
inspired by the actions of Mahatma
Gandhi who used nonviolent disobedience
to gain civil rights for British-controlled
India. Nonviolent protesting meant that
the protestors might boycott, march, or
refuse to do something, but they would not
fight back or act in any violent way toward
the police or others who might taunt, jeer,
or even become physically violent toward
them. Nonviolent protest captured the
attention of people around the country,
and it became an effective tool in bringing
attention and changing the inequalities in
the laws of the South.
Ten years after Brown v. The Board
Education, the Civil Rights Act was passed.
The act made racial discrimination illegal
and required that employers provide equal
opportunities for employees, regardless of
race. While racial equality is still an issue
in the United States, the long and often
violent struggle during the 1960s brought
about changes in schools, workplaces,
public buildings and the national
conscience.
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Part A
Directions: Use a dictionary to find the part of speech and definition of each of
the following words from the article. Write your answers on a separate piece of
paper.
inalienable, unanimously, desegregation, infamous,
escort, instrumental, taunt, jeer, conscience
Part B
Directions: Use the information you read about The Civil Rights Movement of the
1960s to answer the following questions on your own paper using complete
sentences.
1. What rights did the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments to the
Constitution protect?
2. What Supreme Court Case helped start the Civil Rights Movement? Why was this
case important to the Civil Rights Movement?
3. What happened with the Little Rock Nine?
4. What was the Montgomery Bus Boycott?
5. Why do you think it was difficult for officials to fight against nonviolent protest?
6. Do you think nonviolent protest was a good idea? Why or why not?
7. Do you think boycotts and nonviolent disobedience would work today? Justify
your response.
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©Secondary Solutions All Rights Reserved. SAMPLE ONLY. NOT FOR USE OR SALE. PLEASE PURCHASE FULL VERSION FOR ACCESS. Allusions, Terminology, and Expressions
Chapter 1
1. “Mama’s gonna wear you out” – Mama is going to spank you
2. “Stacey cut me a wicked look” – Stacey gave me a mean look; glared at me
3. “Once our land had been Granger land too, but the Grangers had sold it during
Reconstruction” – the time period after the Civil War in which the war-ravaged
South was rebuilt
4. “Biting the hand that feeds you” – an idiom that means a person alienates the
source of their well-being—the person who takes care of them
Chapters 2 – 3
1. chiffonier — a tall narrow chest of drawers
2. “hired hand” – a paid worker
3. lynch – illegally hanging a person, usually done by a mob of people
4. bootleg liquor – illegally made alcohol
5. kerosene lamp – homes that didn’t have electricity used lamps filled with
kerosene which was burned for light
Chapter 4
1. churning butter – cream was removed from milk and agitated to make butter
2. mama’s boy – a slang term for a boy who is overly attached to his mother
3. tarred and feathered – put hot tar on a person and then cover them with feathers;
this was a type of mob punishment used in the colonial times
4. “he lit outta here” – he ran away
Chapters 5 – 6
1. raised, wooden sidewalks – many cities built raised sidewalks to allow
pedestrians a place to walk that was safer and cleaner than the road
2. “I was hot” – I was very angry
3. “Aunty” – a slang term for an elderly African-American woman
4. “a tall, handsome man, nattily dressed in a gray pin-striped suit and vest” –
nattily means neatly dressed
5. “You think my brother died and I got my leg half blown off in their German
War…” – Uncle Hammer fought in World War II and his brother died in the war.
African-Americans served in the Armed Forced during the war, but were denied
Civil Rights when they returned to their homes.
6. chignon – a women’s hairstyle consisting of a twisted roll of hair worn at the nape
of the neck
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1. “Stacey was restrained from plugging T.J.’s mouth” – plugging means hitting
2. “I’d hate to see you put it up” – Mr. Jamison is referring to using the land to
ensure the loan gets paid. If the people don’t pay their loans from the store, the
land will be sold to pay the debt.
3. “that mortgage could come due anytime” – the bank can tell them, whenever it
wants, that they must pay the entire loan for the land
Chapter 8
1. “I got too many worries of my own to worry ‘bout Cassie Uncle Tomming Lillian
Jean” – this is referring to a black person acting in a subservient way towards a
white person; an “Uncle Tom” is a black person who is perceived as being
subservient to white people
2. “prime the gossip pump” – to prime a pump means to get it ready to pump water;
to prime the “gossip pump” Cassie just had to encourage Lillian Jean to share
gossip
3. “field lay fallow” – the fields weren’t planted with crops
Chapters 9 – 10
1. “Mr. Jamison touched his hat” – it was considered polite for men to take off, tip,
or touch their hat brim as a sign of respect to a lady
2. “Mr. Morrison singing in his bassest of bass voices” – Mr. Morrison had a very
deep singing voice
3. “The heat swooped low over the land clinging like an invisible shroud” – a shroud
is a cloth used to cover something, usually a corpse
4. “the group turned en masse and headed for the church” – the entire group turned
as a whole and headed for the church
Chapters 11 – 12
1. “his left arm hanging akimbo at his side” – with the elbow pointing outward
2. “Mama demanded, her face strangely stricken” – her expression showed emotion
the children had not seen before
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Time
Period
Weather, Farm Events,
and/or Plot Events influenced
by the setting (time or place)
How is the setting important
to the plot of the story?
