Comprehension Questions- Johnny Tremain

Johnny Tremain

By Esther Forbes

Grades 5-8; Genre - Fiction; GRL Z; AR pts: 13.0

Johnny is a fourteen year old apprentice as a silversmith living in Boston before the Revolutionary War.  He burns his hand and is not able to be a silversmith any more.  So he starts delivering the newspaper and gets caught up in taking sides with the rebels and the events leading up to the Revolutionary War.

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

Part 1

  1. What’s the setting of this story? Boston, Revolutionary War period, in a silversmith shop   p. 1
  2. What’s an apprentice?  7 years of service with no pay  p. 6
  3. What type of work is Johnny an apprentice for?  Silversmith  p. 7
  4. Why doesn’t Dove like Johnny?  Johnny’s younger and better than him in the shop/ Johnny bosses him  p. 8

Part 2

  1. Why did Mr. Lapham choose Johnny to read out of the Bible at breakfast?  He can read very well/ wanted to teach him a lesson  p. 9
  2. What lesson did Johnny learn when he read out of the Bible?  Pride is bad/ he needs to be humble  p. 11
  3. What happens to Johnny’s ears when he’s mad?  They turn red  p. 12

Part 3

  1. What did Mr. Hancock want Mr. Laptham to make?  Sugar basin  p. 14
  2. Who owned the Lapham’s home?  Mr. Hancock  p. 14
  3. Why was Mr. Lapham nervous to make the sugar basin?  He hadn’t made anything like it in 30 yrs  p. 17

Part 4

  1. What are Johnny’s three initials?  J.L.T.  p. 19

Part 5

  1. What’s Johnny’s middle name?  Lyte  p. 22
  2. What was Johnny supposed to show Mr. Lyte when he needed help?  a cup his mother had given him  p. 25
  3. Where does Johnny keep the cup?  In his sea chest in the attic  p. 25

Part 6

  1. Why was it important for Johnny to show Cilla his cup?  He had promised her he would  p. 26
  2. What had Cilla promised Johnny now that she knew who he was?  She wouldn’t tell anyone  p. 28

Chapter 2

Part 1

  1.  Who did Johnny go to when he needed advice on the handles he was making for the sugar basin?  Paul Revere  p. 29
  2. Why can’t Johnny leave the Lapham’s and work for Paul Revere?  Nothing would get done/ they’d starve  p. 32

Part 2

  1. What did Mr. Lapham say would happen to Johnny because of his pride?  God would send him a punishment  p. 34
  2. Who told Johnny he could work on the Sabbath and finish the sugar basin?  Mrs. Lapham    Why?  So Mr. Hancock would come back to their shop.   p. 35

Part 3

  1. What did Johnny burn when he was working on the Sabbath?  His hand   p. 38
  2. Instead of a doctor, who did Mrs. Lapham tell Cilla to go get?    Gran’ Hopper  p. 40

Part 4

  1. How was Johnny’s hand crippled?  He couldn’t get his thumb to touch his finger   p. 41
  2. What happened to the sugar basin after the accident?  Mr. Lapham melted it down and it was never given to Mr. Hancock   p. 44

Part 5

  1. Why does Mr. Lapham want Johnny to forgive Dove?  He gave him the cracked crucible that helped cause Johnny’s accident  p. 47
  2. How do Dove and Dusty treat Johnny now that he’s hurt?  Taunt him and boss him around   p. 48

Chapter 3

Part 1

  1. Why didn’t Johnny come home to eat the afternoon dinner at the Lapham?  Mrs. Lapham complained that he ate too much  p. 50
  2. Who would sneak food into his coat as it hung on the coat?  Cilla   p. 51
  3. What kind of work did Rab offer Johnny?  Delivering papers  p. 56

Part 2

  1. Why doesn’t Johnny like Mr. Tweedie?  Doesn’t think he’s much of a man  p. 59
  2. What does the phrase “actions speak louder than words” mean?  Doing something can be more effective than saying it  p. 60    

Part 3

  1. Who had Mr. Lyte gone down to meet at the wharf?  His daughter/  Lavinia Lyte  p. 61
  2. Why couldn’t Mr. Hancock take Johnny in as an apprentice?  He couldn’t write well  p. 65
  3. What did Jehu, Mr. Hancock’s servant, deliver to Johnny?  A bag of silver coins  p. 66

Part 4

  1. Why had Jehu referred to Johnny as “the boy with the broken shoes”?  His shoes were flapping and his toes showed  p. 68
  2. What did Johnny buy for Isannah?  Limes   p. 68
  3. What did he buy for Cilla?  A picture book and crayons   p. 69
  4. What made Isannah scared of Johnny?  He touched her with his hand   p. 71

Part 5

  1. When Johnny slept by his mother’s grave, what did he remember her saying to him before she died?  To go to Merchant Lyte if he had nothing else  p. 73

Chapter 4

Part 1

  1. What was Merchant Lyte’s reaction when Johnny told him his name and about his mother?  Using that story is a very old trick, he wanted Johnny thrown out  p. 77
  2. What did Mr. Lyte want Johnny to bring to his house that night?  The cup  p. 78

