The Bite of the Mango

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

Chapters 1-3

Reading Check

1. Why did Mariatu and her family members move to Manarma?

2. Why does Mariatu tell the soldiers she likes what she sees?

3. How does Mariatu become disabled in the rebel camp?

4. What does Mariatu ask herself after the rebel soldiers tell her she will be unable to vote for the president?

Short Answer

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

1. Mariatu, after witnessing the horrors of the rebel camp, says she wants to die but also tells the soldiers what they want to hear to preserve her life. Why does she do this?

2. Mariatu describes opening her eyes and seeing soldiers young enough that she could have played hide-and-seek with them. Why do you think Mariatu uses this imagery to describe the soldiers? How does this relate to the memoir’s theme of The Loss of Childhood Innocence?

Chapters 4-6

Reading Check

1. Where is Mariatu sent after reaching the hospital in Port Loko?

2. Whom does Mariatu see in the ambulance after leaving Port Loko?

3. Whom does Mariatu meet in the ambulance after accidentally leaning her head on the stranger’s shoulder?

4. How does Mohamed lift Mariatu’s spirits?

Short Answer

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

1. Mariatu believes that animals are the spirits of dead relatives because of her grandmother’s teaching. What is the significance of the black animals in her memoir, and how does she believe they assist her?

2. What comparison does Mariatu make to the weaver bird?

Chapters 7-9

Reading Check

1. How does Mariatu become pregnant?

2. What does Abibatu say to encourage Mariatu to continue living?

3. What does Mohamed tell Mariatu after she receives a large donation while begging?

4. Whom does Abdul marry?

Short Answer

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

1. What does Mariatu’s realization of her pregnancy say about her understanding of the world? How is it related to the theme of The Loss of Childhood Innocence?

2. What does Mariatu mean when she tells Salieu that “a mistake is putting too much salt on the rice”?

Paired Resource

Female Circumcision

• This United Nations article details the dangers of female circumcision, also called female genital mutilation (FGM), and efforts to stop FGM.
• Teacher-appropriate; may not be appropriate for student groups
• What are some of the dangers associated with FGM? Why does Fatmata participate in FGM? How does this article relate to the novel’s theme of The Childhood Loss of Innocence?

Chapters 10-12

Reading Check

1. Why does Mariatu reject Musa’s proposal?

2. What happens when Mariatu begs with her son, Abdul?

3. Why does Mariatu agree to speak to the journalists at the camp?

4. What happens to Mariatu’s son?

Short Answer

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

1. What is Mariatu’s response to her caesarian birth? Why does she respond this way?

2. Why is the theater troupe important to Mariatu?

Paired Resource

“Children No Longer: Healing Child Soldiers in Sierra Leone”

• This article describes the child soldiers who were forced to fight in Sierra Leone and their journey to heal.
• Based on the article, how accurate do you think the theater troupe’s depictions of the child soldiers are? How is this connected to the novel’s themes of A Sense of Belonging and The Loss of Childhood Innocence?

Chapters 13-15

Reading Check

1. Who is Comfort, and what does she tell Mariatu?

2. Why does Mariatu fly to England?

3. Why is it common practice to use a toe print to sign documents in Sierra Leone?

4. Where does Mariatu feel she belongs?

Short Answer

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

1. Why does Marie tell Mariatu not to look back before she leaves for England?

2. How does Mariatu feel about the prosthetic, and why?

Paired Resource

“7 of the Biggest Challenges Immigrants and Refugees Face in the US”

• This article explains why the problems faced by refugees and immigrants do not end when they reach the US.
• What are some of the challenges for refugees? How is this connected to the novel’s theme of A Sense of Belonging?

Chapters 16-18

Reading Check

1. What is different about the way Mariatu interacts with her family upon her return from England?

2. Why does Mariatu like Canada better than England?

3. Why does Mariatu stay with Kadi and Abou instead of Bill?

4. What does Kadi enroll Mariatu in?

Short Answer

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

1. How does Mariatu view her prosthetics? How does her perspective compare to the way Yabom, David, and Mariama view the prosthetics and Mariatu’s experience with them?

2. How is Mariatu’s relationship with Yabom different from that of the relationship she had with her family?

Paired Resource

Recovery Efforts in Sierra Leone

• This article describes some of the challenges of rebuilding Sierra Leone.
• What efforts are being made to rebuild Sierra Leone? What challenges face the people there? How is this connected to the novel’s themes of A Sense of Belonging and Disability and Independence?

Chapters 19-22

Reading Check

1. What does Mariatu say to Kadi and the nieces when she graduates from her English courses?

2. What does Mariatu receive from a charity group?

3. What does Mariatu realize about the articles that were written about her when she lived in Sierra Leone?

4. Who is Ishmael Beah?

Short Answer

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

1. When Mariatu asks Kadi what will happen if she gets lost, Kadi replies, “Then you get lost.” What does the statement say about Kadi’s perspective on life? How is this exchange related to the novel’s theme of Disability and Independence?

2. What has changed about Mariatu’s perspective on Sierra Leone?

Recommended Next Reads

A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah

• This memoir, mentioned in The Bite of the Mango, describes the firsthand experiences of a boy who was a soldier in the Sierra Leone civil war.
• Similar topics include civil war, Sierra Leone, and refugees.
• Shared themes include The Loss of Childhood Innocence and The Will to Live.
• A Long Way Gone on SuperSummary

Every Falling Star: The True Story of How I Survived and Escaped North Korea by Sungju Lee and Susan Elizabeth McClelland

• Another memoir coauthored by McClelland, this book describes a young man’s flight from the repressive North Korean regime.
• Shared topics include corrupt government, survival, and immigration.
• Shared themes include The Will to Live, The Loss of Childhood Innocence, and A Sense of Belonging.
• Every Falling Star on SuperSummary