Short Answer Key
Chapter 1, Back Story
1. What sport does this biography open discussing?
2. What positions on a football team protect the quarterback from attacking defense?
Offensive Linemen.
3. What does Michael Lewis claim is happening to the role of offensive linemen in
American football?
Their role is changing.
4. What team does Lawrence Taylor play for?
The Giants.
5. What state does Lawrence Taylor live in?
New York.
6. What position does Lawrence Taylor play for his team?
7. Which of the following adjectives does NOT describe Lawrence Taylor?
8. What is most surprising to opposing teams when they play against Lawrence Taylor?
His speed.
9. What is the name of Lawrence Taylor's coach?
Bill Parcells.
10. Where does Lewis claim the blindside of the quarterback is?
On his right side.
11. What football team does Joe Theismann play for?
The Redskins.
12. What part of Theismann's body did Taylor break in a tackle?
His leg.
13. What year was the famous tackle between Theismann and Taylor, in which
Theismann received a broken bone?
14. What position does Theismann play for his team?
15. Which of the following descriptions was NOT used to describe the way Taylor exited
the pile of men on top of Theismann?
16. Which of the following disorders does Taylor suffer from?
17. What is the name of the tackle who should have protected Theismann from Taylor's
terrible blow?
Joe Jacoby.
18. Who does Michael Lewis claim is the only person who might be able to stand up to
Taylor on the field?
Michael Oher.
Chapter 2, The Market for Football Players
1. How does Tom Lemming first hear of Michael Oher?
He watches a video.
2. When did Lemming first start out in his coaching career?
3. Which of the following levels of football does Lemming specialize in?
High school.
4. Which of the following objects is Lemming famous for?
A book.
5. How many football players does Lemming select annually for the final "All American"
6. In what year did Lemming begin selecting footballers to play on the U.S. Army All
American Team?
7. How many players are selected to play on the U.S. Army All American Team each
8. What is Lemming most impressed by in Michael?
His speed.
9. What position does Lemming think Michael would be perfect to play in the NFL?
Left Tackle.
10. Which of the following is NOT a physical attribute Lemming notes in Michael?
Wide feet.
11. Why does Lemming think Michael will receive lots of attention by scouting NFL
Because his build is so unique.
12. During what month of the year does Lemming visit Michael Oher at his home?
13. In which city does Michael Oher live?
14. How do most promising players typically respond to visits from Joe Lemming?
They clamor for his attention.
15. What information about Michael did Lemming collect prior to their meeting?
He could not find any information about Oher.
16. What does Michael say to Lemming during their first meeting?
He does not speak.
17. What physical characteristic best describes Michael's attitude during his meeting
with Lemming?
Shrugging shoulders.
18. What did Michael refuse to do during his meeting with Lemming?
Sign any papers.
Chapter 3, Crossing the Line
1. What nickname does Big Tony give Michael?
Big Mike.
2. What religion is Briarcrest school associate with?
3. What part of Memphis is Braircrest school located in?
East Memphis.
4. Which of the following best describes the typical student at Briarcrest school?
5. What sport does John Harrington coach at Briarcrest?
6. Which of the following facts is true about Michael's father?
He is dead.
7. Which of the following facts is true about Michael's mother?
She is in rehab.
8. Why does Steve Simpson refuse to let Michael enroll in Briarcrest?
Because his grades are too poor.
9. Whose idea is it to enroll Michael in a home study program to help with his grades?
Steve Simpson's.
10. How long is Michael in the home study program before being admitted at Briarcrest?
Two months.
11. What is the name of Michael's teacher at Briarcrest?
Jennifer Graves.
12. Which of the following realizations does Michael's teacher make about him within the
first weeks of school?
He is uncomfortable interacting with people.
13. Which of the following subjects is Michael given a verbal exam in?
14. How many fast food restaurants does Sean Tuohy own?
15. How did Sean Tuohy hear about Michael?
From his daughter.
16. What does Sean Tuohy pay for in Michael's education?
He pays for his school lunches.
17. What grade is Collins Tuohy in at Briarcrest school?
She is a junior.
18. How does Michael feel about the financial agreement Briarcrest has reached with
Tuohy regarding his education?
Michael knows nothing about the deal.
Chapter 4, The Blank Slate
1. How long does Michael spend with a tutor each day?
5 hours.
2. At football practices, what are coaches most surprised about when they watch Michael
His speed.
3. How tall is Michael?
4. How much does Michael weigh?
344 pounds.
5. Which of the following sports does Michael NOT play for Briarcrest?
6. Which of the following best describes Michael's athletic ability?
He is a natural talent.
7. During what year of his schooling does Michael begin playing football for Briarcrest?
Junior year.
8. Whose decision is it to start Michael off playing as a defensive tackle?
Coach Freeze's.
9. Why does Michael fail as a defensive tackle?
Because he is not aggressive enough.
10. When analyzing Michael's performance on the field, what is the one thing Coach
Freeze believes he is lacking?
11. During a football game in his first season, what part of Michael's body is seriously
His hand.
12. How does Michael react to his injury on the field?
13. How does Michael react when he is brought to the hospital regarding his injury?
He is terrfied.
