What can we assume about Sami's life based on the first sentence of the story, "Sami Salsaa thought things were improving in his new life, right before they got worse."?
He thought life was good, but something bad will happen
How does the story show us that Sami is adjusting to his new life well?
He is getting good grades, and he is making friends
How is T.J introduced to the gang?
The narrator of the story introduces him to the other boys
How is life in the South different from the boys' lives up North?
In the South, peoples' lives are connected to having and using land.
Frank
a. open and honest
b. stopping something from happening
c. not important
d. a jail
A
Why does Sami's family move to the United States?
Bethlehem has become too dangerous for them to live in due to terror attacks and political violence.
How are Sami and Hugh similar to each other?
They have both lived through hardships and overcome obstacles in their lives.
Why do the boys let TJ join their gang?
He impresses them with his big ideas about creating the garden
Why don't the boys give up on carrying the heavy dirt up to the roof?
TJ is able to keep them focused by talking about his dream.
Acquainted
a. open and honest
b. a person's name
c. having met someone before
d.a feeling of panic
C
Why does Tum Tum hum?
To go outside to pee!
Why is Hugh blind?
When he was a child he had a hereditary disorder
What does TJ want to plant on the roof? Why does he finally agree to plant grass?
He wants to plant usefull things like watermelons and cotton or corn, but he agrees to plant grass just to be able to plant something.
How do the boys feel about what they finally grow?
They are proud.
My mother set a strict ____________, I had to be home before the street lights turned on.
a. jail
b. curfew
c. quizzical
d. recourse
B
What happens to Sami's family after the 9/11 attacks? How does the setting of the story help this happen?
People start treating them badly because they are Arab, in small-town Texas, there are no other Arab people so Sami's family is isolated and alone.
What does Sami do to help get over his tough situation at school?
He creates a dialogue club to speak about his experiences
Why is TJ so mad at the owner of the factory
TJ feels that the garden belongs to the boys, they did the work and they grew the grass. Even if the factory owner owns the building he does not have the right to destroy the garden.
Why does TJ destroy the garden himself?
It is his work, it was his garden, and if it had to be destroyed, it would be destroyed by him and noone else.
Red hair is a ___________ trait that runs in my family.
a. hereditary
b. countenance
c. communicative
d. solitude
A
He doesn't like the idea of there being a winner and a loser, HE DOESN'T LIKE TO FIGHT OR CREATE CONFLICT
Why is the story called Hum?
This story is about communication. Tum Tum hums and communicates with Hugh to feel better. Sami has to communicate to feel better also
Why does TJ run away
He doesnt understand life in the city, he wants to go back to where he knows and understands things.
WHy is the story called Antaeus?
Antaeus was a giant that was stronger when he was connected to the land, much like TJ when he was separated from the land, he started to die.
It was impossible to grow food in the sterile soil.
a. beyond understanding
b. taking a lot of time
c. feeling scorn
d. clean of life or vegetation
D