Beartown

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

Chapters 1-10

Reading Check

1. Who is the star of the Beartown junior hockey team?

2. What is Peter Andersson’s role in Beartown Ice Hockey?

3. Who recommends that Amat play for the juniors?

4. Who is Maya’s best friend?

Short Answer

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

1. What is Benji’s purpose on the hockey team? What role or use does he fill?

2. How do the boys on the junior hockey team behave? How does this compare to boys like Amat, who are not on the team?

Chapters 11-20

Reading Check

1. Who comes to Amat’s defense after he scores against Bobo during practice?

2. What is the term used to describe the intimidating hockey fans who use the Bearskin pub as a base?

3. Who receives explicit invitations to Kevin’s party?

4. What is the outcome of the semifinals game?

Short Answer

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

1. What are some ways that Amat has faced abuse while in Beartown playing hockey?

2. What is Kevin’s attitude at the party?

Paired Resource

“Denver Muslim Community Rallies Around Hockey Star Nazem Kadri Amid Hateful Messages, Death Threats”

• Vic Vela’s article and audio report covers recent difficulties faced by Nazem Kadri, a Muslim hockey player who has faced racism during his time in the sport. Members of the Muslim community rally around him as some of the people interviewed relay their own struggles with racism in athletics.
• How does this news article reflect Amat’s experience as he is moved to the junior team? What does this news piece, alongside the novel, reveal about the culture present in some sports?

“Hockey Canada: A Sex Assault Scandal Disgraces Country’s Pastime”

• This BBC article describes both recent and historic sexual assault scandals perpetrated by members of Hockey Canada. It describes both the culture of Secrets and Shame associated with those who are victims of sexual assault and the culture of “toxic masculinity” often associated with sports. This article may be a powerful tool to use when frontloading the sexual assault that takes place in the next section of the novel. (Content Warning: Sexual assault.)
• What is one of the dangers of sports culture, according to this article? How does that connect with what we have seen thus far in the novel?

Chapters 21-30

Reading Check

1. Where does Benji take solace after leaving Kevin’s party?

2. What happens upstairs in Kevin’s bedroom?

3. What do Benji and Adri give Sune as a token of their appreciation?

4. What happens the day the junior team leaves for the finals game?

Short Answer

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

1. What does Maya do to hide her assault?

2. What do the other hockey players do to test Amat’s loyalty and assure his silence about what he witnessed the night of the party?

3. Why does Maya ultimately decide to go to the police?

Paired Resource

“The Criminal Justice System: Statistics”

• This webpage from RAINN provides information, infographics, and explanations of how likely it is that the perpetrators of sexual assault will be brought to justice. It also provides information as to why survivors do or do not report their abuse. This ties into the theme of Secrets and Shame, both personally and culturally, which is connected to sexual assault.
• In what ways is this article representative of the scenarios presented in the novel? Of the list of reasons why victims do or do not report, which ones apply to the novel?

Chapters 31-40

Reading Check

1. What does David give to the members of the hockey team after Beartown loses the final?

2. What does Maya receive after Beartown loses the final??

3. What is revealed about Benji through his interactions with the bass player?

Short Answer

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

1. What is Kevin’s father angry about?

2. What kind of attention does Amat receive, and from whom?

3. What significant things occur after Benji follows Maya into the bathroom?

Paired Resource

“In Stanford Rape Case, Brock Turner Blamed Drinking and Promiscuity”

• This New York Times article gives an overview of Stanford Rape Case, an instance in which a popular college athlete sexually assaulted a drunk woman. Famously, the assailant—Brock Turner—was given what was widely regarded as an extremely lenient sentence following his conviction. (Content Warning: Sexual assault. Subscription may be needed to view.)
• What are the parallels between the Stanford Rape Case and the situation playing out in Beartown? How do the real life and fictional stories characterize the perpetrators?

“Chanel Miller Reads Her Entire Victim Impact Statement”

• Following Brock Turner’s conviction, his victim provided a victim impact statement detailing how his assault changed her life. Although the case was decided in 2016, Chanel Miller did not reveal her identity until 2019. Her statement, which she has recorded and can be played by those with access to Paramount+, showcases the Grief she and her loved ones experienced as they tried to process her trauma. (Subscription is needed to view.) Alternatively, Chanel Miller published Know my Name: A Memoir in 2019 that might be excerpted, as well.
• Know My Name: A Memoir on SuperSummary
• In what ways does Chanel Miller’s experience align with Maya’s? What do the similarities and differences reveal about trauma?

Chapters 41-50

Reading Check

1. Who cleans the graffiti off Maya’s locker?

2. What job has David been offered?

3. Who tries to intercede when the hockey boys attack Amat?

4. For which hockey team does Benji decide to play?

Short Answer

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

1. How does Ramona show her support for Maya?

2. What significant realization does Kevin’s mom come to and how does she come to it?

3. What happens with the police investigation and why?

4. What is Maya’s goal when she meets Kevin on the track?

Recommended Next Reads 

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

• Carrie Soto comes out of retirement in an effort to reclaim her tennis records, which have been usurped by a young, new player named Nicki Chan.
• Shared topics include sports, love, and what it means to be great.
• Shared themes include Secrets and Shame and Grief.
• Carrie Soto is Back on SuperSummary

Us Against You by Fredrik Backman

• The sequel to Beartown follows the characters as they navigate the potential disbandment of Beartown Hockey and the lengths that community members will go to in order to save their sport.
• Shared topics include community, sports, and overcoming trauma.
• Shared themes include Secrets and Shame, Grief, and Hockey, Hope, and Obsession.
• Us Against You on SuperSummary