14. Which of the following people's presence in the hospital room elicits the strongest
reaction from Michael?
The nurse.
15. Which of the following medical interventions is needed when Michael goes to the
He needs a shot.
16. Which of the following people does Michael move in with, providing the first stable
home he's ever had?
Sean Tuohy.
17. Which of the following divisions is Michael's football team included in?
Division I.
18. Which of the following teams does Phil Fulmer coach for?
University of Tennessee.
Chapter 5, Death of a Lineman
1. How long is the history of the game of football given by Michael Lewis?
40 years.
2. When professional football first began, what does Lewis claim was at the center of the
3. What does Lewis claim is at the center of professional football today?
4. During what decade was Bill Walsh an assistant coach for the NFL?
5. Which of the following players is Walsh most interested in protecting during a football
6. How is Walsh's theory of the "blindside" initially received by his peers?
They are skeptical of his theory.
7. Which of the following terms is used to describe the quarterbacks Lewis coached
during his career?
Passing sensations.
8. Which of the following terms is used to describe Walsh's theory of offense in football?
Nickel and Dime.
9. What happens to the salaries of quarterbacks after Walsh introduced his theory of
Quarterback salaries rise.
10. How long does Michael receive outside support in dealing with his sudden success
before he is thrust onto the football field?
Four months.
11. What position did Coach Long play in during his time with the NFL?
Left Tackle.
12. What is the name of the school with the defensive end who teases Michael
mercilessly during a game?
13. Why don't the coaches from Briarcrest fear Michael's temper?
Because he is not aggressive.
14. How does Michael respond to the tackle who is teasing him during the game?
He picks him up off the ground.
15. When Michael is running away from the game, during which he had been teased,
which of the following is NOT true?
No one understands why he is running away from the victory.
16. Which of the following is most important to Coach Freeze when he is planning new
football plays?
17. Which of the following coaches does Coach Freeze model his strategies after?
Bill Parcells.
18. Who does Coach Freeze claim is his most valuable player on the team?
Michael Oher.
Chapter 6, Inventing Michael
1. During their most successful play of the season, which player does Michael block for,
clearing the way for numerous touchdowns?
Running backs.
2. How often does Coach Freeze use his famous play, in which Michael simply blocks
everyone on the opposing team?
Every play, every game.
3. At the end of the football season, what championship game is Briarcrest playing in?
State Championships.
4. Which of the following methods does Coach Freeze use most often to help Michael
understand new plays?
5. When Michael lifts a nose tackle off the ground during a game, how far does he throw
Ten yards.
6. At the championship game, why does Coach Freeze decide to call for a new play, that
none of the players have previously practiced?
Because he is bored repeating the same play over and over.
7. How does Michael respond when Coach Freeze calls for a play he has never
He is too stunned to move on the field and tackles no one.
8. Which team wins the championship game at the end Michael's first football season?
9. After the State Championship game, what happens to the football scouts' interest in
Their interest increases.
10. Which of the following is NOT something Michael is offered by a football scout
hoping to woo him?
A new car.
11. After he moves in, how does the Tuohy family treat Michael?
Like a family member.
12. How much is the Touhy family estate worth?
Ten million dollars.
13. Which of the following Tuohy family members is considered the most well-connected
and can get Michael anything he's ever wanted?
Sean Tuohy Senior.
14. Which of the following schools did both Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy attend?
Ole Miss.
15. What is holding Michael back from being eligible to attend college?
His grades.
16. How does Leigh Anne Tuohy react to the flurry of coaches who visit her home to
meet with Michael?
She is amused.
17. What sport did Sean Tuohy Senior play when he attended college?
18. At which school is Coach Freeze offered a coaching position?
University of Tennessee.
Chapter 7, The Pasta Coach
1. What is the name of Michael's friend whom he regularly visits colleges with?
2. What is the name of Michael's tutor from Ole Miss?
Sue Mitchell.
3. How much does Michael's tutor from Ole Miss charge him to help keep his grades up?
She does not charge Michael.
4. When Michael is making his college selection, what offer does the Tuohy family make
to help protect their investments?
They offer to adopt Michael.
5. Who is the only person Michael discusses his college selection process with?
Michael discusses the process with no one.
6. When coaches come to visit with Michael, what word do they frequently use to
describe him during their meetings?
7. What team does Karl Roper coach for?
Ole Miss.
8. Which of the following students is NOT offered a full-ride scholarship if Michael
chooses to attend Ole Miss University?
Collins Tuohy.
9. Which of the following schools does NOT make it onto Michael's short-list of potential
Walden University.
10. During which month of the year does Michael make his final decision about which
college he will attend?
11. During what year will Michael start as a freshman at the college of his choice?
12. When Michael makes his final decision about which school he will attend, whom do
the other coaches complain about to the NCAA?
The Tuohys.
Chapter 8, Character Courses
1. What is the name of the investigator who arrives at the Tuohy home from the NCAA?
Joyce Thompson.
2. What part about the Tuohy's is the NCAA investigator trying to learn more about?
Their relationship with Michael.