Part 2

  1. What did Rab give to Johnny to wear so he went to meet Mr. Lyte feeling presentable?  A nice white shirt and jacket  p. 82

Part 3

  1. What did Mr. Lyte accuse Johnny of stealing?  His cup, the jacket and shirt Rab gave him  p. 85
  2. Where did the Sheriff take Johnny?  To the jail  p. 87

Part 4

  1. What are the gallows?  Place where people are hanged for their crimes   p. 88
  2. What did the medal hung about Rab’s throat mean?  He was part of the Sons of Liberty   p. 88
  3. What will Mr. Tweedie do if Cilla goes to trial and testifies for Johnny?  He’ll leave back to Baltimore  p. 91

Part 5

  1. What was the outcome of the trial when Cilla and Isannah testified for Johnny?  He was freed and given back the cup  p. 96
  2. Why did Johnny want to cry when Isannah kissed his hurt hand?  He knew she was sorry for treating him poorly  p. 97

Chapter 5

Part 1

  1. How much did Johnny want to sell the cup to Mr. Lyte?  20 pounds   p. 100
  2. What did Johnny leave behind when he ran away from Mr. Lyte?     His cup     p. 100
  3. What kind of job did Johnny get when he ran to the printing shop?  Delivering papers  p. 103

Part 2

  1. What idea gave Johnny confidence as he learned to ride Goblin?  That Goblin was more scared of Johnny  p. 107
  2. What is a Whig?  a political party who believes in being able to vote for the people who are going to tax them  p. 81
  3. When Johnny fell off Goblin, what did he use to lure the horse back to him?  rotten apples  p. 110
  4. What nickname did Johnny give Aunt Lorne’s baby?  Rabbit   p. 112

Part 3

  1. Who did Johnny carry the yoke and buckets filled with water for?  Cilla   p. 113
  2. Why did Johnny want to meet her at the town pump every Thursday and Sunday?  he could help her carry water back home/ so he could see the girls p. 115

Part 4

  1. What did Rab help Johnny do when he talked to him about his insults and name calling? Johnny started watching what he said and started counting to ten when he wanted to say something mean  p. 116
  2. What was Johnny’s reward when he counted to ten at Sam Adams house and Sukey splashed him with dirty water?  Apple pie, spoke with Sam Adams, became an express rider   p. 117
  3. What does it mean to “take or leave” a Silsbee? They’re good men, but never talk about anything/ can frustrate you, but if you can get past that, you'll really appreciate them  p. 120

Chapter 6

Part 1

  1. Why did Rab have Johnny memorize the names to the Observers’ Club?  The members were close to treason and didn’t want to get caught   p. 124
  2. What did Johnny deliver to the Observers’ Club members?  A paper talking about the Dartmouth full of tea and planning to dock that night in Boston   p. 123

Part 2

  1. Why wasn’t Johnny interested in Cilla’s news or talk about the Lapham’s?  he’d gotten into other things that seemed more important to him   p. 130
  2. What did Doctor Warren mean when he asked Johnny about his hand, “Was it God’s will it should be so?”  was Johnny’s hand crippled from birth    P. 131
  3. How did Johnny feel it was God’s will his hand was crippled?  He ruined in on the Lord’s day  p. 131

Part 3

  1. What did Sam Adams and the Observers’ Club members want to do with the tea on board the three ships?  Dump it over board into the water   p. 136
  2. Who did the men want to use to dump the tea overboard?  Trustworthy boys   p. 136

Part 4

  1. Who did Johnny draw strength from when he was having bad dreams and not able to calm down?  Rab  p. 138

Part 5

  1. Why couldn’t the tea be unloaded from the ships that had landed?  Boston had ordered them not to unload the tea  p. 139
  2. Why couldn’t they ships go back to England?  The Governor told them they couldn’t go back with the tea  p. 139
  3. Why did citizens like Paul Revere and John Hancock guard the ships, the Dartmouth and Eleanor?  So the ships wouldn’t be harmed or that tea wasn't smuggled on shore  p. 140

Part 6

  1. What did the boys dress up as when they went on board the ships and dump the tea into the water?  Indians  p. 141
  2. Who stood on the wharf the night of the Tea Party and watched the boys and men throw the tea overboard?  Men, women and children of Boston   p. 144
  3. How did the Captain Hall react when Paul Revere and his group boarded his ship?  Gave them the keys to the hull and went into his cabin  p. 144
  4. Why did Rab throw Dove overboard?  He was going to steal the tea   p. 145
  5. What condition was the ship in when Paul Revere and his group left the ship?  Very clean and no damage done  p. 147

Chapter 7

Part 1

  1. How did England punish Boston for not paying for the tea?  Closed the port of Boston  p. 149
  2. How was General Gage from England able to punish those leaders in the revolt against England?  Death on the gallows   p. 151
  3. What did the British soldier do to Rab when he touched the musket?  Hit him with the flat of his sword  p. 154
  4. How did the medical man treat Johnny and Rab?  Friendly   p. 154

