Vocabulary
inquiry
question
Why do the farmers have to hurry to plant their good seeds in the springtime?
The good seeds need to have a good start in growing so they won't be overtaken by weeds.
Who are the Wilders eager to see because he brings stories, songs and news from his travels with him, along with tinware?
Nick Brown
What kind of summer fun do the Wilders and their neighbors have?
They pick berries, go fishing, and picnic with people they don't see any other time of the year.
Why are the Wilder children in a frenzy on the last day before Mother and Father return from visiting Uncle Andrew?
They have not done their chores and have to clean the house before Mother and Father return.
hustle
hurry
Why is Father in a hurry to harvest the carrots and potatoes?
There is a threat of frost that would kill the potato crop.
Who plays a trick on Father and John during sheep-shearing by hiding an unsheared sheep in the loft so that they can't finish?
Almanzo
How does Almanzo feel as he is about to ask Father for the nickel on Independence Day? Why?
ALmanzo is scared. He doesn't want to disappoint Father by asking for money and he doesn't want him to think he is greedy. He is sure Father will not give him the nickel.
What does heaved mean?
lifted with difficulty
gritty
How do the Wilders save most of the corn crop?
They pour cold water on every hill of corn to save each small plant from frostbite.
What creature does Mother initially want Royal to drive away but the second stime she realizes it needs help and agrees to feed it and let it spend the night
The stray dog
What are Almanzo's two summer-projects?
Tending to his milk-fed pumpkin and his baby pig.
He tells himself that he needs to watch the potatoes bake and he is roasting a potato for her.
dawdle
waste time; be slow
Why do the Wilders lose the last quarter acre of corn?
They run out of time when the sun comes up before the last section is finished.
Who's favorite time of year is summer haying-time?
Almanzo. He loves the work and the egg-nog.
How do the children feel after their parents leave on vacation?
They feel scared.
What make Almanzo fee uncomfortable about staying with the baking potatoes and not going back to work with Alice?
He knows Alice is cold and alone while he stands by the warm fire.
swathes
sections; rows
What does Almanzo decide to purchase with the half-dollar Father gives him on Independence Day?
A little suckling pig.
Who did Father find out was robbed after the Wilders found the footprints of the stray dog and two men at their house and had dealt with the same horse trader?
Another farmer
What is the first thing the children do when their parents leave on vacation?
They make ice cream.
What does wavered mean?
fickered, glimmered