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Comprehension Questions – Son Ward

Son Ward

by E.A. Loghry

Grades 8-12; Genre - Action Adventure

In a quiet valley kingdom untouched by war and strife, King’s falconer Shain becomes the unexpected choice for Son Ward- the heir to the throne. Holim, the King’s nephew, full of jealousy and wounded pride, strongly opposes the decision. As Shain wrestles with his new calling and the responsibility it entails, he must choose whether to become the man the King sees in him or give in to his own doubts and insecurities. Will Shain rise to his King’s call and prove himself as the kingdom’s leader, or will Holim’s schemes succeed in derailing his path to the throne?

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

  1. Summarize the introduction to this story. Shain is the king’s Master Falconer; he was called in to the king, and the king chose him to be the heir to the throne after he dies; Shain accepted, but wasn’t happy about it; he wants to rebel against the idea; the king’s nephew was there and could possibly cause problems p.1

Chapter 2

  1. Summarize Shain’s background? His great-grandfather betrayed the king and let assassins in the castle to kill the king; the king was well guarded, and didn’t die; Consequently, Shain’s great-grandfather had to clip his favorite falcon’s feathers so he couldn’t fly again and he was banished from the castle p.16
  2. Why is Holim such a threat to Shain? He is the king’s nephew and wants to be king; he killed his brother so he could easily kill Shain; there’s also speculation he hurt his uncle the king p.20

Chapter 3

  1. Describe Shain’s attitude about being king. Why? Grumpy; negative; he’d rather be out with his birds; he feels out of place in the castle p.26

Chapter 4

  1. What characteristics does Shain have that the king has chosen him for? Loyalty; love for what he is dedicated to; strong and can withstand Holim p.40
  2. How do those qualities make him a good king? Once Shain has accepted his role as the king, he will give all that he has to serve and be a good ruler; has confidence not to let Holim manipulate him and is strong so fight off Holim

Chapter 5

  1. Describe Trygve and why it is strange the king would tell Shain to trust him? He is the castle cook and we found out he is the king’s counselor; he is also Tok’s brother; he’s an old man full of wisdom and authority p.47

Chapter 6

  1. Do you think Shain should trust Brindel? Why, or why not? Listen to your child’s answer p.62

Chapter 7

  1. What attitude did Shain begin to have in this chapter? He started to embrace his new life and realized he needed to get the guards’ respect and approval p.68

Chapter 8

  1. What is holding Shain back from embracing the kingship? He’s worried he will fail; he is short-sighted and can only see one path to earning back the respect for his family p.76
  2. What will the scuffle between the guard and Holim’s mercenaries hopefully do? Discourage the mercenaries and Holim from trying to take the kingdom p.85

Chapter 9

  1. How could the scuffle possibly backfire and work against Shain? One of the guards was injured badly. If he dies, the guard will blame it on Shain p.94
  2. Why does it show good character of Shain to work with Karth and seek out Trygve’s counsel in this chapter? He is showing humility which is exemplary of a good leader p.95
  3. Now that we know Holim a little better, describe him. He’s the nephew to the king; he wants the throne; uses his charisma to manipulate others to get what he wants; he’s selfish, devious, a liar, seeks power instead of seeking to do good p.100

Chapter 10

  1. Summarize Trygve and Tok’s history; they are foster brothers; Trygve’s father was the king’s cook and when his father died, Trygve became the cook but he was young so the king had a noble family take care of him; this family was Tok’s; Tok’s father led an important battle against robbers and won; the king was grateful and promised to take care of his family since he died soon after; the king did, but the next king wasn’t aware of the deal and Tok and Trygve lost everything and they had to move to a small house in the village; their mom lived with them then died at a young age due to the loss she had throughout her life p.112

Chapter 11

  1. What did the king mean when he said, “he has changed his love “on page 123? Listen to your child’s answer
  2. Why can’t Shain take the man who attacked him prisoner? Holim will kill his father p.129

Chapter 12

  1. Describe the shift in Shain and how it came about? He began to take on the responsibility of being king; he was attacked on the way to visiting his father and he lived; the guards went on strike until there was a coronation; three guards became friends to Shain p.136

Chapter 14

  1. How has Karth been a good friend to Shain, specifically in this chapter? He helped him put his father’s affairs in order; he accompanied Shain to his father’s and buried him while Shain retrieved what he needed from the house; he took the box and let Shain run ahead to see what was going on with the King; he warned Shain about Holim’s reinforcements and helped him come up with the good idea to have the king sign a declaration to remove Holim from the castle p.147

