When Stars Are Scattered

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

Part 1, Introduction-Chapter 3

Reading Check

1. Who are Hassan and Omar looking for?

2. Who do the boys stay with at the refugee camp?

3. What is Omar’s section of the camp called?

4. How long have Omar and Hassan been in the refugee camp?

5. What does Omar play at lunch?

Short Answer

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

1. What are Omar’s concerns about attending school?

2. Why is it problematic for Omar that his teachers give their lessons in English?

Paired Resource

“Sanctuary Without End”

• This article describes the conditions at Dadaab Refugee Camp and the consequences for displaced populations who are forgotten by the general public.
• What are the living conditions of those living in the Dadaab Refugee Camp? Why aren’t the people in the camp given permission to leave? Who provides support for the people in the camp? Why are the displaced people unable to get jobs? Why are there complications in the camps resulting from a lack of press? How is this article related to the novel’s themes of Maintaining Empathy Despite Personal Hardship?

Part 1, Chapters 4-7

Reading Check

1. Why are the children at the school grumpier than usual?

2. How often are food rations available in the camp?

3. Whose mother tells traditional Somalian stories and poems?

4. Where do Nimo and Maryam hope to go if they receive a scholarship?

5. Why is Maryam forced to give up her chance to study in school?

Short Answer

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

1. What differences does Omar notice between the boys and girls at his school?

2. When Omar sees how children with disabilities are mistreated, what advice does Jeri give him? How does Omar respond?

Part 2, Introduction-Chapter 11

Reading Check

1. What do Fatuma, Omar, and Hassan now own that provides them with more reliable food sources?

2. What occupation does Omar hope to have when he gets older?

3. How does Fatuma refer to the camp when Omar is discouraged about achieving his dreams?

4. What does Omar call his intense desire to be resettled?

5. Who is able to cheer Omar up when he is sad?

6. What does Jeri scheme to sell to make money at Iftar?

Short Answer

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

1. How do Maryam and Jeri respond after hearing that Omar and Nimo are on “the list”?

2. What does Fatuma share with the boys to settle their nerves before their interview?

Paired Resource

“What Is Ramadan?”

• This 4-minute video describes Ramadan, its origins, and Iftar.
• Why is Ramadan celebrated? What do individuals who celebrate Ramadan do? What is the purpose of fasting during this celebration? How is this article related to the novel’s themes of Balancing Beliefs in Dreams, Faith, and Hard Work and Maintaining Empathy Despite Personal Hardship?

Part 2, Chapters 12-14

Reading Check

1. Where did Omar and Hassan hide while the armed men were at their house in Somalia?

2. Where is Nimo’s family taken to live?

3. What is Maryam afraid her child will be?

Short Answer

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

1. What happened to Sadiya?

2. Why is Fatuma’s involvement in the boys’ life important to their survival?

3. How does Omar’s behavior become increasingly disgruntled as he waits to hear from the UN?

Paired Resource

“How Refugees and Asylum Seekers Can Resettle in the US”

• This 3-minute video describes the process of resettlement and the factors that contribute to acceptance in the United States.
• What is the difference between a refugee and an asylum seeker? What is the process for selecting refugees for resettlement? What are the rights of those who take refuge in the United States? What factors contribute to allocations for refugee admittance? Where in the United States do most refugees relocate? How is this article related to the memoir’s theme of Maintaining Empathy Despite Personal Hardship?

Part 3, Introduction-Chapter 17

Reading Check

1. Who donates a uniform to Hassan, allowing him to attend high school?

2. What did Maryam name her daughter?

3. Who does not intend to go to America if Omar is accepted?

4. What does Hooyo, the one word Hassan can say, mean?

5. When Maryam writes her poem, what does she compare the Somali refugees to?

Short Answer

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

1. Why does Hassan run away from Fatuma, finding refuge with a family in the next part of Dadaab?

2. How does Omar feel his mother’s spirit as he departs for America?

Paired Resource

“Refugee Kids Share Struggles of Coming to the US”

• This 6-minute video describes the struggles children face after they are granted resettlement in the United States.
• What difficulties do refugees face before being granted admittance into the United States? Why do refugees choose to relocate to countries other than the United States? What struggles do refugees face when adapting to American culture? How is this article related to the memoir’s themes of Maintaining Empathy Despite Personal Hardship and Recognizing and Utilizing One’s Gifts?

Afterword and Author’s Notes

Reading Check

1. Where do Omar and Hassan live after reaching America?

2. What year do Omar and Hassan become American citizens?

3. What subject does Omar earn his degree in?

4. Whom does Omar marry?

Short Answer

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

1. Why does Hassan advise the reader never to give up hope?

2. Victoria Jamieson helped to write When Stars Are Scattered. She advises the reader to reach out to people to get to know them. Why do you think she would advise someone to do that based on her experience with the novel?

Recommended Next Reads

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

• This graphic novel is a modern fable told in three intersecting storylines about children who wrestle with identity and racism in their middle school.
• Shared topics include immigration, overcoming adversity, and identity.
• Shared themes include Maintaining Empathy Despite Personal Hardships and Recognizing and Utilizing One’s Gifts.
• American Born Chinese on SuperSummary

Refugee by Alan Gratz

• This novel tracks the experiences of three refugees in three different locations and points in time who struggle to escape their homeland.
• Shared topics include emotional trauma, emigration, and overcoming adversity.
• Shared themes include Recognizing and Utilizing One’s Gifts.
• Refugee on SuperSummary