71 pages • 2 hours read
Eleanor and Park
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During Reading
Reading Questions & Paired Texts
Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.
CHAPTERS 1-12
Reading Check
1. What sport does Park practice?
2. What ethnicity is Park’s mom?
3. What type of books does Park read on the bus?
4. How many siblings does Eleanor share a room with?
5. What do the girls stick to Eleanor’s gym locker?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. Other than her physical size, what are two things about Eleanor’s appearance for which tormentors like Tina bully her?
2. On what assignment does Eleanor excel in English class?
3. Why doesn’t Eleanor intervene when Richie physically and verbally abuses her mother?
Paired Resource
- Alan Moore is a well-known comic book writers in the DC Universe. His comic books create a connection between Eleanor and Park.
- Why might comic books of the genre and style Moore writes be so important to Park (and later Eleanor)? Base your response on their characterizations so far.
“Caged Bird” by Maya Angelou
- This is the poem Eleanor recites during her English class assignment.
- Eleanor’s likely interpretation of the poem connects with the theme of Bullying.
- How do the images and ideas in this poem relate to what we already know about Eleanor?
CHAPTERS 13-24
Reading Check
1. Which comic book series does Eleanor call “sexist”?
2. What is the name of the girl Park’s friend Cal has a crush on?
3. What does Park call Eleanor for the first time during his fight with Steve?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. How does Park indicate he would like to pursue a relationship with Eleanor?
2. Why does Eleanor want to babysit for her father?
3. Why do both Eleanor and Park think that “Saturdays are the worst” (Chapter 16)?
4. Why does Eleanor call the police in the middle of the night? How does the situation resolve?
Paired Resource
“Taekwondo Jump Reverse Hook Kick”
- This 1-minute video shows the taekwondo technique Park used against Steve in Chapter 22.
- Park’s father reminds Park that taekwondo is the art of self-defense. Considering the events on the bus before Park fights with Steve, are his actions defensive or not? Explain your rationale.
CHAPTERS 25-36
Reading Check
1. Where do Eleanor and Park have their first kiss?
2. Who does Park think is writing the offensive notes on Eleanor’s books?
3. What does Richie give Eleanor for Christmas?
4. What dessert does Richie get mad about missing from Christmas dinner?
5. What book does Eleanor give Park for Christmas?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. Why did Richie throw Eleanor out the previous year?
2. What is Eleanor’s lie for when she goes over to Park’s house? How is her lie ironic?
3. How does Park’s mom finally relate to Eleanor?
Paired Resource
“Risalamande - Danish Rice Pudding”
- This recipe includes a brief history of the Danish Christmas tradition that Eleanor and her family follow, which upsets Richie.
- How does this scene help to indirectly characterize Sabrina, Eleanor, and Eleanor’s siblings?
CHAPTERS 37-48
Reading Check
1. Where do Eleanor and Park listen to Park’s tapes?
2. What would Josh have to give up to invite his “girlfriend” over?
3. Where are the members of Park’s family when Eleanor and Park are alone at his house?
4. Who has been writing the offensive messages on Eleanor’s books?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. Why are Wednesday nights “the worst”?
2. What happens to Eleanor’s clothes during gym class?
3. Where do Eleanor and Park go on their first real date?
CHAPTERS 49-58
Reading Check
1. How much money does Park find in his savings?
2. Who sends more letters, Eleanor or Park?
3. How many words are in the final letter of the novel?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. How is Eleanor going to get to her uncle’s house in Minnesota?
2. What is Park’s dad’s only condition for letting him drive Eleanor?
3. Why don’t Park and Eleanor have sex in the truck?
Recommended Next Reads
Looking for Alaska by John Green
- Two misfit teens meet at their boarding school and become fast friends until tragedy rips their group apart.
- Shared themes include Bullying and Being Abandoned.
- Looking for Alaska on SuperSummary
The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
- When two strangers meet on the street and spend just one day together, neither of them expects to fall in love; unfortunately, they may never see each other again.
- Shared themes include The Wonder of First Love and Being Abandoned.
- Shared topics include multiple perspective narratives and young love.
- The Sun is Also a Star on SuperSummary
Reading Questions Answer Key
CHAPTERS 1-12
Reading Check
1. Taekwondo (Chapter 6)
2. Korean (Chapter 1)
3. Comic books (Chapters 1-12)
4. Four—all of them (Chapter 4)
5. Kotex maxi-pads with “Raghead” and “Big Red” written on them (Chapter 12)
Short Answer
1. Eleanor stands out because she has very bright, curly red hair. She also wears very unique outfits, like neckties in her hair and men’s shirts. (Chapters 1-12)
2. She must memorize a poem and recite it in front of the class. She chooses Maya Angelou’s “Caged Bird,” and her recitation is excellent. (Chapter 9)
3. She believes it would be “something a child would do, or a fool.” Instead, she sits with her siblings to comfort them. (Chapter 11)
CHAPTERS 13-24
Reading Check
Short Answer
1. He makes mixtapes for her and shares his comics with her. Indicating that he would like to be more than friends, he begins holding her hand on the bus. (Chapter 15)
2. She wants to have a chance to talk to Park on the phone, and she believes she will be able to from her father’s house. (Chapter 18)
3. They still have to spend the whole weekend without each other. (Chapter 16)
4. She hears gunshots in her house, escapes by a window, and calls the police from a neighbor’s (Gil’s) house. The police question Richie and leave when he and Eleanor’s mother insist it was a mistake. Richie is furious with Eleanor. Eleanor’s mother explains that Richie fired his gun (for which he has no permit) to scare away some teenagers playing basketball. (Chapter 24)
CHAPTERS 25-36
Reading Check
1. In the alley behind his grandparent’s RV (Chapter 28)
2. Eleanor (Chapter 30)
3. $50 (Chapter 32)
4. Pumpkin pie (Chapter 33)
5. The Catcher in the Rye (Chapter 34)
Short Answer
1. Richie asked her to stop making so much noise with her typewriter. When she didn’t, he attacked her, and she cursed at him. (Chapter 25)
2. She says she’s visiting a friend, Tina. This is ironic because Tina is not a friend; she bullies and torments Eleanor. (Chapter 27)
3. She sees Eleanor’s family at the grocery store and realizes that the reason she is “different” is because her family is poor. She relates because she too came from a big family. (Chapter 32)
CHAPTERS 37-48
Reading Check
1. His room (Chapter 35)
2. His Nintendo (Chapter 41)
3. The boat show (Chapter 42)
4. Richie (Chapter 46)
Short Answer
1. Eleanor is unable to visit Park after school because Park has Taekwondo. Instead, she goes home, takes an early bath, and tries to avoid Richie the rest of the evening. (Chapter 38)
2. They took her clothes and Vans from her locker, placed them in a toilet, and flushed. The overflow of water floods the floor, and the teacher forces Eleanor to walk to the counselor’s office in her tight gym suit. (Chapter 40)
3. They go downtown to have pizza, look at records, and make out in the car. (Chapter 45)
CHAPTERS 49-58
Reading Check
Short Answer
1. Eleanor originally plans to hitchhike to St. Paul. Park wants to drive her instead, and though she feels guilt and worry over his involvement, she accepts. (Chapters 50-51)
2. Park’s father tells Park he must take the truck, which means he has to drive the stick shift. Park’s father also gives him cash and instructs him to bring Eleanor home to their house if St. Paul does not work out. (Chapter 51)
3. They do not have birth control available. Also, Park wants to hold on to the hope that this will not be their only opportunity. (Chapter 52)
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