Alabama Moon

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

Chapters 1-10

Reading Check

1. Who does Pap teach Moon Blake to be afraid of?

2. What happens to Pap in the first chapter?

3. Who is the owner of the general store?

4. Who owns the land on which Moon and Pap reside after the paper company sells it?

5. Where does Pap tell Moon to go after he dies?

Short Answer

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

1. What is the description of the area in which Moon Blake lives?

2. How is Moon Blake’s home equipped?

3. Why does Moon like being in jail?

Paired Resource

“Educated”

• This 5-minute video describes the life of Tara Westover as she is integrated into society following a survivalist upbringing.
• How is Tara’s childhood similar to Moon’s? What kinds of problems does Tara face as she learns to assimilate into society? How is this article related to the novel’s theme of Wisdom, Learning, and Knowledge?

Chapters 11-20

Reading Check

1. Where do the boys recognize Moon from?

2. Who does Moon fight with upon his arrival at the boys’ home?

3. What does Kit take with his breakfast?

4. Where does Hal take the boys on the bus?

Short Answer

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

1. Why does Moon need Hal to succeed in his escape plan?

2. How do Moon and his friends escape Pinson?

3. Why is Moon surprised when the boys from Pinson do not want to join him in the forest?

Paired Resource

The Psychology of Scarcity

• This article describes the psychological impacts of scarcity.
• How does scarcity change the way people think and behave toward rare items? Why is scarcity beneficial at times? How does Moon prioritize his choices around things that have been in short supply? How is this article related to the novel’s themes of Empathy and Responsiveness for Others and “Freedom” Versus Friendship?

Chapters 21-30

Reading Check

1. Where does Hal intend to go after he becomes tired of living in the forest?

2. Who does Moon find in the forest next to the deer carcass?

3. What does Moon steal from Sanders?

4. What happens to Kit after a cold front moves through the forest?

Short Answer

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

1. Why is Hal at Pinson?

2. Why does Moon admit he doesn’t care about Alaska as much as he once did?

Paired Resource

The Benefit of Friendship

• This article describes the psychological impact of friendship.
• What are some of the psychological benefits of friendship? How do some friendships encourage growth and positive behaviors? Why do people who don’t have friends suffer psychologically? How are adults instructed to model friendships to their children? Do you agree? How is this article related to the novel’s themes of Empathy and Responsiveness for Others, Wisdom, Learning, and Knowledge, and “Freedom” Versus Friendship?

The Basics of Survival

• This article describes the basic survival skills needed in the wilderness.
• What are the five basic survival skills? Why is fire essential to survival? Which of the survival skills does Moon use in the wilderness? Does Moon neglect any of the basic skills needed? How is this article related to the novel’s theme of Wisdom, Learning, and Knowledge?

Chapters 31-40

Reading Check

1. Who does Moon visit while Hal is at the laundromat?

2. Where does Moon decide to go after he realizes Constable Sanders wants to know who is calling for Kit?

3. Who rescues Moon from Constable Sanders?

Short Answer

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

1. What is the realization Moon has about Pap?

2. How does Mr. Mitchell shed new light on Pap’s paranoia?

3. What do Kit and Moon plan to do when they are old enough to leave the system?

Paired Resource

Concerns About Veterans’ Mental Health

• This article describes PTSD and the consequences for Vietnam veterans.
• What percentage of soldiers from Vietnam developed PTSD? What are the effects of PTSD on war veterans? How is this article related to the novel’s theme of “Freedom” Versus Friendship and Empathy and Responsiveness for Others?

PTSD and Vietnam Veterans

• This 2-minute video describes one man’s experience with PTSD following the Vietnam War. (Content Warning: depictions of wartime violence; alcoholism)
• How did Vietnam shape the attitudes of soldiers as they returned to America? What impact might Vietnam have had on Pap’s perception of reality? How is this article related to the novel’s theme of Wisdom, Learning, and Knowledge?

Chapters 41-51

Reading Check

1. Who visits Moon while he is in jail?

2. What is the occupation of the people waiting outside the Courthouse for Moon when he arrives?

3. Why does the judge arrest Sanders?

4. Where does Moon go to live after his trial?

Short Answer

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

1. Why does Mr. Wellington take Moon to the Tuscaloosa County Courthouse rather than the Sumter County Courthouse?

2. What false claims does Sanders make against Moon?

Recommended Next Reads 

Holes by Louis Sachar

• This novel is about a fourteen-year-old boy accused of stealing and sent to a detention center.
• Shared topics include juvenile crime, friendship, and family.
• Shared themes include Empathy and Responsiveness for Others, Wisdom, Learning, and Knowledge, and “Freedom” Versus Friendship.
• Holes on SuperSummary

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

• This novel is about a thirteen-year-old boy stranded in the Canadian wilderness following a plane crash.
• Shared topics include wilderness survival, complicated family dynamics, and nature.
• Shared themes include Empathy and Responsiveness for Others and Wisdom, Learning, and Knowledge.
• Hatchet on SuperSummary