Johnny Tremain
About
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.
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 Part 1
Comprehension questions
What’s the setting of this story?
Page 1 — Boston, Revolutionary War period, in a silversmith shop
1
What’s an apprentice?
Page 6 — 7 years of service with no pay
6
What type of work is Johnny an apprentice for?
Page 7 — Silversmith
7
Why doesn’t Dove like Johnny?
Page 8 — Johnny’s younger and better than him in the shop/ Johnny bosses him
8
Part 2
Comprehension questions
Why did Mr. Lapham choose Johnny to read out of the Bible at breakfast?
Page 9 — He can read very well/ wanted to teach him a lesson
9
What lesson did Johnny learn when he read out of the Bible?
Page 11 — Pride is bad/ he needs to be humble
11
What happens to Johnny’s ears when he’s mad?
Page 12 — They turn red
12
Part 3
Comprehension questions
What did Mr. Hancock want Mr. Laptham to make?
Page 14 — Sugar basin
14
Who owned the Lapham’s home?
Page 14 — Mr. Hancock
14
Why was Mr. Lapham nervous to make the sugar basin?
Page 17 — He hadn’t made anything like it in 30 yrs
17
Part 4
Comprehension questions
What are Johnny’s three initials?
Page 19 — J.L.T.
19
Part 5
Comprehension questions
What’s Johnny’s middle name?
Page 22 — Lyte
22
What was Johnny supposed to show Mr. Lyte when he needed help?
Page 25 — a cup his mother had given him
25
Where does Johnny keep the cup?
Page 25 — In his sea chest in the attic
25
Part 6
Comprehension questions
Why was it important for Johnny to show Cilla his cup?
Page 26 — He had promised her he would
26
What had Cilla promised Johnny now that she knew who he was?
Page 28 — She wouldn’t tell anyone
28
Chapter 2 Part 1
Comprehension questions
Who did Johnny go to when he needed advice on the handles he was making for the sugar basin?
Page 29 — Paul Revere
29
Why can’t Johnny leave the Lapham’s and work for Paul Revere?
Page 32 — Nothing would get done/ they’d starve
32
Part 2
Comprehension questions
What did Mr. Lapham say would happen to Johnny because of his pride?
Page 34 — God would send him a punishment
34
Who told Johnny he could work on the Sabbath and finish the sugar basin?
Page 35 — Mrs. Lapham Why? So Mr. Hancock would come back to their shop.
35
Part 3
Comprehension questions
What did Johnny burn when he was working on the Sabbath?
Page 38 — His hand
38
Instead of a doctor, who did Mrs. Lapham tell Cilla to go get?
Page 40 — Gran’ Hopper
40
Part 4
Comprehension questions
How was Johnny’s hand crippled?
Page 41 — He couldn’t get his thumb to touch his finger
41
What happened to the sugar basin after the accident?
Page 44 — Mr. Lapham melted it down and it was never given to Mr. Hancock
44
Part 5
Comprehension questions
Why does Mr. Lapham want Johnny to forgive Dove?
Page 47 — He gave him the cracked crucible that helped cause Johnny’s accident
47
How do Dove and Dusty treat Johnny now that he’s hurt?
Page 48 — Taunt him and boss him around
48
Chapter 3 Part 1
Comprehension questions
Why didn’t Johnny come home to eat the afternoon dinner at the Lapham?
Page 50 — Mrs. Lapham complained that he ate too much
50
Who would sneak food into his coat as it hung on the coat?
Page 51 — Cilla
51
What kind of work did Rab offer Johnny?
Page 56 — Delivering papers
56
Part 2
Comprehension questions
Why doesn’t Johnny like Mr. Tweedie?
Page 59 — Doesn’t think he’s much of a man
59
What does the phrase “actions speak louder than words” mean?
Page 60 — Doing something can be more effective than saying it
60
Part 3
Comprehension questions
Who had Mr. Lyte gone down to meet at the wharf?
