Chapters 1-4
How did William become "cursed" by a sing'anga?
He ate bubble gum that was stolen from a trader. The trader then went to a sing'anga to have the thieves cursed.
Why did William have to drop out of school?
His parents could not afford the school fees.
In March 2002, the hunger and famine in Malawi was solved by a successful harvest of maize.
1. What text structure is used in this section?
2. What signal word helped you to make your choice?
Problem & Solution
"solved"
What figurative language is being used in the excerpt below?
“‘This is what starving people look like,’ I thought. ‘They look like ghosts’” (112)
Simile
What character trait of William's is demonstrated by his tinkering with the bicycle dynamo in chapter 3?
His ingenuity, curiosity or inventiveness.
Besides having to drop out of school, why else was William disappointed in his school experience?
Due to his poor grades on his final exams, he did not get into the secondary school he wanted. He wanted to attend a school with science laboratories, but instead ended up at the poorest school in the district.
William explains how, as a teenager, he became curious in science and how things work. Some examples he provided include how a radio works and how petrol makes a car run.
1. What text structure is this?
2. What signal word helped you to make your choice?
Description
"some examples"
What figurative language is being used in the excerpt below?
“I was going to Kachokolo because my grades stunk” (101).
Personification
What is mangolomera?
Super human strength.
A sing'anga cuts your knuckles and puts a "magic potion" into your blood.
List three specific ways the famine impacted William's family.
1. They had to eat just one meal a day to conserve their small food supply.
2. Khamba dies.
3. They couldn't celebrate Christmas with their typical meal.
4. William's dad begins to lose his eye sight.
5. They all suffer from extreme hunger: weight loss, heart racing, brain fog, etc.
What is the text structure of the paragraph below? List two signal words that helped you make your choice.
While there are many Chinese restaurants in the United States, the food these restaurants serve is not the same as that served in China. Starting with the basics, the service of water differs. In the United States, most restaurants serve cold water with every meal, whether the customers ask for it or not. In China, however, cold water is never served. Restaurants in China serve hot water or tea. Food ingredients are also not the same. The Chinese use ingredients such as pig ears, chicken feet, duck blood, and jellyfish, which most Americans aren't used to eating. American restaurants, unlike Chinese ones, use broccoli, onion, and dairy products in their recipes. Finally, fortune cookies, so popular in the U.S., are an American invention not generally available in China.
Compare & Contrast
"not the same" / "differs" / "however" / "unlike"
What figurative language is being used in the excerpt below?
"I trusted my father, but as I got older, I began to wonder how his explanation accounted for Chuck Norris, Terminator, and Rambo -- who arrived at the Wimbe trading center one summer and caused all kinds of ruckus" (15).
Allusion
What three things happened beginning in December 2000 that lead to the famine?
1. The government increased the price of fertilizer.
2. There was a flood that swept away seeds and fertilizer.
3. There was a drought that caused any plants that survived the floods to die.
List two things that happened when William goes to get maize from the government store in chapter 5.
2. The mob of people being pushing each other and William is swept to the front of the line.
3. William was informed they raised the price of the maize and he could only purcahse 20 kilograms instead of 25.
4. They do not weigh the maize properly, and he only ends up with 15 kilos.
5. A man offered him 500 kwacha for his bag of maize. Another man offered him 600.
What is the text structure of the paragraph below? List two signal words that helped you make your choice.
A blacksmith makes objects such as tools, decorative items, horseshoes, and weapons from iron or steel. Before working with the metal, the blacksmith will first heat it. To do this, he or she places it in a fire or furnace, often holding it with tongs until it turns red hot. Then the metal is ready to work, and the blacksmith can hammer it flat, bend it, or twist it. As soon as the object is shaped just right, the blacksmith plunges it into a container of water. This quenches the metal, solidifying it quickly and hardening it.
Chronological/Sequence
"before" / "first" / "then" / "as soon as"
A. What figurative language is being used in the excerpt below?
"Some people became so thin, they looked like walking skeletons" (114).
B. What word or phrase helps you to understand the meaning of the figurative language?
A. Simile
B. "so thin"
How does deforestation lead to electricity blackouts in Malawi?
Without forests/trees, rains become flash floods that wash soil and garbage into the river. The garbage causes the turbines, which produce electricity, to become clogged. ESCOM (Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi) has to cut power to clear the turbines. Without power, more trees are cut down for firewood, and the cycle continues.
Give two examples of how William feels guilty for what happened to Khamba.
1. He says, "I did a terrible thing" as he walks away from Khamba in the woods.
2. He cannot fall asleep that night because he is thinking about Khamba alone in the woods.
3. He lies to his Uncle Socrates when he asks where Khamba is.
4. He never tells anyone what he has done until now.
What is the text structure of the paragraph below? List two signal words that helped you make your choice.
In October 2012, Hurricane Sandy swept onto the East Coast of the United States with peak winds hitting one hundred miles per hour. In addition to the strong winds, the storm generated heavy rain and flooding and resulted in more than one hundred deaths. Sandy also contributed to storm surges and rising water levels all along the coast, from Florida to Maine. Parts of New York experienced tides more than twelve feet above normal. More than eight million people lost their electricity. Dunes, boardwalks, and homes were destroyed. Overall, the storm produced more than fifty billion dollars in property damage and other losses.
Cause & Effect
"resulted" / "contributed"
What figurative language is being used in the excerpt below?
“I have no choice but to face the music” (111).
What does this mean?
Idiom
It means he has to accept that his parents do not have the money to send him to school. There's nothing he can do about it.