75 pages • 2 hours read
Arthur Laurents, Stephen SondheimWest Side Story
Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1961A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Answer Key
Act I, Scenes 1-2
Reading Check
1. To join the Jets (Act I, Scene 1)
2. Riff and Tony (Act I, Scene 1)
3. With Tony and his family (Act I, Scene 2)
4. Foreshadowing (Act I, Scene 2)
Short Answer
1. Schrank says he has to put up with the Puerto Ricans, so the Jets do too. Otherwise, he’ll beat up everyone and take them to the police station. (Act I, Scene 1)
2. Being in a gang is a lifetime commitment, like being in a family. It demands total loyalty. (Act I, Scene 1)
3. He considers the Jets part of his past. He tells Riff he’s “had it,” and he feels he’s about to start another chapter in his life—something is “around the corner.” (Act I, Scene 2)
Act I, Scenes 3-5
Reading Check
1. Her virginity (Act I, Scene 3)
2. To marry Chino (Act I, Scene 3)
3. Glad Hand (Act I, Scene 4)
4. To meet for a War Council (Act I, Scene 4)
5. The fire escape outside Maria’s home (Act I, Scene 5)
6.
