Staying Fat For Sarah Byrnes
52 pages • 1-hour read
Chris CrutcherStaying Fat For Sarah Byrnes
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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 is the name of the underground paper Eric and Sarah publish?
2. Who first served as inspiration for the underground paper?
3. Who does Eric think of when asked if Sarah has any other friends?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. What factors contribute to the bond Eric and Sarah develop? How does Sarah’s friendship help Eric?
2. What is Eric’s typical response to individuals he dislikes? What examples from the novel exemplify this behavior?
Paired Resource
“How Can I Improve My Self-Esteem?”
- This article from Kid’s Health analyzes the elements that contribute to healthy and unhealthy self-esteem.
- Shared themes include Self-Acceptance.
- Where does self-esteem come from and how can it be improved? What external factors contribute to Eric’s low self-esteem? What changes improve Eric’s self-image?
CHAPTERS 4-6
Reading Check
1. Who does Sarah believe is a common enemy of herself and Dale?
2. Who does Dale accuse of being responsible for Sarah’s scars?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. How do Sarah and Eric become friends with Dale and what benefits are derived from the new friendship?
2. How does Steve Ellerby respond to Sarah’s absence from school and what is Eric’s reaction to his confession?
3. Compare Eric’s approach to CAT class with Mark Brittian’s approach. How do the two apply the wisdom of the class differently?
Paired Resource
- This 9-minute video from Crash Course examines the rational, spirited, and appetitive aspects of argument and which is best suited for debate.
- Share themes include Morality and Ethics and Challenging Authority.
- What is the best way to approach an argument? What benefits do the members of the CAT class derive from debate? What limitations restrict these benefits for some members?
CHAPTERS 7-10
Reading Check
1. What class does Mark attempt to drop out of?
2. Who asks for Eric’s phone number?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. Describe Jody and Mark’s relationship. What factors contribute to Jody’s interest in Eric?
2. What is the reason for Sarah’s intentional silence in the hospital and how does the secret risk Eric’s well-being?
3. What events lead to tensions in swim practice, and how does the situation escalate?
Paired Resource
“Ethical Dilemma: What’s the Right Thing to Do?”
- This 5-minute video provides two examples of ethical dilemmas and how they are approached.
- Shared themes include Morality and Ethics.
- What are the moral and ethical dilemmas described in the video? What ethical dilemmas are explored in the novel?
CHAPTERS 11-13
Reading Check
1. Who decides to assist Sarah in finding her mom?
2. Where does Sarah live after leaving the hospital?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. What is Eric’s moral dilemma regarding Sarah and how does he choose to approach it?
2. What are Mr. Mautz’s feelings toward CAT class and why does he feel that way?
3. How does Jody challenge Mark’s beliefs and what is his response to the challenge?
CHAPTERS 14-16
Reading Check
1. Who was suspended following Mark’s attempted suicide?
2. Who does Steve call when Mark’s father and Mr. Mautz confront him?
3. Who attacks Eric from the back seat of his car?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. What is the difference between Mr. Mautz’s reaction to Mark’s attempted suicide and Ms. Lemry’s reaction?
2. How does Carter’s revelation about his father assist Eric in coming to terms with Mark’s attempted suicide?
3. How does Mark’s father’s reaction to his son’s attempted suicide compare to Mark’s approach to difficult problems?
CHAPTERS 17-19
Reading Check
1. Who apologizes to Eric while he is in the hospital?
2. Who exacts vengeance on Virgil because of his attack on Eric?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. What is revealed about Sarah’s mother? How does Ms. Lemry identify with Sarah?
2. What experience enables Eric to offer advice to Mark about returning to school?
3. What changes have occurred in Mark over the course of the novel and what factors contribute to these changes?
Paired Resource
“Why Your Friends Are More Important Than You Think”
- This article explores the value of friendship and explains how friendship can be maintained throughout life.
- Shared themes include Self-Acceptance.
- What are the benefits of friendship? How do the friendships change throughout the novel?
Recommended Next Reads
Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher
- This novel is about a student who forms a swim team outside the supervision of the school to combat the favoritism shown on the school team.
- Shared themes include Self-Acceptance and Challenging Authority.
- Shared topics include sports, bullying, and belonging.
- Whale Talk on SuperSummary
If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch
- This novel is about a 15-year-old girl who returns to civilization after living for years with an abusive mother in the woods.
- Shared themes include Self-Acceptance and Morality and Ethics.
- Shared topics include belonging and abuse.
