Literary Devices
Chapters 13-15
Chapters 16-18
Chapters 19-21
Chapters 22-24
100
"I told you she was as strong as an ox"
simile- a comparison using like or as
100
Who is Sal's English teacher, and what assignment did he give the students over the summer?
Mr. Birkway gave the students journals to write in over their summer for English class.
100
What specific body of water was Gram wading in when she was bitten by a snake? Who is the young boy that tries to help?
Gram was in the Missouri River, and Tom Fleet helped her.
100
What idiom does Sal's dad use to tell her that she's reaching for something that isn't there?
"You're trying to catch fish in the air."
100
Sal and Phoebe tell the same lie. What is it?
They both lie about where their mothers are.
200
"I thought he might have a few squirrels in the attic of his brain."
Idiom- you say one thing, but you mean something else entirely
200
Who surprisingly shows up at Mrs. Cadaver's house, and what do they do?
Mr. Birkway shows up, and they do some gardening.
200
Why did Sal's dad engrave Chanhassen in the fireplace after he found out his wife wasn't coming back?
He did it to honor her and her wishes. Before she left, Sal's mom made a big deal about people not calling her by her real name, Chanhassen. Instead, they called her by her nickname, Sugar.
200
What does Sal confess to in her journal entry? Why does she do this?
Sal confesses to kissing all different types of trees because she saw her mother do the same thing.
200
What clue does Phoebe find that suggests her mom was not kidnapped?
She found meals her mother prepared and left for the family in the freezer.
300
"It was hotter than blazes in South Dakota"
hyperbole- exaggeration
300
What gift does Sal's father give to her? Who is it from? How does Sal react to it? Why does she react this way?
Sal's father gives her a sweater from Margaret Cadaver. Sal refuses the gift rudely because she doesn't like the relationship Margaret has with her father.
300
The trees used to say hurry, hurry. Now, what do they say? Why did it change?
The trees say slow down, slow down. It changed because Sal is getting nervous the closer she gets to seeing her mother in Idaho.
300
What do Ben and Sal both draw to represent their souls?
They each draw a circle with a maple leaf in it.
300
Why did Sal's mother decide to go to Lewiston, Idaho? Who was she going to see, and why was she going to see them?
She was going to visit her cousin, because she wanted to know what she was like before.
400
"It would have been perfect except for that ornery crow calling away: car-car-car"
Onomatopoeia- words that make sounds
400
What 2 things does Sal keep under the floorboards in her room back in Bybanks, Kentucky?
Sal keeps postcards her mother sent and her mother's hair there.
400
What does the third message say? What does it mean?
The third message says, “In the course of a lifetime, what does it matter?” It means that life is too short to worry about the small things.
400
How does Phoebe find out that her mother has gone away?
Her mother left notes for her, her sister, and her father.
400
Sal and her mother both say the same thing when faced with the tragic reality of death. What do they say?
"It can't be dead. It was alive just a minute ago."
500
"You can’t keep the birds of sadness from flying over your head, but you can keep them from nesting in your hair."
metaphor- a comparison of two things without using the words like or as
500
Phoebe and Prudence don't really care about their mother's feelings, and Sal notices it. Give 2 specific examples (1 for each girl) of how they demonstrate this in the story. (Ch.14)
Phoebe didn't help her mom with the groceries, and she didn't even seem to care that anything might be the matter with her mom even when it looked as though she'd been crying. Prudence didn't even want to talk to her mom. Instead, she wanted her mom to sew her brown skirt even though she could have sewn it herself.
500
Why does Sal wish her father wasn't such a good man?
Sal wishes he wasn't a good man so she could blame him for her mother leaving and not have to blame her mother.
500
What did Ben do to get Sal to hold his hand on their walk home from school?
He said he could read her palm, and she believed him.
500
What does the fourth message left on Phoebe's doorstep say? What does it mean?
You can’t keep the birds of sadness from flying over your head, but you can keep them from nesting in your hair. You can't help being sad every once in a while, but you can keep from being permanently sad, depressed.
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