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

Chapters 1-3

Reading Check

1. What is the first letter tile to fall from the display in the center of town?

2. What do Ella and her parents do the night before the first letter is officially banned?

3. What is the first widespread change that occurs after the first letter is banned?

4. What communications are disrupted following the letter banning?

5. Who is the first person exiled from Nollop?

6. Who seeks a temporary visa to Nollop to study the sociopolitical struggle?

Short Answer

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

1. According to the Council, why do the letters fall, and what should be done in response?

2. What punishments are in store for people who use the banned letters?

3. Why do Timmy’s parents report Tassie’s mother?

4. What does Nate warn Tassie’s mother will happen within the next several months?

Paired Resource

“What is an Epistolary Novel? Definition & Examples”

• This article and accompanying embedded YouTube video describe what an epistolary novel is. They provide examples from history as well as some newer forms of the epistolary, such as the famous horror film The Blair Witch Project.