Nineteen Minutes

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

Chapters 1-3

Reading Check

1. Who does Patrick carry out of the school after the explosion?

2. Where do Lacy and Alex meet for the first time?

3. When Patrick questions him about the shooting, what does Peter finally say?

Short Answer

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

1. Why does Patrick sometimes feel dissatisfied with his work as a detective?

2. Why did Lacy choose not to become a doctor?

Paired Resource

“The Depressive and the Psychopath”

• This Slate article discusses the Columbine High School massacre of 1999 and what motivated the shooters. Although school shootings in the US were somewhat prevalent even before Columbine, this attack is what brought the issue of school shootings in the country into the spotlight.
• Teacher-appropriate (not student facing)

Chapters 4-6

Reading Check

1. Why does Peter’s teacher insist that he stand up to his bullies?

2. Who bullies Peter by breaking his glasses?

3. Why does Josie make fun of Dolores?

Short Answer

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

1. What changes Alex’s mind about applying for judgeship?

2. What does Jordan discover about how Peter views himself, in regard to the shooting?

Paired Resource

“Risk Factors for School Shooters”

• This Britannica article identifies risk factors for and provides statistics on school shooters.
• The information connects to the theme of Bullying.
• What are some of the risk factors identified for becoming a school shooter? What risk factors you can identify in Peter’s life prior to the shooting?

Chapters 7-8

Reading Check

1. Who is the girl in the yearbook whom Peter says he should “let live”?

2. What does Peter call someone who is able to go back and forth between otherwise well-defined high school cliques or groups?

3. How does Matt react when Josie refuses to leave the party when he is ready?

Short Answer

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

1. Why does Jordan think Peter fits the profile of someone with battered person syndrome?

2. Why does Josie’s behavior towards Peter change when Matt arrives at QuikCopy?

Paired Resource

“The Mental Health Effects of Popularity in High School”

• This article examines the effect of popularity in high school on mental health.
• The information in this article connects to the theme of Fitting In.
• Why is popularity a desired trait? What effect does Josie’s attempt at popularity have on her mental health? What negative or self-destructive behaviors does she engage in?

Chapter 9-10

Reading Check

1. Where does Lewis go instead of meeting Peter in prison?

2. Why does Peter bully his cellmate and break his glasses?

3. Who arranges for Peter’s email to Josie to be forwarded to the rest of the school?

Short Answer

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

1.     How does Josie feel when she watches Drew shoot spitballs at other kids?

2.     What does Josie realize about her “friends” after Peter’s email is forwarded?

Chapters 11-12

Reading Check

1. Who finally visits Patrick in jail?

2. Who comforts Lacy in the bathroom, after court adjourns on the first day?

3. What is revealed to have triggered Peter into action on the day of the shooting?

Short Answer

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

1. What argument does Jordan present in court in defense of Peter?

2. What realization strikes Peter when he is back in his prison cell after the first day of trial?

Paired Resource

“School Bullying and PTSD Symptoms: The Role of Parental Bonding”

• This article examines the role played by parental bonding in either mitigating the traumatic response to bullying or conversely leaving an individual more vulnerable.
• Teacher-appropriate (not student facing)

Chapters 13-16

Reading Check

1. What does Josie reveal about the shooting, when she is called to the stand?

2. What does Patrick find that corroborates Josie’s confession?

3. What is the jury’s final verdict?

Short Answer

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

1. Why does Peter want to testify?

2. Why does Peter lie about Josie’s role in the shooting?

Recommended Next Reads 

This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

• This realistic fiction novel describes a school shooting in which four different students come face-to-face with the shooter across the span of 54 minutes.
• Shared topics include bullying and the context of a school shooting.
• This Is Where It Ends on SuperSummary

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan

• This realistic fiction novel follows the case of an 18-year-old high school student who is charged with the murder of his girlfriend.
• Shared topics include bullying, fitting in, and abuse in intimate relationships.
• Mad Honey on SuperSummary