Sonny's Blues

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

Reading Check

1. How is the narrator related to Sonny?

2. What subject does the narrator teach?

3. Who is Isabel?

4. How did Gracie die?

5. To which drug does Sonny have an addiction?

Short Answer

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

1. What news is the narrator reading about at the beginning of the story?

2. What does Sonny’s friend ask the narrator for right before Sonny gets on the subway?

3. What does the narrator’s mother ask of him before she dies?

4. What is the narrator’s main concern regarding Sonny’s desire to be a musician?

5. What does the narrator finally realize about Sonny’s relationship with music?

Paired Resource

“Heroin DrugFacts”

• This resource from the National Institute on Drug Abuse provides information regarding the effects of heroin, overdose treatment information, and how heroin addiction is treated.
• What does this article reveal about the theme of The Struggles of Heroin Addiction? Based on what you read, what can you infer about Sonny and his use of heroin?

“Keep Your Brain Young with Music”

• This article from Johns Hopkins Medicine details the various benefits of listening to music.
• What does this article reveal about the theme of the Healing Power of Music? Based on what we know about Sonny, how might his immersion in music benefit him mentally? Does the article shed light on the narrator’s changing understanding of music?

Recommended Next Reads 

“The Flowers” by Alice Walker

• In this short story, 10-year-old Myop makes a startling discovery while gathering flowers in the woods, which in turn, changes her outlook on life and nature.
• This short story connects well with the theme of The Cycle of Racism and Poverty.
• “The Flowers” on SuperSummary

“How It Feels to be Colored Me” by Zora Neale Hurston

• In this personal essay, Hurston recalls going to a jazz club with a white companion, where they have two very different reactions to the music.
• This essay connects well with the theme of The Healing Power of Music.
• “How It Feels to be a Colored Me” on SuperSummary