"Brown Girl Dreaming" Sections 1-3 CommonLit Question Review

1. Practice 1: #1

   What do the italics mean in "second day on earth of the second daughter" (3-5)?

• 1. dialogue between family members

• 1. details about the lives of famous activists

• 1. descriptions of Woodson's birth in her own voice

• 1. differences between Woodson's spoken words and thoughts

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

Practice 1: #2

Who are the "ghosts" mentioned in the poem "the ghosts of the house of Nelsonville" (10-12)?

• 1. distant ancestors who have passed away

• 1. real ghosts that haunt the house of Nelsonville

• 2. negative traits of family members

• 1. relatives who lived in the house of Nelsonville when they were young

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.5

Practice 1: #3

How do the poems "sometimes it will be scary" (13-14) and "dreams of football" (15) develop similar ideas about Woodson's family?

• 1. Both suggest that Woodson's father was dedicated to his own family.

• 1. Both suggest that Woodson's family was admired in their community.

• 1. Both illustrate a story of hard work and achievements in Woodson's family.

• 1. Both illustrate a story of supporting each other in difficult times in Woodson's family.

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.7

CCSS.RL.6.9

CCSS.RL.7.7

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.8.7

Practice 1: #4

What is the most likely reason for Woodson to include several poems about her father's side of the family?

4. t

• 1. to show Woodson's confusion about who she should become as she grows up

• 1. to establish the conflict between her mother's and father's sides of the family

• 1. to highlight her sense of pride in her family's strength and excellence

• 1. to establish her family's involvement in important historical events

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Practice 2: #3

What theme is developed with the personification of the Hocking River (38-39)?

• 1. Returning home after a long absence will never feel the same as before.

• 1. Many people who leave their home to find freedom return home to feel belonging.

• 1. It is natural and beneficial to move away from home at a young age.

• 1. It is important to find a place to call home and stay there.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

Practice 2: #4

How does "journey" (29) develop the ideas that appear in the previous poem, "each winter" (27)?

• 1. Both poems show Woodson's parents' desire to live in Ohio.

• 1. Both poems show Woodson's parents' devotion to their children.

• 1. Both poems reveal important details about Woodson's parents' childhood.

• 1. Both poems reveal Woodson's parents' attitudes towards living in the South.

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.7

CCSS.RL.6.9

CCSS.RL.7.7

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.8.7

Practice 2: #5

At the end of Part 1, what is Woodson communicating about the concept of "home"?

• 1. Home is where family allows you to feel most like yourself.

• 1. You can never feel at home in a place where you did not grow up.

• 1. Once you leave home, you can never regain the feeling you had before.

• 1. Sometimes the people in your home are not the ones who understand you best.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Practice 3: #2

In "hope," Woodson says about her brother:

"his head bent / inside the superhero comics that my grandfather / brings home on Fridays. Hope seeks to find himself / within their pages." (64) 

What do these lines reveal about Hope?

• 1. Hope had unrealistic dreams for his future.

• 1. Hope was motivated to be as good a reader as Dell.

• 1. Hope did not appreciate the gifts his grandfather brought him.

• 1. Hope longed to be brave and strong like the characters he read about.

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

Practice 3: #3

What do the poems "the reader", "the beginning" and "hope" suggest about the relationship between Woodson and her siblings with reading (61-65)?

• 1. Reading gave them an escape and a sense of possibility.

• 1. Reading gave them a way to understand their grandmother's religion.

• 1. Reading gave them something in common with their new friends in Greenville.

• 1. Reading gave them a way to deal with the boredom of living in their grandparents' house.

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.4

BONUS!

What is a theme that can be extracted from the book so far?

Make sure you can explain your reasoning.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2