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

Part 1

Reading Check

1. What is the name of the neighbor Kiese visits?

2. What does Kiese do instead of the assignments his mother gives him?

3. What kind of car does Kiese’s mom drive?

Short Answer

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

1. What assignments does Kiese’s mom give him, and why?

2. Why is a picture of Kiese’s mom posted at the grocery store? How does this make Kiese feel?

3. How does Kiese respond when his mom calls him fat for the first time?

4. What does Grandmama say when Kiese asks her if 218 pounds is too heavy for a 12-year-old? What does this show about her character?

Paired Resource

“Sonya Renee Taylor - The Body is Not an Apology”

• This 4-minute video features Sonya Renee Taylor performing her poem “The Body is Not an Apology.” Taylor is a writer, activist, and performer whose work is grounded in body liberation, racial justice, and radical love.
• This video connects to the theme of Weight.
• What does it mean for the body to not be an apology? How does Laymon grapple with some of the messages of Taylor’s poem in Heavy?