Towers Falling

1. What does Ma give Dèja as a gift for the first day of school?

A) a pink backpack

B) a green pencil case

C) a blue notebook

D) Aa pink ribbon

2. Why doesn’t Dèja want to write an essay about what she did over summer break? (short answer)

3. What does the new curriculum that Miss Garcia talks about focus on?

A) critical thinking

B) the idea that history is alive

C) summer vacation

D) an important week

4. What is the most likely reason that Dèja sits with Leda and Ray outside after she picks them up from daycare?

A) They aren’t allowed inside Avalon without a parent.

B) Dèja doesn’t want to be around Pop if he isn’t feeling well.

C) Ma told them to wait outside.

D) Ray wants to stay outside and play with the other boys.

5. What does Miss Garcia want the students to notice by looking at the New York skyline in a picture and the New York skyline outside their window?

A) That something is missing from the skyline

B) The nice weather outside today and how it used to be

C) That the photo was taken from the same spot as their school

D) That New York is mostly unchanged

6. Why is Dèja frustrated when the other students talk about September 11th? (short answer)

7. Why does Pop get upset when Dèja mentions her homework assignment?

A) He doesn’t want her to talk about Avalon.

B) He doesn’t want her to learn about the missing towers.

C) He doesn’t feel good and needs quiet in their room.

D) He doesn’t want Ray to go to school.

8. Who helped Dèja with her diorama?

A) Miss Garcia

B) Ma and Pop

C) Ray and Leda

D) Ben and Sabeen

9. Why does Miss Garcia say that Ray must be very smart? (short answer)

10. What is Dèja’s thesis for her essay about home?

A) “History is alive”

B) “Think. See. Compare”

C) “Family is divine”

D) “Home is more than a place”

11. Name two of the social units in the diagram that Dèja draws. (short answer)

12. When Miss Garcia asks the class about how many social units are shared between the class and those who worked in the Twin Towers, what is she trying to help them understand?

A) how many people passed away on September 11th

B) that everyone is connected through different groups

C) that it is okay to talk about September 11th

D) that more people need to learn about September 11th

13. What makes Dèja believe that history is alive?

A) Miss Garcia’s belief that it is

B) Working with Ben and Sabeen on their group project

C) The video of September 11th showing the planes crashing into the Twin Towers

D) Writing about how American ideals stay strong even as time passes

14. What does Sabeen’s name mean?

A) “Family is heart”

B) “Home is divine”

C) “Daughter of Demir”

D) “Cool breeze of morning”

15. When Pop accompanies Dèja to school, what is his intention?

A) to pull her out of the Brooklyn Collective

B) to speak with Miss Garcia

C) to see what she is learning about

D) to explain why he doesn’t want her to learn about September 11th

16. What can we as readers learn about Dèja based on her answer to Mr. Schmidt’s question about what it means to be American?

A) She doesn’t think she will stay friends with Ben and Sabeen if she leaves Brooklyn Collective.

B) She feels like she is more than just “Homeless Dèja.”

C) She doesn’t feel like she is connected to her country.

D) She has started to understand Pop better.

17. Because of the items she finds, what does Dèja discover when she looks in Pop’s suitcase? (short answer)

18. What snack does Sabeen bring to school that Ben says reminds him of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe?

A) Twizzlers

B) chocolate chip cookies

C) Turkish delight

D) angel food cake

19. Why does Sabeen get picked on and how does it relate to September 11th? (short answer)

20. When Mr. Schmidt lists attacks on American soil, which one surprises Dèja?

A) September 11, 2001 – The attacks on the Twin Towers

B) February 26, 1993 – The first World Trade Center Bombing

C) April 18, 1775 – The Revolutionary War

D) December 7, 1941 – Pearl Harbor

21. When another student asks why terrorists hate Americans, why does Dèja become frustrated with Mr. Schmidt? (long answer)

22. What is the biggest reason for Dèja’s desire to go to the Freedom Tower?

A) She wants to know exactly what happened on 9/11.

B) She wants to see what is now there in the place where the Twin Towers were.

C) She wants to help her family.

D) She doesn’t want to go to school.

23. Why does Dèja skip across the steps at school on her way to the subway?

A) She wants to make it so that she wasn’t technically lying.

B) She wants to be caught skipping school.

C) She thought Ben was going to meet her at school.

D) She wanted Sabeen to go with her and Ben.

24. While skipping school, Dèja remembers that Pop always feels worst in September. Why is this?

A) September is when rent was due before their eviction.

B) September is the month of the World Trade Center attacks.

C) His allergies also come in September, which makes his depression worse.

D) He lost his job in September.

25. What word does Ben write below the picture he draws while on the subway? (short answer)

26. When they arrive at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, what do the two square holes representing the fallen buildings remind Dèja of?

A) roots

B) doves

C) Leda’s building blocks

D) footprints

27. When does Dèja realize that Ben is her best friend?

A) When they arrive at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum

B) When he draws all of the people on the subway

C) When they are running away from the police officer

D) When they’re talking about Arizona

28. On their ride home, why does Dèja say it wasn’t smart for them to skip school together?

A) If it was just her, the teachers would’ve thought she was sick.

B) Now Ben will be in trouble because of her.

C) Sabeen will probably feel left out.

D) Their parents won’t let them hang out anymore.

29. What does Pop do when he sees Dèja get off of the subway?

A) He yells at her.

B) He doesn’t say anything but takes her home.

C) He gives her a big hug.

D) He takes her back to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.

30. When Pop reveals that Ma thinks he should have told Dèja about his job at the World Center, what does he say was his reason for not telling her?

A) He wanted to keep it a secret.

B) He didn’t think she was old enough.

C) He is ashamed of what happened.

D) He doesn’t remember.

31. As he explains what happened on September 11th, what makes Pop’s head “ache, explode. Pow”?

A) remembering what happened

B) knowing what happened

C) imagining what happened

D) reliving what happened

32. Why did Pop keep ashes from September 11th? (short answer)

33. Now that Pop has told Dèja about their experience, where does he say that they should go together?

A) her school to talk about his experience

B) the 9/11 Memorial and Museum

C) Sabeen’s house so that he can meet the Demirs

D) their old apartment to put the past behind them

34. On the fifteenth anniversary of 9/11, what does Dèja say hasn’t changed?

A) Her family is full of love.

B) The War on Terror is still going on.

C) They still study the attacks in school.

D) Americans believe in freedom.