The rain becomes a problem for
the children on their walk to and
from school.
3
End of
October
In this time period, hate crimes
were ignored. The white sheriff
calls Mrs. Berry a liar.
4
5
December:
second
Saturday of
the month
6
December
Shows how important the wool
coat is and how poor the Logan
family is.
7
The white men are able to
control the school and principal.
They decide who can teach and
who cannot.
8
9
The black school ends earlier
than the white school.
The weather reflects the growing
tension between the Logan
family and the Grangers and
Wallaces.
10
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Analyzing Symbols
As Chapter Ten ends, a storm is brewing: “On the last night of the revival the sky took on a
strange yellowish cast. The air felt close, suffocating, and no wind stirred.” The upcoming
storm is symbolic of the rising tension and conflict between the white and black
communities. Conflict is building just like a storm – ready to break violently. As you
continue reading, pay attention to how the storm becomes a symbol for the tension and
conflict of the novel.
Directions: Analyze other symbols found in the novel by using the chart below. Some of
the answers have been completed for you.
Symbol
The coming storm (p. 180)
How is it described?
The sky is yellowish and
the air is hot and stifling
What might it symbolize?
The tension is building
between the white and black
communities – specifically the
Wallaces versus Mr. Granger
and the Logans.
Papa shows Cassie a fig tree
growing among maple and
oak trees (p. 156)
It is neutral territory. The
children can meet there
without the adults knowing
about it.
The forest where the Logans
meet Jeremy (p. 172)
Jeremy’s tree house (p. 174)
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Assessment Preparation: Sentence Structure and Precise Verbs
You now have a finished draft of an essay. Up to this point, you’ve been working on the big
picture: your ideas, persuading someone to agree with your thesis, getting the reader
“hooked” into your essay, and writing a powerful conclusion. While it might feel like your
essay is finished, take the time to look closely at your writing. You can improve your essay
greatly by focusing on the details of sentence structure and verb choice.
Part One
1. Read the first paragraph of Chapter Nine of Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry again.
Compare the sentences in the paragraph. What do you notice about their length?
2. List the first few words of each sentence of the paragraph.
3. Analyze the sentences. What is the part of speech of the words Mildred D. Taylor uses to
begin each sentence?
a. Sentence One:
b. Sentence Two:
c. Sentence Three:
d. Sentence Four:
You can remember the eight parts of speech by using the acronym: Ivan Capp
Interjections, Verbs, Adjectives, Nouns, Conjunctions, Adverbs, Pronouns, and Prepositions
Part Two
Look at your own essay. Circle the first few words of each sentence in the second or third
paragraph of your essay. Write those words below.
Count the words in each sentence. Do your sentences vary in length? If you find your
sentences are all about the same length and begin the same way, your essay will sound
monotonous and dull. By changing the sentence structure, your reader won’t “hear” the
same sentence patterns over and over again.
Directions: Choose one sentence from two paragraphs in your essay to revise below. You
may want to revise the length of the sentence or you may want to change the way the
sentence begins. Experiment with different ways to begin your sentences. Try using an
adjective, adverb, or conjunction. Write your original sentence below and revise it several
ways. An example has been done for you.
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©Secondary Solutions All Rights Reserved. SAMPLE ONLY. NOT FOR USE OR SALE. PLEASE PURCHASE FULL VERSION FOR ACCESS. Example: Every day, the children listened for the bus coming so they could get out of its
way.
a. Begin with an adjective: Nervous children listened for the bus coming.
b. Begin with a conjunction: But the children couldn’t forget about the bus each day.
c. Begin with a pronoun: They were worried as they listened for the bus.
d. Begin with a verb: Listening carefully for the bus to come along, the children walked to
school.
e. Shorten or lengthen the sentence: The children listened for the bus.
1. Sentence from your first body paragraph:
a. Begin with an adjective or adverb:
b. Begin with a conjunction:
c. Begin with a pronoun:
2. Sentence from your second body paragraph:
a. Begin with a verb:
b. Shorten or lengthen the sentence:
Part Three
In the Assessment Preparation activity for Chapter One,
you examined some verbs Mildred D. Taylor used in
writing her novel. You’ll recall that action verbs help you
imagine events. They help convey meaning and draw
pictures for the reader.
Verbs of to be include:
am, is, are, was, were, be,
been, being, become,
became
Choose one of the paragraphs from your essay and circle the verb or verbs in each sentence.
Have you used vivid verbs that help your reader understand exactly what you are writing
about? If you used several verbs of “to be,” you can revise the sentence to create a more vivid
image in the reader’s mind.
For example, in the sentence:
Every day, the children listened for the bus coming so they could get out of its way.
The verbs are: listened, could get
Possible revision with more powerful verbs:
Every day, the children concentrated on the sound of the bus coming so they could
escape from it.
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Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Literature Guide
Name __________________________________
Period ________
©Secondary Solutions All Rights Reserved. SAMPLE ONLY. NOT FOR USE OR SALE. PLEASE PURCHASE FULL VERSION FOR ACCESS. Directions: Choose 2 sentences (different from ones you have already chosen) from your
essay that contains a weak verb, either a verb of “to be” or another weak verb, and revise it.
