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Warriors Don’t Cry

Chapter 1-2

1. On what day was Melba born?

2. What are the “last rites”?

3. What did Melba’s mother do in order to save her?

4. What does Melba’s grandmother tell her to do to cope with segregation?

5. Who did Melba live with when she was growing up?

6. Melba says she’d like to trade in her clothes for white clothes, but she doesn’t really want to be white. What does she want?

7. Who did Melba write to in her pink diary?

8. What went wrong on the family trip to the grocery store?

(Ch 2)

9. What happened on May 17, 1954?

10. How did the teachers react to the events of the day?

11. How did Melba usually go home from school?

12. Why was a white man offering Melba a ride home?

13. Who saved Melba from the white man?

14. What did Grandma do to treat Melba’s injuries?

15. Why does Melba pray for the white man who hurt her?

16. What important civil rights event happened on December 1, 1955?

17. How was life in Cincinnati different from life in Little Rock?

18. How many students were assigned to Central High School?

19. How did Melba’s family react when they learned she’d be one of the students at Central?

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Warriors Don’t Cry

Chapter 3-4

1. Who did Melba meet with at the meetings?

2. Who was Daisy Bates?

3. Provide information about the other students who integrated Central

Ernest Green

Terrence Roberts

Jefferson Thomas

Elizabeth Eckford

Thelma Mothershed

Minnijean Brown

Carlotta Walls

Gloria Ray

4. What did the members of the “Little Rock nine” all have in common?

5. What important announcement did the governor make in his speech?

6. Who or what is Mr. Higgenbottom?

7. What did the headlines on Tuesday morning reveal?

8. Who would walk to the school with the Little Rock nine on Wednesday?

9. How far did people come from to see the integration?

(Ch. 4)

10. How did the people in Melba’s neighborhood react as she and her mother drove by?

11. What were the large crowds doing outside of Central High School?

12. What do the soldiers do when they see Elizabeth and Melba being attacked?

13. What does Mother tell Melba to do so that they can escape?

14. How did Elizabeth get away?

15. What happened with the other students?

16. Why does Melba’s mother say that they can’t tell anyone they went to Central?

17. Why isn’t Melba allowed to see Minnijean?

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Warriors Don’t Cry

Chapter 5-6

1. Does the governor agree or disagree with the president when it comes to integration?

2. Why does Melba put on makeup to go to the wrestling matches?

3. What was special about going to Robinson Auditorium?

4. Was the white man who took out the ad in the paper for or against integration?

5. How was Melba’s church involved in the integration efforts?

6. Who was Thurgood Marshall?

7. Why did the Little Rock Nine meet at Mrs. Bates’s house?

8. Why was Melba surprised that the reporter called her “Miss Pattillo”?

9. What reason does Melba’s mother give for allowing her to date?

(Ch. 6)

10. How does Melba feel about the possibility of meeting the governor?

11. How did the nine enter the building?

12. Describe the courtroom where the hearing was to take place.

13. What kinds of people were in the courtroom?

14. What kind of health problem did Thelma have?

15. Did the governor show up? Why or why not?

16. Was the school superintendent for or against integration?

17. Why did Ernest Green want to go to Central High School?

18. Which other member of the nine testified?

19. What was the judge’s decision?

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Chapter 7

1. Where did the nine meet before going to school?

2. In addition to Mrs. Bates, who rode with the nine to school?

3. How were the nine treated once they got inside the building?

4. Did the nine have any classes together?

5. What happened to Melba on the way to homeroom?

6. How did the teacher respond to the students’ cruel treatment of Melba?

7. How was the P.E. class different from homeroom? How was it the same?

8. How was Mrs. Pickwick different from the other teachers?

9. What did Mrs. Pickwick teach?

10. What horrific option do the men in the office suggest so that the students can escape?

11. Who is Gene Smith?

12. How do the nine get out of the building?

13. How did Mrs. Floyd, Melba’s neighbor, feel about the integration?

14. Did the behavior of the white people outside Central change when the nine left?

15. How the reporters, black and white, treated by the mob?

16. Why didn’t Melba tell her family about what happened to her at Central?

17. What do you think the president will do to help the integration efforts?

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Warriors Don’t Cry

Chapter 8

1. What special group of federal troops was sent to Little Rock to help with the integration?

2. What did the men in black hats tell Melba and her family?

3. How was the military involved in escorting the students from the Bates home to Central?

4. How was the crowd outside the school different now that the federal troops had arrived?

5. How did the soldiers protect the nine once they got into the school?

6. What did the soldier do while Melba was in class?

7. How did Melba’s grammar teacher react when Melba mentioned the students’ cruelty?

8. Why was going to the restroom a particularly scary experience for Melba?

9. Describe the cafeteria at Central High.

10. What was the playing field being used for?

11. Describe the study hall class that Melba was in.

12. What part of the country do most of the reporters come from?

13. How does Melba feel about having a body guard at school?

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Warriors Don’t Cry

Chapter 9-10

1. It is now the second day with a military escort. Have things improved?

2. Why does a teacher need to witness something so that the school can do something about it?

3. How did the role of the soldiers change on the third day?

4. What special event was happening at school that day?

5. What dangerous object was thrown at Melba in the stairwell?

6. Why was going to the pep rally particularly dangerous?

7. How did Danny react when Melba told him that she’d been attacked?

(C h. 10)