Page 61 — His daughter/ Lavinia Lyte
61
Why couldn’t Mr. Hancock take Johnny in as an apprentice?
Page 65 — He couldn’t write well
65
What did Jehu, Mr. Hancock’s servant, deliver to Johnny?
Page 66 — A bag of silver coins
66
Part 4
Comprehension questions
Why had Jehu referred to Johnny as “the boy with the broken shoes”?
Page 68 — His shoes were flapping and his toes showed
68
What did Johnny buy for Isannah?
Page 68 — Limes
68
What did he buy for Cilla?
Page 69 — A picture book and crayons
69
What made Isannah scared of Johnny?
Page 71 — He touched her with his hand
71
Part 5
Comprehension questions
When Johnny slept by his mother’s grave, what did he remember her saying to him before she died?
Page 73 — To go to Merchant Lyte if he had nothing else
73
Chapter 4 Part 1
Comprehension questions
What was Merchant Lyte’s reaction when Johnny told him his name and about his mother?
Page 77 — Using that story is a very old trick, he wanted Johnny thrown out
77
What did Mr. Lyte want Johnny to bring to his house that night?
Page 78 — The cup
78
Part 2
Comprehension questions
What did Rab give to Johnny to wear so he went to meet Mr. Lyte feeling presentable?
Page 82 — A nice white shirt and jacket
82
Part 3
Comprehension questions
What did Mr. Lyte accuse Johnny of stealing?
Page 85 — His cup, the jacket and shirt Rab gave him
85
Where did the Sheriff take Johnny?
Page 87 — To the jail
87
Part 4
Comprehension questions
What are the gallows?
Page 88 — Place where people are hanged for their crimes
88
What did the medal hung about Rab’s throat mean?
Page 88 — He was part of the Sons of Liberty
88
What will Mr. Tweedie do if Cilla goes to trial and testifies for Johnny?
Page 91 — He’ll leave back to Baltimore
91
Part 5
Comprehension questions
What was the outcome of the trial when Cilla and Isannah testified for Johnny?
Page 96 — He was freed and given back the cup
96
Why did Johnny want to cry when Isannah kissed his hurt hand?
Page 97 — He knew she was sorry for treating him poorly
97
Chapter 5 Part 1
Comprehension questions
How much did Johnny want to sell the cup to Mr. Lyte?
Page 100 — 20 pounds
100
What did Johnny leave behind when he ran away from Mr. Lyte?
Page 100 — His cup
100
What kind of job did Johnny get when he ran to the printing shop?
Page 103 — Delivering papers
103
Part 2
Comprehension questions
What idea gave Johnny confidence as he learned to ride Goblin?
Page 107 — That Goblin was more scared of Johnny
107
What is a Whig?
Page 81 — a political party who believes in being able to vote for the people who are going to tax them
81
When Johnny fell off Goblin, what did he use to lure the horse back to him?
Page 110 — rotten apples
110
What nickname did Johnny give Aunt Lorne’s baby?
Page 112 — Rabbit
112
Part 3
Comprehension questions
Who did Johnny carry the yoke and buckets filled with water for?
Page 113 — Cilla
113
Why did Johnny want to meet her at the town pump every Thursday and Sunday?
Page 115 — he could help her carry water back home/ so he could see the girls
115
Part 4
Comprehension questions
What did Rab help Johnny do when he talked to him about his insults and name calling?
Page 116 — Johnny started watching what he said and started counting to ten when he wanted to say something mean
116
What was Johnny’s reward when he counted to ten at Sam Adams house and Sukey splashed him with dirty water?
Page 117 — Apple pie, spoke with Sam Adams, became an express rider
117
What does it mean to “take or leave” a Silsbee?
Page 120 — They’re good men, but never talk about anything/ can frustrate you, but if you can get past that, you'll really appreciate them
120
Chapter 6 Part 1
Comprehension questions
Why did Rab have Johnny memorize the names to the Observers’ Club?
Page 124 — The members were close to treason and didn’t want to get caught
124
What did Johnny deliver to the Observers’ Club members?
