Piecing Me Together

Reading Check questions are designed for in-class review on key plot points or for quick verbal or written assessments. Multiple Choice and Short Answer Quizzes create ideal summative assessments, and collectively function to convey a sense of the work’s tone and themes.

Chapters 1-20

Reading Check

1. Who is the speaker in Chapter 1?

2. What grade is Jade starting in high school?

3. What does Jade ask her mother to buy for her at the grocery store in Chapter 2?

4. What does Jade hope her guidance counselor, Mrs. Parker, will tell her in Chapter 4?

5. What class is Lee Lee’s favorite in school so far?

6. What does Jade do as soon as Lee Lee leaves her house in Chapter 7?

Multiple Choice

1. What nickname does Jade give to the unknown girl on the bus?

A) the Bus Girl

B) the Book Girl

C) the Brown-Haired Girl

D) the Bag Girl

2. What is a nickname that Jade does NOT create for her mentor Maxine?

A) Missing Maxine

B) Mediocre Maxine

C) Malevolent Maxine

D) Mean Maxine

3. What does Maxine bring to Jade’s home as an apology gift for missing their meeting?

A) a bag of art supplies

B) a collage by Jade’s favorite collage artist

C) a Spanish-English dictionary

D) an illustrated book of Costa Rican art

4. Why does Sam give Jade disclaimers before taking Jade to her house?

A) because Sam’s grandparents are painting the living room

B) because Sam’s grandma will not have any snacks for them

C) because Sam’s grandparents’ house is small and cluttered

D) because Sam’s grandparents’ house has roaches

5. Jade’s mother makes Jade her favorite breakfast for her birthday. What is the breakfast?

A) French toast with blueberries

B) waffles with maple syrup

C) scrambled eggs with sausage

D) pancakes and bacon

6. When Jade gets to school, Josiah wishes her a happy birthday. How does he know it is her birthday?

A) because Maxine makes an announcement over the school’s loudspeaker

B) because Jade’s mom sings “Happy Birthday” to Jade on the school lawn

C) because Mrs. Parker gives Jade a birthday card in front of Josiah

D) because Sam decorates Jade’s locker with balloons and an oversized card

Short-Answer Response

Answer each of the following questions in a complete sentence or sentences. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why does Jade’s father apologize to her when he sees her in Chapter 17?

2. What are examples of some of the first things Jade photographs with her new camera?

3. What books does the salesperson at Powell’s Books suggest to Jade, and why are they significant?

4. What number is important in Chapter 20 and why?

Chapters 21-40

Reading Check

1. Who is the founder of Woman to Woman?

2. Where do Josiah and Kennedy want to have lunch in Chapter 22?

3. What is the neighborhood where Sam lives, which becomes the topic of conversation on the way to lunch?

4. How much does Jade’s mom leave her for dinner in Chapter 24?

5. What image is at the center of Jade’s collage in Chapter 25?

Multiple Choice

1. What kind of club does Lee Lee join at Northside, her high school?

A) the Young Entrepreneurs Club

B) band

C) drama club

D) a poetry club

2. On Thanksgiving, what is the annual tradition for Jade and her mom?

A) volunteer at the Portland Rescue Mission

B) watch the Macy’s parade on TV

C) cook their turkey first thing in the morning

D) bring packages of Thanksgiving cookies to their neighbors

3. Where is the Woman to Woman outing in Chapter 28?

A) the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry

B) the Portland Art Museum

C) the Oregon Historical Society

D) the Oregon Maritime Museum

4. What mural does Jade spend time looking at in Chapter 29?

A) a painting of a Black woman lying on a chaise couch

B) a painting of a Black family in front of a church

C) a life-size painting of Lewis and Clark

D) an abstract painting of geometric figures

5. What do Jade, Lee Lee, and Sam gather to make in honor of Christmas?

A) sugar cookies

B) Christmas greeting cards

C) pine tree garlands

D) snowmen

6. What is revealed about Maxine’s personal life at the Woman to Woman outing held at her apartment?

A) that her boyfriend, Jon, has been cheating on her

B) that her mother has a drinking problem

C) that her brother sells drugs

D) that her sister is queer, but staying in the closet

Short-Answer Response

Answer each of the following questions in a complete sentence or sentences. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. At the mall, what notable event happens to Jade at the clothing store?