Chapter 15

  1. Who was the person who wounded Shain off the path when he was traveling to his father’s? Holim in a disguise p.160
  2. Why does Shain think some guards have changed their loyalty? The guard stopped Holim from killing the king and didn’t hurt Shain or Karth p.164

Chapter 16

  1. What decision did Shain need to make during the battle in this chapter and what did it mean? Whether or not to go to the mews and save the falcons; he didn’t, he stayed to fight for the king and the kingdom; it means Shain has accepted his new responsibility and has given up his old dream p.174

Chapter 17

  1. Why did Shain release Tok from the army? The army had been divided and needed to be rebuilt with a new leader p.180
  2. How did Shain convince the people to love him? They saw his loyalty and love for the king as they fought Holim and army p.182

Chapter 18

  1. Did you agree that Shain became the person he wanted to become? Listen to your child’s answer. Why, or why not? Listen to your child’s answer
  2. What did you like most about this story? Listen to your child’s answer

Comprehension Questions – Secret Agent Jack Stalwart #5 The Secret of the Sacred Temple: Cambodia

The Secret of the Sacred Temple: Cambodia

by Elizabeth Singer Hunt

Grades K-3; Genre - Fiction; GRL P; AR pts: 2.0

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

  1. Who was visiting Jack and his family? His cousin Lily p.1
  2. How does Jack feel about her? Thinks she’s annoying p.2

Chapter 2

  1. Why did Ronald Barter start the GPF? He was tired of crooks trying to destroy the things that mattered in the world p.6
  2. When did Jack join the GPF? When his older brother disappeared p.6

Chapter 3

  1. What country is Jack traveling to in this book? Cambodia p.12
  2. What was the code word for this mission? Temple p.12

Chapter 4

  1. What did Jack do when his parachute didn’t come out of his bag? He used The Dome, a disc made of elastic material that expanded and slowed his fall p.18
  2. Where did Jack land when the elastic material burst? In some water by a monument p.19
  3. Who was waiting for Jack? Kate p.21

Chapter 5

  1. Who is Kate’s mum? One of the chief archeologists watching over the ancient temple of Angkor Wat p.26
  2. Why did Kate call the GPF? Her mum was kidnapped p.26

Chapter 6

  1. What condition was Kate’s house in when Jack saw it? A mess; pictures ripped from the walls, furniture overturned, curtains shredded to bits p.28
  2. What did Jack find under the sofa? A voice recorder p.31
  3. Summarize what Jack and Kate heard on the voice recorder. Kate’s mom mentioned the map and her daughter, then a man appeared demanding the map, she wouldn’t give it to him, so they took her away to the Temple of the Trees to try and get her to talk p.33

Chapter 7

  1. Why did Kate trust Jack? Because her mother knew his brother and he was a good agent p.36
  2. Why was Jack eager to find Kate’s mum? To save her, but also to find out more information on his brother’s disappearance p.39

Chapter 8

  1. What did Jack give Kate before they left on the bikes? A Transponder, in case she got lost p.40
  2. What did the gadgets in Jack’s shoes warn him of? Landmines p.44

Chapter 9

  1. What time of day did Jack and Kate enter the temple looking for her mom? Night p.48
  2. Where was the map located? On Kate’s necklace p.51
  3. What did the man do to Jack? Threw a powder at him that blinded him, made him sick, and made him go to sleep p.54

Chapter 10

  1. How did Jack recover from the powder? He put some Electrolyte Dust on his tongue p.56
  2. Where had the crooks taken Kate and her mum? Back to the Temple of Angkor Wat p.59

Chapter 11

  1. Where did Jack find Kate? In the central well of the temple p.65
  2. Why did the crooks send Kate into the well? The well was too narrow for an adult p.69
  3. Where did Jack and Kate think the crooks went? To the airport p.70

Chapter 12

  1. How did Jack get a ticket to get passed the official? He had a Trick Ticket device that created a ticket and a Voice-Recognition Passport that he had programmed as well p.74
  2. What showed up in Jack’s backpack as it went through security? Gum, books and a gaming device p.77

Chapter 13

  1. How did Jack trick the man with the gold teeth? He said he got an important piece of the treasure from Kate, and the man released her mum p.81
  2. How did Jack get the treasure? He threw the object he was using to trick the man, the man tried to catch it and dropped the box of treasure, and Jack grabbed the box with an expandable hook p.84
  3. What did Jack use to capture the bad guy? The anti-bullet Net Tosser p.85

Chapter 14

  1. Why did Jack want to talk to Kate’s mum? To see if she knew anything about his brother’s disappearance p.92

Chapter 15

  1. Where did Max disappear from? Egypt p.93
  2. What was the object of Max’s mission when he disappeared? A mummy p.94
  3. How did Jack get back home? Went into Kate’s mum’s room, threw a pellet on the floor which released a smoke, and said, “off to England!”