Part 2

  1. Who had Cilla and Isannah gone to live with?  The Lytes   p. 161

Part 3

  1. What did Johnny do to keep Goblin from being taken by Colonel Smith?  Used a sheet to scare him   p. 167
  2. Why did Johnny protect Dove and befriend him?  Dove’s the colonel’s horse boy and would now when the colonel’s going to march or attack   p. 169

Part 4

  1. Why didn’t Madge want to marry Mr. Tweedie?  She’d fallen in love with a soldier   p. 172

Part 5

  1. Whose side is Mrs. Bessie on?  Johnny’s/ Whig’s   p. 179

Chapter 8

Part 1

  1. Why did Cilla want to go back to Milton after the mob had chased her and the Lyte’s?  she left the silver and wanted to go get it for the Lytes  p. 183

Part 2

  1. When Cilla and Johnny got to the Lyte house and were closing the shutters, why did it feel like they were at a funeral?  Because the Lyte’s were  never coming back   p. 189

Part 3

  1. What was Rab trying to get when he got caught by the British soldiers?  a gun   p. 191

Part 4

  1. What had Rab been doing with Cilla behind Johnny’s back?  Going on walks with her, buying her treats, courting her  p. 196

Part 5

  1. What did James Otis mean when he said, “We give all we have…Only that a man can stand up”?  we’ll fight so that men around the world may know they don’t have to be under an oppressive government and they can be free with a good government   p. 206

Chapter 9

Part 1

  1. How did Johnny find out Lieutenant Stranger was going to go to Portsmouth and retrieve the King’s stores of powder and ball? Lydia found ripped up paper in the garbage and gave them to Johnny   p. 211

Part 2

  1. Why were Rab and Johnny so good to Dove?  So they could get information out of him about the British  p. 213
  2. What did Lieutenant Stranger teach Johnny and Goblin?  How to jump  p. 218

Part 3

  1. Why did Pumpkin the soldier want to desert the British army?  So he could have a farm and cows in America  p. 223
  2. What did Johnny want from Pumpkin as a trade for helping him look like a farmer?  His musket  p. 224

Part 4

  1. When Johnny rode Sandy the colonel’s horse, what surprised him so much?  That a horse could be so calm and mild   p. 227

Part 5

  1. Who was the deserter Johnny saw getting punished by the firing squad?  Pumpkin   p. 229

Chapter 10

Part 1

  1. What was the signal the rebels across the water needed so they would know if the soldiers were leaving Boston on foot or in boats?  lamps hung at a church at night   p. 234
  2. Who else was going to ride along with Paul Revere that night, but leaving out of Boston pretending to be a drunken farmer?  Billy Dawes    p. 234

Part 2

  1. Where did Rab go when they knew the fighting was going to be happening soon?  To Lexington with the Minute Men   p. 236

Part 3

  1. What work did Johnny do for Dove when he wanted to find out why Colonel Smith needed his campaign saddle?  Polished the campaign saddle  p. 240

Part 4

  1. How many lamps did Newman hang on Christ’s church?  Two   p. 246
  2. How did Paul Revere get out of Boston?  In a rowboat to Charlestown where a horse waited for him  p. 248

Chapter 11

Part 1

  1. Who was Johnny worried about after he heard about the fighting up in Lexington?  Rab   p. 251

Part 2

  1. Why did Doctor Warren want Johnny to stay in Boston?  To gather information about what the British soldiers were planning and doing   p. 252
  2. What tune did the British soldiers play on their fifes to insult the Yankees?  Yankee Doodle Dandy  p. 257

Part 3

  1. Where did Uncle Lorne hide when the soldiers came to the printing press to capture him?  in the feather bed Aunt Jenifer was sewing   p. 259

Part 4

  1. Where was Merchant Lyte and his daughter going to hide from the war?  Back to England  p. 263
  2. Who is Miss Lavinia taking with her to England?  Izzy   p. 265
  3. What did Lavinia confess to Johnny?  That his mother was her cousin and that the cup really belonged to him   p. 266

Part 5

  1. What did Johnny dress up as to get passed the soldiers and out of Boston?  A British soldier  p. 269
  2. Who did Johnny want to stay with Cilla and Mrs. Bessie at the Lyte’s house after the Lyte’s sail away?  Uncle Lorne and his family   p. 270

Chapter 12

Part 1

  1. What did Johnny do to his uniform to blend in with the worn out wounded soldiers?  Rolled around in the muck, ripped off a button, tore it, beat his hat  p. 273
  2. What did Johnny say to the sailors that convinced them to take him across the river out of Boston?  He had a message for Earl Percy   p. 276

Part 3

  1. What kind of condition was Rab in when Johnny found him in the tavern?  Very bad, wounded and dying  p. 285
  2. What did Rab give Johnny before he died?  His musket  p. 286

Part 4

  1. What could Doctor Warren do to fix Johnny’s hand?   Cut through scar tissue  p. 291
  2. Johnny knew that lots of men would die in the war, but what was the thing that wouldn’t die?What they believed in, “a man can stand up…”   p. 293