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Comprehension Questions – Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

By Mildred D. Taylor

Grades 6-9; Genre – Fiction; GRL W; AR pts: 10.0

The land is all-important to the Logan family. But it takes a while for Cassie and her three brothers to understand just how lucky they are to have it. They must learn the hard way that having a place they can call their own in rural Mississippi permits the Logans the luxuries of pride and courage that their poor black sharecropper neighbors can't afford.

Vocabulary

Writing Prompts

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

  1. Describe the setting of this story. 1933 in Mississippi, autumn time, it was morning as the main characters were walking to school on a dirt road, passing the white kids school, then in the school for black kids p.24
  2. Who are the Logan children? Little Man, Cassie, Christopher-John and Stacey; children who are a family who live in Mississippi with their mama, papa, and Big Ma; children who are the descendents of slaves p.2
  3. Define racism and give an example from this chapter. A belief that one group of persons is superior to another, usually with color of skin. Ex. Berry’s getting burned by some white men p.6; White kids on a bus, where our characters can’t ride the bus p.8; Jeremy getting beat up because he walks with the main characters to school p.9; white kids go to one school our main characters have to go to another p.10; they got all of the old used books the white kids had used and what the books called them p.17
  4. Why were most of the children at the Great Faith school have such thread worn clothes and shoes that were too small to wear? They were all so poor; they worked on plantations and didn’t make very much money p.11
  5. Why didn’t Cassie and Little Man want the books the school was giving them? Because of what the books called them p.18

Chapter 2

  1. Why did Papa bring home Mr. Morrison? He lost his job and he was going to work as a hired hand at the Logan’s farm p.27
  2. Explain in your own words what happened to the Berry’s. they stopped at a gas station for gas and Henrietta heard some white men talk about the men she was with. John Henry left without getting gas and after dropping her off to her home, the white men drove up behind them and rammed into their car. He stopped at his uncle’s house for fear he was going to run out of gas and the men came and dragged him, Beacon and his uncle out of the house and set them all on fire p.29
  3. Why did Cassie’s dad tell them all not to go the Wallace’s store? There was drinking, dancing and smoking and he felt there was going to be trouble one day for those kids who went p.30

Chapter 3

  1. Why did Big Ma use the term “ignorant white folks” when talking to Little Man about getting dirty by the school bus each day? Ignorant means lacking knowledge or comprehension of something, so she understands that the white people don’t understand that black people should be treated similarly p.33
  2. How did Big Ma show Little Man tough love when they were talking about the bus issue? Didn’t feel sorry for him and told him to stop fretting over it; told him to study hard in school and get a good education and he’d be ok; told him he could buy a car when he grew up to drive himself where he wanted to go p.33
  3. What was Stacey’s plan to stop the bus from splashing them to and from school? To dig into the road to make it look like it was washed out p.38
  4. When the bus fell into the deep ditch, why was Mama and Big Ma happy? Now the white kids will have to walk to school just like their kids do every day; now there’s no special privilege for white kids p.42
  5. Why do you think the men in the cars with the headlights came to Cassie’s home that night? To punish the children for digging the ditch; to capture Mr. Morrison p.50

Chapter 4

  1. Why did Mama and Big Ma suspect something was wrong with the children? They were listless, didn’t eat or sleep well p.53
  2. Why were the children relieved after talking to TJ and hearing about the man who got tarred and feathered? They learned it wasn’t because of their prank to stop the bus p.57
  3. Why did Papa bring Mr. Morrison to live near his family? To protect them p.59
  4. Why did Stacey get whipped in school? TJ handed him his cheat notes and the teacher saw p.61
  5. Why did Stacey decide to tell his Mama about fighting at the Wallace’s store? Mr. Morrison helped him understand he needed to. Stacey respected Mr. Morrison and wanted to do what he said p.66
  6. Explain why Mr. Granger wants to buy their land? He just wants it to own it, he doesn’t need it; to take away their privilege of having land; it was his before the ward, but his family had to sell it since they didn’t have any money p.67

Chapter 5

  1. Why did Big Ma park the wagon at the back of the field on market day? Only the white people’s wagons could park near the entrance p.80
  2. How was Cassie supposed to act in the store while Mr. Barnette was helping everyone else before them? Patient, wait until he’s ready to help; helps everyone who’s white before helping her p.85
  3. How had Cassie been insulted when in town? Mr. Barnette yelled at her for having no manners and expecting to be helped in proper order at the store and Lillian Jean made her apologize for bumping into her and expected Cassie to walk in the road p.86