- If You Find Me on SuperSummary
Reading Questions Answer Key
CHAPTERS 1-3
Reading Check
1. Crispy Pork Rinds (Chapter 1)
2. Dale Thornton (Chapter 2)
3. Dale Thornton (Chapter 3)
Short Answer
1. Eric and Sarah bond because they are both social outcasts and believe themselves to be ugly. Eric is self-conscious and feels unable to defend himself before meeting Sarah, but Sarah’s strength offsets his insecurities. (Chapters 1-3)
2. Eric passively attacks individuals he dislikes. When Dale bullies Eric, he and Sarah create a news article poking fun at Dale’s intelligence. The bumper stickers on Eric’s car are aimed at his swimming nemesis, Mark. (Chapters 2-3)
CHAPTERS 4-6
Reading Check
1. Mr. Mautz (Chapter 4)
2. Virgil Byrnes (Chapter 6)
Short Answer
1. After writing an article disparaging Dale’s intelligence, Sarah decides it is important to ally herself with Dale because of the common enemy they have in Mr. Mautz. Aside from the friendship the three of them share, Eric discovers Sarah has confided in Dale about her father’s abuse, which allows Eric to take action on Sarah’s behalf. (Chapters 4, 6)
2. Steve confesses that he is ashamed that he has not shown Sarah kindness at school. Eric is surprised to hear Steve’s confession but pleased his friend is considering her feelings. (Chapter 5)
3. Eric uses the CAT class as an opportunity to evaluate and formulate his perspectives based on class discussions. By contrast, Mark approaches the class as a platform to assert his existing beliefs. (Chapter 5)
CHAPTERS 7-10
Reading Check
1. CAT class (Chapter 7)
2. Jody (Chapter 7)
Short Answer
1. Mark’s overbearing personality exerts influence over Jody, leading her to consider withdrawing from CAT class following his decision to do so. Mark describes the class as blasphemous, and Jody reveals the hypocrisy of Mark’s views to Eric. Jody is drawn to Eric’s personality because he, unlike Mark, demonstrates a willingness to challenge his own beliefs. (Chapters 7-8)
2. Sarah reveals that she is using her silence in the psychiatric ward to evade her abusive father. By remaining silent, she ensures she cannot be taken from the facility. This silence, however, endangers Eric because Virgil, Sarah’s father, threatens Eric and pressures him to convince Sarah to return home. (Chapters 9-10)
3. Mark’s separation from Jody, coupled with Jody’s budding relationship with Eric, creates tensions on the swim team, despite Ms. Lemry’s attempts reduce that tension. Mark escalates the situation by verbally attacking Jody and Eric. (Chapter 10)
CHAPTERS 11-13
Reading Check
1. Ms. Lemry (Chapter 11)
2. Ms. Lemry’s attic (Chapter 13)
Short Answer
1. Eric has promised to keep Sarah’s secret but knows that Sarah is in danger because of her father’s abuse. Eric eventually decides to share Sarah’s note with an adult, Ms. Lemry, who resolves to help Sarah. (Chapter 11)
2. Mr. Mautz believes CAT class students bully Mark because of his beliefs. Mr. Mautz’s opinion of the class is swayed by his positive relationship with Mark and his view that Eric is a troublemaker. (Chapter 12)
3. The CAT class discusses the topic of abortion, something Mark is opposed to. Jody reveals that she had an abortion and Mark was the father of the child. Mark—unable to cope with the public challenge to his beliefs—claims Jody is lying and leaves the room. (Chapter 13)
CHAPTERS 14-16
Reading Check
1. Ms. Lemry (Chapter 14)
2. Mr. Ellerby (Chapter 16)
3. Virgil Byrnes (Chapter 16)
Short Answer
1. Mr. Mautz publicly announces Mark’s attempted suicide to the class and blames the students and Ms. Lemry for Mark’s attempt. Ms. Lemry—in contrast to Mr. Mautz—does not believe she or the students are responsible for the incident. (Chapter 14)
2. Carter reveals to Eric that his father died by suicide, and he has felt responsible for his father’s death. He explains to Eric that he eventually came to terms with the fact that he cannot control the decisions of others. Carter’s revelation helps Eric to understand that he is not responsible for Mark’s suicide attempt. (Chapter 14)
3. Mark’s father, Mr. Brittian, and Mark are similar in their approach to difficulties because they blame others when confronted with problems. For example, Mr. Brittian, rather than identifying the source of Mark’s inner turmoil, tries to blame Eric and Steve for Mark’s attempted suicide. Likewise, Mark blames Jody when he discovers she is pregnant. (Chapters 8, 15)
CHAPTERS 17-19
Reading Check
1. Mark Brittian (Chapter 17)
2. Carter (Chapter 19)
Short Answer
1. Sarah’s mother chooses not to take responsibility for Sarah. Ms. Lemry, seeing Sarah’s rejection, invites Sarah to live with her. Ms. Lemry’s compassion for Sarah stems from her own childhood rejection. (Chapter 17)
2. Eric has often felt ostracized for his weight problem at school. His experience enables him to empathize with Mark’s embarrassment and reluctance to return to school. Eric advises Mark to take ownership of his decision. (Chapter 18)
3. Mark undergoes a significant transformation in his approach to accountability. Initially, he struggles to acknowledge his role and shifts blame to others, as seen when he attempts to blame Eric and Steve for his suicide attempt. However, a positive shift occurs when Mark apologizes to Eric for mistreating him and admits he is considering a less rigid view of the world. (Chapters 17-18)
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