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

Prologue-Journal 1

Reading Check

1. What is Crabbe’s first name?

2. What is Crabbe’s psychiatrist’s name?

Short Answer

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

1. In the prologue, where is Crabbe, and why is he there?

2. What criticism does Crabbe make about the way his psychiatrist perceives teenagers?

3. Why does Crabbe decide to keep a journal and share it with the reader?

Journal 2-Digression

Reading Check

1. In Journal 2, what does Crabbe say is the only independent action he ever took?

2. What does Crabbe’s gym teacher accuse him of when the man catches Crabbe skipping his class?

Short Answer

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

1. What does Crabbe admire about the protagonist of the short story “The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner”?

2. How did Crabbe choose the place he would run away to?

3. What positive qualities does Crabbe see in his English teacher?

Paired Resource

“What Students Are Saying About How to Improve American Education”

• This New York Times article summarizes several teenagers’ views on what is wrong with American schools.