Chapter 6

  1. How did Uncle Hammer react when Cassie told him what happened in Strawberry? He was angry and wanted to get revenge on Mr. Simms so got into his car to go to Mr. Simms home p.93
  2. How did Cassie’s mama explain the reason for Lillian Jean’s treatment? She explained that people are still stuck thinking that white people are better than black people even though slavery had ended decades before p.95
  3. What did Uncle Hammer give Stacey on the way to church and why did he give it to him then instead of at Christmas? A new coat because his was worn and too small p.101
  4. When Uncle Hammer persisted across the bridge to make the other car stop and wait for them, why was Mama so worried as she said, “one day we’ll pay.” Uncle Hammer’s actions will cause the Wallace’s to take offense and cause the Logan family to have issues because of it p.105

Chapter 7

  1. What did Stacey do to the coat Uncle Hammer gave to him and what was his uncle’s reaction when he found out? Gave it to TJ; Uncle Hammer told him not to got get it, but got after him for doing whatever TJ wanted him to do and told him he needed to stick up for himself and not be influenced easily p.107
  2. Summarize Mr. Morrison’s story about the night men. His little town got attacked by them since a woman complained some boys had hurt her. The night men came, started the town on fire, and killed women, children and men. His sisters died and his mother threw him out of the house so he wouldn’t get hurt and she fought next to his dad. They both died that night p.112
  3. What did the children get for Christmas? Books, clothes and candy/food p.116
  4. What did Mr. Jamison propose to Papa and Uncle Hammer? That he’ll back the credit for people to shop at the store in Vicksburg p.122
  5. Why did Mr. Granger come to visit the Logan’s? to tell them not to go to Vicksburg for the groceries or he would cause them to lose their land p.122

Chapter 8

  1. Describe the advice Cassie’s papa gave her about the incident with Lillian Jean? She has Uncle Hammer’s temper and she has to consider what is worse, the hurt you receive or the hurt your family would receive if they reacted the way they wanted to, but you can’t back down at some things or theya eat you alive ; he told her not to be mad, but she needed to decide how she was going to respond this treatment p.133
  2. Why was Cassie so kind to Lillian Jean and being her “pet”? to get her to trust her and tell her things, so when she beat her up and made her apologize, she had leverage to keep Lillian Jean from telling anyone what she had done p.137
  3. Explain why Mama lost her job as a schoolteacher? Mr. Granger came to her class and she admitted to not teaching everything in the book that the school board provided because it wasn’t true p.140
  4. What did TJ say that got their Mama fired?  That she wasn’t a good teacher and destroyed school property by covering the books with paper and that she was the one who told everyone not to go to the Wallace’s store p.143
  5. What’s a consequence of TJ talking to Kaleb Wallace about Ms. Logan and getting her fired? Nobody will talk to him at school p.146
  6. Predict what’s going to happen to TJ and how his actions are going to affect his relationship with the Logan’s.  He’s going to side more with the white people and help them ruin the Logan’s p.147

Chapter 9

  1. What’s the problem with TJ hanging out with Jeremy’s brothers who are 18 & 19? They’re much older than him; could be a bad influence; don’t treat him well when he’s not with them p.150
  2. What’s a chain gang? A group of men who have been arrested or convicts that are forced to working on road construction, ditch digging or farming while chained together p.155
  3. Describe the example Papa used when answering Cassie’s question if they were going to give up. He used a fig tree growing in an area with lots of trees overshadowing it. That fig tree keeps on growing and doesn’t give up. It has a right to be in the yard too. They aren’t giving up either p.156
  4. What had happened to Stacey, Mr. Morrison and Papa on their way back from Vicksburg in the rain? Someone had loosened the wheels on the cart, they came off and while the men were putting the wheels on a car came from behind and someone shot Papa. Jack the mule got scared and the cart rolled and ran over Papa. Mr. Morrison went after the men and stopped them from hurting any of them. The men left and they brought Papa home with a broken leg and his head wrapped from the shot p.162

Chapter 10

  1. Why were Cassie’s parents worried about money? Because her papa couldn’t work on the railroad to get the mortgage payments and her mom lost her teaching job p.166
  2. What did Mr. Morrison do when Kaleb Wallace blocked the road with his truck? He picked up each end of the truck and moved it p.170
  3. When Jeremy came to the pond and trees to see the Logan children, what did he tell them about TJ? That he was hanging around with white boys and stealing stuff from people p.173
  4. What does it mean that the bank called up the note? The bank wanted the Logan’s to pay for the debt on the land immediately p.175
  5. What did Uncle Hammer do to get the money to pay the debt at the bank? Sold his nice car and other things as well as borrowed some money p.178
  6. Why did TJ come to the revival? To show off his new friends to his old friends and boast about his new clothes and friends and how they’d give him anything he wanted p.182

