Extended Response: Comprehension & Critical Thinking

The questions below can be used as written, simply answered in complete sentences, or easily transformed into longer essay (ELA) style questions, or even research topics. In any case, have the students support their answers with details from the text or use critical thinking skills to create a thorough and interesting answer. Consider the level of your students when deciding how to use the questions. The questions for each lesson can be found under the article's title below, and the answers for the short response questions are on the last page of the guide.

"How Anansi Got his Stories" p. 2-5

How did the stories of Anansi the Spider travel to North America?

"Tales and Lore" p. 8-11

What is the definition of folklore? What elements must it contain in order to survive?

Use the information from the article to answer the questions below with a true or false response. If the answer is false, provide the correction that would make the statement true.

_____1. Jokes can contribute to a culture's folklore.

_____2. Folklore is a written tradition.

_____3. Native American told creation stories that often linked humans with animals.

_____4. Griots and griottes serve as community historians and to keep the past and present connected.

_____5. Griots and griottes are considered foolish nowadays.

_____6. Humorous tales and scary stories also added hope to the lives of people who were repeatedly told that they were meant only for difficult annual labor and not for anything creative.

_____7. African American storytelling emphasized a quiet audience.

_____8. The tradition of creating folklore ended when slavery ended.

_____9. During the Great Migration African American folklore adapted the new surroundings, speeding up to match the pace of city life.

_____10. African American folklore has impeded ties between language and music.

"Brother Deer and Brother Snail Have a Race" p.12-13

1. Explain the reason for the creation of "Trickster Tales".
2. At the end of the "Brother Deer" tale, the other animals decided to play along with Brother Snail's joke, and called the race in his favor. Do you agree with this? Why or why not?

"Flying Africans" p. 14-15

What seems to be the meaning behind the African Tales of humans that fly?

"The Art of Retelling" p. 16-18

1. What type of issues influences the way a story is retold?
2. What do you think is the most important thing that listeners gain from a retelling?
3. What are some reasons that a storyteller may reshape a story?

"Why Hare Runs Away" p. 20-21

What is the moral of this tale?

"Tales that Unite" p. 22-23

1. What two purposes did Hurston's retelling of stories serve?
2. What was Johnson's aim in retelling the sermons of the black preachers?
3. In your own words, explain the influence these tales have had on cultural practices.

"How God Made Butterflies" p. 24-25

Describe the God spoken of in Lester's tale. Use examples from the text.

"God's Trombones" p. 26-27

1. Johnson's The Creation gives God human characteristics. Why do you think he does this?
2. Do you like his explanation of the creation? Why or why not?

"Knee-High Man Wants to be Sizable" p. 28-29

Essay: The author uses humor to leave the reader with a memorable message. Think of other tales that you know that also use humor. List 2 and write a short essay on why this method is so effective.

"Things Aren't Always As They Appear" p. 37-39

1. What helped African American Folklore reach a wider audience?
2. What kind of secret message did the tales of Uncle Remus express?
3. Who do most scholars believe that Brer Rabbit represents?
4. Why are Uncle Remus stories considered "trickster tales"?

"The Wonderful Tar-Baby Story" p. 40-41

Writing Activity: Do YOU think that fox ate the rabbit? Write one more paragraph at the end of the story, finishing it with your ideas.

"Stories of Survival" p. 42-43

Essay: How has folklore helped African Americans survive in the New World? In your essay, discuss folktales, legends, proverbs, sermons and song.

"Brother Blue" p. 44-45

1. Why is Brother Blue such a special storyteller?
2. Describe the ways that Brother Blue tries to reach his audience.

ANSWER KEY:

Tales and Lore

1. True
2. False/oral
3. True
4. True
5. False/wise
6. True
7. False/interactive
8. False/endured
9. True
10. False/enhanced