Sentence 1:
Revised sentence with more powerful verb(s):
Sentence 2:
Revised sentence with more powerful verb(s):
As you work on sentence structure and verb choice in your essay, remember the goal of your
writing: to convey your thoughts with clear, concise, and powerful language. As you revise,
listen to how your sentences sound. If your writing is confusing or sounds awkward, your
reader won’t be able to follow your argument. Continue working on revising your essay for
sentence variety and powerful verbs.
Part Four
Directions: Read the sentences below. Choose the correct vocabulary word that could be
used as a synonym for the underlined word or words. Write the letter of the correct
answer on the line provided. The first one has been done for you.
1. ___a__ Cassie would have stayed longer at the food table at the
revival.
2. ______ T.J. walked in a casual way.
3. ______ It was easy for T.J. to make Cassie angry.
4. ______ In the summer, the children enjoyed the cheerful sounds
of the birds in the forest.
5. ______ Little Man was quite picky about the condition of his
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
lingered
persnickety
amenities
lilting
rile
reluctantly
pointedly
ambled
clothes and possessions.
6. ______ One of the special items of the revival was the variety of
delicious food to eat.
7. ______ T.J. seemed to leave the revival unwillingly.
8. ______ Stacey purposely confronted T.J. about the events leading
to Mama losing her job.
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©Secondary Solutions All Rights Reserved. SAMPLE ONLY. NOT FOR USE OR SALE. PLEASE PURCHASE FULL VERSION FOR ACCESS. Chapters Eleven – Twelve
Note-Taking and Summarizing
Problem(s) in these Chapters
Chapter Eleven:
Chapter Twelve:
Who is Involved?
Chapter Eleven:
Chapter Twelve:
What are the problems solved or the results of the events of these chapters?
Chapter Eleven:
Chapter Twelve:
Evaluate: What do you think are the most important events of these
chapters? Why?
Chapter Eleven:
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Comprehension Check
Directions: To give you a comprehensive understanding of all aspects of the
novel, answer the following questions. Be sure to use your Note-Taking chart to
keep important notes for each chapter and to help you answer the Comprehension
Check questions. Answer each question in complete sentences on a separate piece
of paper.
Chapter Eleven
1. Infer what Mr. Morrison is worried about. Base your answer on the events this
far in the novel and the previous actions of the Wallaces.
2. List the events that happened to T.J. that night.
3. Evaluate Stacey’s decision to help T.J. Do you think he should have helped him?
Explain your answer.
4. Who comes to the Avery’s house?
5. Explain Mr. Jamison’s meaning when he says: “Y’all decide to hold court out here
tonight?”
6. Infer the mob’s intent when they talk about the rope.
7. What is Mr. Jamison’s role in the events of the evening?
8. Interpret R.W. and Melvin’s behavior at T.J.’s house. Why did they betray T.J.?
Chapter Twelve
1. What does Papa decide to do when he hears what happened?
2. What does Mama beg Papa not to do as he prepares to leave? Why?
3. Why is the fire such a threat?
4. What does Jeremy tell the children about who was fighting the fire?
5. How does Jeremy say the fire started? How is the fire eventually extinguished?
6. Explain how the conflict with T.J. ended.
7. Why doesn’t Mr. Jamison want Papa to go with the Averys to see T.J.?
8. What is the truth about the fire?
9. Predict what is going to happen to T.J.
10. Interpret the last line of the novel. Why does Cassie cry for T.J. if she doesn’t like
him? Why does she cry for the land?
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©Secondary Solutions All Rights Reserved. SAMPLE ONLY. NOT FOR USE OR SALE. PLEASE PURCHASE FULL VERSION FOR ACCESS. Chapters Eleven – Twelve
Standards Focus: Climax and Resolution
As you’ve been reading Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, you’ve examined the exposition and
rising action of the plot of the novel. In the last two chapters, the events, characters, and
tensions all converge to create the climax, followed by the falling action of the story.
Part I: Looking At the Climax
The events of Chapters Eleven and Twelve become the climax based on what you’ve learned
throughout the novel and what you already know. As you read, you infer and draw
conclusions about what is happening and you make prediction about what could happen as
the book progresses.
Directions: Use the graphic organizer below to analyze the events of the climax from
each chapter. Portions of the chart have been completed for you.
Chapter Eleven
What I already
know…
What can I infer or
What conclusions
can I draw?
I predict…
T.J. became
friends with
the Simms
boys
The Simms boys make
fun of T.J. behind his
back.
They are just using
T.J. for something.
They aren’t really his
friends.
They will continue to
make fun of T.J., and
when they get tired
of doing that, they
won’t be his friends
anymore.
R.W., Melvin,
and T.J. broke
into the store
and knocked
out Mr. and
Mrs. Barnett
Mr. Barnett is mean to
blacks. He also has a
temper.
Event
T.J. went along with
Melvin and R.W. but
he didn’t really want
to.
R.W. and
Melvin say
they saw T.J.
and two others
running from
the store.
The mob wants
to hang T.J.
along with Mr.
Morrison and
Papa.
Mr. Jamison
tries to
intervene.
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What can I infer or
What conclusions
can I draw?
What I already
know…
Event
Papa gets his
gun and is
going to try to
help T.J. and
get Stacey
Papa will protect his
children
Mama begs
him to find
another way to
solve the
problem.
Papa listens to Mama.
The cotton is
on fire.