Comprehension Questions – Secret Agent Jack Stalwart #5 The Search for the Sunken Treasure: Australia

The Search for the Sunken Treasure: Australia

by Elizabeth Singer Hunt

Grades K-3; Genre - Fiction; GRL P; AR pts: 2.0

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

  1. What was Alfie’s mission as he swam to the wreckage? He was to remove any sand covering the bow of the ship, bring up any relics he found, and hand them over to the State Maritime Museum p.4
  2. What happened to Alfie after he saw the sand removed from the bow? Someone came up and shot him in the leg with a spear p.5

Chapter 2

  1. What was Jack up to at the beginning of this chapter? He was at a swim meet getting ready to swim the breaststroke p.7
  2. How did Jack’s rivalry respond when Jack won the race? He wouldn’t shake hands with him p.12
  3. Why was Jack so worried to get home? He didn’t want to be late for his 7:30 appointment with Whizzy p.14

Chapter 3

  1. How did Jack feel after his race? Tired p.15
  2. Where was Jack going on his mission? Australia p.17

Chapter 4

  1. What did Jack take to stop from being sick on the boat? Anti-puke pills p.20
  2. What did Harry need Jack to do? Find Alfie and figure out what happened at the wreckage p.24

Chapter 5

  1. What did Jack use instead of the diving equipment Harry brought out for him? His own breathing apparatus and a morph wet suit complete with slippers p.26

Chapter 6

  1. How does the Time Capture device work? It tracked the heat left behind from objects that had previously been there p.31
  2. What did they see happened to Alfie? He was taken away by another human p.33

Chapter 7

  1. What’s a cay? A tiny island of sand p.35
  2. What was near the cay? A pirate ship p.37
  3. Why did Harry need to stay with the boat? In case Alfie escapes and comes back to the boat p.40

Chapter 8

  1. What gadget did Jack have that formed into a mini-submarine? A plastic toy boat p.42
  2. What’s it called? The Egg p.42

Chapter 9

  1. When were the pirates going to kill Alfie? At nightfall p.46
  2. How did Jack find out where Alfie was? He used his x-ray glasses to see into the boat p.47

Chapter 10

  1. What did Alfie tell Jack when he removed the tape off of his mouth? There were cameras in the cell and the pirates probably saw Jack and will kill him p.52
  2. Who was the Komodo Klan’s secret boss? The beautiful woman with giant lizard tattoos on her arms p.53
  3. What did the woman do to Jack? Shot him with a spear gun with poison goo p.55

Chapter 11

  1. What were the pirates going to do with Jack? Feed him to their Komodo dragon, Woody p.58
  2. Why couldn’t the pirates open Jack’s bag? They needed his fingerprint p.59
  3. Who did Jack think of when he was trapped? His brother, Max p.61

Chapter 12

  1. What did Jack do to free himself? Rubbed some ink from a pen in his watch onto the metal bar and watched it melt the iron bar p.63
  2. Where did he get the idea from? His brother Max had told him how he freed himself when trapped in a storage locker p.62
  3. Why was Jack sad to use the Disappearing Milk? This would be the only dose he would get his entire lifetime p.65

Chapter 13

  1. How did Jack free Alfie? Jack sprayed Dozing Spray into the guard’s face and the guard fell asleep. Jack then used the rest of the Disappearing Milk on Alfie, woke him up, then they ran for it p.67
  2. How did Jack and Alfie confuse the pirates? they ran zig zag on the sand p.70
  3. How did Jack and Alfie travel back to Alfie’s boat? They took the pirates boat p.73

Chapter 14

  1. Who captured Jack and Alfie? The leader of the Komodo Klan p.76

Chapter 15

  1. What happened to Alfie? The pirates threw him into the Komodo dragon’s cage, and he was bit p.80
  2. What did the pirates do with Jack? Pushed him overboard into the ocean with the jellyfish p.82

Chapter 16

  1. How did Jack survive the jellyfish stings? He dove passed the jellyfish deep in the water and pulled out his Oxygen Exchanger p.86
  2. What was Jack threatened by instead? Two sharks p.88

Chapter 17

  1. How did Jack free himself from the sharks? He shot a canister of blood out of his spray gun away from him and then called The Egg to come to him p.89

