Crossing Jordan Student Study Questions

Chapter 1:
1. What is the geographical setting of this story?
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2. Based on the geographical setting of the story, why would the character say,
Summers the worst time to build anything?
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3. What is the season setting of the story? _________________________________
4. What year or time period may the story be set in?
a. over 50 years ago

b. between 15 and 20 years ago

c. 5 years ago

5. Why do you think Miss Liz named all of her cats after Confederate Generals?
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6. Thinking back to what you learned last year about the Civil War, why do you think
the biggest cats name was Robert E. Lee?
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Chapter 2:
7. Why wouldnt daddy want Cass hanging out with the kids in the new family?
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8. How old was Cass when she found out she could run? ______________________
9. Why do you think she still runs even though shes going into the 7th grade?
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10. When Cass says, Winnings not the important thing. Runnings the important
thing. What does she mean? ___________________________________________
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11. Why does Leona want to call the city and see if the Bodines got a permit for their
fence?
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12. At the end of the chapter why does Cass accuse the new neighbors of stealing a cat?

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Chapter 3:
13. Why does Cass say that if cooking was Lou Annes job the family would starve?
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14. If Lou Anne could mess up buttering toast do you think its a good idea to make
her summer job taking care of a baby? Why? ________________________________
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15. Did the new neighbor girls legs really start at her feet and end at her ears? What is
the author trying to tell you by saying that? ___________________________________
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16. Is it possible to run so fast that you leave someone stuck in last week? What is the
point of saying it this way? _______________________________________________
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17. Does the rope in Wakulla Springs really make the alligators stay on their side of the
spring? ________________________________________________________________
18. What is the point of the rope in the middle of Wakulla Springs? _______________
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Chapter 4:
19. When Cass says, I had stretched until I was as loose as an old rubber band. What
type of literary device is the author using? What does Cass really mean when she says
this? _________________________________________________________________
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20. Think back to the way Casss father talks about African-Americans. Do you think
that the event on page 19 had an effect on the way he acts and feels towards blacks?
Why? ________________________________________________________________
21. When Lou Annes mother says, shes as lazy as a cat. What literary device is
the author using? _______________________________________________________

22. On page 24 Cass reads in a magazine about finding The Zone when running. Can
you find The Zone in school? How? ______________________________________
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Chapter 5:
23. Why dont Jemmie and Cass walk home from the track together after the race?
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24. Do you think Poppy/General Lee cares what name he has? Why? _____________
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25. When Jemmie comes up with the idea to pass Jane Eyre back and forth between the
fence, since neither girl can cross the fence, what LIFESKILL did she use? __________
Chapter 6:
26. On page 30 what does the author mean when she says that Jemmie and Cass are like
two parts of one machine? _________________________________________________
27. Who is the person telling the story? How do you know? _____________________
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28. Why do you think the black doll Hattie on page 35 was Miss Lizs favorite doll?
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29. Who do you think the doll is? (hint: its probably someone from Miss Lizs life)
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30. After reading page 36, why is this book titled Crossing Jordan?
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31. What does Nana Grace mean when she says, You pay for education one time?
You pay for ignorance your whole life long. _________________________________
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Chapter 7:
32. Why did the quarts of oil and bags of potato chips sit up and take notice when Cass
called Jemmie her friend? _________________________________________________
33. What did Andy do when Jemmie asked him if a white kid had ever stolen from the
store? _________________________________________________________________
34. What is Jemmie implying by asking Andy that question? _____________________
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35. Think about the relationship between Cass and Jemmie and what happened at the
convenience store. What was the point of Nana Grace telling the story about Rosa
Parks right after what happened with Andy? __________________________________
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36. Did Rosa Parks really hold a match to tinder? What type of literary device is the
author using here? _______________________________________________________
37. After reading page 49, what are two examples of things that many white people did
to help African-Americans to gain equality? __________________________________
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38. Were African-Americans really trying to take a bone away from a dog to become
equal? What type of literary device is the author using? _________________________
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Chapter 9:
40. After reading page 56 and 57 do you agree with Casss point that being poor can
stop you from achieving your dreams? Why? _________________________________
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41. Do you think Jemmie is correct in saying that white people have nothing stopping
them from doing whatever they want? Why? _________________________________

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42. On page 60 when Leone Lewis, Jemmies mom, says that Cass is being raised by a
family full of hate, what is ironic about that statement? __________________________
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Chapter 10:
43. What LIFESKILL did Cass use on page 62 when she moved Codys chalk out of
the road so it wouldnt get run over? ________________________________________
44. On page 63 when the author says hes as pale and gray as the cigarette ash in the
ashtray, what type of literary device is she using? _____________________________
45. What does Casss father mean when he says Ill show you where it hurts, then
pats his wallet pocket? ____________________________________________________
46. Where did Casss father learn the way he thinks and acts towards AfricanAmericans? ____________________________________________________________
47. On page 66 when Cass and Ben have talked until their shadows are so long they
touched Miss Lizs gravestone, what does that mean? ___________________________
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Chapter 12:
48. Since neither girls family allows them to see each other, what LIFESKILL did they
use to communicate with each other? ________________________________________
49. Why do you think Jemmie used so many paper clips to keep the end of Jane Eyre
separated? ______________________________________________________________
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Chapter 13:
50. Why does Lou Annes father ask if Lou Anne was dropped on her head when she
asks to go to the beach and spend the night with Andy? _________________________
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51. When Cass says Mr. Rochester is going to have to lie in bed like a hot dog on a
grill, what type of literary device is she using? ________________________________
52. Why is Mr. Rochester going to have to lie there and wait on Jane? ______________
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53. Why does Andy call Cass Little Miss Hitler? _____________________________
Chapter 14:
54. When Cass says A thrill stabbed my chest, was she really stabbed? ___________
55. At the bottom of page 87, why is Lou Annes alarm clock broken, or is there
another reason why the minute hand seems to be moving so slowly? _______________
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56. On page 88 when Cass is spinning down like a falling leaf what type of literary
device is the author using? ________________________________________________
Chapter 15:
57. When Mr. G says that Lou Anne is a monsoon, what type of literary device is he
using? ________________________________________________________________
58. What person in her life made Jemmie love to run? _________________________
Chapter 16:
59. What are the two things that Casss mom and Jemmies mom have in common?
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Chapter 17:
60. When Cass and Jemmie go to the library to look for Charlotte Bronte books why
were they looking under B and not C? _______________________________________
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61. When Cass says the shoe factor is getting critical what does she mean? _________
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62. On page 121 we discover another thing both girls mothers have in common, what
is it? __________________________________________________________________
Chapter 18:
63. Why does Casss father think Leona Lewis is trying to prove shes better than he is
by buying Cass new shoes? ________________________________________________
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64. Why do Casss parents owe her a chance to win the race? ____________________
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Chapter 19:
65. Why did Cass stop running to go back and get Jemmie after she fell? What
LIFESKILL did she use when she did this? __________________________________
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Chapter 20:
66. Why did Cass and Jemmie wind up on the front page of the paper even though they
didnt win the race? _____________________________________________________
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67. What was the first event that wound up bringing the Bodines and Lewiss
together? (hint: its not in this chapter) _______________________________________
68. What was special when Mr. Bodine said the blessing, Thank you Lord for food
and friends? __________________________________________________________
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69. Why were Jemmie and Cass pinching and flicking each other underneath the table
during dinner? __________________________________________________________
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