I predict…
Cotton burns fast.
Part II: Falling Action
Once the climax is resolved, the story unwinds. These portions of the plot are called the
falling action, followed by the resolution. It is the portion of the story where any remaining
questions are answered and the novel draws to a conclusion. The resolution of the story
usually comes right after the falling action and is short. After all, the most exciting events of
the novel have already taken place. The job of the resolution is to wrap up the story.
Two separate events signal the end of the climax and the beginning of the falling action in
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. What are those events?
Event in the
resolution of the
novel
What problem/question
does it resolve?
What problems/
questions remain?
It begins to rain.
The rain will put out the fire.
How much of the crop was
lost? Will it be enough for the
Logans to survive on?
About a fourth of the
Logan’s cotton was
burned.
They still have some cotton to
sell.
Mr. Granger stopped the
men so they could fight
the fire.
The sheriff and Mr.
Jamison took T.J. to
Strawberry.
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Papa started the fire.
T.J. will be tried for a
crime he didn’t commit.
Part III: Resolution
In many novels and stories you read, you’ll find the resolution answers all the questions. It
may even give you a “happily ever after” resolution to the novel.
1. In Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, what are some of the remaining questions you have
that are not answered in the final pages of the novel?
2. What is the feeling you get at the end of the novel? Is there a sense of hope or despair?
Explain your answer.
As you learned in the Historical Context activities for Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, the
Civil Rights movement won’t begin for another twenty to thirty years after the events of the
novel.
3. Predict what you think life will be for the Logans for the next twenty years.
4. Why do you think Mildred D. Taylor ended the book the way she did? Why do you think
she didn’t write a happy ending for the novel?
Part IV: Analyzing the Title
Read the poem that is found at the beginning of Chapter Eleven.
What do you think the poem means now that you’ve finished reading the novel?
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Assessment Preparation: Proofreading
The last step in the writing process is proofreading. This step is designed to catch errors in
mechanics, usage, and grammar. Additionally, proofreading allows you to read through
your essay one more time to make sure it expresses exactly what you want it to express.
Part One
Directions: Use the sample essay paragraphs below to practice proofreading. First read
all the paragraphs, and then answer the questions below. Write the letter of the correct
response on the line provided.
(1) How should a bully be handled? (2) In Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, the Logan
children are faced with that question every day. (3) In their case, the bully is the bus that
takes the white children to school. (4) Every day, the children face new taunts, insults, and
offenses from the bus, they reach a point where they have to fight back. (5) The children
were right in their actions to sabotage the bus.
(6) The bus terrorized the children. (7) The children listened for the bus coming so
they could get out of its way. (8) The bus kicked up red dust and exhaust that billowed
around them when the weather was dry. (9) The bus tried to splash them with water and
mud from puddles when it rained. (10) The bus was intent on running the children off the
road, and the driver and passengers delighted in seeing the children run off the road.
(11) Did the Logan children handle the school bus “bully” in the best way? (12)
Considering they weren’t caught, they received some relief from their torment, and they
were justified in their actions, yes. (13) Unfortunately, they couldn’t eliminate the problem,
but they felt revenge for the injustices they received from the bus. (14) Sometimes even the
smallest and seemingly least important people can find justice in an unfair world – and the
Logan children were able to do just that.
1. _____ Paragraphs one and two
a. need a transition to move from one paragraph to the other.
b. should contains better verbs that give the reader a vivid picture of the events.
c. should each contain a thesis statement.
d. include the same question at the start of each paragraph.
2. _____ Sentence 4
a. is correct as written.
b. is a comma splice.
c. is a run on sentence.
d. is a fragment.
3. _____ The thesis statement in the essay is
a. found in sentence 4.
b. found in sentence 6.
c. found in sentence 5.
d. found in sentence 14.
4. _____ In paragraph two
a. nothing needs to be changed.
b. the sentences are too short. They need to be made longer.
c. the sentences need variety. Each sentence should begin differently.
d. there are too many verbs of “to be.” The verb choices need to be made stronger.
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Name __________________________________
Period ________
©Secondary Solutions All Rights Reserved. SAMPLE ONLY. NOT FOR USE OR SALE. PLEASE PURCHASE FULL VERSION FOR ACCESS. 5. _____ The writer
a. forgot to include a hook for the essay.
b. repeated the question in the conclusion.
c. didn’t answer the question posed in the first paragraph.
d. used a question for the hook of the essay.
6. _____ In the conclusion, the writer
a. included a question for the reader to think about.
b. convinced the reader that the Logan children’s behavior was acceptable.
c. forgot a powerful statement to conclud the essay.
d. repeats the thesis.
7. _____ A good transition to blend sentences 6 and 7 would be
a. The bus terrorized the children. However, the children listened for the bus coming
so they could get out of its way.
b. The bus terrorized the children. Since the children listened for the bus coming so
they could get out of its way.
c. The bus terrorized the children. Consequently, the children listened for the bus
coming so they could get out of its way.
d. The bus terrorized the children. Regardless, the children listened for the bus
coming so they could get out of its way.
8. _____ Sentence 8
a. is written correctly.
b. should be written: The bus kicked up red dust, and exhaust that billowed around
them when the weather was dry.
c. should be written: The bus kicked up red dust; and exhaust that billowed around
them when the weather was dry.
d. should be written: The bus kicked up red dust: and exhaust that billowed around
them when the weather was dry.
