After The First Death

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. When one of Ben’s classmates sets off fireworks on Thanksgiving, why do they make him ill?

2. What town is Ben from?

Short Answer

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

1. How does Ben’s discussion with his mother hint at how Ben’s character will develop over the course of the novel?

Paired Resource

“Unhappily Ever After”

• This Los Angeles Times article is an interview with Cormier that explores how his body of work largely revolves around themes of evil and violence. 
• Cormier mentions that his early observations of death, and his realization that Death Doesn’t Discriminate, influenced his writing.
• Despite the unhappy endings of most of his books, Cormier denies being a pessimist. What do you think of his logic in this interview as to why he denies that label?

PART 2

Reading Check

1. How old, approximately, is Miro Shantas?

2. How does Artkin sedate the kids on the bus?

Short Answer

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