Grades 7–12. Five reading quizzes. Ten multiple-choice questions each. These Warriors Don’t Cry chapter questions hold students accountable for reading all of Melba Pattillo Beals’s abridged memoir. Cut and paste questions from the list or open the PDF.
Single whole-novel reading check: Warriors Don’t Cry Reading Test.
Warrior’s Don’t Cry Quizzes PDF
FREE: PDF quizzes as shown or cut and paste from the list below.
PURCHASE: PDF, DOCX, and answer key
Warriors Don’t Cry Reading Schedule
The five-reading schedule below divides the abridged memoir into manageable sections. Ten comprehension questions accompany each reading.
- Quiz 1: Chapters 1–4
- Quiz 2: Chapters 5–7
- Quiz 3: Chapters 8–11
- Quiz 4: Chapters 12–15
- Quiz 5: Chapters 16–Epilogue
FREE: PDF quizzes as shown or cut and paste from the list below.
PURCHASE: PDF, DOCX, and answer key
Warriors Don’t Cry Quiz 1: Chapter Questions for Chapters 1–4
- Melba’s birth is notable (worthy of attention or notice) because…
- A. She was born on Halloween.
- B. It was disastrous; she almost died.
- C. It was so quick, easy, and perfect.
- D. Her mother had to give birth in a car.
- What early memory of learning about racism does Melba share?
- A. Being thrown out of a public pool
- B. An incident at a merry-go-round
- C. Getting hit by a car and then ignored
- D. Being told by her mother which sidewalks she can use
- Melba feels terrible when her father, mother, and grandmother are berated (scolded and criticized) by…
- A. A minister.
- B. A judge.
- C. A construction worker.
- D. A grocer (seller of groceries).
- A white man angered by the integration order decides to…
- A. Throw Melba’s bicycle in the river.
- B. Set fire to the Pattillo’s house.
- C. Sexually assault Melba.
- D. Beat Melba’s brother to the point of hospitalization.
- After visiting Cincinnati, Ohio, Melba decides that…
- A. Life there is much better for African Americans.
- B. Life there is pretty much the same for African Americans.
- C. She would never want to live there.
- D. Trick question! Her trip is canceled.
- Who decides to sign Melba up to attend Central High School?
- A. Principal Swedeston
- B. Reverend Zebadiah
- C. Melba’s mother and father
- D. Melba, herself
- E. Grandma India
- Who sits up all night with a gun in order to protect the family?
- A. A neighbor named Mr. Higgenbottom
- B. Melba’s father, Will Pattillo
- C. Reverend Zebadiah
- D. Grandma India
- When the African American students walk to Central High the first time, the scene is…
- A. Crowded, silent, and creepy.
- B. Loud, crowded, and dangerous.
- C. Calm, organized, and orderly.
- D. Joyful, harmonious (working together), and busy.
- When Melba enters Central High on her first scheduled day, she decides that the school is…
- A. Very similar to her previous school.
- B. Even nicer than she expected.
- C. Not as nice as she expected.
- D. Trick question! She does not enter the school as scheduled.
- Who prevents Melba’s friend Elizabeth from entering Central High?
- A. Elizabeth’s parents and friends
- B. A group of racist protestors
- C. Soldiers
- D. Trick question! She enters the school as scheduled.
Warriors Don’t Cry Quiz 2: Chapter Questions for Chapters 5–7
- Grandma India and Melba have a weekly date to go to…
- A. Church choir practice.
- B. The movies.
- C. A sewing circle.
- D. Wrestling matches.
- Who speaks at a meeting and fills Melba with confidence in taking on segregation?
- A. Thurgood Marshall, a famous lawyer
- B. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a famous reverend
- C. Dwight D. Eisenhower, President of the United States
- D. Will Pattillo, Melba’s father
- Who leads the opposition (attempts to stop) to the integration of Central High?
- A. Governor Faubus
- B. Dr. Stephausen (the leader of a white supremacy group)
- C. Principal Davis
- D. Police Commissioner Paupole
- The press and the public start calling Melba and her comrades…
- A. The Central Seven.
- B. The Little Rock Nine.
- C. The Lambs of Justice.
- D. The Young Crusaders.