9. _____ The second paragraph
a. uses examples to support the topic sentence.
b. should discuss how the children get their revenge on the bus.
c. contains a powerful concluding sentence to wrap up the ideas.
d. needs a hook at the beginning.
10. _____ The topic sentence of the second paragraph
a. is missing.
b. is the last sentence of the paragraph.
c. needs a more powerful verb.
d. is the first sentence of the paragraph.
Part Two
Directions: Trade essays with a classmate. Read through his or her entire essay and then
complete the following on the classmate’s paper. Share your suggestions with your
classmate after you have reviewed the essay.
1. Underline the thesis statement.
2. Draw a happy face near the hook if you liked it.
3. Circle any transitions the writer used between paragraphs.
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Name __________________________________
Period ________
©Secondary Solutions All Rights Reserved. SAMPLE ONLY. NOT FOR USE OR SALE. PLEASE PURCHASE FULL VERSION FOR ACCESS. 4. Draw a box around at least three specific examples the writer used in any of the body
paragraphs.
5. Draw a wavy line under the power statement that the writer used to conclude the essay.
6. Highlight or draw a red line below five powerful verbs the writer used.
7. What three specific suggestions can you give to the writer to help improve the essay?
Write these suggestions on the back of the person’s essay.
Part Three
Directions: Answer the questions below. Apply the meaning of the vocabulary word in
your response.
1. Why is there a sense of finality about what is going to happen to T.J.?
2. How were crimes that the whites committed against the blacks despicable?
3. Why might Mama’s voice have rasped after she’d spent the night fighting the fire?
4. Why would the men’s voices be described as reaching a crescendo when they were
arguing with Mr. Jamison over T.J.?
5. Why was the air after the fire acrid?
6. Why was Papa adamant about the children not going down to the Wallace store?
7. Why did Mama and Big Ma bring only remnants of the burlap bags back home after
fighting the fire?
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Quiz: Chapter One
Part I
Directions: Match the character with his/her description. Write the name of the
character on the line provided.
Christopher-John
Cassie
T.J.
Little Man
Stacey
1. _______________________ Doesn’t like getting his clothes dirty
2. _______________________ The oldest brother
3. _______________________ The narrator of the story
4. _______________________ The oldest brother’s best friend
5. _______________________ The middle brother
Part II
Directions: Choose the best answer for each. Write the letter of the correct answer on the
line provided.
6. _____ When the school bus passes the Logan children,
a. it stops to pick them up.
b. the children inside it wave.
c. it tries to run them off the road.
d. it gets a flat tire.
7. _____ The Logans
a. Are sharecroppers.
b. own their own land.
c. rent their farmland to other families.
d. are trying to buy more land.
8. _____ The students are surprised to hear they are getting books because
a. they never had books before.
b. they had been told they couldn’t have books.
c. they couldn’t pay for them.
d. they couldn’t read.
9. _____ Little Man is upset about the book because
a. they run out of books before he gets one.
b. the books are too difficult to read.
c. they are cast-offs.
d. they are too nice to use.
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Period ________
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Directions: Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
10. What is Mrs. Logan’s solution to the problem with the books?
11. Why is Stacey upset about school starting?
12. Evaluate Cassie’s statement at the end of the chapter. “I would wait until the evening to
talk to her; there was no rush now. She understood.” What does she mean?
Part IV: Vocabulary
Directions: Match the correct word with its definition. Write the letter of the answer on
the line provided.
13. _____ extremely carefully
a. imperiously
14. _____ interesting
b. threadbare
15. _____ worn thin
c. intriguing
16. _____ in an easy manner; carefree
d. meticulously
17. _____ doubtful
e. jauntily
18. _____ multi-colored; spotted
f.
19. _____ anger at unfairness
g. dubious
20. _____ in an overbearing manner
h. indignation
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motley
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Quiz: Chapters Two-Three
Part I
Directions: Answer True or False to each of the following statements. Write your
answer on the line provided.
1. __________ Papa doesn’t want the children to go to the Wallace store.
2. __________ The children don’t ride the bus because the bus is only for white
students.
3. __________ Papa brought Mr. Morrison to the farm because he wants more
protection for the family.
4. __________ The night men are a group of men who come out at night to terrorize
black families.
5. __________ The children are surprised and angry that Papa has come home
unexpectedly.
Part II
Directions: Choose the best answer for each. Write the letter of the correct answer on the
line provided.
6. _____ Papa doesn’t want the children to go to the Wallace store because
a. They charge too much for what they are selling.
b. He thinks children who go there will get in trouble because there is smoking and
drinking going on there.
c. The Wallaces are the Logans’ sworn enemies. They have never gotten along.
d. The sheriff is looking for a reason to arrest the people who go there.
7. _____ The rain
a. results in puddles on the road that the bus splashes on them.
b. is needed because they are in a drought.
c. causes major flooding throughout the county.
d. only lasts a short time.
8. _____ Stacey
a. plans another way to school to avoid the bus.
b. plans to let the air out of the bus tires.
c. plans to dig a trench that will damage the bus.
d. plans to throw rocks at the bus as it drives by them each morning.
