Comprehension Questions- The Boxcar Children #40 The Canoe Trip Mystery

 The Canoe Trip Mystery

By Gertrude Chandler Warner

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

The Alden children go on a canoeing trip with Aunt Jane and find a stolen old coin collection.

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

  1. Where were the children going for a week?  On a canoeing trip with Aunt Jane   p. 3
  2. What are some things Angela said to scare the Alden children? Wolves or wild animals may attack them, thunderstorms will strike    p. 9
  3. What were the presents Aunt Jane gave the children?  Pocket knife, trail mix, tin cup, compass   p. 12

Chapter 2

  1. While the Aldens ate lunch, what did they overhear some men talking about?  Burglars breaking into a museum  p. 14
  2. What had been stolen from a local man the year before?  coin collection  p. 14
  3. Where did the travelers stop for the night?   Near an old wooden house   p. 20
  4. What did Violet find on a large rock?  A riddle painted   p.  22

Chapter 3

  1. How did Aunt Jane know lots of people had been to their camp spot when they stopped for the night?  Lots of piles of ashes   p. 24
  2. What did Benny think the riddle was about?  The coins that were stolen.   P. 27
  3. Where do the kids think the coins are hidden?  Catfish Lake   p.  28
  4. What did Benny hear in the night?   Wolf howls   p. 30

Chapter 4

  1. Who appeared out of the forest?  Lorenzo Espinosa  p. 32
  2. Why is Lorenzo up there?  He’s a scientist  and studies the plants and animals of that area   p. 33
  3. Where did the Aldens and Aunt Jane eat their lunch?  On a rock island   p. 38
  4. How many warnings have the Aldens had on their trip?  Three  p. 42

Chapter 5

  1. Who did the Aldens meet at Catfish Lake?  A red haired man/Rob Wilson  p. 46
  2. Where did Rob take his food after cooking it?  Into the woods.   P. 49 
  3. Who were they sharing a lean to with?  Rob   p. 49
  4. Why were Aunt Jane and the children being careful?  People were acting strangely  p. 50

Chapter 6

  1. How did the children and Aunt Jane feel about Rob?  Didn’t know if they could trust him   p. 53
  2. Who helped Jessie and Henry catch fish for dinner?  Rob   p. 55
  3. Why did the Aldens invite Rob to join them on their trip?  It’d be hard for him to make the trip by himself with his broken ankle.   P. 55
  4. What did the weather turn to and made everyone paddle to shore?  Fog, wind, rain  p. 59

Chapter 7

  1. What happened to the groups in the two canoes when the storm hit?  They got separated   p. 60
  2. Who did Aunt Jane, Jessie and Benny run into while they waited for the storm to subside?  Matt and Bill   p. 64
  3. What did Matt and Bill say they do for a living?  Forest rangers   p. 64
  4. Why were the Aldens suspicious of Matt and Bill?  They didn’t act like forest rangers and weren’t wearing uniforms.  p. 68
  5. Who did Henry, Rob and Violet run into when they pulled to shore during the storm?  Angela   p. 75

Chapter 8

  1. How did the Aldens feel when they reunited after the storm?  Happy, relieved  p. 78
  2. Why did Henry and Violet think Angela took the things out of the canoe?  She had disappeared.  p. 79
  3. Now that the Aldens were all at Catfish Lake what were they anxious to do?  Find more clues to solve the riddle   p. 81
  4. What did the children find in the well?  Old coins   p. 91

Chapter 9

  1. Why is Rob really out canoeing along the lake?  Trying to find the coins   p. 93
  2. Why?  He’s a detective for the man the coins belong to  p. 92
  3. Why does Rob think Angela could have stolen the coins?  She was an illustrator for Mr. Withington   p. 94
  4. Who does Rob recognize one of the park rangers to be?  Mr. Withington’s chauffer   p. 101

Chapter 10

  1. How did Angela’s canoe tip over?  It was too full and it hit a rock.   p. 105
  2. Who stole the coins from Mr. Withington?  Angela and Matt   p. 111
  3. Why did Angela paint the riddle on the rock?  So Matt could find the collection and get them out of the country.  p. 111
  4. What were some things Angela did to scare away everyone away so they wouldn’t find the riddle and collection?  Wolf noises, dug a hole, poison ivy, lots of campfires, light in Jessie’s tent   p. 112

Chapter 11

  1. Why was Mr. Withington sad when Rob gave him his collection back?  He was sad that Angela and Matt would take it.  P. 115
  2. Why did have to wait to get the coin collection out of the woods?  Can’t travel up there at winter.   P. 116
  3. What happened to the Aldens camping equipment that got stolen?  Sunk when the canoe tipped over.   P. 119
  4. Who was going to pay for the lost equipment?  Mr. Withington  p. 119