Page 123 — A paper talking about the Dartmouth full of tea and planning to dock that night in Boston
123
Part 2
Comprehension questions
Why wasn’t Johnny interested in Cilla’s news or talk about the Lapham’s?
Page 130 — he’d gotten into other things that seemed more important to him
130
What did Doctor Warren mean when he asked Johnny about his hand, “Was it God’s will, it should be so.”?
Page 131 — If Johnny’s hand was crippled from birth
131
How did Johnny feel it was God’s will his hand was crippled?
Page 131 — He ruined it on the Lord’s day
131
Part 3
Comprehension questions
What did Sam Adams and the Observers’ Club members want to do with the tea on board the three ships?
Page 136 — Dump it over board into the water
136
Who did the men want to use to dump the tea overboard?
Page 136 — Trustworthy boys
136
Part 4
Comprehension questions
Who did Johnny draw strength from when he was having bad dreams and not able to calm down?
Page 138 — Rab
138
Part 5
Comprehension questions
Why couldn’t the tea be unloaded from the ships that had landed?
Page 139 — Boston had ordered them not to unload the tea
139
Why couldn’t they ships go back to England?
Page 139 — The Governor told them they couldn’t go back with the tea
139
Why did citizens like Paul Revere and John Hancock guard the ships, the Dartmouth and Eleanor?
Page 140 — So the ships wouldn’t be harmed or that tea wasn't smuggled on shore
140
Part 6
Comprehension questions
What did the boys dress up as when they went on board the ships and dump the tea into the water?
Page 141 — Indians
141
Who stood on the wharf the night of the Tea Party and watched the boys and men throw the tea overboard?
Page 144 — Men, women and children of Boston
144
How did Captain Hall react when Paul Revere and his group boarded his ship?
Page 144 — Gave them the keys to the hull and went into his cabin
144
Why did Rab throw Dove overboard?
Page 145 — He was going to steal the tea
145
What condition was the ship in when Paul Revere and his group left the ship?
Page 147 — Very clean and no damage done
147
Chapter 7 Part 1
Comprehension questions
How did England punish Boston for not paying for the tea?
Page 149 — Closed the port of Boston
149
How was General Gage from England able to punish those leaders in the revolt against England?
Page 151 — Death on the gallows
151
What did the British soldier do to Rab when he touched the musket?
Page 154 — Hit him with the flat of his sword
154
How did the medical man treat Johnny and Rab?
Page 154 — Friendly
154
Part 2
Comprehension questions
Who had Cilla and Isannah gone to live with?
Page 161 — The Lytes
161
Part 3
Comprehension questions
What did Johnny do to keep Goblin from being taken by Colonel Smith?
Page 167 — Used a sheet to scare him
167
Why did Johnny protect Dove and befriend him?
Page 169 — Dove’s the colonel’s horse boy and would know when the colonel’s going to march or attack
169
Part 4
Comprehension questions
Why didn’t Madge want to marry Mr. Tweedie?
Page 172 — She’d fallen in love with a soldier
172
Part 5
Comprehension questions
Whose side is Mrs. Bessie on?
Page 179 — Johnny’s/ Whig’s
179
Chapter 8 Part 1
Comprehension questions
Why did Cilla want to go back to Milton after the mob had chased her and the Lyte’s?
Page 183 — she left the silver and wanted to go get it for the Lytes
183
Part 2
Comprehension questions
When Cilla and Johnny got to the Lyte house and were closing the shutters, why did it feel like they were at a funeral?
Page 189 — Because the Lyte’s were never coming back
189
Part 3
Comprehension questions
What was Rab trying to get when he got caught by the British soldiers?
Page 191 — a gun
191
Part 4
Comprehension questions
What had Rab been doing with Cilla behind Johnny’s back?
Page 196 — Going on walks with her, buying her treats, courting her
196
Part 5
Comprehension questions
What did James Otis mean when he said, “We give all we have…Only that a man can stand up”?
