Before the End of Summer - Questions

Recall:

1. Which character first said "before the end of summer"? What was the person referring to?

2. How did Bennie first react to Dr. Frazier's conversation with Grannie?

3. What did Grannie do when her friend May died?

4. Describe Bennie and Grannie's life as "August drew toward its close"?

5. At the end of the story, what did Bennie say when Grannie told him to get his mother?

Interpret: 6. What might "the end of summer" symbolize, or represent? Explain your answer.

7. What do Bennie's actions after overhearing the doctor's conversation with Grannie tell you about how he was feeling at the time?

8. How did May's death affect Bennie's feelings about Grannie?

9. After Grannie hears that it is going to be an early fall, the narrator says, "Often that day, she came out on the porch and stood and looked across the fields and hills." Why do you suppose she does this?

10. In the last scene, what do we learn about Bennie and Grannie and their relationship through their dialogue, or conversation? Evaluate and Connect: 11. Bennie changes and grows during this story. How does the author show him changing? Use specific details from the story to explain your answer.

12. What can you infer about the relationship between Joe Bailey and Bennie's mother? What clues in the story help you to learn about them?

13. Stories often contain foreshadowing- clues that hint at events that will happen later. How does what happens during the storm foreshadow later events? What other instances of foreshadowing can you find?

14. What lesson about life or human nature does the author communicate through this story? Do you agree with this message? Why or why not?

Literary Elements: 1. How would you describe Grannie? What words and actions best illustrate Grannie's character?

2. Do you learn about Grannie through her own words, thoughts, and actions; through those of another character, or through both? Explain.

3. What methods of characterization does the author use to show how Bennie changes from the beginning to the end of the story? Use evidence from the story to support your answer.