2. What Woman to Woman event does Jade invite her mom to, and why does it start a fight between them? 

3. At the Oregon Symphony, why does Maxine get mad?

4. What important news does Sam get in Chapter 40, and how does it affect her relationship with Jade?

Chapters 41-60

Reading Check

1. For what weekly family tradition does Jade join Maxine?

2. What does Jade reveal to her mom in Chapter 42?

3. How does Lee Lee encourage Jade in Chapter 44?

4. What does Jade tell Maxine she needs from Woman to Woman?

Multiple Choice

1. What deal does Maxine strike with Jade to keep her from quitting Woman to Woman, if she stays on?

A) that Maxine will take her on a personal trip to Costa Rica

B) that Woman to Woman will give Jade a special scholarship for collagists

C) that they will never go to the symphony as an outing again

D) that Maxine will end things with Jon, her boyfriend

2. What neighborhood news does E.J. tell Jade that upsets her?

A) A 15-year-old girl was injured by police at a local house party.

B) The local church will be demolished to make room for a mall.

C) Lee Lee is dropping out of high school.

D) An elderly neighbor is being evicted from their apartment.

3. Of what does the lunch lady, Ms. Weber, accuse Jade?

A) stealing some tater tots

B) having an attitude problem

C) pushing another student in line

D) spitting in the salad bar

4. Why does Jade confront Mr. Flores in Chapter 53?

A) He gives her a bad grade unfairly.

B) He falsely accuses her of cheating on a quiz.

C) He did not nominate her for the study abroad program.

D) He tells her to quiet down in class, even though she was not talking.

Short-Answer Response

Answer each of the following questions in a complete sentence or sentences. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why are Jade, Lee Lee, and their friends struck with fear when they see a white police officer pull over a Black woman near Columbia Park in Chapter 55?

2. Why does Maxine share with Jade that, when she was in high school, students thought that she was a scholarship student? Why is this important?

3. What does holding the event “Money Matters” mean for Woman to Woman, as an organization?

Chapters 61-76

Reading Check

1. With what task does Maxine offer to help Jade in Chapter 61?

2. What does Mia, the owner of an art gallery, offer to Jade?

3. Why does Jade feel like “some kind of celebrity” in Chapter 65?

4. What event do Jade and Lee Lee plan so that their art—Jade’s collages, Lee Lee’s poetry—can reach a wider audience and raise awareness about Natasha Ramsey?

Multiple Choice

1. In what class do Jade and Sam have a heart-to-heart about the strain in their friendship?

A) Spanish class

B) English class

C) math class

D) gym

2. What does Mr. Flores do for Jade in Chapter 71?

A) He gives her an A+ on her latest exam.

B) He tells her he wants her to be his teaching assistant next year.

C) He tells her he reserved a spot for her in next year’s study abroad program.

D) He tells her he is proud of her for overcoming so much adversity in her life.

3. What is NOT a reason Jade provides in her list “How I Know Sam is My Friend”?

A) Sam defends Jade to her racist grandparents.

B) They listen to each other’s perspective during misunderstandings.

C) They ride the bus to and from school together.

D) They can cry in front of each other.

4. What’s the title of Lee Lee’s poem?

A) “Black Girls Resting”

B) “Black Girls Rising”

C) “Black Girls Retreating”

D) “Black Girls Ruminating”

Short-Answer Response

Answer each of the following questions in a complete sentence or sentences. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What is one of the main themes of Lee Lee’s poem and why is it meaningful to the event?

2. With what fantasized vision of Jade’s does the book end? In what way does this re-imagining differ from commonly accepted versions of history?