Chapter 11

  1. Explain what happened at the Barnette’s store with TJ, R.W. and Melvin. TJ, M.W. and Melvin went to the store to get the pistol, but the store was closed. TJ climbed into the window and opened the door for the other boys. Once in they got the gun and were trying to get the metal case with money, but the Barnette’s came down the stairs. Mr. Barnette tried to stop them but got knocked in the head by the flat part of the ax and Mrs. Barnette fell and hit her head on the stove. The older boys beat up TJ since he said he was going to tell. They ran to do some business and TJ got a ride with a farmer close to the Logan’s home p.187
  2. What will be the consequence of Stacey taking TJ home instead of telling his parents? The children all saw the Avery family with TJ get pulled out of their home. TJ was accused of breaking into the store p.191
  3. Who came and tried to help the Avery family and TJ from getting hurt? Mr. Jamison p.193
  4. Why did Cassie and her brothers need to run and tell Papa and Mr. Morrison about the events at the Avery home? To warn them and protect them from Kaleb Wallace and the Simms since they want to hang them both as well as TJ p.195

Chapter 12

  1. Why was Mama so worried about Papa taking a gun to find Stacey and help TJ? She knew if he fired at the men he would be hung p.197
  2. What started the fire on their cotton? Lightning p.199
  3. What did Papa and Mr. Granger do to stop the fire? Dig a trench p.202
  4. What had happened to TJ? He got taken into Strawberry to jail so he could be tried for breaking into the mercantile store and hurting/killing the Barnette’s p.205
  5. How did Papa stop the hangings that night? He started a fire which caused Mr. Granger to stop focusing on TJ and instead putting out the fire on his fields p.208
  6. Why did Cassie cry at the end of the story? She mourned what would happen to TJ; she cried for the things that happened in the night, but what would not pass; for the land p.210

Comprehension Questions – A Wrinkle in Time

A Wrinkle in Time

By Madeleine L’Engle

Grades 4-8; Genre – Science Fiction; GRL W; AR pts: 7.0

Meg Murray, her little brother Charles Wallace, and their mother are having a midnight snack on a dark and stormy night when an unearthly stranger appears at their door. He claims to have been blown off course and goes on to tell them that there is such a thing as a "tesseract," which, if you didn't know, is a wrinkle in time. Meg's father had been experimenting with time-travel when he suddenly disappeared. Will Meg, Charles Wallace, and their friend Calvin outwit the forces of evil as they search through space for their father?

Vocabulary Words

Writing Prompts

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

  1. Describe Meg. A girl who had twin younger brothers; a younger brother named Charles Wallace who had an uncanny sense of knowing when she was sad and couldn’t sleep; she struggled in school; her father had left and she didn’t know where to; her bedroom’s in the attic; has a wild imagination p.1
  2. Tell me about Charles Wallace. Really smart; doesn’t behave normally in front of other people; He spoke in full sentences when he began to talk; understands Meg and her mom;  doesn’t wiggle like other 5 year old boys p.5
  3. Why did Mrs. Whatsit come to visit them? To tell Mrs. Murray there was such a thing as a tesseract p.12

Chapter 2

  1. What do you think the feeling was that compelled Calvin to go over to the haunted house? listen to your child’s answers; intuitive; 6th sense p.20
  2. Have you or someone you know experienced this in some way? Listen to your child's answer
  3. Why did Mrs. Who steal Mrs. Buncombe’s sheets? In case they needed ghosts for the charade of the haunted house p.21
  4. What do you think Mrs. Who is talking about when she said Meg’s father needed their help? They are going to need to go and help him from the trouble he is in p.22

Chapter 3

  1. Why did Calvin feel alone and why doesn’t he feel alone anymore? He doesn’t feel like his family cares about him and now that he’s met Meg and her family, he feels accepted and loved. P.27
  2. Describe Meg and Calvin’s relationship? They’re good friends; they may like each other romantically p.30
  3. What’s the story behind Meg’s missing father? He’s a physicist and began to travel doing a job that was classified. He wrote his wife every day, but then the letters stopped and they haven’t heard anything from him in a year. The government says he’s on a dangerous mission, but that he can’t communicate for a while and they’ll give any news as soon as they have it p.31

Chapter 4

  1. Now that you know a little more about the three old women describe each of them. Mrs. Whatsit- is always bundled up to her head and has a hard time keeping it all straight wearing a man’s coat and multicolored scarves and shawls, she’s friendly and jovial, she is plump; Mrs. Who wear white robes and glasses, uses quotes in different languages to speak, she has a hard time coming up with words on her own, also jovial; Mrs. Which is what you think a witch would look like, black robe; black peaked hat; beady eyes; beaked nose; long gray hair; has a broomstick; she talks differently and has a hard time materializing into a solid form p.36
  2. Describe the creature that Mrs. Whatsit transformed into. A beautiful marble white creature with rainbow wings; legs of a horse; upper body of a man p.39
  3. How did the shadow make Meg feel? Dark and dreadful; it chilled her with fear that was beyond shuddering, crying or screaming, beyond the possibility of comfort; p.44

