Hey, Kiddo: How I Lost My Mother, Found My Father, and Dealt with Family Addiction

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-book review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. What role does the family memorabilia play in the memoir?

A) It demonstrates Jarrett’s growing skill as an artist.

B) It includes important details not found in the memoir.

C) It highlights the reality of the story.

D) It serves to portray Jarrett’s adult perspective.

2. What can the reader infer about Jarrett’s recurring nightmares?

A) It is a result of his difficult home life.

B) It comes from his vivid imagination.

C) Jarrett was a scared and timid child.

D) His grandparents failed to protect him.

3. Why are Jarrett’s grandparents an important addition to his life?

A) They create peace at home.

B) They provide stability.

C) They always encourage his art.

D) They protect him from his mother.

4. Why does Krosoczka present his parents’ and grandparents’ choices from when they were teenagers?

A) He wants to ensure he includes all their mistakes.

B) He is illustrating to the audience that his relatives created many problems.

C) He is showing compassion for their mistakes by emphasizing their age.

D) He is demonstrating the cycle of abuse that occurs in families.

5. How does Krosoczka depict his mother in the novel?

A) He is honest about her shortcomings and about her great love for him.

B) He is disappointed by her behavior and lack of growth in life.

C) She is portrayed as the only catalyst for his artistic pursuits.

D) Jarrett believes Leslie prevented him from having a good childhood.

6. Why is Jarrett’s family important to his career path?

A) They discourage him which produces determination in him.

B) His mother’s drawings caused him to create art for her.

C) His family members encourage him to pursue his interests.

D) He would practice drawing to please his family members.

7. What is Mark’s unique influence on Jarrett?

A) He teaches him how to draw comics.

B) He helps him to develop his individual craft.

C) He shows him how to create Marvel comics.

D) He teaches him at the Worcester Art Museum.

8. How does Jarrett develop a connection to his mother despite her absence?

A) They discuss famous artists.

B) They both love to create art.

C) They stay in contact by phone.

D) They reconnect through Miguel.

9. What best summarizes an important lesson Jarrett learns from his family?

A) Learn to escape reality.

B) Create a new family with friends and mentors.

C) Find new ways to get out of your comfort zone.

D) Remember the good experiences and be honest about the bad.

10. How does Jarrett’s own self-criticism serve in the novel?

A) He is expressing that reality comes with truth about one’s own mistakes.

B) He is demonstrating his tendency to punish himself for mistakes.

C) He is illustrating the fallibility of his perspective.

D) He is describing why his grandparents and mother behaved the way they did.

11. How does Jarrett use drawing as a tool as he grows older?

A) It creates stability for him.

B) It is an outlet for his volatile life.

C) It serves as entertainment.

D) It helps him to connect to people.

12. What is the mood of Richard Hennessy’s response to Jarrett in his second letter?

A) Angry

B) Accusatory

C) Pacifying

D) Gentle

13. What is Krosoczka’s purpose in writing his graphic memoir?

A) To entertain others with personal details about his life.

B) To dissuade others from using alcohol and drugs.

C) To encourage those with difficult backgrounds to pursue dreams.

D) To describe complicated family dynamics.

14. What does Jarrett mean when he says he confronted his nightmare monsters?

A) He becomes increasingly angry with those who hurt him.

B) He begins to confront family members who have wronged him.

C) He decides to abandon his family members in favor of his art.

D) He escapes his home life by attending college.

15. How does Jarrett’s purpose in drawing evolve over time?

A) He used to do it for others, but now he does it for self-preservation.

B) He now uses it as a way to make money for his family.

C) He becomes motivated by the desire to please his grandparents.

D) He once did it to please Pat, but now it is a tool to fit in with other students.

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. Why do you think Jarrett refers to his grandparents as Joe and Shirley, rather than Grandpa and Grandma? How does this choice reflect the complexity of how he perceives them?

2. Throughout the memoir Jarrett makes a point of describing good things that happened in his life. Why do you think the author chose to portray his life in this way?