Page 206 — 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
206
Chapter 9 Part 1
Comprehension questions
How did Johnny find out Lieutenant Stranger was going to go to Portsmouth and retrieve the King’s stores of powder and ball?
Page 211 — Lydia found ripped up paper in the garbage and gave them to Johnny
211
Part 2
Comprehension questions
Why were Rab and Johnny so good to Dove?
Page 213 — So they could get information out of him about the British
213
What did Lieutenant Stranger teach Johnny and Goblin?
Page 218 — How to jump
218
Part 3
Comprehension questions
Why did Pumpkin the soldier want to desert the British army?
Page 223 — So he could have a farm and cows in America
223
What did Johnny want from Pumpkin as a trade for helping him look like a farmer?
Page 224 — His musket
224
Part 4
Comprehension questions
When Johnny rode Sandy the colonel’s horse, what surprised him so much?
Page 227 — That a horse could be so calm and mild
227
Part 5
Comprehension questions
Who was the deserter Johnny saw getting punished by the firing squad?
Page 229 — Pumpkin
229
Chapter 10 Part 1
Comprehension questions
What was the signal the rebels were waiting for to know if the soldiers were leaving Boston on foot or in boats?
Page 234 — lamps hung at a church at night
234
Who else was going to ride along with Paul Revere that night, but leaving out of Boston pretending to be a drunken farmer?
Page 234 — Billy Dawes
234
Part 2
Comprehension questions
Where did Rab go when they knew the fighting was going to be happening soon?
Page 236 — To Lexington with the Minute Men
236
Part 3
Comprehension questions
What work did Johnny do for Dove when he wanted to find out why Colonel Smith needed his campaign saddle?
Page 240 — Polished the campaign saddle
240
Part 4
Comprehension questions
How many lamps did Newman hang on Christ’s church?
Page 246 — Two
246
How did Paul Revere get out of Boston?
Page 248 — In a rowboat to Charlestown where a horse waited for him
248
Chapter 11 Part 1
Comprehension questions
Who was Johnny worried about after he heard about the fighting up in Lexington?
Page 251 — Rab
251
Part 2
Comprehension questions
Why did Doctor Warren want Johnny to stay in Boston?
Page 252 — To gather information about what the British soldiers were planning and doing
252
What tune did the British soldiers play on their fifes to insult the Yankees?
Page 257 — Yankee Doodle Dandy
257
Part 3
Comprehension questions
Where did Uncle Lorne hide when the soldiers came to the printing press to capture him?
Page 259 — in the feather bed Aunt Jenifer was sewing
259
Part 4
Comprehension questions
Where was Merchant Lyte and his daughter going to hide from the war?
Page 263 — Back to England
263
Who is Miss Lavinia taking with her to England?
Page 265 — Izzy
265
What did Lavinia confess to Johnny?
Page 266 — That his mother was her cousin and that the cup really belonged to him
266
Part 5
Comprehension questions
What did Johnny dress up as to get passed the soldiers and out of Boston?
Page 269 — A British soldier
269
Who did Johnny want to stay with Cilla and Mrs. Bessie at the Lyte’s house after the Lyte’s sail away?
Page 270 — Uncle Lorne and his family
270
Chapter 12 Part 1
Comprehension questions
What did Johnny do to his uniform to blend in with the worn out wounded soldiers?
Page 273 — Rolled around in the muck, ripped off a button, tore it, beat his hat
273
What did Johnny say to the sailors that convinced them to take him across the river out of Boston?
Page 276 — He had a message for Earl Percy
276
Part 3
Comprehension questions
What kind of condition was Rab in when Johnny found him in the tavern?
Page 285 — Very bad, wounded and dying
285
What did Rab give Johnny before he died?
Page 286 — His musket
286
Part 4
Comprehension questions
What could Doctor Warren do to fix Johnny’s hand?
Page 291 — Cut through scar tissue
291
Johnny knew that lots of men would die in the war, but what was the thing that wouldn’t die?
Page 293 — What they believed in, “a man can stand up…”
293
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