About
Jack and Annie visit old Japan to find a secret of happiness for Merlin. They meet a master poet and help save the village from a fire.
Read one section at a time, then discuss the questions to review understanding. These questions are a starting place for conversation, not a complete test of the chapter.
Chapter 1
Comprehension questions
What did Jack dream before Annie woke him up?
Page 3 — Red and white birds pecking at his window
3
Who was tapping on his window in real life?
Page 3 — Teddy and Kathleen were tossing pebbles at it.
3
Why does Morgan want Jack and Annie to find four secrets of happiness?
Page 6 — To help Merlin feel better
6
Where were Jack and Annie going to find the first secret of happiness?
Page 7 — Japan
7
Chapter 2
Comprehension questions
What’s a passport?
Page 15 — A booklet that says who you are
15
Why were Jack and Annie worried they didn’t have a passport?
Page 15 — People will think they’re spies.
15
Who is a shogun?
Page 17 — Military ruler
17
Why do you think the man with the stick called Jack and Annie, Baku and Koto?
Page 21 — To keep them from getting in trouble.
21
Chapter 3
Comprehension questions
Why did Basho want Jack and Annie to travel with him?
Page 25 — To protect them
25
Why are the people of Edo worried that there has been no rain?
Page 30 — Fire
30
What mountain did Jack and Annie see?
Page 34 — Mount Fuji
34
Why do the Japanese call Japan a “floating world”?
Page 35 — Japan seems to float on beauty.
35
Chapter 4
Comprehension questions
What did Jack and Annie do with their shoes as they entered the tea house?
Page 38 — Left them at the door.
38
What utensil do the people of Japan use to eat their food?
Page 39 — Chopsticks
39
Who was watching Jack as they were eating their sushi?
Page 42 — Two samurai/ man with scar other with fierce dark eyes
42
Tell me about sumo wrestling.
Page 46 — Two large men try to push each other out of the ring.
46
Chapter 5
Comprehension questions
What poem did Annie share with the samurai warriors?
Page 49 — Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
49
What poem did Jack do?
Page 51 — One he made up about Japan
51
What does Basho call his home?
Page 54 — A castle
54
Tell me about Basho’s home.
Page 54 — Hut made of bamboo and wooden shingles
54
Chapter 6
Comprehension questions
What is Basho a master of?
Page 59 — Poetry
59
Why is it important for samurai to learn poetry?
Page 61 — It helps focus the mind.
61
What was Basho’s poem about?
Page 62 — A frog jumping into the water
62
Why does Basho give Jack and Annie mosquito nets to cover them while they sleep?
Page 63 — To protect them from getting bitten by mosquitos
63
Chapter 7
Comprehension questions
What did Jack and Annie smell when they woke up?
Page 67 — Smoke from a fire
67
How did they help the villagers fight the fire?
Page 72 — Fill buckets with water
72
Why did Jack and Annie want to go back to Basho’s castle?
Page 73 — Get Wand of Dianthus
73
Why didn’t the wand work when Jack and Annie first tried to use it?
Page 75 — They hadn’t used exactly five words.
75
Chapter 8
Comprehension questions
Where had the wand taken Jack and Annie?
Page 78 — The top of Mount Fuji
78
Why did the Cloud Dragon appear?
Page 80 — To command the rain clouds
80
How did the dragon put out the fire?
Page 84 — Rained on the village
84
Where did the Cloud Dragon drop Annie and Jack?
Page 84 — Into the river
84
Chapter 9
Comprehension questions
What happened to Basho’s little hut?
Page 87 — Burned down
87
Why do the ancients call fires the “flowers of Edo”?
Page 89 — after a fire there are good new things
89
Do the Japanese people believe in the Cloud Dragon anymore?
Page 91 — No
91
Chapter 10
Comprehension questions
Why did the samurai stop Jack and Annie in the Imperial Garden?
Page 96 — He wanted to see their passports.
96
How did Jack and Annie get away from the samurai without any problems?
Page 98 — They each recited a poem.
98
What did Jack and Annie forget to do while they were in Japan?
Page 100 — Find a secret of happiness
100
What secret of happiness did Jack and Annie decide would help Merlin feel better?
Page 102 — Paying close attention to the small things in nature
102
Downloads
All the book’s resources, or just the ones you need, ready to read or print.
Worksheets
Practice sheets with space to write your answers.
Download one reading section
A small printout with all the resources for the selected section.
Yeah! I finally got on here! I’m spreading the news around Sandy Elementary. I’m going to see if I can use these questions instead of what we’ve been doing to test their comprehension. It’s so great to have such a fabulous sister.
Using this with Module 2a Common Core 🙂