Dawn

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. Who is the only other human Lilith has seen in captivity?

2. How long has Lilith been asleep?

3. Where is Lilith, according to the extraterrestrial being?

4. What do Jdahya’s people call themselves?

Short Answer

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

1. What is Lilith’s environment like after Awakening?

2. Why is Lilith afraid of Kaaltediinjdahya lel Kahguyaht aj dinso (Jdahya)?

3. How does Lilith gradually get over her initial fear of Jdahya?

4. What plans do her captors have for Lilith, and how does she react to them?

5. How does Lilith react to what Jdahya’s people want in return for saving humans?

Paired Resource

“Freedom Is a Choice”

• In this 8-minute TED Talk, Maya Jones describes facing her fears and finding freedom.
• The video connects to the theme of Freedom.
• What does freedom mean to Maya Jones? What is impacting Lilith’s freedom? How much choice or control does she have regarding autonomy and free will?

Part 2

Reading Check

1. Who is Kaalnikanj oo Jdahyatediinkahguyaht aj Dinso?

2. Where are the “sleeping” humans kept?

3. Why does Lilith go to Tiej?

4. What does Kahguyaht want Nikanj to do to Lilith?

5. What are the “prints” referred to in Chapter 9?

Short Answer

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

1. How does Ahtrekahguyahtkaal lel Jdayhateddiin aj Dinso (Kahguyaht) treat Lilith?

2. What is the relationship like between Nikanj and Lilith?

3. How does Lilith feel about the Oankali?

4. How does the meeting with Paul shift from beginning to end?

5. Why does Nikanj ask Lilith to help its mates carry it to the new home?

6. How has Lilith’s relationship with Kahguyaht shifted?

Paired Resource

“Young Women of Color Continue to Lead Civic and Political Engagement”

• The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) from Tufts University presents research, in both written and graph form, about the power women of color wield in social involvement.
• The article connects to the themes of The Role of Women and People of Color in a New Human Society and Freedom.
• What are some notable differences in the engagement trends of the young women surveyed by CIRCLE in 2020? How does this information reflect their commitment to action and change? Where do we see Lilith taking action in her new world?

Part 3

Reading Check

1. What is the overall lesson Lilith hopes to teach those she Awakens?

2. Who is the first person Lilith Awakens?

3. Which one of the newly Awakened people sees an Oankali first?

4. How does Nikanj alter Joseph?

5. What does Derrick do?

6. Who is gathering followers to oppose Lilith?

7. What do the Oankali do to the humans before 28 Oankali reveal themselves to them?

Short Answer

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

1. What criteria does Lilith use to choose what people to Awaken first?

2. How do Leah and Celene react differently to being Awakened?

3. After subduing Jean, what worries Lilith and why?

4. What advice does Joseph give Lilith when people start turning against her, and how does she receive the advice?

5. What causes Lilith to injure Peter, Curt, and Gregory?

6. What is “imprinting,” as referred to in Chapter 13?

Paired Resource

“Us vs Them: The Sinister Techniques of ‘Othering’ – and How To Avoid Them”

• In this article, john a. powell, an expert in inclusiveness in society who spells his name in lower case to show he is part of the universe, explains the harmful effects of treating groups as separate and offers advice for a more inclusive society.
• The resource connects to the theme of Othering.
• Why does rapid social change cause anxiety? What alternative response is considered in the article? How has Lilith experienced Othering from different perspectives?

“Universal Declaration of Human Rights”

• This United Nations document articulates rights everyone has, everywhere.
• The resource connects to the themes of Othering and Freedom.
• What rights do Lilith and the other humans have? What rights have been infringed upon in the story?

Part 4

Reading Check

1. What does the training room look like?

2. What do the Oankali decide to do when humans start running away into the forest?

3. After leaving camp, how do the humans start to react to each other’s touch?

4. What does Curt do to Lilith when he gets to their camp?

5. Who saves Nikanj?

6. Why did the Oankali choose not to send Lilith to Earth with the first group of humans?

7. How many more people does Lilith plan to Awaken?

Short Answer

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

1. Why is Lilith concerned about Curt?

2. How do the ooloi react when the humans they have bonded with leave?

3. What is Gabriel’s attitude toward Lilith when they first leave camp and head further into the forest?

4. How are Gabriel’s and Lilith’s feelings toward leadership different?

5. What happened to Joseph, and what are the repercussions?

Recommended Next Reads

Adulthood Rites by Octavia E. Butler

• In this second book in the Lilith’s Brood series, Akin experiences the pressure of two races as the first human-Oankali hybrid.
• Shared themes include Otherness, The Role of Women and People of Color in a New Human Society, and Freedom.
• Shared topics include dystopia, identity, protecting the Earth, power, and knowledge.

The Power by Naomi Alderman

• In this bestselling novel, women begin developing the ability to physically generate electrical shocks, shifting the power balance across the world.
• Shared themes include Otherness, The Role of Women and People of Color in a New Human Society, and Freedom.
• Shared topics include the future, identity, power, society, and gender.
• The Power on SuperSummary