Characters
Messages (Proverbs)
QUESTIONS CH1-12
QUESTIONS CH13-24
QUESTIONS CH25-34
100
Characterize SAL, including her character traits, behavior and narrating style.
Sal is a high-spirited country girl deeply troubled by the loss of her mother. She gains strength from spending time in natural settings and from her Native American heritage, and many of her memories and experiences center on trees, rivers, wild berries, and mountains. Although she is rebellious and often skeptical of adults, she is open-minded and deeply compassionate. Sal tells her story with verve and humor, peppering her sentences with colorful comparisons and exaggerations.
100
Explain the meaning of this message and how it relates to the story: Don't judge a man until you've walked two moons in his moccasins.
This quote reflects the main lesson learned by Sal: that it's important to consider others' perspectives and experiences. It also reflects Sal's Native American heritage.
100
How was Sal's story like the plaster wall at Sal's old house?
It contained a story within a story; Sal is telling her grandparents the story of Phoebe and their adventure.
100
How does Phoebe explain why Mrs. Cadaver and Mr. Birkway were replanting the rhododendrons?
Phoebe thinks they are covering up a murder.
100
What caused Sal's disappointment with Mount Rushmore?
Sal doesn't like that the mountain features only white presidents, and not any local Indians, even though it is located on a sacred Indian site.
200
Characterize Phoebe, including her traits, quirks and concerns.
Sal's best friend in Euclid, Ohio. Phoebe, who lives next door to Margaret Cadaver, is a high-strung girl obsessed with order. Phoebe is histrionic, as she transforms every small insignificant event into drama. Phoebe uses her propensity for melodrama, Sal theorizes, as a way to avoid dealing with bigger, more intractable, more universal fears, such as the fear of suffering, death, and hatred.
200
Explain the meaning of this message and how it relates to the story: Everyone has his own agenda.
This message refers to the fact that people don't automatically know your issues and concerns, as they have concerns of their own.
200
Use an event from the story to support Sal's statement: "My Grandparents can get into trouble as easily as a fly can land on a watermelon."
200
What might have happened if Gram wasn't bitten by a snake? How does the boy's behavior change?
If Gram hadn't been bitten by a snake, the boy might have been more aggressive with them; he becomes more helpful after she is bitten.
200
How did the girls' interpretation of a poem influence Phoebe to seek the help of the police? Why does Sal accompany her to the police station? Describe the reaction of the police officer.
The poem describes the waves pulling a man into the sea; Phoebe interprets it as murder. Sal accompanies her to the police station because she feels guilty about not taking more action when her own mother disappeared earlier; she admires Phoebe's initiative. The police think the girls are wasting their time, and have them picked up.
300
Characterize Sal's grandparents, including their traits, quirks and concerns.
Sal's father's parents. Gramps and Gram drive Sal across the country to visit her mother's final resting place in Lewiston, Idaho. Gramps and Gram, wacky and unpredictable, have been arrested several times for their innocent foibles, such as "borrowing" a tire from a police car. Gramps and Gram married and lived in an unwavering spirit of love and joyfulness, despite the fact that Sal's father is their only son, of four, who lived to adulthood. Though her grandparents' unpredictability worries her, Sal looks to them for support, love, and adventure.
300
Explain the meaning of this message and how it relates to the story: In the course of a lifetime, what does it matter?
This quote means that it's important to remember context when something bad happens - in the long term, it won't have a huge impact on your life, so why worry about it.
300
To where are Sal and her grandparents driving? why?
They are driving to Lewiston, Idaho to trace Sal's mother's steps and to "meet" her.
300
Explain what Sal meant by the singing tree.
Sal is referring to the sounds birds make at the top of nearby poplars. It reminds her of her mother, as when she found out her mother was not coming back, she climbed into a poplar tree and stayed there for a day.
300
Explain the fifth message and use it to explain why Mr. Winterbottom cried at the end of chapter 29.
The fifth message is "We never know the worth of water until the well is dry." The message means that you don't always appreciate what you have until you don't have it anymore, which is exactly what Mr. Winterbottom experienced when his wife disappeared.
400
Characterize Mr. Birkway, including his traits and concerns. What mistake does he make regarding his students' work?
Sal's English teacher and Margaret Cadaver's brother. Mr. Birkway is a passionate and energetic English teacher whose enthusiasm and friendliness inspire the interest of his students. Mr. Birkway makes a grave mistake when he, in all innocence, reads excerpts from his students' journals. He realizes his mistake only when his sister becomes implicated in the gossipy journal entries.
400
Explain the meaning of this message and how it relates to the story: You can't keep the birds of sadness from flying over your head, but you can keep them from nesting in your hair.
This quote means that sad or bad things will always happen, but whether or not you let them affect you is up to you; it's better to try and prevent sad things from taking over your focus.
400
What important realization did Sal have when watching the newborn calf?
Sal realizes she can survive without her mother.
400
Why did each tree have a slight taste of blackberries to Sal?
Sal is remembering her mother's habit of gathering blackberries and kissing a tree in the yard; the tree is a consistent symbol and reminder of Sal's mother.
400
In what way did Mrs. Partridge surprise Sal? Why was Sal disappointed by this news?
Mrs. Partridge reveals that Mr. Birkway and Mrs. Cadaver were twin siblings; this disappointed Sal because she thought Mrs. Cadaver was romantically involved with her father, and her hope that Mr. Birkway would end that involvement was no longer possible.
500
Characterize Sal's mother, including her traits, quirks and concerns.
What is A spontaneous and joyful woman closely attuned to the everyday beauty of the outdoors, Sal's mother grew increasingly conflicted by her roles as a housewife and mother. Her unhappiness grew into full-fledged depression as a result of her miscarriage and hysterectomy, causing her to decided to try to reconnect with who she was before she married and became a mother by traveling to visit a cousin in Idaho. Sal adores the memory of her beautiful, gentle mother and throughout the novel struggles to come to terms with the events and forces that led up to her mother's departure.
500
Explain the meaning of this message and how it relates to the story: We never know the worth of water until the well is dry.
This quote means that it's important to cherish and be grateful for things, as often you don't realize how important they are until you no longer have them.
500
How did Sal and her mother feel about being Indians?
They were proud of their heritage and liked "Indians" over "Native Americans."
500
Why did the sight of a pregnant woman frighten Sal?
Sal remembers when she fell out of a tree and broke her leg. Her own pregnant mother carried Sal back to the house, and shortly after lost her child, and was severely affected psychologically. Sal feels that being carried by her mother caused the trauma.
500
How does Gram react to realizing her dream and seeing Old Faithful?
Gram cries tears of happiness at seeing Old Faithful.
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