STUDY QUESTIONS: Comprehension and Discussion

(secondary questions are discussion)

1. What white child meets the Logans on the way to school every day? (Jeremy Simms)

1a. How does Jeremy pay a price for his persistence?

1b. Why does Stacey try to discourage Jeremy from walking with them?

2. Whom does Papa bring home with him from the railroad? (Mr. Morrison)

3. How did Mr. Morrison lose his railroad job? (Fighting)

3a. Mr. Morrison says that he was not the one responsible for starting the fight, but that he was the only one fired as the other men were white. Discuss actions and characteristics of Mr. Morrison that indicate that he is telling the truth.

4. What is wrong with the school books? (They have labels indicating that they are white discards)

5. What does Mama do to help the children feel better about using the books? (Covers the labels with brown paper)

5a. In addition to the books, describe other indications that education of the blacks is not given much importance in this community.

6. How is it that the children are in the path of a school bus every day, but have no ride to school themselves? (The blacks and whites go to different schools, but follow the same route to a crossroads where the busload of white students turns off. There is no bus for black students)

7. Why does Papa work out of town? (His cotton doesnÂ’t bring enough money to pay the taxes)

8. What information does T.J. Avery have that the Logans havenÂ’t heard yet? (Burning the Berrys.)

9. Why do the black children have a shorter school year than the whites? (Their school year corresponds to the work in the fields where their help is needed.)

10. How long do some of the children spend on the road in order to get to school? (Three and a half hours)

11. How many grades share a single room in the school? (4)

12. What is CassieÂ’s reaction to Miss CrockerÂ’s class introduction? (Bored)

12a. Discuss the impression that Miss Crocker makes on Cassie and the other children.

13. What is StaceyÂ’s original reaction to Mr. Morrison? ( He doesnÂ’t like him)

13a. How does Mr. Morrison develop a relationship with Stacey?

14. Where do the tenant farmers usually do their shopping? (The Wallace Store)

14a. Explain why Papa has ordered the children not to go to that store.

15. What happens that leads the children to disobey the order about the Wallace Store?

(T.J. is caught cheating and Stacey gets the blame. He follows T.J. to the store to beat him up and the other children tag along)

15a. Speculate on possible reasons why Mr. Morrison promises not to tell Mama that the children went to the store. Why do you think Stacey voluntarily tells her even though he will be punished?

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