ENGLISH PMT TEST STUDY GUIDE
Jade Butler - Answers - The protagonist of the novel. Loves Spanish. She is black and
overweight and lives in a part of Portland that's historically black and low-income. She
takes the bus the St. Francis which is predominantly white and its a private school. She
attends on a full scholarship. She wants to study abroad in Costa Rica.
Samantha/Sam - Answers - A white teen who begins attending St. Francis with Jade.
Like Jade, Sam stands out at St. Francis because she buses in from Northeast
Portland, a neighborhood that many at St. Francis think of as a "polished ghetto" and as
"depressing." Sam and Jade bond quickly thanks to their shared bus ride and their
realization that they're both at St. Francis on a scholarship—both girls eat free lunch in
the cafeteria. Sam lives with her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Franklin, because her mom
effectively abandoned her, something that bothers her despite knowing that living with
her grandparents is the best place to be. As the girls get closer, Sam shows herself to
be a kind and devoted friend.
Maxine - Answers - Jade's mentor in the Woman to Woman program. Jon's "ex"
girlfriend. Maxine is a recent graduate from the local Portland State University and she
attended St. Francis as a teen. Because of this, and because Maxine is also black, Mrs.
Parker believes that Maxine and Jade will hit it off immediately. Despite these shared
experiences, however, Jade doesn't think very highly of Maxine at first. Maxine is flaky,
stands Jade up on several occasions, and often takes phone calls from Jon, her ex-
boyfriend, while she's supposed to be spending time with Jade. When Maxine is
focused on Jade, she often does things that Jade finds genuinely helpful and kind. For
instance, she gives Jade art supplies and buys her books about black collagists, and
she's the primary adult in Jade's life who supports her art practice. But for everything
good that Maxine does, Jade notices that Maxine inevitably says or does something that
makes Jade feel awful. Much of this has to do with Maxine's affluent upbringing: her
mother is a surgeon and her father is a real estate agent, so Maxine grew up in a big
house in the rich part of town. She attended St. Francis because her parents could pay
for her to go, and so she doesn't have any conception of what it's like to be poor or to
live in Jade's neighborhood. Maxine also makes rude assumptions about Mom, such as
that Mom is an uncaring and uninvolved parent just because she works long hours.
Things come to a head after Maxine invites Jade to join her family for dinner. Here,
Jade meets Maxine's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Winters, as well as her siblings Mia and
Nathan.
Mom - Answers - Jade's mother. Mom had Jade when she was 16 and so she didn't
finish school or attend college. Because of this, it's her dream to see Jade succeed
academically, and she's one of Jade's biggest supporters and cheerleaders as Jade
attends St. Francis. Mom works as home help for an elderly lady named Ms. Louise;
though she used to work as a maid in a hospital, she was fired for stealing blankets and
toiletries. Mom works long hours and she has worked for Ms. Louise for several years,
, but she still struggles to keep food in the house. Even though Mom isn't around much,
she's still a major influence on Jade. Jade knows that if she talks back or gets into
trouble, Mom will punish her—and she also knows that she has to keep working hard
and taking every opportunity so that she can make Mom proud. Though Mom is initially
excited about the Woman to Woman program since the organization will give Jade a
college scholarship for participating, she struggles throughout the first few months.
Mrs. Parker - Answers - Jade's guidance counselor at St. Francis. Mrs. Parker is an
older white woman and she has a black son-in-law, so she sees herself as uniquely
positioned to help black kids like Jade navigate St. Francis and the world of college.
Despite Mrs. Parker's good intentions, however, she often comes off as tone-deaf. Jade
can only shake her head at Mrs. Parker's love for the Winterhawks, the local hockey
team that has a Native American mascot. To Jade, this reveals that Mrs. Parker isn't
willing to interrogate why things might be racist or inappropriate, and this unwillingness
to think critically about racism bleeds over into the way that Mrs. Parker deals with Jade
as well. Though Jade desperately wants to go on the study abroad trip, Mrs. Parker
seemingly nominates Jade for the Woman to Woman program instead. This comes after
two years of other opportunities that Jade believes were intended to bring her up to the
level of her white peers, such as essay writing classes and free SAT prep.
