The Living

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

Prologue; Day 1, Chapters 1-6

Reading Check

1. What tragic event does Shy witness while handing out water at night?

2. What job does Shy’s roommate Rodney have on the ship?

3. What message does Shy get from his mother?

Short Answer

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

1. How does Shy feel about Carmen?

2. Who is Bill, and how does Shy feel about him?

Paired Resource

“What Is Social Class and Why Does it Matter?”

• This article defines social class and presents its importance in perpetuating societal inequality.
• This resource connects to the theme of Power, Class, and Race Dynamics.
• How do social classes play out on the cruise ship Shy works on?

Day 2, Chapters 7-27; Day 3, Chapters 28-30

Reading Check

1. What does William Henry show Shy and Carmen?

2. Who does Shy think ransacked his cabin?

3. When Shy Skypes with his mom, what frightening news does she share?

4. After a day floating alone, who else gets into Shy’s lifeboat?

Short Answer

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

1. How does helping other people during the storm make Shy feel?

2. Once in the lifeboat, what steps does Shy take to save himself?

Paired Resource

“Tsunamis”

• National Geographic provides background information about tsunamis, including a 2.5 minute video.
• The resource connects to the theme of Man Versus Nature.
• Compared to the information in this resource, to what extent is the novel’s disaster treated realistically? How does Shy survive the tsunamis?

Day 4, Chapters 31-34; Day 5, Chapters 35-37

Reading Check

1. What business does Addison’s dad work in?

2. Before dying, what does William give Shy?

3. Where do Shy and Addison finally find some food?

4. Whom does Shy find on the motorboat?

Short Answer

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

1. What does Shy realize when he throws the dead bodies overboard?

2. How has the relationship between Shy and Addison changed?

Paired Resource

“Incredible Stories of Survival at Sea”

• The BBC explores real-life experiences of people stranded in the open ocean for long periods.
• The resource connects to the theme of Man Versus Nature and Coping With Trauma.
• What do Shy and others do to survive being stranded in the middle of the ocean?

Day 6, Chapters 38-40; Day 7, Chapters 41-45

Reading Check

1. Where does Addison shoot their last two flares?

2. What brings Shy peace when he thinks he will die in the lifeboat?

3. Who saves Addison and Shy?

Short Answer

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

1. How does Addison’s experience with Romero Disease differ from Shy’s?

2. What are some clues that Shoeshine does not fully trust the leaders on the island?

3. How are the people treated in quarantine?

Paired Resource

“Trauma (Storm)”

• Gregory Orr presents a brief and complicated glimpse of a person facing trauma.
• This poem connects to the theme of Coping With Trauma.
• How do Shy and other characters cope with the trauma of the storm, being stuck at sea, and the pandemic?

Day 7, Chapters 46-50; Day 8, Chapter 51

Reading Check

1. Who saves Shy from Bill?

2. What does Shoeshine tell Shy?

3. In reality, who are the “researchers?”

Short Answer

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

1. How did Romero Disease begin?

2. Why do some people try to burn down the whole island?

3. What are Shy’s goals when he returns home?

Recommended Next Reads 

The Hunted by Matt de la Peña

• In this sequel to The Living, Shy, Carmen, and Shoeshine reach California, which has been devastated by the earthquake and Romero Disease. Through this treacherous landscape, they search for their loved ones and justice.
• Shared themes include Power, Class, and Race Dynamics; Man Versus Nature; and Coping With Trauma.
• Shared topics include adolescence, family, friendship, danger, survival, choices, and leadership.      

Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

• Miranda, a high school sophomore, writes a year of journal entries after a meteor knocks the moon closer to Earth, forcing her to take shelter with her family and attempt to survive.
• Shared themes include Man Versus Nature and Coping With Trauma. 
• Shared topics include hope, isolation, and survival.
• Life as We Knew It on SuperSummary