The Jacket

Discussion Questions www.edhelper.com

Part I - II

1. Why did Phil grab the other boy?

2. What happened when Phil got up to the cashier in the cafeteria?

3. How did Phil feel about the argument with Daniel?

4. Why did Daniel take off the jacket and throw it on the floor?

5. How did Phil know Daniel's grandmother?

6. Who offered Phil another quarter?

7. What race are Daniel and Phil? Why is Phil thinking about race?

8. Why did Phil mistake another boy for Jimmy?

9. Why was Phil in a hurry?

10. Why was Phil so sure that the jacket was Jimmy's?

11. Where did Mrs. Atkin take Daniel and Phil?

12. What did Jimmy forget?

13. Who did Daniel say gave him his jacket?

14. Why didn't Phil accept the money from Daniel?

Part III - IV

15. What did Phil notice when he got on the bus?

16. How did Phil imagine Daniel's neighborhood and bus to be?

17. Why did Daniel cut through the auditorium?

18. What did Phil notice as he walked home from school?

19. What excuse did Phil give his math teacher to get out of class early? Why did he really want to get out early?

20. Why did Phil's mom give Daniel's grandmother the jacket?

21. How did Phil feel about his thoughts about the black women waiting on the bus?

22. What did Phil think about the black women he saw waiting for the bus?

23. How did Phil know that Daniel was absent from school?

24. What grade is Phil in?

25. Why was Phil waiting at the door for his mom when she got home?

26. Why didn't Phil's mom want him to discuss their conversation with Phil's dad?

27. Why did Phil think his dad would get upset about his conversation with his mom?

Part V - VI

28. Why was Daniel living with his grandmother?

29. How did Daniel react when Phil first tried to give him his jacket?

30. What surprised Phil about Daniel's house?

31. What did Phil's father ask when Phil told him someone else would be starting at center on his basketball team?

32. How did Phil feel about going to Daniel's house as he got closer?

33. Why did Phil feel bad about asking for Daniel's phone number?

34. What did Phil mean when he said he understood why Lucy called his father Mr. Morrelli?

35. How did Daniel's neighborhood compare to Phil's?

36. What did Lucy call Phil's father? Why did it seem unusual to Phil?

37. What did Phil do with Daniel's phone number?

38. What did Phil ask Lucy for?

39. Who answered to the door when Phil arrived at Daniel's house? How did Phil feel?

40. What half truth did Phil write on the note that he left for his parents?

41. Why did Phil say he was up early? Why was he really up early?

42. Phil lied several times while trying to make things right with Daniel. Do you think his lying was right or

wrong? Explain.