Out of the Dust

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

Part 1

Reading Check

1. Where was Billie Jo born?

2. When did the last good crop of wheat come?

3. Who taught Billie Jo to play the piano?

Short Answer

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

1. How does Billie Jo feel about playing the piano?

2. What are some ways dust is impacting the family’s daily lives?

Part 2

Reading Check

1. Who suggests Daddy dig a pond to help with the farming?

2. Though he usually harvests 20 bushels of wheat, this June, how many bushels of wheat does Mr. Haverstick get?

Short Answer

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

1. How does the family feel about and treat the apple trees, and what might the apple trees symbolize?

2. When the farm gets rain after the dust storm, how is it harmful rather than helpful?

Paired Resource

“The Dust Bowl Intro”

• This 5-minute PBS video presents an overview of the Dust Bowl’s events and their effects.
• The video connects to the themes of Finding Hope Amidst Tragedy, Resilience of the Human Spirit, and The Impact of Ignorance on Environment and Society.
• How has Billie Jo experienced hardship as a result of the Dust Bowl so far?

Part 3

Reading Check

1. What injuries does Billie Jo sustain when trying to save Ma?

2. What name does Billie Jo give her baby brother?

Short Answer

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

1. Why does Billie Jo feel guilty for what happened to Ma?

2. How does the relationship between Billie Jo and her father change after Ma’s accident?

3. What are some of the causes of the Dust Bowl that Billie Jo learns in school?

Paired Resource

“Dust Bowl”

• This 3-minute video includes background images and information about the Dust Bowl.
• The video connects to the theme of The Impact of Ignorance on Environment and Society.
• How is Daddy’s identity affected by the Dust Bowl, as the video suggests happened to many farmers?

“As the Climate Warms, Could the U.S. Face Another Dust Bowl?”

• This article from the Yale School of the Environment includes images, charts, and analysis about climate change and farming, including some processes that farmers are currently embracing to help prevent another Dust Bowl.
• The article connects to the themes of Finding Hope Amidst Tragedy, Resilience of the Human Spirit, and The Impact of Ignorance on Environment and Society.
• Who in Out of the Dust suggests some changes to farming methods? How do these changes compare with those referenced in the article?

Part 4

Reading Check

1. Where does Daddy get a job?

2. What does Arley convince Billie Jo to do for the dance revue?

Short Answer

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

1. What can we infer about Billie Jo’s feelings about Mad Dog?

2. How does Billie Jo feel about the art exhibit in town?

Part 5

Reading Check

1. With whom does Billie Jo want to share the news of her success on her standardized test?

2. What recipe does Billie Jo lament never learning from her mom?

3. What does Billie Jo donate to the family who has to shelter at her school?

Short Answer

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

1. What emotions does Billie Jo feel at the competition at the Palace?

2. When a dust storm arrives while Billie Jo is at the Palace, how does her father react?

Paired Resource

Compilation of Roosevelt's Speeches

• This page contains some of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s most famous speeches, including links to audio.
• The article and speeches offer connections to the themes of Finding Hope Amidst Tragedy, The Impact of Ignorance on Environment and Society, and Resilience of the Human Spirit.
• How does Franklin D. Roosevelt indirectly affect Billie Jo’s life?

Part 6

Reading Check

1. What catches fire in April?

2. After the long rain, what returns briefly?

Short Answer

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

1. When Aunt Ellis invites Billie Jo to come stay with her, why does Daddy say “Let’s wait and see”?

2. How do people in the community feel about Mad Dog’s singing on the radio?

“Pantoum of the Great Depression”

• Donald Justice’s poem offers insight into what people faced as they survived the Great Depression.
• The poem connects to the themes of Finding Hope Amidst Tragedy and Resilience of the Human Spirit.
• What are your reactions to the poem? Which lines resonate the most with the experiences of Billie Jo and others in her community?

Part 7

Reading Check

1. Where does Billie Jo get off the train and head home?

2. When she returns home, what does Billie Jo’s father agree to do?

Short Answer

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

1. Why does Billie Jo run away?

2. Why does Billie Jo return home?

Part 8

Reading Check

1. What advice does the doctor give Billie Jo about her hands?

2. Besides wheat, what crops does Billie Jo’s father plan on planting?

Short Answer

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

1. How does Billie Jo feel about Louise at the end of the novel?

2. What are some symbols of hope in the final verses of the novel?

Recommended Next Reads 

Bea and the New Deal Horse by L. M. Elliott

• After her father abandons her out of desperation in the heart of the Great Depression, Bea helps save the horses and farm of Mrs. Scott and, in the process, helps herself heal.
• Shared themes include Finding Hope Amidst Tragedy, The Impact of Ignorance on Environment and Society, and Resilience of the Human Spirit.
• Shared topics include growing up, nature, the Great Depression, family, and courage.

Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan

• Esperanza lives a life of luxury until a tragedy forces her and her family to flee their home. Working on a farm, she struggles to adjust but eventually finds her inner strength and determination.
• Shared themes include Finding Hope Amidst Tragedy and Resilience of the Human Spirit.
• Shared topics include growing up, farming, the Great Depression, wealth and poverty, family, and strength.
• Esperanza Rising on SuperSummary