75 pages 2 hours read

Arthur Laurents, Stephen Sondheim

West Side Story

Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1961

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Answer Key

Act I, Scenes 1-2

Reading Check

1. To join the Jets (Act I, Scene 1)

2. Riff and Tony (Act I, Scene 1)

3. With Tony and his family (Act I, Scene 2)

4. Foreshadowing (Act I, Scene 2)

Short Answer

1. Schrank says he has to put up with the Puerto Ricans, so the Jets do too. Otherwise, he’ll beat up everyone and take them to the police station. (Act I, Scene 1)

2. Being in a gang is a lifetime commitment, like being in a family. It demands total loyalty. (Act I, Scene 1)

3. He considers the Jets part of his past. He tells Riff he’s “had it,” and he feels he’s about to start another chapter in his life—something is “around the corner.” (Act I, Scene 2)

Act I, Scenes 3-5

Reading Check

1. Her virginity (Act I, Scene 3)

2. To marry Chino (Act I, Scene 3)

3. Glad Hand (Act I, Scene 4)

4. To meet for a War Council (Act I, Scene 4)

5. The fire escape outside Maria’s home (Act I, Scene 5)

6.

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