91 pages 3 hours read

Toni Morrison

Song of Solomon

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1977

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics.

Reading Questions & Paired Texts

Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key plot points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Part 1, Chapters 1-3

Reading Check

1. What happens to Mr. Smith in Chapter 1?

2. What is unusual about Milkman’s birth?

3. How is Macon I tricked out of his land at Lincoln’s Heaven?

4. How does Guitar react to the news of Emmitt Till’s murder?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. How does Macon III get the nickname “Milkman”?

2. How does Pilate get her name?

3. What do Mr. Smith and Hagar have in common?

4. What event causes Milkman to learn some unsettling news about his mother?

Paired Resource

The People Could Fly

  • As retold by Virginia Hamilton, this Black folktale explains the desire to fly as the desire to escape the bondage of enslavement for freedom.
  • ·The paired resource will help students explore the theme of The Consequences of Masculine Flight: Defying Patterns of Abandonment Through Love.
  • Consider the significance of Milkman’s disappointment in being unable to fly even from an early age.

Part 1, Chapters 4-6

Reading Check

1. How does Milkman end his relationship with Hagar?

2. With whom is Guitar spending time, according to Freddie?

3. To what location does Milkman follow his mother?

4.