Chapter 1
What is a major contrast between Nya and Salva?
Salva gets to go to school, while Nya has to work.
Why does Salva consider himself to be a man?
He comes from an important family. He knows how to be independent and work.
What is the hopeful moment at the end of chapter 3?
Dinka people show up, and it could possibly be Salva's family.
Why do the group of men want to deny Salva going with them?
He is too young to do any real work; he will slow them down because he is a child.
Who is Nya's tribe fighting, and what are they fighting for?
They are fighting the Dinka (Salva's tribe), and they are fighting for the land near the water.
What does Salva value?
His education
What questions were running through Salva's mind as he fled?
"Where is my family?" "Will I ever see them again?"
Why is Nya's job so important?
Her family could not survive without her.
What is Nya's daily routine?
Walk to the water in the morning, go back home to eat lunch, then walk back to get more water. (Bonus points if you mention that sometimes she has to take her siblings).
What is significant about Salva meeting Marial?
Salva has someone he can connect with. They are around the same age/height, and have both gotten lost from their families.
Salva and his brothers were expected to do what by the age of 10? What about his sisters?
The boys worked on the farm, while the girls worked in the house (cooking, cleaning, etc.)
What happens to Salva at the very end of Chapter 2?
He is left alone in the barn.
Why does Salva think everyone has left him?
Because he was a child.
What adjectives are used to describe Slava's hunger in chapter 4?
"Hollow in the stomach" and "Deep buzzing pain".
Why is it hard to sleep in the land of the Atuat people?
Lions
What are the main priorities of the children in Sudan?
Learn how to work and provide for their families at an early age.
Do you think Salva can survive on his own? Explain.
Yes, because he used to hunt with his brothers.
Who does Salva meet in Chapter 4 and together, what do they find?
Salva meets Buska, and together they find honey by following a bird.
How long has it been since Salva fled from the school into the bush?
A month.
What tense moment at the end of chapter one changes the tone of the whole story?
While at school, Salva hears gunshots and has to flee into the wooded area.
What do several of the men decide to have the others do at the beginning of chapter two?
Separate into groups by their tribes, in addition to being grouped by women and children or "men".
How can you relate Nya to the watering hole that she vists?
Every creature must some to the watering hole, even if they do not like each other.
What thoughts keep going through Salva's memory as he walks with the other Dinka?
Where is my family? Where is my family?
Where does Marial tell Salva they are heading?
East towards Ethiopia.