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

Foreword-Prologue

Reading Check

1. In the Foreword, how is the house described?

2. In the Foreword, how is Jane described?

3. What is missing in the fall of 1941?

4. How is Pecola described in the Prologue?

Short Answer

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

1. What is the source of the text beginning, “Here is the house”?

2. What do you notice about the way the text beginning, “Here is the house,” is printed on the page?

3. What do Claudia and Frieda attribute to the lack of growth in the fall of 1941?

4. Based on the Prologue, what is the purpose of the novel?

Paired Resources

“Dick and Jane: Story of These Early Readers”

• This article by Kate Kelly traces the history of the Dick and Jane readers, which Morrison quotes in the Foreword.
• As you begin to think about the theme of Black Female Identity, imagine the effect of these readers on the developing identities of Black girls like Claudia, Frieda, and Pecola.

Interview with Charnaie Gordon

• In this interview, Gordon speaks about the importance of diversity in early literacy.