9. _____ The children
a. are angry that their plan didn’t work out.
b. regret what happened with the bus.
c. tell Mama what they did.
d. think their plan worked better than they’d planned.
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©Secondary Solutions All Rights Reserved. SAMPLE ONLY. NOT FOR USE OR SALE. PLEASE PURCHASE FULL VERSION FOR ACCESS. 10. _____ Cassie
a. worries that the night men are coming because of what they did to the bus.
b. thinks the night men are after Mr. Morrison.
c. sleeps through the arrival of the night men.
d. thinks the event with the bus will be the end of their troubles.
Part III
Directions: Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
11. Why was Mr. Morrison fired from the railroad?
12. Explain why the white men who set the black men on fire aren’t arrested for what they
did.
Part IV: Vocabulary
Directions: Match the word with the correct definition.
13. _____ ability to spring back, rebound
a. scoffed
14. _____ without any energy or enthusiasm
b. formidable
15. _____ in a fixed position; unable to move
c. pudgy
16. _____ relative; family member
d. kin
17. _____ expressed doubt or scorn; heavily doubted
e. resiliency
18. _____ grouchy; unhappy
f.
19. _____ awesome; powerful
g. listlessly
20. _____ short and fat
h. transfixed
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Quiz: Chapter Four
Part I
Directions: Match the quote and the speaker. Write the name of the correct answer on
the line provided.
1. _________________ “See, fellows, there’s a system to getting
out of work … Jus’ don’t be ‘round when it’s got to be done.”
2. _________________ “Sometimes a person’s gotta fight … but
that store ain’t the place to be doing it. From what I hear, folks
like them Wallaces got no respect at all for colored folks and they
just think it’s funny when we fight each other.”
3. _________________ “My Paul Edward had been eyein’ that
two hundred acres ever since 1910 when he done paid off the bank
for them first two hundred, but ole Mr. Jamison didn’t wanna
sell.”
4. _________________ “What if someone would be willing to
make the trip for you? Go all the way to Vicksburg and bring back
what you need?”
5. _________________ “Mama gonna take care of you, too! You
know she said we wasn’t to go down there, and she find out, she
gonna wear you out again! Papa too!”
T.J.
Mama
Big Ma
Mr. Morrison
Stacey
Cassie
Jeremy
Part II
Directions: Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
6. Analyze the Logan children’s behavior. Why don’t they have any energy or enthusiasm at
the beginning of the chapter?
7. Describe the events that take place between Stacey and T.J. regarding the cheating on
the test.
8. What does T.J.’s reaction about the cheating incident tell the reader about T.J.’s
personality?
Part III
Directions: Choose the correct answer for each of the following. Write the letter of the
correct answer on the line provided.
9. _____ Big Ma tells Cassie
a. the story of how her husband bought the land.
b. why it’s important to fight for what you believe in.
c. the family history.
d. the burnings of the Berrys.
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Name __________________________________
Period ________
©Secondary Solutions All Rights Reserved. SAMPLE ONLY. NOT FOR USE OR SALE. PLEASE PURCHASE FULL VERSION FOR ACCESS. 10. _____ Harlan Granger
a. needs Big Ma to work for him.
b. wants to buy back the land that was once his family’s.
c. is interested in having the Logan family grow cotton for him.
d. wants to talk to Papa.
11. _____ Mama takes the children
a. to the market to get new clothes.
b. back to the Wallace store.
c. to see Mr. and Mrs. Berry.
d. to see Mr. Granger.
12. _____ The Wallaces
a. are responsible for burning Mr. Berry and his nephews.
b. are interested in improving life for the black community.
c. want to buy the Logan’s land.
d. enjoy helping children.
13. _____ The black sharecroppers
a. make a good living farming the land.
b. struggle to get out of debt to the landowner.
c. can earn a good living if it is a good year for crops.
d. have equal rights with the white farmers.
Part IV: Vocabulary
Directions: Write the letter of the correct vocabulary word next to its definition or
synonym.
14. _____ pointing to something; showing
a. verge
15. _____ to be a regular customer of a store or business
b. discourse
16. _____ completely occupied by something; fascinated
c. feigned
17. _____ the edge; a boundary
d. indicating
18. _____ pretended; faked
e. engrossed
19. _____ searched violently for something
f.
20. _____ a serious or lengthy conversation or story
g. patronize
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ransacked
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Name __________________________________
Period ________
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Quiz: Chapters Five-Six
Part I
Directions: Answer True or False for the following statements.
1. __________ The children don’t want to go to Strawberry with Big Ma.
2. __________ T.J. shows the children a pearl-handled pistol at the mercantile.
3. __________ Uncle Hammer bought a car that was similar to Harlan Granger’s car.
4. __________ The coat Uncle Hammer gives Stacey is used, but still in good shape.
Part II
Directions: Write the letter of the correct answer on the line provided.
5. _____ The Barnett Mercantile
a. buys cotton from the farmers.
b. treats all customers equally.
c. offers all kinds of merchandise for sale.
d. is owned by the Wallaces.
6. _____ Cassie
a. doesn’t understand why Mr. Barnett waits on white customers before her.
b. wants to sell milk and eggs for Big Ma.
c. is happy to see Jeremy in town.
d. understands why whites and blacks are treated differently.
