Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key plot points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Part 1, Prologue-Chapter 9

Reading Check

1. What is unique about many of the residents on the island of Martha’s Vineyard?

2. Of whom does the whale on the beach remind Mary?

3. What does Mary take to Ezra?

4. Who has Mary’s mother invited as a guest for dinner?

Short Answer

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

1. What happened to Mary’s brother?

2. What does Ezra reveal about the history of Martha’s Vineyard?

3. What prejudices exist within the community on the island?

Paired Resource

History of American Sign Language

• This 6-minute video explains the history of American Sign Language (ASL).
• How does Thomas Gallaudet come up with the idea to bring English Sign Language to America? Who makes changes to prohibit American Sign Language? How is this video related to the novel’s themes of Defining Deafness and Debunking Myths and Social Hierarchies?

Part 1, Chapters 10-19

Reading Check

1. What does Mary ask Nancy to help her do to Andrew Noble?

2. What does Andrew collect from the island?

3. Who do Nancy and Mary encounter in a tree branch while they are in the apple tree?

4.