Black Brother, Black Brother

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

Reading Check

1. Where do Trey and Donte go to school?

2. Who coined the phrase “Black brother, black brother?”

3. Where did the Ellisons live before moving to Newton?

4. What is Denise’s job?

5. What is the name of Donte’s coach?

Short Answer

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

1. After the headmaster falsely accuses Donte of throwing a pencil, what does Donte do that the headmaster believes is reason enough to call the police, even though no one is harmed?

2. Why is the police officer shocked that Trey and Donte are brothers?

3. Why does Donte worry when a police car passes him while on a walk?

Paired Resource

“The Performance of Racial Passing”

• This New York Times article discusses Nella Larsen’s Passing and what it means to “pass” within the context of race. (Subscription may be needed for viewing.)
• How does this article (and the mention of Passing) relate to Donte and Trey’s relationship? How does it help us to better understand the difficulty Donte experiences?

Part 2

Reading Check

1. Coach says he can teach a lot of things, but what does he say he can’t teach?

2. What is Donte’s father’s surprise for the fencing team at the Boys and Girls Club?

3. Which activity do both Zarra and Denise enjoy?

Short Answer

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

1. What does Denise ask of Donte and how does he respond?

2. Why is Donte grateful that Trey does not take Coach up on his offer to learn how to fence?

3. Why does Donte like being on a team?

4. Why is it important to “[s]ee everything,” according to Coach (96)?

5. What are the two reasons that Trey suggests he and Donte conduct “reconnaissance” on the Middlefield Prep fencing team?

6. How does Coach’s reminder to “see everything” prove useful to Donte in his hearing (Chapter 20)?

Paired Resource

K-12 Education: Discipline Disparities for Black Students, Boys, and Students with Disabilities

• A short summary of the Government Accountability Office’s investigation into disproportionate punishments levied at specific student populations, including a graph
• This article connects to the theme of The Visibility and Invisibility of Race.
• How does the evidence cited in this article support Denise’s discussion of disproportionate punishment? How does it help us to understand the seriousness and impact of school administrators’ actions, both in the real world and in the novel?

“The Urgency of Intersectionality”

• An 18-minute TEDx talk by Kimberlé Crenshaw about intersectionality
• Teacher-appropriate; not student-facing
• Connects to the theme of Navigating Intersectional Identities

Part 3

Reading Check

1. What does Zarra bring for Denise?

2. How many minutes are in a bout?

3. Who, most likely, calls out “Hey, black girl!” when Zarra starts her bout (162)?

4. Who from his past does Coach run into?

5. Who does Donte remind Coach of?

Short Answer

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

1. What does Donte’s opponent say after their bout that stands out to him?

2. Why does Coach want to speak with Donte after the tournament?

Paired Resource

“Lee Kiefer Wins USA’s First-Ever Gold Medal in Individual Foil”

• A video from the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo of American foil fencer Lee Kiefer competing
• Connects to the theme of Feeling Confident Both Physically and Mentally Through Sports
• How does seeing two fencers in a bout lend to your reading experience of Black Brother, Black Brother?

Part 4, Epilogue, Afterworld

Reading Check

1. What does “Non Nobis Solum” mean (Chapter 29)?

2. What is the nickname of Dumas’s father?

3. What does Alan do to Donte before their bout?

Short Answer

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

1. Why does the headmaster’s treatment of Donte change?

2. What happens during Alan’s practice bout with Danny?

3. Why does Zarra bring Olympic Fencing to practice?

4. What do Donte, Trey, Zion, and Zarra learn about Alexandre Dumas?

5. Why does Alan get a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct?

6. What does Donte do to signify his confidence after his winning bout?

Recommended Next Reads

Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes

• A novel about the historical treatment of Black boys and men and the violence that they continue to experience as a result of racism
• Shares similar themes as Black Brother, Black Brother, such as The Visibility and Invisibility of Race
• Ghost Boys on SuperSummary

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

• A novel by a man who shares Donte’s last name about navigating identity as a person of color
• Invisible Man touches on the themes of The Visibility and Invisibility of Race and Navigating Intersectional Identities.
• Invisible Man on SuperSummary