Out of the Dust Questions and Answers
Why does Ma set the table with the plates facing down in Out of the Dust?
How do outcomes in her life impact Billie Jo and lead her to change throughout Out of the Dust?
In Out of the Dust, how does Billie Jo react to the hardships of her environment in the spring of 1934?
What are some examples of hyperboles and onomatopoeia in pages 87–124 in Out of the Dust?
Did Billie Jo's mother die in Out of the Dust?
What is the lesson that Billie Jo learns in "Out of the Dust"?
Identify literary devices on pages 129–149 of Out of the Dust.
In pages 93–110 of Out of the Dust, identify the the different literary devices used. Include page numbers.
What is a summary of pages 75–92 of Out of the Dust?
What does Hesse’s use of figurative and imagery in Out of the Dust reveal about Billie Jo?
Identify different literary devices on pages 153–175 of Out of the Dust.
Is Out of the Dust a true story?
How do figurative language and imagery develop Billie Jo's love of the piano in Out of the Dust?
How does the form of the poem "Thanksgiving List" as a list add to its meaning in Out of the Dust?
What is the meaning of the following quote found in Karen Hesse's Out of the Dust: "I think that we're both turning into dust"?
Contrast the poems “Hope” and “Hope Smothered” from Out of the Dust.
In Out of the Dust, why was Billie Jo named Billie Jo?
In the poem "Something Lost, Something Gained," explain what was lost and what was gained, both physically and mentally.
Why is Billie Jo's father important to her in "Out of the Dust"?
In the poems “Beat Wheat” and “Heartsick” from Out of the Dust, what is the author’s tone and how does the tone relate to Billie Jo’s character at that stage of her life? You can also use examples from other poems, but one poem must be when Ma is alive and the other must be after Ma and Franklin die (prior to Billie Jo leaving her home).
Describe the resolution of the novel Out of the Dust in the poem " Finding a Way." List at least three ways the book resolves.
In Out of the Dust, during the drought, what did Polly think Bayard should do?
In Out of the Dust, how is Billie Jo’s father different from the man Billie Jo met in the boxcar of the train?
Why is the title “Met” in Out of the Dust important to the poem?
Who is Arley Wanderdale in Out of the Dust?
Do you agree with my opinion that death can cause people to come together? That death brings people closer? Explain! Why or why not? In the book Out of the Dust, I believe that due to Ma's death this somehow brought together Billie Jo and Pa. Before Ma's death Pa and Billie Jo, didn't have the best relationship, due to the fact that Pa always wanted a boy instead of a girl. But after Ma's death Pa and Billie Jo began speaking to one another, hanging out, and so on.
Explain the symbolism in “Devoured” and “Night Bloomer.”
What was life like during the Dust Bowl, according to Out of the Dust?
In Out of the Dust, who was the man Billie Jo met in the boxcar? What was his name?
Why did Billie Jo criticize the killing of rabbits?
"Piano, my silent mother I can touch you, ... smooth and willing to stay with me talk to me..." What is the significance of this quote from Out of the Dust?
What happens when Billie Jo plays Ma’s piano again?
What do the similes in Out of the Dust mean?
What are 2 details about Mad Dog Craddock in Out of the Dust?
Identify different literary devices on pages 111–128 of Out of the Dust, such as simile, metaphor, imagery, repetition, rhyme, alliteration, personification, symbolism, and onomatopoeia. Please include page numbers.
In Out of the Dust, what is Billie Joe's main plan to get out of her dusty and harsh environment?
In Out of the Dust, who does Billie Jo feel that she has let down?
Who died in Out of the Dust?
Explain the pun in the poem "Tested by Dust."
What is a type of literary device found between pages 75 and 92 of Out of the Dust? Please include page numbers.
Analyze the dust storm on pages 142–146 of Out of the Dust. Choose three vivid passages that convey important ideas. Explain each important idea being expressed.
Identify literary devices on pages 129–145 of Out of the Dust. Include poem name and page number.
What are some good examples of imagery on pages 87–124 of Out of the Dust?
Describe the special kind of imagery in the poems “On Stage” and “The Dream.”
In Out of the Dust, how does entering the talent show affect Billie Joe's relationship with her father?
In Out of the Dust, who is Billie Jo's "Ma" at the school Christmas dinner?
In Karen Hesse's Out of the Dust, how would Billie Jo's life be different if she was a boy?
In "Summer 1935" (not including the poem "Met") and in "August 1935" of Out of the Dust, describe the tone of the poems and how the tone relates to Billie Jo's character at this stage of her life.
What impresses Billie Jo most about her mother in Out of the Dust?
Identify different the literary devices in the different poems on pages 193–211 of Out of the Dust.
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