West Side Story

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. America is the land of opportunity, while Puerto Rico is riddled with problems. (Act I, Scene 5)

Short Answer

1. It’s the beginning of her life as a young lady in America. (Act I, Scene 4)

2. It’s an attempt to get the white and Puerto Rican kids to mingle and dance with one another. Instead, it becomes a competition that symbolizes fighting. (Act I, Scene 4)

3. They instantly become enchanted with one another, and they share an innocent kiss. (Act I, Scene 4)

4. It establishes that Tony and Maria are everything to each other. They love each other, and nothing else matters. (Act I, Scene 5)

5. Bernardo uses a derogatory term against Tony, and Anita points out that it works both ways. It signifies the way discrimination feeds on itself. (Act I, Scene 5)

Act I, Scenes 6-9

Reading Check

1. Reading a comic book (Act I, Scene 6)

2. Choosing weapons (Act I, Scene 6)

3. Marriage (Act I, Scene 7)

4. The night is high stakes for all of them. They all think they’re going to win something important. (Act I, Scene 8)

5. “MARIA!” (Act I, Scene 9)

6. Anybodys (Act I, Scene 9)

Short Answer

1. Doc says fighting over a piece of the street is for “hoodlums.” (Act I, Scene 6)

2. Tony proposes a fair fight between the best man from each gang. (Act I, Scene 6)

3. He’s hateful toward all of them, calling the Sharks “Spics” and telling the Jets they come from “tin-horn immigrant scum.” (Act I, Scene 6)

4. They have too much feeling and have to get rid of it quickly, like how they dance. (Act I, Scene 7)

5. Maria persuades Tony to go to the rumble and stop it. She doesn’t want any type of fight to take place, not even a fistfight. (Act I, Scene 7)

6. Bernardo and Riff pull knives at the same time. (Act I, Scene 9)

Act II, Scenes 1-2

Reading Check

1. That Tony killed Bernardo (Act II, Scene 1)

2. Anybodys (Act II, Scene 2)

Short Answer

1. She’s going to see Tony and feels it’s her wedding night. (Act II, Scene 1)

2. Tony wants to beg Maria’s forgiveness before going to the police. (Act II, Scene 1)

Act II, Scenes 3-6

Reading Check

1. Attempted rape (Act II, Scene 4)

2. Two Sharks (Chino, Pepe) and two Jets (Action, Diesel) (Act II, Scene 6)

Short Answer

1. When it comes to love, there is no right or wrong. (Act II, Scene 3)

2. Maria wants Anita to tell Tony that she’ll meet him there. (Act II, Scene 3)

3. She tells the Jets that Chino killed Maria. (Act II, Scene 4)

4. He runs out of the shop and calls for Chino to get him. (Act II, Scene 5)