- One of the African American students has a physical condition affecting…
- A. Her eyes.
- B. Her stomach.
- C. Her sense of balance.
- D. Her heart.
- The teacher responds to a boy shouting racial slurs at Melba by…
- A. Slapping him with a ruler.
- B. Sending him to the principal’s office.
- C. Making him write the same sentence one hundred times.
- D. Trick question! She does nothing.
- Melba stays safe on her first school day because…
- A. She stays in one classroom.
- B. The African American students stay together.
- C. Teachers stay with her the whole time.
- D. Trick question! She does not stay safe.
- How do Melba and the others leave the school safely?
- A. They wait to leave late at night.
- B. A crowd of supporters surrounds and protects them.
- C. The police sneak them out through the basement.
- D. They leave in a laundry truck.
- The Pattillo household faces attack from…
- A. Thousands of letters.
- B. People throwing rocks and bricks.
- C. Threatening phone calls.
- D. Trick question! The house is fine.
- Melba gets the chance to express her point of view through…
- A. A television interview.
- B. Giving a speech at a rally.
- C. Writing a newspaper article.
- D. Trick question! No one seems to care what she thinks.
Warriors Don’t Cry Quiz 3: Chapter Questions for Chapters 8–11
- At the beginning of this reading, the integration of the school becomes possible because of…
- A. 500 police officers in riot gear.
- B. 1,200 federal soldiers.
- C. 200 volunteers (mostly college students).
- D. Several white Central High students who stand up to the crowd.
- Danny follows Melba throughout her school day because…
- A. He has complete press access as a reporter.
- B. He wants to make her quit Central High School.
- C. He has a crush on her.
- D. He serves as her personal protector.
- Some Central High students welcome the Little Rock Nine with…
- A. A huge sign on the front of the school.
- B. Ribbons worn on their arms.
- C. Welcoming words and gestures.
- D. Trick question! No students dare to welcome them.
- What advice does Danny give Melba?
- A. Stop coming to school.
- B. Be strong and stand up for yourself.
- C. Keep a sense of humor and laugh it off.
- D. “Kill them with kindness.”
- What is one happy event from this period of Melba’s life?
- A. She gets a role in the school play.
- B. She attends her brother’s wedding.
- C. Her parents give her a pet.
- D. She goes on her first date.
- Perhaps the worst attack on Melba at Central High occurs when…
- A. She is pushed down the stairs.
- B. Acid is thrown in her face.
- C. She is stabbed in the shoulder.
- D. Students tie her up and shock her with electricity.
- Minnijean believes she can win over the other students with her…
- A. Sense of humor.
- B. Singing.
- C. Ability in mathematics.
- D. Trick question! She knows she cannot win them over.
- Which student group invites Melba as a guest speaker?
- A. The student chapel (prayer group)
- B. The student newspaper
- C. The social justice committee
- D. The debate team
- Melba regrets making a public joke about…
- A. Helmets.
- B. Turkeys.
- C. Bathrooms.
- D. Brooms.
- When Danny leaves the school, Melba tells him…
- A. “I hope to never see your face again.”
- B. “This is all your fault.”
- C. “Tell the world what you have seen here.”
- D. Trick question! She doesn’t tell him anything.
Warriors Don’t Cry Quiz 4: Chapter Questions for Chapters 12–15
- At the beginning of this reading, Melba plans a party to celebrate…
- A. New Year’s Eve.
- B. Christmas.
- C. Her birthday.
- D. Completing one marking period of school.
- What ruins Melba’s party?
- A. A telephone call with a bomb threat.
- B. Almost nobody shows up.
- C. A guest upsets her and she leaves.
- D. Trick question! The party is a huge success.
- Why does Minnijean get suspended from Central High School?
- A. She calls a teacher a “Nazi criminal.”
- B. She throws a bowl of chili.
- C. She refuses to change in the girls’ locker room.
- D. She kicks a boy in his private parts.
- After the holiday break, conditions at Central High for the Little Rock Nine…
- A. Improve significantly (in major ways).
- B. Improve a bit (small changes with the students).
- C. Actually get worse.
- D. Trick question! They do not come back after break.
