Characters
How is Trout Walker like his new boat?
They are both loud, smelly, and obnoxious.
Why do the boys give Stanley a hard time about being "better" than them?
He has Zero digging his hole for him; they call Zero his "slave"
How did Kate Barlow die?
She was bitten by a yellow-spotted lizard!
Why does Stanley keep asking Zero spelling questions?
To distract them both from their pain and thirst while walking.
Why does Stanley drive off in the water truck?
He knows that if he and Zero are to survive, they will need water.
What is unique and scary about the Warden’s finger nail polish?
It is made with rattlesnake venom!
What is Zero’s real name and how is this significant to the story?
Hector Zeroni, and we made the guess that he is a descendant of Madam Zeroni the one-legged gypsy.
What happened to the town of Green Lake after Sam was killed?
It quit raining.
What evidence from the text led us to guess that Zero was good at math?
He figured out how many letters were in the alphabet and how many days it would take to learn them. He did this quickly.
What was causing the other boys to be angry with Stanley?
Zero was digging Stanley's holes.
Why did Trout Walker get angry with Kate Barlow when she said no to his request for date?
He had always gotten everything he ever wanted. He was not used to people saying no to him.
Why do you think the author took the time to describe Linda Walker to us?
So we could figure out that this description and the one of the Warden are a lot alike. Perhaps they are related!
Who led the townspeople in destroying the school house and why?
Trout Walker, because he was jealous of Sam and Kate
Why did the warden punish Mr. Sir.
He was wasting her time, and she knew it was a way to also punish Stanley.
What happened to Kathryn Barlow after Sam was killed?
She went crazy and turned into an outlaw.
Why did Mr. Sir pour Stanley’s water on the ground instead of filling his canteen?
He was angry with Stanley over the sunflower seeds and what the Warden did.
"I am not digging another hole."
Why could Sam the Onion Man not attend school?
Sam was a black man and 110 years ago schools were segregated, meaning that blacks and whites weren’t allowed in the same schools, churches, theaters, etc.
What can we infer about Stanley from the following text? “His muscles and hands weren’t the only parts of his body that had toughened over the past several weeks.”
Stanley was less sensitive and didn't care about others as much as he once did.
What are Linda and Trout Walker looking for and why?
Kate Barlow's loot (treasure)
What does Stanley not realize at first when he sees gnats.
If there are bugs, there is water.
Stanley finally agrees to teach Zero to read. Why does Stanley change his mind and what agreement do the two boys reach?
Zero is kind to Stanley, and acknowledges what he did in taking the blame for the sunflower seeds. Stanley will teach Zero to read for an hour, and Zero will dig for Stanley for an hour.
Does Stanley get punished over the sunflower seeds?
Yes, by punishing Mr. Sir, the Warden also punishes Stanley. This is because Mr. Sir is angry and takes it out on Stanley.
What could be the reason Stanley took the blame for stealing the sunflower seeds?
Stanley wanted the boys to continue to think he was a good guy, and he didn’t want to have to tell on Magnet
On pg 86 the author used the phrase “what else was new” to describe Stanley’s situation of being the wrong place at the wrong time. How can we relate this to something else that happened in Stanley’s life?
This takes us back to how Stanley got arrested. The shoes just fell on his head, but no one would believe it. Much like the sunflowers just spilled and fell into his hole.