Out of the Dust

Part 1

Reading Check

1. On the kitchen floor (Poem 1)

2. 1931 (Poem 8)

3. Ma (Poem 13)

Short Answer

1. Playing piano inspires and excites Billie Jo. She comments, “It’s the best I ever felt.” (Poem 6)

2. Dust impacts the crops, making it hard for them to grow. It also gets inside the house, so Ma has them set the table with cups and plates upside down to prevent them from filling with dust before the meal. Dust still gets on their food as they eat. (Part 1)

Part 2

Reading Check

1. Ma (Poem 21)

2. Eight (Poem 27)

Short Answer

1. Ma loves the apple trees and cares for them. They symbolize her hope of bringing life into their farm. Billie Jo hopes for the food the apples can bring, including pies and cobbler. (Part 2)

2. It rained so hard that it washed away the crop that had been planted. (Poem 26)

Part 3

Reading Check

1. Burns on her hands (Poems 32-33)

2. Franklin (Poem 38)

Short Answer

1. Not knowing her mother was right there, Billie Jo tried to help by throwing the pail that was on fire outside. It landed on her mother, who later died from her injuries. Billie Jo also hears neighbors talking about her, insinuating blame. (Part 3)

2. Billie Jo and her father become more distant. Each carries so much grief. Billie Jo reflects, “I don’t know my father anymore.” (Poem 41)

3. Billie Jo’s teacher explains that after the war, the price of wheat fell, so farmers planted more acres. Then, animals ate much of the vegetation. Farmers tilled up the soil, and the dirt on top baked in the sun, becoming dust. Without the vegetation to hold it down, the dust rose. (Poem 46)

Part 4

Reading Check

1. Wireless Power (Poem 47)

2. Play piano (Poem 51)

Short Answer

1. Billie Jo is grateful Mad Dog does not treat her with pity after the accident. Earlier in the book, she spoke excitedly about playing piano while he sang. She also asks her father about Mad Dog’s name, revealing that she is thinking about him. It appears that Billie Jo is developing feelings for Mad Dog. (Part 4)

2. Billie Jo goes to the art exhibit three times, paying money that is precious to her the first time. She was enthralled by the beauty of the art and angry when it was gone. In her actions and reflections, Billie Jo reveals her desire for art and for more than just surviving the days. This connects to her feelings about playing the piano. (Poem 53)

Part 5

Reading Check

1. Ma (Poem 54)

2. Cranberry sauce (Poem 55)

3. Feed-sack clothes Ma made (Poem 64)

Short Answer

1. Billie Jo feels nervous before playing and somewhat disappointed in the first part of the competition. Then, she loses herself in the music; afterward, she feels sore from using her injured hands but proud as “the crowd roared.” Later, despite one critic, she says, “I felt like I was part of something grand.” (Poem 69)

2. Billie Jo’s father goes out to find her in the storm and stays out looking all night. He left her a note telling her to stay home if she got home before him, showing his thoughtfulness and care. (Poem 76)

Part 6

Reading Check

1. The school and three boxcars (Poem 82)

2. Grass (Poem 91)

Short Answer

1. Billie Jo’s father has proven time and again that he cares for her, like when he searches for her all night in a dust storm. He also has seen the struggling crops and neighbors moving because they cannot get crops to grow. He neither sways Billie Jo to go live with her aunt nor tells Billie Jo to not do so. Readers can infer that he sees that it might become necessary at some point, but he does not want Billie Jo to go just yet. (Poem 83)

2. People in the community are proud and inspired to hear Mad Dog singing on the radio. It is the focus of the town. When he finishes, they are “cheering and whooping, patting each other on the back, as if they'd been featured on WDAG themselves.” (Poem 93)

Part 7

Reading Check

1. Flagstaff, Arizona (Poem 100)

2. See the doctor (Poem 102)

Short Answer

1. Billie Jo has been feeling restless—looking for more. She was jealous of Mad Dog going away to sing. She talks about wanting to leave the dust behind. She is also scared that her father might have skin cancer like his father, and he won’t go see the doctor. (Poems 97-98)

2. Billie Jo realizes that she is lonelier away from home and that she is actually running from feelings inside her, not the physical dust. She wants to be home with her father. (Poems 100-102)

Part 8

Reading Check

1. To use ointment and to use her hands (Poem 103)

2. Sorghum and maybe cotton (Poem 110)

Short Answer

1. Billie Jo sees Louise trying to listen and wanting to learn about her and her father. She also recognizes that Louise is not trying to replace her mother. Billie Jo is okay with Louise marrying her father and starts to look forward to it. (Poems 106-110)

2. The apples in the bowl are a symbol of hope. Billie Jo’s mom had always cared so much for her apple trees, and they were a symbol of her wanting to bring life into the home. Now, the bowl is filled with apples, a symbol of the home filling with renewed life. Billie Jo playing piano is also a symbol of hope. She used to love playing piano. The injuries to her hands and the death of her mother and brother had taken that from her, but now she is reaching for that music again. (Poem 110)