71 pages • 2 hours read
Bethany WigginsStung
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2013A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
During Reading
Reading Questions & Paired Texts
Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.
CHAPTERS 1-8
Reading Check
1. What tattoo does the protagonist discover on her hand?
2. What is the main character’s full name?
3. Who is Arrin trying to save from the militia camp?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. Why and how does Fo cover the tattoo on her hand?
2. Why does Fo go into the sewer?
3. What are some questions the first chapters develop that the reader and Fo do not fully understand yet?
4. What can be inferred from the way the men react after discovering Fo’s tattoo?
Paired Resource
“Nasty, Brutish and Short: Are Humans DNA-Wired to Kill?”
- Scientific American examines human nature. (Subscription may be needed to view.)
- This information connects to the themes The Consequences of Rash Behavior and Preserving a Sense of Humanity in a Violent World.
- How do particular characters demonstrate elements of this article?
“Young People Find Hope in Organizing, Community Amid Anti-Asian Hate Crimes”
- Teen Vogue discusses how some people are responding to hate crimes. (Content Warning: This article mentions details of violent crimes, murder, gun violence, racism, and hate crimes.)
- This article connects to the themes The Consequences of Rash Behavior and Preserving a Sense of Humanity in a Violent World.
- How do characters form community and help each other?
CHAPTERS 9-15
Reading Check
1. What are “beasts”?
2. How many women survive now compared to men?
3. What effect do the wafers have on Fo?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. How did Bowen and Fo know each other years ago and how does that impact their relationship now?
2. What does Fo’s tattoo mean?
3. What is the wall and how is it significant to Fo?
4. How does Bowen react when others in the camp discover Fo is female?
Paired Resource
“Long-Term Climate Strategies: What Is a Long-Term Strategy?”
- The World Resources Institute explores the importance of planning for the future in addressing climate change.
- The information in this resource connects to the theme of The Consequences of Rash Behavior.
- In the novel’s backstory, how did the government act rashly instead of prudently?
- This United Nations text explores power and gender and sets goals for equality.
- The ideas in this article connect to the themes Gendered Notions of Power and Ability and Preserving a Sense of Humanity in a Violent World.
- What actions do women take in the novel to protect themselves? How do they attempt to equalize the power balance between men and women?
CHAPTERS 16-23
Reading Check
1. What keeps the hive of beasts from finding Bowen and Fo?
2. What does Bowen reveal about the food wafers?
3. Who is Duncan’s commander?
4. Where is Fo when she has her flashback about the flu? What seems to prompt it?
5. Where does Bowen plan to go once Fo is safe?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. What can be inferred by the reward for bringing Fo inside the wall?
2. How does Bowen demonstrate growing trust for Fo?
3. Why does Bowen want Fo to go inside the wall?
CHAPTERS 24-30
Reading Check
1. What causes Bowen to decide to take Fo with him to Wyoming?
2. What has Arrin planned to do to Fo?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. How does Fo help Bowen and Tommy escape?
2. Why does Fo shoot Bowen?
3. Why do so many people want to find Fo?
CHAPTERS 31-39
Reading Check
1. Where is Fo forced to fight?
2. Who is the nurse caring for Fo when she awakens in the hospital?
3. What does Fo worry will be a result of her broken finger and other injuries?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. During the fight, how does Jonah act toward Fo?
2. What did Dr. Grayson learn about the outcome for the children he cured?
3. What questions does the ending of the novel leave unresolved?
Recommended Next Reads
Pure by Julianna Baggott
- Pressia survived the Detonations, but faces new threats in a world where some live inside the safety of the Dome and others struggle to survive.
- Shared themes include The Consequences of Rash Behavior, Gendered Notions of Power and Ability, and Preserving a Sense of Humanity in a Violent World.
- Shared elements include friendship, family, survival, dystopian settings, fear, questions, choices, divisions, and adolescence.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
- Katniss fights for her life and justice in an arena controlled by adults in the Capitol.
- Shared themes include The Consequences of Rash Behavior, Gendered Notions of Power and Ability, and Preserving a Sense of Humanity in a Violent World.
- Shared elements include family, surviving, dystopian settings, violence, bravery, friendship, and adolescence.