7. _____ Mama is concerned because
a. Mr. Granger has offered to buy the land.
b. Uncle Hammer is upset and leaves the house.
c. Big Ma didn’t make much money in Strawberry.
d. she thinks Mr. Morrison is working too hard.
8. _____ Mr. Simms
a. ignores Cassie.
b. demands Cassie apologize to Lillian Jean.
c. is interested in helping customers at the mercantile.
d. meets with Big Ma in Strawberry.
Part III
Directions: Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
9. Why doesn’t Big Ma want Cassie to tell Uncle Hammer about what happened in
Strawberry?
10. Explain Mr. Simms’s behavior in Strawberry. Why does he act the way he does?
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©Secondary Solutions All Rights Reserved. SAMPLE ONLY. NOT FOR USE OR SALE. PLEASE PURCHASE FULL VERSION FOR ACCESS. 11. What does T.J. want a pearl-handled pistol for?
12. What is the purpose of the trip to Strawberry?
Part IV: Vocabulary
Directions: Write the letter of the correct vocabulary word next to its definition or
synonym.
13. _____ irritating, offensive and unpleasant
a. balked
14. _____ parading in a showy way
b. aloofness
15. _____ drew back suddenly
c. promenading
16. _____ hesitated or flatly refused to do something
d. recoiled
17. _____ not easy to get to know; at a distance
e. obnoxious
18. _____ in a nasty manner; rudely
f.
19. _____ casually; without energy
g. snidely
20. _____ to coax or persuade someone using flattery or
h. wheedle
languidly
trickery
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Quiz: Chapter Seven
Part I
Directions: Choose the correct answer for each of the following. Write the letter of the
correct answer on the line provided.
1. _____ Stacey
a. gives T.J. the coat because T.J.’s family is poor.
b. leaves the coat at the Wallace store.
c. damages the coat in a fight with T.J.
d. gives the coat to T.J. because T.J. calls him a fat preacher.
2. _____ The lesson Uncle Hammer wants Stacey to learn about the coat is:
a. be careful who you trust.
b. listen to your parents.
c. stand by your beliefs.
d. help those in need.
3. _____ Christmas at the Logan’s home is
a. full of good food and family stories.
b. quiet and somber.
c. crowded with cousins, aunts, and uncles.
d. ruined by the Wallaces.
4. _____ Mr. Morrison tells his story
a. about the fight he got into at the railroad.
b. after the children went to bed.
c. about his wife.
d. about his parents and family.
5. _____ Mama wants
a. to encourage black families to stop shopping at the Wallace store.
b. Papa and Uncle Hammer to confront the Wallaces.
c. to return the books to the school district.
d. to burn down the Wallace store.
Part II
Directions: Write the correct character’s name next to the statement that best describes
the character. Not all names will be used, and names will only be used once.
6. ______________ Brings Stacey a wooden flute.
7. ______________ Threatens to get the land from the Logans.
8. ______________ Offers to back the credit of families that will
shop in Vicksburg.
9. ______________ Signs over the land to Uncle Hammer and
Papa.
10. ______________ Enjoys showing off a “new” coat.
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Big Ma
Mama
Jeremy
Papa
T.J.
Stacey
Cassie
Mr. Jamison
Harlan Granger
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Directions: Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
11. Analyze why it will now be difficult for Harlan Granger to get the land.
12. How does Mr. Jamison’s offer help the Logans move forward with their plan?
Part IV: Vocabulary
Directions: Write the letter of the correct vocabulary word next to its definition or
synonym.
13. _____ not able to be heard
a. candidly
14. _____ chastised; scolded
b. insolently
15. _____ so long and boring as to seem endless
c. inaudible
16. _____ to make someone less confident; put down
d. retorted
17. _____ a large pot
e. admonished
18. _____ replied or responded sharply
f.
19. _____ in an honest or direct manner
g. caldron
20. _____ in a rude or disrespectful manner; rudely
h. deflate
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interminable
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Name __________________________________
Period ________
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Quiz: Chapter Eight
Part I
Directions: Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
1. How does Cassie’s behavior change toward Lillian Jean?
2. Why? What is her plan?
3. What does T.J. do after he’s caught cheating on his final exams?
4. Explain the seriousness of T.J.’s behavior to the Logan family.
Part II
Directions: Answer True or False to the following statements.
5. __________ Lillian Jean made Cassie apologize for smashing her books to the ground.
6. __________ Mama doesn’t really like her teaching job.
7. __________ Firing Mama is a way for Harlan Granger to punish the Logans.
Part III
Directions: Write the letter of the correct answer on the line provided.
8. _____ Lillian Jean
a. is happy for Cassie to carry her books.
b. doesn’t want Cassie to walk with her.
c. is sorry for what happened in Strawberry.
d. refuses to tell Cassie any secrets.
9. _____ Cassie
a. enjoys Lillian Jean’s friendship.
b. is pretending to be Lillian Jean’s friend.
c. agrees that Papa will help her resolve the situation with Lillian Jean.
d. is afraid of what T.J. will do about final exams.
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©Secondary Solutions All Rights Reserved. SAMPLE ONLY. NOT FOR USE OR SALE. PLEASE PURCHASE FULL VERSION FOR ACCESS. 10. _____ T.J.
a. gets away with cheating on the finals.
b. wants Stacey to help him study for the finals.
c. thinks Mrs. Logan is an easy teacher.
d. is responsible for Mrs. Logan being fired.
