Comprehension Questions – The Boxcar Children #5 Mike’s Mystery

Mike’s Mystery

By Gertrude Chandler Warner

Grades 3-5; Genre - Fiction; GRL O; AR pts: 2.0

The Alden children go to Mystery Ranch for summer vacation and run into Mike, an old friend from Surprise Island.  The four friends are puzzled as Mike’s house is set on fire and he’s blamed for it.  They know Mike didn’t do it, so they spend their vacation putting clues together to solve the mystery.

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

  1. Where do the four Alden children get to go for the summer?   Mystery Ranch p. 9
  2. Where does Watch ride on the train ride there?    Baggage car p. 10
  3. What has happened to Aunt Jane’s old hayfield?    It was made into a street p. 12
  4. What do the children want to go see when they get to Aunt Jane’s?   The ranch p. 12

Chapter 2

  1. Who does the ranch belong to?  The four Alden children p. 15
  2. What mineral was found on the ranch?  Uranium p. 15
  3. Who is Mike?  A friend from Surprise Island p. 16
  4. Who did Mike see next to Pat in the newspaper picture? A strange man p. 24

Chapter 3

  1. What happened to Mike’s house?  It burned down p. 28
  2. What word does Mike say to make everyone correct him? Don’t p. 31
  3. Where is Mike going to stay? With Benny at Aunt Jane’s house p. 33

Chapter 4

  1. How did the Wood’s know their house was on fire? Their dog Spotty p. 36
  2. What was the rumor going around about Mike?  That he started the fire p. 37
  3. Who started the rumor? A strange man with a blue hat p. 39
  4. Who did Benny want everyone to watch for? The man with the blue hat p. 41

Chapter 5

  1. Where did the children go with Mr. Carter? Up to the mine p. 42
  2. What did the children want to do with the big empty room? Let Mrs. Wood sell pies there p. 45
  3. Who would Mrs. Wood make them for? The miners p. 46

Chapter 6

  1. Where do the children take Mrs. Wood? To the building at the mine p. 49
  2. Who is Mr. McCarthy? The night watchman p. 51
  3. Did Mrs. Wood like the idea of making and selling pies? Yes p. 52
  4. Who did Mike think Mr. McCarthy saw at the mine the night of the fire? Man with blue hat p. 56

Chapter 7

  1. Does Grandfather Alden like the idea of helping Mrs. Wood with her pie business? Yes p. 64
  2. Why did Mike tie up Spotty after the fire? So he wouldn’t bark p. 67
  3. Why did Spotty growl? He saw the man in blue p. 66

Chapter 8

  1. What did the children go to the store to buy?  Stove, sink, refrigerator, etc. p. 71
  2. How did Mrs. Wood feel about buying new appliances? She was delighted and happy p. 71
  3. Why did the storekeeper tell them not to buy dishes?  Mrs. Wood’s friends were also giving her things   p.76

Chapter 9

  1. Where did Mrs. Wood want to live?  In the building where she will sell pies p. 79
  2. Why did she want to live there? To have her boys close when she wakes up to make pies p. 79
  3. What did the neighbors do for Mrs. Wood? They gave her everything she needed p. 85

Chapter 10

  1. Aunt Jane came to the building, what did she have for Mike?The newspaper p.88
  2. Whose picture was in the newspaper? A man with a hat p. 89
  3. Who did Mr. Carter think the man with the blue hat was? Someone who wanted to buy the mine p. 92
  4. Who did Mr. Carter work for? FBI p. 94

Chapter 11

  1. What did Violet give Mrs. Wood?  A sign that said “Mike’s Mother’s Place” p. 99
  2. What did the children use to lead the dogs to the finish line? Bones p. 104
  3. Why did Spotty stop during the race?  He smelled something p. 105
  4. What did Spotty dig up? A man’s blue hat p. 106

Chapter 12

  1. When the children went to see Mr. Carter, what did Watch dig up?  A gasoline can p. 108
  2. Why was finding the hat and gas can important? It told the kids the man with the blue hat started the fire with the can p. 108
  3. What did Mr. Carter find behind the mine? Wires p. 115
  4. What was the man with the blue hat doing at the mine the night of the fire? Blowing up the mine p. 109

Chapter 13

  1. Why did the children and Mrs. Wood have a party? Because people have been so nice p. 117
  2. Why did Spotty growl while everyone was watching the movie? A man walked by p. 121
  3. What did Spotty do when he saw him? He ran and caught him p. 121

Chapter 14

  1. Why did Mike feel it was his mystery? It was his house that burned up p. 125
  2. Why did Benny say it was Mike’s mystery? It was Spotty who found the hat p. 126
  3. What did Mike learn to say correctly? Doesn’t p. 127