- The Hunger Games on SuperSummary
Reading Questions Answer Key
CHAPTERS 1-8
Reading Check
1. An oval with 10 lines like a spider (Chapter 1)
2. Fiona Tarsis (Chapter 2)
3. Her brother (Chapters 5-6)
Short Answer
1. Fo feels some instinct to cover up the tattoo. It is like a voice in her head is telling her to “Conceal the mark.” She uses an old make-up concealer that belonged to her older sister Lissa she finds in the bathroom to cover it. (Chapters 1-8)
2. A young teen, Arrin, pulls Fo into the sewer, and Fo follows along with Arrin’s demands because she is afraid to stay outside by herself. She feels wary due to the threats and mystery all around her since waking up. (Chapters 2-4)
3. Some of Fo’s questions include: What is the tattoo image, and what does it mean? What happened to her family? How did she lose time? How old is she? Why is it dangerous to be female? What are people doing to crops? (Chapters 1-8)
4. The men act as if she is dangerous, which implies the tattoo signifies danger within Fo. (Chapter 8)
CHAPTERS 9-15
Reading Check
1. People who viciously attack others and seem to have lost all or most of their humanity (Chapters 9-15)
2. Women make up only one-eighth of the population. (Chapter 12)
3. Fo gets exhausted and sleeps after ingesting the wafers. (Chapters 9-15)
Short Answer
1. Fo and Bowen were neighbors, and Fo (as a young teen) had a crush on his older brother. Bowen indicates that he liked Fo when they were younger, which might increase his protectiveness of her now. They are now older and begin a relationship with each other. (Chapters 9-15)
2. The 10 legs of the tattoo insect mean that Fo had 10 doses of the bee flu vaccine. Those who received the vaccine “turn” into beasts, and their degree of viciousness is indicated by the number of legs on the tattoo; consequently, Fo is expected to turn into the strongest, most vicious beast. Others believe she could turn at any point. (Chapter 13)
3. The wall keeps some people inside and others outside. Life outside is dangerous, and that is where Fo finds herself. Some people inside the wall want her for experiments, so while it could be safer inside the wall for many, for Fo, it could lead to a different kind of danger. (Chapters 9-15)
4. Bowen knows he cannot protect Fo from everyone who will want to harm her. He hides her and plans to run away from the camp with her to keep her safe. (Chapter 15)
CHAPTERS 16-23
Reading Check
1. Rain (Chapter 16)
2. The wafers are sedatives. (Chapter 18)
3. Governor Soneschen (Chapter 21)
4. Inside a hotel when she sees a piano (Chapter 22)
5. Wyoming (Chapter 23)
Short Answer
1. The reward is large, even overlooking the age limit usually imposed within the wall. This huge reward means Fo is very valuable to someone in charge. (Chapter 20)
2. Bowen begins to leave Fo unrestrained, demonstrating he does not view her as a threat despite her strength and tattoo. (Chapters 16-23)
3. Bowen believes Fo will be safer inside the wall. The militia and beasts outside the wall are huge threats, and he knows he cannot stop them all from harming Fo. He cares about her so wants her to be safe. (Chapters 16-23)
CHAPTERS 24-30
Reading Check
1. Bowen has a nightmare, which scares him. He changes his mind, deciding Wyoming is a better option than the lab for Fo. (Chapter 24)
2. Sell her for honey (Chapter 30)
Short Answer
1. Despite Arrin’s warning, Fo shoots three raiders posing threats to Bowen and Tommy, risking giving away her own location. (Chapter 26)
2. Fo knows raiders are after them and aware of their location. She hears people coming and shoots, thinking it is a raider. It is Bowen. (Chapter 27)
3. Fo is proof that a cure may be feasible, as she has received the vaccine but has not turned into a beast. Some want to help her. The governor, though, wants her killed to maintain his lies and lifestyle, and he enlists the help of the militias in tracking Fo down. (Chapter 29)
CHAPTERS 31-39
Reading Check
1. The pits (Chapters 31-34)
2. Fo’s sister Lissa (Chapter 37)
3. Not being able to play piano again (Chapter 37)
Short Answer
1. Jonah’s actions appear to be protective of Fo; he fights against Arrin and a female beast intent on harming Fo. Jonah also protects Fo when the grenade goes off. (Chapters 31-34)
2. The doctor knew the treated children were cured, but he later learned Soneschen murdered them to keep people from realizing the truth. Had the news of a cure or the proof the children presented come to light, the governor’s power and lifestyle would have been ruined. Also, the governor wanted to drink the blood of beasts to gain strength, so he did not want people outside his inner circle finding out that a cure existed. (Chapter 37)
3. Some of the unresolved questions include: Does the governor get caught again? What happens to him? Do others get the cure? How does that affect society? Does Jonah survive? (Chapters 31-39)
