Born a Crime
by Trevor Noah
About_
This study guide accompanies Trevor Noah’s memoir ‘Born a Crime,’ which chronicles his childhood and coming of
age as a mixed-race child in apartheid and post-apartheid South Africa. It explores themes of race, identity, family,
language, and resilience through Noah’s personal stories and historical reflection. Each section below is organized
around a group of chapters, with comprehension and critical thinking questions to guide discussion. This study
guide contains 91 questions across 7 chapter sections (70 Factual + 21 Critical), 1 Crossword Puzzle (12 clues), and
1 Character Focus Activity.
What’s Included_
This study guide features 7 sets of 10 Factual Questions with an answer key (70 total), 7 sets of 3 Critical Analysis
Questions (21 total), 1 Crossword Puzzle (12 clues), and 1 Character Focus Activity (8 traits + evidence prompt +
critical thinking question).
Target Grades_
Grades 9-11
Teacher Note_
This guide is designed to save you prep time while giving students a structured path through a powerful and
complex memoir. The factual questions build comprehension and vocabulary around unfamiliar historical context,
while the critical questions push students to grapple with difficult themes like race, abuse, and resilience. We hope
it sparks rich classroom discussion!