E.J. - Answers - Jade's uncle; E.J. is Mom's much younger brother. Since E.J. is only
20, Jade feels as though he is more of a sibling than an uncle. E.J. is an aspiring
deejay, but in Jade's opinion, he has been in a tough spot since his best friend, Alan,
was murdered sometime before the novel begins. In the last year, E.J. dropped out of
college and lost his job, and he now sleeps on Mom's couch. He deejays gigs and says
that he's looking for another job, but Jade doesn't believe this—and she also doesn't
believe that E.J. is fine, even though E.J. insists he is. Jade finds E.J.'s current crop of
friends troubling, especially since E.J. assures her and Mom that he doesn't join his
friends in activities that Mom and Jade wouldn't approve of. Despite E.J.'s faults and
difficult circumstances, he's still an involved, supportive, and loving uncle to Jade. He's
goofy and he teases her, but he also gives his real, unfiltered opinions about things
such as the police brutality that Natasha Ramsey experiences. He insists that praying is
silly and for poor people who have no other way to make a difference; instead of
praying, he suggests, the black community needs to protest and contact their police
chiefs and other elected officials. E.J. is also fiercely loyal to his sister and so he speaks
poorly about Dad whenever he has the opportunity. He sleeps on the couch in the living
room, which is both a source of shame for Jade and a source of humor throughout the
novel—he can and does sleep through everything going on in their tiny house.
Lee Lee - Answers - Jade's best friend in her North Portland neighborhood. Lee Lee is
an aspiring poet and she attends Northside, the local high school. She and Jade see
each other and they talk often when they're not at school. Because of their years of
shared experiences (and the fact that both girls are black), Lee Lee and Jade don't have
to work very hard to connect and understand each other. For instance, Lee Lee
understands exactly why Jade is so upset about Natasha Ramsey, a young black girl
who experiences police brutality. After a long day spent at St. Francis, Jade doesn't
Jade Butler - Answers - The protagonist of the novel. Loves Spanish. She is black and
overweight and lives in a part of Portland that's historically black and low-income. She
takes the bus the St. Francis which is predominantly white and its a private school. She
attends on a full scholarship. She wants to study abroad in Costa Rica.
Samantha/Sam - Answers - A white teen who begins attending St. Francis with Jade.
Like Jade, Sam stands out at St. Francis because she buses in from Northeast
Portland, a neighborhood that many at St. Francis think of as a "polished ghetto" and as
"depressing." Sam and Jade bond quickly thanks to their shared bus ride and their
realization that they're both at St. Francis on a scholarship—both girls eat free lunch in
the cafeteria. Sam lives with her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Franklin, because her mom
effectively abandoned her, something that bothers her despite knowing that living with
her grandparents is the best place to be. As the girls get closer, Sam shows herself to
be a kind and devoted friend.
Maxine - Answers - Jade's mentor in the Woman to Woman program. Jon's "ex"
girlfriend. Maxine is a recent graduate from the local Portland State University and she
attended St. Francis as a teen. Because of this, and because Maxine is also black, Mrs.
Parker believes that Maxine and Jade will hit it off immediately. Despite these shared
experiences, however, Jade doesn't think very highly of Maxine at first. Maxine is flaky,
stands Jade up on several occasions, and often takes phone calls from Jon, her ex-
boyfriend, while she's supposed to be spending time with Jade. When Maxine is
focused on Jade, she often does things that Jade finds genuinely helpful and kind. For
instance, she gives Jade art supplies and buys her books about black collagists, and
she's the primary adult in Jade's life who supports her art practice. But for everything
good that Maxine does, Jade notices that Maxine inevitably says or does something that
makes Jade feel awful. Much of this has to do with Maxine's affluent upbringing: her
mother is a surgeon and her father is a real estate agent, so Maxine grew up in a big
house in the rich part of town. She attended St. Francis because her parents could pay
for her to go, and so she doesn't have any conception of what it's like to be poor or to
live in Jade's neighborhood. Maxine also makes rude assumptions about Mom, such as
that Mom is an uncaring and uninvolved parent just because she works long hours.
