95 pages 3 hours read

John Knowles

A Separate Peace

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1959

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Reading Questions & Paired Texts

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. What does Gene search for in the rain?

2. What is the setting of Gene’s flashback?

3. Why does Finny wear the pink shirt?

4. What does Gene realize about the incident with Finny at the tree?

5. What is the name of the sport that Finny and the boys create?

Short Answer

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

1. How does the narrator describe the Devon School? Does his return to the school match how he previously remembered his alma mater?

2. What feat does Finny attempt? Describe the significance of this feat.

3. What are the two reasons that Finny believes the school instructors are showing “commendable signs of maturity”?

4. What item does Finny improvise for a belt? What happens as a result of his unusual fashion choice?

5. What was the purpose of “The Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session”? Describe how Gene feels about this society.

6. What activity does Finny decide to take up briefly? What is the result?

Paired Resource

Related Titles

By John Knowles