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

Part 1

Reading Check

1. What is the name of the kind person whom Kek refers to as the “helping man” in Poem 1?

2. In Poem 3, what prompts Kek to ask who killed all the trees?

3. When Kek looks into the eyes of the cow in Poem 5, what does he see?

4. Whose familiar voice does Kek hear when he arrives at his new apartment in Minnesota?

5. What are the “marks of manhood” that Kek observes on his cousin Ganwar? (Poem 7)

Short Answer

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

1. Why does Kek mistakenly think that “heck” is a useful term? (Poem 4)

2. What are some of the first lessons that Kek learns about life in America, as described in Poem 8? How do they compare to the lessons he learned as a child in Africa?

3. Why does Kek struggle to find peace in his new life, despite being reunited safely with his aunt and cousin in Minnesota?

Paired Resource

Minnesota’s Refugee and Immigration Population: Africa (Sudanese)

• The International Institute of Minnesota, an organization similar to the Refugee Resettlement Center that Dave works for, offers information on Sudanese conflict over the years.