- How does Grandma India respond when Melba talks about suicide?
- A. She says it’s a good idea.
- B. She slaps Melba and lectures her.
- C. She faints and falls to the floor.
- D. She starts to cry and locks herself in her room.
- Grandma and Melba like to discuss the current events of…
- A. Baseball and the World Series.
- B. The Korean War.
- C. The space race.
- D. Celebrity gossip.
- Which of the Little Rock Nine receives the second school suspension?
- A. Melba
- B. Terrence
- C. Ernest
- D. Minnijean (again)
- Melba takes a new approach to the people making her life miserable by…
- A. Thanking them for their actions.
- B. Documenting (writing down) every attack with names and dates.
- C. Taking a self-defense class.
- D. Giving them the silent treatment.
- How does Link save Melba from her attackers?
- A. He starts a fight with one of the leaders.
- B. He lets Melba drive off in his car.
- C. He barricades (blocks) the doors to the stairwell.
- D. He lies and says that she ran into the library.
- Link’s friends turn on him because…
- A. They find out that he has an African American ancestor.
- B. He is kind to Melba.
- C. He quits the basketball team.
- D. Trick question! His friends do not turn on him.
Warriors Don’t Cry Quiz 5: Chapter Questions for Chapters 16–Epilogue
- What gives Melba an advantage in surviving the school year?
- A. A spy who tells her what her enemies are planning
- B. A reporter photographing anyone who comes after her
- C. A group of girls who stand up for her
- D. Trick question! She has no advantage.
- What news upsets Link deeply?
- A. His coach has dropped him from the team.
- B. The senior activities have been canceled.
- C. Melba already has a date to the spring formal.
- D. He did not get accepted to Harvard.
- Link takes Melba on a secret mission to…
- A. Drive Ernie home from practice.
- B. Steal signs.
- C. Unlock doors.
- D. Deliver groceries.
- Melba decides she can truly trust Link after…
- A. He invites her to the spring formal.
- B. She meets Nana Healey.
- C. She finds his scrapbook.
- D. Trick question! She discovers that she cannot trust him.
- Mama Lois achieves a real victory when she…
- A. Fights to keep her job.
- B. Speaks out at the graduation.
- C. Forces the Judge to meet with her.
- D. Gets the grocery store clerk to apologize.
- Why doesn’t Ernie participate in graduation?
- A. He is in the hospital.
- B. He failed to meet the requirements.
- C. The authorities decide it would be too dangerous.
- D. Trick question! He participates.
- After completing her first year at Central, Melba spends her summer…
- A. Hiding in her home.
- B. Visiting cities and meeting celebrities.
- C. Using a fake name and attending a summer camp for girls.
- D. Taking classes at a historically African American college.
- Melba does not return for a second year at Central because…
- A. Her family moves to Ohio.
- B. She graduated after one year.
- C. The governor shuts down the school.
- D. Trick question! She does return for her junior year.
- What profession does Melba Pattillo Beals choose?
- A. Lawyer
- B. Architect
- C. Reporter
- D. Social worker
- In the epilogue, many years later, Melba is…
- A. A guest at the White House.
- B. Returning to Central High School.
- C. Visiting her grandchildren at their school.
- D. Giving a speech at a university.
Why Use Warriors Don’t Cry Reading Quizzes?
Beals’s memoir covers one of the most significant events in American history through the eyes of a teenager living it. Students who arrive prepared engage with that history. Those who don’t stall the conversation. A ten-question multiple-choice quiz at the start of class takes five minutes, produces a clean grade, and tells you immediately who read. Class time goes toward discussion and analysis instead of plot summary.
Warriors Don’t Cry also carries a Lexile of 1000L on the abridged edition, higher than many teachers expect. Reading quizzes give developing readers a structured accountability measure and give strong readers an easy entry point before the harder analytical work begins.
FREE: PDF quizzes as shown or cut and paste from the list below.
PURCHASE: PDF, DOCX, and answer key
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M. Towle is a veteran Language Arts and Social Studies teacher with fourteen years of classroom experience in urban schools in Los Angeles and Philadelphia. M. Towle holds an M.A. in Holocaust and Genocide Studies and is the founder of TeachNovels.com.