8. How does Melba react when her family wants to talk about Central on Saturday?

9. Why does Grandma get Melba a new store bought dress?

10. Where would Vince take Melba for their date?

11. What gift did Vince give Melba?

12. Who took over for the 101st?

13. How was Melba attacked in the restroom?

14. How did Melba defend herself?

15. What threat did students make at school the next day?

16. Melba was attacked again. How was she attacked this time?

17. Who was responsible for saving Melba’s vision?

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Warriors Don’t Cry

Chapter 11

1. Who will Melba meet with on Saturday?

2. Did the meeting improve things at Central? Explain.

3. Where did Melba learn the techniques she needed to survive at Central?

4. What did Melba think the meeting with the superintendent would be about?

5. What was Minnijean’s plan to be accepted by the white students?

6. How did the other students feel about Minnijean’s plan?

7. What special invitation did Melba receive?

8. What was the Pattillo family’s Thanksgiving tradition?

9. Will the segregationist leaders face prosecution?

10. Why didn’t Minnijean audition?

11. Did Melba talk about integration at the chapel service?

12. How did the people at the service react?

13. What happened at the Thanksgiving dinner at Mrs. Bates’s house?

14. What important change occurred at school after Thanksgiving?

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Warriors Don’t Cry

Chapter 12-13

1. How did students use information from the newspaper to torture Melba and the others?

2. How was the harassment of the nine organized?

3. Who was invited to Melba’s birthday party?

4. Who was the only person that showed up at the party?

5. Why didn’t the other guests come to Melba’s birthday party?

6. Why couldn’t Melba attend Ann’s Christmas party?

7. What happened to Minnijean in the cafeteria?

8. Who was punished as a result of the incident? What was the punishment?

(Ch. 13)

9. What organization gave the Chrtistmas party that Melba and her mother went to?

10. Aside from celebrating the holiday, what was the purpose of the party?

11. What was Melba’s favorite gift?

12. Who visited Melba’s house on Christmas?

13. Of all of Melba’s resolutions, which do you think is most important?

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Warriors Don’t Cry

Chapter 14

1. What class did Melba drop?

2. What reward did the White Citizens Council offer?

3. What event did the Central High Mother’s League have planned?

4. How did Grandma India react to Melba saying that she wished she were dead?

5. Why was Minnijean suspended for the second time?

6. What did Grandma say when Melba came home covered in eggs?

7. How did Melba change the rules of the game?

8. Where would Minnijean go to school since she was expelled?

9. Who helped Melba escape from Andy?

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Warriors Don’t Cry

Chapter 15-16

1. How did Grandma India plan to hide the car?

2. Why did Link help Melba?

3. Who taunted Melba in the cafeteria?

4. Melba reads a book in the cafeteria. Who is it about?

(Ch. 16)

5. How did Link know what the white people planned to do to Melba?

6. How did Melba feel about Link?

7. How did Melba’s mom and grandmother feel about Link?

8. Where did Melba get the material for her Easter dress from?

9. What did Melba sacrifice for Lent?

10. Where did Melba’s fan mail come from?

11. Why was Link upset when he called Melba?

12. What is the problem with Judge Harry Lemley?

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Chapter 17-18

1. How does Mrs. Huckaby act toward Melba?

2. Where will Melba meet Link?

3. Where does Link take Melba?

4. Describe North Little Rock.

5. Why does Link take care of Nana Healey?

6. Why doesn’t Nana Healey work for Link’s family anymore?

7. Why does Link need Melba to talk to Nana Healey?

8. What did the doctor say about Nana Healey?

9. According to Link, what do the segregationists plan to do?

10. Why does Mother Lois lose her teaching job?

(Ch. 18)

11. What connection did the administration at Mother Lois’s school have to the Central integration?

12. How is mother’s situation tied to Link’s warning?

13. Who will Mother Lois call to get help?

14. Why did the segregationists target Ernie?

15. How was Mother Lois told that she could keep her job?

16. What weapon does Andy use to attack Melba in the gym hallway?

17. What did Mother Lois give Melba to congratulate her for making it through the year at Central?

18. What ritual did Melba perform to forgive those who had sinned against her?

19. Why couldn’t Melba and the others attend graduation?

20. Why was Link upset? What did he ask Melba to do?

21. Where did Melba and the rest of the nine go on their tour?

22. What did the governor do to prevent them from going back to Central?

23. Where did Melba go to finish school?

24. Other than Ernest Green, which of the nine ended up graduating from Central?

25. Who did Melba marry?

26. What career did Melba have?