Things come to a head after Maxine invites Jade to join her family for dinner. Here,
Jade meets Maxine's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Winters, as well as her siblings Mia and
Nathan.
Mom - Answers - Jade's mother. Mom had Jade when she was 16 and so she didn't
finish school or attend college. Because of this, it's her dream to see Jade succeed
academically, and she's one of Jade's biggest supporters and cheerleaders as Jade
attends St. Francis. Mom works as home help for an elderly lady named Ms. Louise;
though she used to work as a maid in a hospital, she was fired for stealing blankets and
toiletries. Mom works long hours and she has worked for Ms. Louise for several years,
, but she still struggles to keep food in the house. Even though Mom isn't around much,
she's still a major influence on Jade. Jade knows that if she talks back or gets into
trouble, Mom will punish her—and she also knows that she has to keep working hard
and taking every opportunity so that she can make Mom proud. Though Mom is initially
excited about the Woman to Woman program since the organization will give Jade a
college scholarship for participating, she struggles throughout the first few months.
Mrs. Parker - Answers - Jade's guidance counselor at St. Francis. Mrs. Parker is an
older white woman and she has a black son-in-law, so she sees herself as uniquely
positioned to help black kids like Jade navigate St. Francis and the world of college.
Despite Mrs. Parker's good intentions, however, she often comes off as tone-deaf. Jade
can only shake her head at Mrs. Parker's love for the Winterhawks, the local hockey
team that has a Native American mascot. To Jade, this reveals that Mrs. Parker isn't
willing to interrogate why things might be racist or inappropriate, and this unwillingness
to think critically about racism bleeds over into the way that Mrs. Parker deals with Jade
as well. Though Jade desperately wants to go on the study abroad trip, Mrs. Parker
seemingly nominates Jade for the Woman to Woman program instead. This comes after
two years of other opportunities that Jade believes were intended to bring her up to the
level of her white peers, such as essay writing classes and free SAT prep.
E.J. - Answers - Jade's uncle; E.J. is Mom's much younger brother. Since E.J. is only
20, Jade feels as though he is more of a sibling than an uncle. E.J. is an aspiring
deejay, but in Jade's opinion, he has been in a tough spot since his best friend, Alan,
was murdered sometime before the novel begins. In the last year, E.J. dropped out of
college and lost his job, and he now sleeps on Mom's couch. He deejays gigs and says
that he's looking for another job, but Jade doesn't believe this—and she also doesn't
believe that E.J. is fine, even though E.J. insists he is. Jade finds E.J.'s current crop of
friends troubling, especially since E.J. assures her and Mom that he doesn't join his
friends in activities that Mom and Jade wouldn't approve of. Despite E.J.'s faults and
difficult circumstances, he's still an involved, supportive, and loving uncle to Jade. He's
goofy and he teases her, but he also gives his real, unfiltered opinions about things
such as the police brutality that Natasha Ramsey experiences. He insists that praying is
silly and for poor people who have no other way to make a difference; instead of
praying, he suggests, the black community needs to protest and contact their police
chiefs and other elected officials. E.J. is also fiercely loyal to his sister and so he speaks
poorly about Dad whenever he has the opportunity. He sleeps on the couch in the living
room, which is both a source of shame for Jade and a source of humor throughout the
novel—he can and does sleep through everything going on in their tiny house.
Lee Lee - Answers - Jade's best friend in her North Portland neighborhood. Lee Lee is
an aspiring poet and she attends Northside, the local high school. She and Jade see
each other and they talk often when they're not at school. Because of their years of
shared experiences (and the fact that both girls are black), Lee Lee and Jade don't have
to work very hard to connect and understand each other. For instance, Lee Lee
understands exactly why Jade is so upset about Natasha Ramsey, a young black girl
who experiences police brutality. After a long day spent at St. Francis, Jade doesn't
