Nothing But The Truth

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

EPIGRAPH-CHAPTER 6

Reading Check

1. What song does Philip’s school play during the morning announcements?

2. In which sport does Philip participate?  

3. What does Ms. Narwin request from Dr. Gertrude Doane?

4. What important vote is to occur on April 5th?

Short Answer

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

1. Why does Philip dislike Ms. Narwin?

2. Why is Philip worried about his parents?

3. How might you describe Philip’s personality in Ms. Narwin’s class?

4. What reason does Ms. Narwin give for the request she gave to her principal?

Paired Resource

“The Life of a Teacher and Why It’s Beyond Hard”

• This article from Forbes details the varying roles of the modern educator regarding student-teacher relationships, high-stakes testing, changing environments, and professional responsibilities.
• This resource best relates to the theme Purpose of Education.
• How does Amy Pierson’s experience compare to that of Ms. Narwin in the book? What challenges does she face that Ms. Narwin did not have to contend with? Has life as a teacher gotten easier or more difficult?  

CHAPTERS 7-12

Reading Check

1. What grade does Philip receive in his English class?

2. What reason does Philip give for struggling with Ms. Narwin?

3. Who originally stands behind Philip against his teacher and encourages him to stand up for his rights?

4. After the third time Philip is sent to the assistant principal’s office, what is his consequence?

Short Answer

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

1. Why does Ms. Narwin not receive funding for her professional development?

2. What advice does Coach Jamison give Philip for him to be able to continue running track?

3. Whom do the other students seem to support in this conflict: Ms. Narwin or Philip?

4. How does Ted Griffen blow Philip’s situation out of proportion? 

Paired Resource

“The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost

• This poem describes a choice made at a fork in the road, and its use as a metaphor for life decisions can be read in several deeply profound ways.  
• This poem connects to the theme Truth Versus Perception.
• What “path” does Philip set himself on by making the small but crucial choice to hum the national anthem? What small choice does Ms. Narwin make that sets her on her own path? How about Ted Griffen? Philip’s parents?

“The Anthem Debate Is Back. But Now It’s Standing That’s Polarizing”

• This New York Times article discusses how athletes face a complicated choice about how to respond during the playing of the national anthem at events. (Note: this article requires a subscription.)
• This resource best relates to the theme The Meaning of Patriotism.
• How does this real-life current event relate to the controversy in Nothing But the Truth? In what ways does this demonstrate varying interpretations regarding patriotism?

CHAPTERS 13-15

Reading Check

1. Who does the reporter contact for more information about Philip’s claims?

2. Who picks up the local story about Philip?

3. In a word, what does Ted Griffen think the school lacks?

4. What does Barlow “jokingly” suggest people should send to Ms. Narwin as one might send a postcard?

Short Answer

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

1. In what ways is the reporter’s story false?

2. How do various citizens who heard about Philip’s story react to Ms. Narwin?

3. How do Philip’s peers’ accounts differ from Philip’s?

4. Why are Philip’s parents proud of him?

Paired Resource

“How to Choose Your News”

• This 5-minute TED talk discusses the dangers of taking in news media from an irrefutable source and includes tactics and strategies to find factual, unbiased news.
• This resource best relates to the theme Truth Versus Perception and can be used to discuss the way Education and Patriotism are portrayed in the media.
• What mistakes do characters in the novel make regarding the news media they read? How might they remedy these issues?

CHAPTERS 16-19

Reading Check

1. What name do the boys call Philip to taunt him for his supposed patriotism?

2. What does Ms. Narwin think that the superintendent will expect of her if she takes the paid administrative leave he offers?

3. What is the main concern of the superintendent and administrators regarding the situation?

4. What does Philip do when his teacher at his new school asks him to sing the national anthem?

Short Answer

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

1. Why is Philip nervous about how his peers would react to his news story?

2. Why is Ms. Narwin against Dr. Doane’s decision to send her home for a day and move Philip into a different English class?

3. What do Allison, Todd, and Coach Jamison want Philip to do, and why?

4. Why doesn’t Ms. Narwin’s side of the story run in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch?

Recommended Next Reads 

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

• The story follows Arnold Spirit Jr., a Native American teenager living on a reservation and attending a predominantly white high school off the reservation. In the story, told through diary entries, Arnold faces ostracization and cultural clashes while grappling with his identity.
• Shared themes include Truth Versus Perception and The Purpose of Education.   
• Shared topics include identity, belonging, and adolescent struggle.
• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian on SuperSummary

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

• This story follows high school freshman Melinda, who starts the academic year as a social outcast after calling the police at a summer party. Struggling with trauma from a disturbing event that occurred that night, Melinda becomes withdrawn and nearly mute, spending the novel facing ostracization and grappling with reclaiming her voice.
• Shared themes include Truth Versus Perception and The Purpose of Education.
• Shared topics include adolescent struggles, social pressure, and misunderstandings.
• Speak on SuperSummary