75 pages 2 hours read

Arthur Laurents, Stephen Sondheim

West Side Story

Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1961

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Exam Questions

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

Multiple Choice

1. Who is Baby John?

A) A comic book character

B) Bernardo’s younger brother

C) The youngest Jet

D) A girl who wants to be a Jet

2. According to the song “America,” what is it “nobody knows” about Puerto Rico?

A) It’s an island of tropical diseases.

B) The capital is San Juan.

C)  It’s in America.

D) It is full of flowers in full bloom.

3. Why do the Jets hate the Puerto Ricans?

A) The cops show favoritism toward the Puerto Ricans.

B) The Sharks attacked the Jets first.

C) The Puerto Ricans make more money doing the same jobs.

D) The Jets are afraid the Sharks will take over their territory.

4. Why does Tony sing about Maria’s name?

A) He thinks a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

B) It’s practically the only thing he knows about her.

C) Her name has religious connotations for him.

D) He wants to remember it.

5. Which Jet is known for being aggressive?

A) A-rab

B) Diesel

C) Riff

D) Action

6. Who does Schrank address when he says, “you and the immigrant scum you come from”?

A) The Sharks

B) The Jets

C) Bernardo

D) Maria

7. Why does Maria insist that Tony stop the rumble?

A) She wants him to get on Bernardo’s good side.

B) She’s worried the police will deport her family.

C) She’s superstitious about the timing.

D) She thinks it will jeopardize their relationship.