Chapter 5

  1. Find a rope, string, or an object of your choice and demonstrate how Mrs. Who explained how they “tesser” or “wrinkle” through space.  Your child should find an object that can fold and explain that if a small insect were to travel from one end to the other it would take along time, but if the ends were brought together, it would be a shorter and much faster. p.47
  2. Explain to me the different dimensions explained in the book. 1st dimension- a line; 2nd dimension- a flat square (like what you would draw on a paper); 3rd dimension-a full square that wouldn’t be flat and where you could see the bottom, sides and top; 4th dimension- you’d square the square which equals time; 5th dimension- you’d square the fourth dimension which makes a tesseract p.48
  3. Why was The Medium hesitant to show the children the planet earth in the crystal ball? The Dark Shadow was hovering over earth and it is the Powers of Darkness; it’s evil p.54

Chapter 6

  1. How can the Darkness be overcome? Light; a star gave up its life in battle with the Thing p.57
  2. Describe what the children saw as they entered the town on Camazotz? The town was laid out in harsh angular patterns; the outside of the houses were exactly alike; in front of all the houses children were playing, skipping and bouncing in rhythm at the same exact moment; everything was in rhythm, all identical. P.65
  3. Compare and contrast Camazotz to your city. Listen to your child's answer
  4. Why did the children think the people on this planet could be robots? Because they move jerkily; they did everything in unison; the men and women going into the building looked straight ahead, paying no attention to the children; the people showed no emotion p.70

Chapter 7

  1. After the children went into the building, how did they get past the empty fourth wall? A man turned them in so he wouldn’t get in trouble p.74
  2. How was the man on platform talking to the children? Through their minds; telepathy p.75
  3. When the man was reciting multiplication problems, why did the children shout out rhyme’s and a speech? So they wouldn’t be hypnotized p.77

Chapter 8

  1. When Charles Wallace was under the influence of the man with the red eyes, what did he tell Meg? To relax, that Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which were wrong; that their troubles are over and that this planet is a wonderful place and is in perfect order; the man with the red eyes is their friend p.86
  2. What are the benefits of living on Camazotz? There is no sickness or deformity; everyone is happy and forced to be all alike; there are no individuals p.88
  3. Who is IT? The boss of Camazotz; he is who makes everyone of one mind p.89
  4. Why is IT evil? It wants to take away individuality and the freedom to choose p.90

Chapter 9

  1. What happened to Charles Wallace when Calvin recited the Tempest words to him. He started to come out of the trance, but he seemed to get smacked with an invisible hand and was knocked to the ground by it; he sat on the floor whimpering p.93
  2. How did Meg get through the invisible barrier that led to her father? She put on Mrs. Who’s glasses p.94
  3. What were Meg’s faults that she realized were supposed to help save her? Her anger, impatience, stubbornness p.100

Chapter 10

  1. Describe how Meg felt after they had tessered away from IT. Icy cold; couldn’t move; like stone /marble p.107
  2. Why was Meg so angry and accusing to her father and Calvin? The Darkness had a hold of her p.109
  3. Have you ever been so angry with someone, that you yelled at them? Explain. Listen to your child's answer
  4. Describe the beasts on this world that wanted to take Meg away. Very tall; no eyes, just soft indentations; four arms with tentacles for fingers; had heads and faces, but had indentations where the features would be and instead of eyes and ears there were tentacles p.110

Chapter 11

  1. Why did Meg resolve to give in to the beasts and realize they were good? Because of the way they made her feel p.114
  2. How was Meg feeling toward Calvin and her father during breakfast? That she couldn’t trust them; they wouldn’t help her save Charles Wallace p.119
  3. Why couldn’t the beasts on this planet understand what the humans tried to explain to them? The beasts understood things in a different way.  They didn’t have eyes to see or ears to hear, yet they understood things more deeply p.120

Chapter 12

  1. What gift did Meg find within herself? the intense capacity to love and that her faults were her also her greatest strengths against IT p.128
  2. What is a weakness you have that can also be seen as a strength? Listen to your child's answer
  3. What is a theme throughout this story? Good vs. Evil; the power of love; appearances can be deceiving; the importance of family; courage and responsibility; sacrifice
  4. What did you like about this story? Listen to your child's answer

Comprehension Questions – The Phantom Tollbooth

The Phantom Tollbooth

By Norton Juster

Grades 5-8; Genre - Fantasy; GRL W; AR pts: 7.0

Milo is a boy who seems unhappy in everything he's doing.  He gets a special delivery which turns out to be a magical tollbooth.  He gets in his little car and decides to try out the phantom tollbooth.  He ends up in a strange land with many strange creatures and ends up trying to help them by saving two princesses that have been banished. Continue reading →