Characters
What happened to Duane Jr.'s mom?
She left Duane Jr and her husband and flew to Paris.
What is Nick's goal on the field trip to the Black Vine Swamp?
He wants to see a panther.
What kind of car does Mrs. Starch drive? (Color, Make, and Model)
A blue Toyota Prius
Who is the Prime Minister of Russia?
Vladimir Putin
Who were the Axis Powers during World War II?
Germany, Japan, Italy
What is Nick's mother's first name?
It is never given.
How does Mrs. Starch defend her teaching practices?
She states that she is harsh because she has to be. She understands the material is not very engaging for some of the students and she is tough because it is necessary to help her students retain the material.
Why did Dr. Dressler choose Wendell Waxmo as Mrs. Starch's replacement?
Fully aware of Waxmo's bizarre teaching methods and clownish behavior, Dr. Dressler hopes that Mrs. Starch will be compelled to return to Truman once she discovers that Waxmo is her substitute.
What four string instruments are included in an orchestra?
Violin, Viola, Cello, Bass
What country shares its name with a state in the US?
Georgia
Who visits the Scrod family home, posing as a federal tax official?
Jimmy Lee Bayliss
Select one of the following and explain how it is a theme in the novel Scat.
Family
Friendship
Environmental Conservation
Answers will vary.
How did Twilly become so wealthy? What does he do with his wealth?
His father was a successful real estate developer who left him a small fortune. Twilly increased his fortune by being an astute investor. He uses his wealth to support environmental organizations.
Rank these people in the order that they lived:
Abraham Lincoln
Cleopatra
George Washington
King Henry VIII
Walt Disney
Cleopatra
King Henry VIII
George Washington
Abraham Lincoln
Walt Disney
Put these events in the order they occurred.
The Berlin Wall came down.
Columbus sailed across the Atlantic.
Neil Armstrong walked on the moon.
The stock market crashed, leading to the Great Depression.
The War of 1812 began.
Columbus sailed across the Atlantic.
The War of 1812 began.
The stock market crashed, leading to the Great Depression.
Neil Armstrong walked on the moon.
The Berlin Wall came down.
What name is written on the stuffed animal outside of Mrs. Starch's house?
Chelsea Evered
Explain Drake McBride's plan for Big Cypress Swamp.
Along with project manager Jimmy Lee Bayliss, he intends to pump oil from Section 22 into Section 21, making it seem as if there is an oil deposit on his land. He will then receive money from the federal government to refrain from extracting the oil.
What gift does Nick receive from Twilly at the end of the novel?
A copy of Edward Abbey's "Hayduke Lives"
Name five US Presidents.
Answers will vary.
Which of these are an actual move in chess? Multiple answers may be correct.
a) Adjacent opposition
b) En passant
c) Castling
d) Arabian mate
e) Sicilian defense
All are real except for A
Name five students at the Truman School. Include their first and last names.
Answers will vary.
Nick Waters
Marta Gonzalez
Duane Scrod Jr
Libby Marshall
Graham Carson
What do Smoke and Mrs. Starch have in common?
They both love the outdoors and they were both abandoned by people they trusted.
What action (or inaction) does Dr. Dressler take when he finds Duance Scrod Jr at the Scrod family home?
He allows Smoke to leave, and does not inform the police that Smoke was there.
Name three other campuses of City Colleges of Chicago.
Answers will vary.
Harold Washington
Kennedy King
Malcolm X
Olive Harvey
Richard Daley
Wilbur Wright
When did Thanksgiving officially become a US holiday?
[20 year range in either direction]
1863. It was signed into law by Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War.