Pride: A Pride and Prejudice Remix

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

CHAPTERS 1-5

Reading Check

1. When the novel opens, where has Janae been for many months?

2. Whom does Zuri call a “thirsty player”?

3. What does Zuri write when she is supposed to be working on her college admissions essay?

Short Answer

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

1. When Madrina tells Papa in Chapter 2 that “[her] rich son-in-laws just moved in across the street,” what differences in attitudes about women’s ambitions are revealed by the conversation that follows?

2. What shared dream do Zuri and Janae talk about when they are up on their building’s roof?

3. When Carrie tries to embarrass Zuri by asking whether she has ever been inside a house as big as the Darcys’ house, what point does Zuri make about houses this size?

Paired Resource

“Ta-Nehisi Coates Explores America’s Racial Divide in New Book” and Between the World and Me: Trailer

The first resource is a 7-minute CBS This Morning video in which Ta-Nehisi Coates discusses his book Between the World and Me.

• The second resource is a 2-minute trailer for the film version of Coates’s book. (Content Warning: Please note that this video contains a brief clip of police gun violence and may not be appropriate for all classrooms.)
• These resources relate to the theme of Systemic Racism in American Society.
• Which character is reading Coates’s book in Pride? How does additional knowledge about Coates’s book contribute to your understanding of the setting, characters, and themes of Zoboi’s novel?

CHAPTERS 6-10

Reading Check

1. What is the name of the punk band that plays at the arts festival at Maria Hernandez Park?

2. What does Charlise think Zuri should do instead of writing poetry?

3. What is Darius looking for when Zuri runs into him at the bodega?

Short Answer

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

1. What does Madrina tell Zuri when Zuri complains that she does not want Janae to change?

2. What are Zuri’s motives for giving Warren her phone number?

3. What makes Zuri suspicious of Warren when they go to the Promenade together, and how does he answer her suspicions?

Paired Resource

“What Gentrification Means for Black Homeowners”

• This New York Times article offers a nuanced and balanced look at the impact of gentrification on predominantly Black neighborhoods. (Subscription may be needed to view.)
• This resource offers an opportunity to discuss the themes of The Dangers of Gentrification, Systemic Racism in American Society, and The Manmade Nature of Class Structures.
• Why does gentrification impact Black homeowners in ways it might not impact other homeowners? What different perspectives on this issue do the people interviewed in this article offer? Which perspective is most similar to Zuri’s? Which perspective do you think Darius might identify most with?

CHAPTERS 11-15

Reading Check

1. After Ainsley breaks up with Janae, what poem does Zuri write?

2. What religion does Madrina follow?

3. Where does Janae get Zuri a ticket to travel to so that she can get her questions about college answered?

Short Answer

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

1. Zuri offers strong commentary about the look on Ainsley’s face as Darius whispers in his ear. Considering Ainsley breaks up with Janae shortly afterward, what might Darius have said to his brother about Janae?

2. What event causes Warren to say about Darius in Chapter 13, “He’s black, but he ain’t that black, feel me?”

3. When she is out of town, what event does Zuri attend, and why is she upset that Darius is there?

Paired Resource

“Oshun” and “Orisha Oshun Dance From Cuba”

• The first resource is an explanation of Ochún from the Santeria Church of the Orishas.
• The second resource is a 6-minute video of a performance of a traditional dance devoted to Ochún.
• When Madrina says that Zuri is a “daughter of Ochún” in Chapter 12, what is she implying about Zuri? Why is this moment so meaningful to Zuri? Do you think this new way of looking at herself will change anything about her thinking and behavior in the next part of the story?

Chapters 16-20

Reading Check

1. With whom does Darius attend the poetry reading?

2. What happens on the drive from Chevy Chase to Bushwick that makes it clear Darius is romantically interested in Zuri?

3. Whom does Darius warn Zuri to avoid?

Short Answer

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

1. When Zuri tells Georgia that her family is stuck up, what does Darius tell Zuri?

2. What does Darius reveal and apologize for on the drive from Chevy Chase to Bushwick?

3. What incident led to Georgia going away to boarding school?

Paired Resource

“Against ‘Proper English’: How Dialect Discrimination Threatens Diversity”

• This opinion piece discusses linguistic diversity and society’s baseless beliefs about “correct” and “incorrect” dialects.
• In conjunction with this resource, students might discuss Systemic Racism in American Society and The Manmade Nature of Class Structures.
• What characters in Pride exhibit dialect prejudice? What do their beliefs reveal about them? What kinds of dialect prejudice are common in the real world?

CHAPTERS 21-25

Reading Check

1. What is the name of the restaurant where Charlise works?

2. Where does Darius take Zuri to a party?

3. With whom does Darius get into a physical fight on the night of the party?

Short Answer

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

1. What does Zuri dislike about the restaurant where Charlise works?

2. What is so different for Zuri about her date with Darius in Williamsburg?

3. Why does Zuri get angry and leave the party Darius takes her to?

Paired Resource

“A Poet’s History Lesson on Brooklyn’s Bushwick Neighborhood”

• This PBS article offers a brief interview with Jacqueline Woodson and showcases her poem “Bushwick History Lesson.”
• This resource relates to the theme of The Dangers of Gentrification.
• How is Woodson’s identity tied to Bushwick? How is this similar to Zuri’s feelings? What point does Woodson make about the origins of this neighborhood and the changes it has undergone? How do her ideas about Bushwick compare with Zuri’s? Do you think the people at Carrie’s party see Bushwick as Woodson and Zuri do? What about Darius? What evidence supports your interpretation?

CHAPTERS 26-30

Reading Check

1. Who is Paola Esperanza Negrón?

2. What does Zuri title her admissions essay for Howard University?

3. What does Darius carve into the sidewalk in front of Zuri’s old building?

Short Answer

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

1. What surprises Zuri about the interaction Carrie has with the police at her party?

2. Why does Papi get angry at Colin?

3. What event implies that Janae and Ainsley’s romantic relationship may resume?

Recommended Next Reads

Like No Other by Una Lamarche

• Devorah’s Crown Heights neighborhood may be changing rapidly, but she is a traditional Hasidic girl who always obeys her family’s rules—until the fateful day she is stuck in an elevator with Jaxon, a boy with West Indian heritage.
• Shared themes include Gentrification, Systemic Racism in American Society, and The Manmade Nature of Class Structures.
• Shared topics include realistic fiction, romance, cultural norms, coming of age, New York City, family dynamics, and the West Indian American experience.
• Like No Other on SuperSummary

The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera

• Margot Sanchez is humiliated to be working in her father’s South Bronx grocery store when she would rather be spending time in the Hamptons with her new, wealthy friends. Her attitude begins to change, though, when she meets Moises and learns about gentrification issues from this attractive young community organizer.
• Shared themes include The Dangers of Gentrification, Systemic Racism in American Society, and The Manmade Nature of Class Structures.
• Shared topics include realistic fiction, romance, cultural norms, coming of age, New York City, family dynamics, and the Caribbean American experience.

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

• Fifteen-year-old Xiomara Batista uses poetry to reflect on the changes in her life as she struggles to establish her independence from her strict Catholic family, navigates the complexity of becoming a woman in her Harlem neighborhood, and falls in love.
• Shared themes include Systemic Racism in American Society and The Manmade Nature of Class Structures.
• Shared topics include realistic fiction, romance, cultural norms, coming of age, New York City, family dynamics, poetry, and the West Indian American experience.
• The Poet X on SuperSummary