Chapter 18

  1. What did Jack give Alfie to help him recover from the lizard’s bite? An antibiotic serum p.93
  2. Predict how Jack is going to teach the boss lady a lesson on page 95. Listen to your child’s answers

Chapter 19

  1. How did Jack defeat the boss lady and Jake once and for all? He shot them both with tranquilizers using his spray gun then handcuffed them p.98

Chapter 20

  1. What was in the box marked Pandora? Treasure p.105

Comprehension Questions – Secret Agent Jack Stalwart #1 The Escape of the Deadly Dinosaur:USA

The Escape of the Deadly Dinosaur; USA

by Elizabeth Singer Hunt

Grades K-3; Genre - Fiction; GRL P; AR pts: 1.0-2.0

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

  1. What did Jack receive in the mail? A book about the allosaurus p.3

Chapter 2

  1. What did Whizzy cough up? A puzzle piece in the shape of a country that goes to the map on Jack’s wall p.6
  2. What country was it and where is he going? USA; New York City p.7
  3. How did Jack travel to the United States? His map swallowed him up p.8

Chapter 3

  1. Where did Jack arrive? In the Museum of Natural History in New York City p.12
  2. What was missing from the dinosaur? A toe, the hallux p.14

Chapter 4

  1. What was Jack hoping to look at to find a clue to the missing bone? Security tapes from the day before p.20

Chapter 5

  1. How did the student steal the bone? He used a thin hook and yanked the bone off p.24
  2. What school was the student from? East Side Grammar School p.27

Chapter 6

  1. Who did Jack contact to find out who the student was? The principal p.29
  2. What did she tell Jack about the student? That he was one of the finest science students at the school and had great science fair projects p.32

Chapter 7

  1. Where did Jack find Thomas? At home p.38
  2. How did Thomas’ mom feel about him stealing the bone? Upset p.44
  3. What was Thomas’ science project? Bringing to life a real live allosaurus p.48

Chapter 8

  1. Where did Jack and the Eberly’s hide from the dinosaur? Under the kitchen table p.49
  2. Why didn’t the dinosaur smell them? Jack sprayed his neutralizing spray on them p.50

Chapter 9

  1. How did Thomas make the allosaurus? He used some DNA from the toe bone, mixed it with a quickening solution, then gave it to his dog Freddie p.53
  2. What did Thomas create to help change Freddie back into a dog? A reversal serum p.54
  3. Why did Jack let Thomas come with him to hunt down the dinosaur? He knew New York City, he knew a lot about the allosaurus, and he had a relationship with his dog p.56

Chapter 10

  1. How did Jack distract the dinosaur from eating the man? He projected a camptosaurus on the wall near the dinosaur p.62
  2. Who was the dinosaur’s target at the end of this chapter? Jack p.64

Chapter 11

  1. How did Jack prevent the dinosaur from eating him? He put the expandable goo in its mouth p.67
  2. What advice did Jack remember from his brother? A secret agent always clears his mind first, and then thinks of a plan p.70

Chapter 12

  1. How did Jack save the people in line at the Empire State Building? He put dog biscuit powder into his spray gun and shot it in the air, the people ran into another building p.74

Chapter 13

  1. What did the boys use to catch up with the dinosaur as it raced to Times Square? The Flyboard p.77
  2. What did Jack shoot into the air with his Warning Gun? The letters: Danger Get Indoors p.79
  3. Why did Freddie head for Central Park? There were animals in the zoo p.82

Chapter 14

  1. Why couldn’t Jack use the Flyboard anymore? It was almost out of hydrogen p.86
  2. How did Jack convince the taxi driver to take them to the allosaurus? Jack told him he’d be a hero p.87

Chapter 15

  1. What was Jack’s dilemma in this chapter? He couldn’t see the dinosaur and knew that he would fail if it wasn’t coming to the zoo p.91

Chapter 16

  1. How did Jack get the serum into the dinosaur’s mouth? He used a canister to wedge it’s mouth open, and used a sling to catapult the vial into his mouth p.94
  2. Describe Freddie’s transformation back into a dog? A violent wind came and swirled around the allosaurus and turned it to dust, then another wind came and carried the dust away p.95

Chapter 17

  1. What did Thomas confess to Lewis? That he was sorry and shouldn’t have taken the bone p.100
  2. What does it mean to make amends? To try and set something right p.101
  3. Why did Lewis smile when Thomas said he was scared of heights? Thomas would have a consequence that would put him out of his comfort zone p.101

Chapter 18

  1. What did Jack wear to bed that night? Dinosaur pajamas p.104