3. According to Michael, how many siblings does he have?
4. How many men has Michael's mother fathered children by?
5. Why does Michael think all the rich white people are interested in his life?
Because he is a promising athlete.
6. Which of the following people uses Michael's success to negotiate a new job for
Coach Freeze.
7. How many foster homes does Michael remember being a part of as a child?
8. How long is Michael interviewed by the NCAA investigator?
Five hours.
9. Why is the NCAA investigator finally asked to leave the Tuohy home?
Because she has made Michael cry.
10. While studying with Miss Sue, what kinds of grades does Michael receive?
As and Bs.
11. When Michael is psychologically evaluated, at what age does the doctor claim
Michael's rate of knowledge is?
A seven-year-old.
12. What does Leigh Anne steal to use in Michael's high school year book?
A baby picture.
Chapter 9, Birth of a Star
1. What football team does Steve Wallace play for?
The 49ers.
2. Who coaches the team where Steve Wallace plays?
Bill Walsh.
3. How does superstar Joe Montana fare when he plays against Chris Doleman?
Doleman continually knocks Montana off his feet.
4. What does Wallace note about Montana's strategies when playing against Doleman?
Montana always searches for Doleman before throwing a pass.
5. Who does Walsh replace Montana with during his game against Doleman?
Steve Young.
6. Which of the following football players is inaugurated into the football Hall of Fame?
Joe Montana.
7. Which of the following positions does Lewis claim is "defined by his weakest
The left tackle.
8. In what year does the professional football market rules change?
9. Which of the following teams put a clause in their contract, ensuring player Will
Wolford would always remain the highest paid player on their team?
The Indiana Colts.
10. What team does left tackle, Jonathan Ogdan play for?
The Baltimore Ravens.
11. How much higher is Jonathan Ogdan's salary than the quarterback from his same
Eight times higher.
12. Which of the following left tackles helped his team secure a Super Bowl victory?
Jonathan Ogdan.
Chapter 10, The Egg Bowl
1. Which of the following armies is Ole Mass associated with?
The Confederate Army.
2. What type of coach is George DeLeone?
The line coach.
3. How does DeLeone feel about Michael playing for Ole Miss during his freshman year?
He does not think Michael should play.
4. Which team does Ole Miss play in the Egg Bowl every year?
Mississippi State.
5. What do the winners of the Egg Bowl win each year?
A trophy.
6. What position does Coach O start Michael playing in his first season at Ole Miss?
Right Guard.
7. Which of the following people also attend Ole Miss and frequently come to cheer
Michael on at his games?
Collins Tuohy.
8. How does Michael feel about the difficulty of the plays at Ole Miss compared to the
plays at Briarcrest?
The plays at Ole Miss are much more difficult.
9. Which of the following people typically reviews plays with Michael before a big game?
Sean Tuohy.
10. How does Michael perform during his first Egg Bowl?
He performs poorly and is pulled from the game.
11. After Michael's first Egg Bowl, who is fired from the Ole Miss team?
Coach DeLeone.
12. What does Antonio tease Michael about, causing Michael to violently attack his
The Tuohy family.
Chapter 11, Freak of Nurture
1. Which of Dee Dee's family members was murdered in his bed?
Her father.
2. Which of the following facts is NOT true about Dee Dee?
She graduated at the top of her class in high school.
3. At what age did Dee Dee start to become involved with drugs?
4. How many sons does Dee Dee have in a six year stretch?
5. Where does Robert meet Michael Oher's father, Michael Williams?
On death row.
6. When Michael is living with his mother, how many children does she have under the
age of 15?
7. To which of the following drugs is Dee Dee addicted?
8. On the day that the children are taken away from Dee Dee's home, what does Michael
remember hearing?
Dee Dee screaming.
9. Which of the following athletes did Michael admire most when he was a child?
Michael Jordan.
10. How does Michael describe his first foster mother?
11. When the children are taken away from her, where does Dee Dee sleep at night?
In her car.
12. When Michael runs away from his foster home, what is the name of the housing
project where is mother is living?
Hurt Village.
Chapter 12, And Moses Stuttered
1. After he is taken away from his mother's home, which of the following is NOT a place
where Michael stayed?
In a homeless shelter.
2. After he is taken out of his mother's home, how long does Michael refuse to go to
For 18 months.
3. When Michael is out of school, how many hours per day does he play basketball,
practicing to be a famous athlete one day?
12 hours a day.
4. Who does Michael claim is the only person in his life he ever fully trusted?
5. How old is Michael when he meets Big Tony for the first time?
6. What is the name of Big Tony's son, who is friends with Michael?
7. What crime does Big Tony catch Michael committing at Birchcrest?
8. After Michael is found guilty of injuring the young boy, what is his criminal sentence?
10 hours of community service.
9. What injury did the young boy sustain after Michael's attack?
A cut that needed stiches.
10. Which of the following people shows Michael a stack of newspaper clippings about
him, explaining that he 's a celebrity now?
Coach O.
11. Which of the following people starts a foundation for poor black children who show
athletic promise but need help academically?
Leigh Anne Tuohy.
12. At one time, what did Michael plan to do for his siblings but never followed through
Build them a house.