11. _____ Harlan Granger
a. accidentally discovers that Mama covered the inside covers of the textbooks.
b. decides to allow the black community the option of shopping in Vicksburg.
c. talks to Charlie Simms about his daughter.
d. has control over who does and doesn’t teach in the school.
12. _____ In response to his actions, T.J.
a. is treated with respect.
b. is promoted to the next grade.
c. is shunned by his classmates.
d. drops out of school.
13. _____ Because Mama lost her job
a. Papa will need to get another job.
b. the taxes won’t be paid on the land.
c. the family will get by with less.
d. Mr. Morrison will move out.
Part IV: Vocabulary
Directions: Write the letter of the correct vocabulary word next to its definition or
synonym.
14. _____ thought about; carefully considered
a. sentinels
15. _____ completely confused or puzzled
b. pondered
16. _____ walked in a relaxed manner
c. sauntered
17. _____ to make an involuntary backward movement
d. bewildered
18. _____ guards who watch over someone or something
e. flinch
19. _____ ignored; deliberately avoided
f.
20. _____ in a sad or depressed manner; gloomily
g. shunned
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morosely
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Name __________________________________
Period ________
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Quiz: Chapters Nine-Ten
Part I
Directions: Write the letter of the correct answer on the line provided.
1. _____ The black students
a. have the same school year as the white children.
b. have a shorter school year so they can help plant and harvest cotton.
c. don’t have final exams at the end of the school year.
d. get to take their books home for the summer.
2. _____ On the trip to Vicksburg,
a. the men are able to get everything they need for the other farmers.
b. they have another encounter with Mr. Simms.
c. Mr. Morrison gets into a fight.
d. the men have an encounter with the Wallaces.
3. _____ Stacey
a. is unable to go to Vicksburg with Papa and Mr. Morrison.
b. brings T.J. with them on the trip to Vicksburg.
c. blames himself for Papa’s broken leg.
d. breaks his leg.
4. _____ T.J.
a. is friends with Jeremy’s older brothers.
b. continues to be friends with the Logan children.
c. has become friends with Mr. Morrison.
d. asks Mrs. Logan to forgive him for what he did.
5. _____ Mr. Morrison
a. feels like the Logan family is his family.
b. is ready to leave the family because there is so much trouble.
c. is sorry he had a confrontation with the Wallaces.
d. wants to leave because he is not being paid.
Part II
Directions: Answer True or False on the line provided.
6. __________ Mr. Jamison tells Papa that there are no dangers in shopping in
Vicksburg.
7. __________ The Wallaces continue to harass the Logans.
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Directions: Write the correct character’s name next to the statement that the character
made.
8. __________ “But that R.W. and Melvin, they ain’t very
nice. You oughta see how they treat T.J….”
9. __________ “But – but that ain’t all Mr. Granger said.
Said, too, we don’t give up shoppin’ in Vicksburg, we can
jus’ get off his land.”
10. __________ “You gonna move your truck?”
Mama
T.J.
Jeremy
Stacey
Mr. Morrison
Mr. Granger
Cassie
Mr. Avery
11. __________ “Well, this is a fine how-do-you- do. I
come all the way over here to introduce my friends … to
y’all and y’all actin’ like y’all ain’t go no manners at all.
Yeah … they been mighty fine friends to me. Better than
any of y’all.”
12. __________ “Then … then Jack reared up, scared by
the shop, and I – I couldn’t hold him … and … and the
wagon rolled over Papa’s leg.”
Part IV: Vocabulary
Directions: Write the letter of the correct vocabulary word next to its definition or
synonym.
13. _____ to bother; irritate
a. persnickety
14. _____ saying or doing something with a rise and fall in the
b. amenities
c. lilting
voice, often cheerfully
15. _____ attractive features that make something more
d. rile
e. reluctantly
pleasing; courtesies
16. _____ obsessed with detail; picky
f.
pointedly
17. _____ with deliberate emphasis; purposely
g. ambled
18. _____ with great hesitation; unwillingly
h. lingered
19. _____ walked casually, easily
20. _____ stayed longer; remained
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Quiz: Chapters Eleven-Twelve
Part I
Directions: Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
1. Explain what T.J. did on the night that he got in trouble.
2. Describe the type of friends R.W. and Melvin are to T.J.
3. Explain why Papa is in danger when he goes to get Stacey.
4. How does the fire provide a solution to the conflict?
Part II
Directions: Write the letter of the correct answer on the line provided.
5. _____ T.J.
a. makes a good decision to go with the Simms boys.
b. shows good thinking in his actions that night.
c. is loyal to his new friends.
d. knows Stacey will help him.
6. _____ All the children go to take T.J. home because they
a. want to make sure Stacey gets back safely.
b. are afraid to be home without Stacey.
c. don’t trust T.J.
d. all care about T.J. and want him to be safe.
7. _____ Mama and Big Ma
a. take the children to help put out the fire.
b. make the children stay in the house while they go to fight the fire.
c. take the children and go to safety from the fire.
d. refuse to leave the children.
8. _____ The mob wants
a. to hang T.J.
b. Mr. Jamison to take T.J. to Strawberry.
c. to go against Mr. Granger’s wishes.
d. justice.
©2010 Secondary Solutions
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Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Literature Guide