The Westing Game
by Ellen Raskin
Grades 6-8; Genre - Fiction; GRL V; AR pts. 8.0
Sixteen game players, heirs to Sam Westing's fabulous fortune, are all suspected of his murder. This book is part mystery story, part play-along game, and part do-it-yourself puzzle.
Comprehension Questions
Chapter 1
- Summarize the introduction to this story. A mysterious salesman rented six apartments to previously chosen tenants in one day on Lake Michigan; some tenants were honest working people and others were fit for prison and one was a mistake p.1
Chapter 2
- What deal did Turtle make? Do you think it was a mistake? $2 for each minute she stayed in the Westing house; listen to your child’s answer; two high school boys went in and ran out; one ran off a cliff and died and the other had warm blood on his hands and is in the insane asylum p.8
- Describe Chris. He has an ailment; sits and looks out the window; observant; smart; waiting for his brother, Theo, to bring him food from the cafe they own; close to his brother and trusts him p.8
Chapter 3
- What did most everyone notice in this chapter? Smoke coming out of the Westing house chimney p.10
- List a character and why they’re intriguing. Turtle Wexler, Flora Baumbach, Doug Hoo, Sandy McSouthers, Judge Ford, Chris or Theo, Sydelle Pulaski; Listen to your child’s answer
Chapter 4
- Summarize this chapter. Turtle went into the Westing house and lasted 12 minutes; she saw a dead body and read in the paper that it was Samuel Westing; the beneficiaries to the Westing estate p.16
Chapter 5
- What did everyone gather for in this chapter? The meeting to go over Westing’s will p.22
Chapter 6
- Summarize what the will said. Sam Westing was murdered, and he knows who it is; the other heirs need to figure out who it is so Sam can rest in peace p.28
Chapter 7
- Who would you want to be paired with if you were playing? Why? Listen to your child’s answer
Chapter 8
- Why was someone after Sydelle’s short hand notes? She took them at the meeting; they will know what was said p.52
Chapter 9
- Why was Turtle’s mom nice to her? So she’d share her clues p.56
- Why did Mr. Hoo decide to go to the party? People may share their clues p.57
Chapter 10
- Why is Angela so upset in this chapter? She’s tired of being what everyone else wants her to be; she isn’t able to be herself p.59
Chapter 11
- What did the characters learn in this chapter? Turtle’s real name; why her mother nicknamed her Turtle; Sydelle’s shorthand notes are written in Polish p.64
Chapter 12
- Why are people’s prized possessions missing? There’s a burglar in the building p.70
- Why would Westing include a burglar in the game? Listen to your child’s answer
Chapter 13
- Define what a bookie is. A bookie, short or slang for “bookmaker,” is someone who facilitates gambling, most commonly on sporting events. A bookie sets odds, accepts and places bets, and pays out winnings on behalf of other people.
- Who do you think is planting the bombs? Why? Listen to your child’s answer
Chapter 14
- Do you know where the phrase, “may God thy gold refine” comes from? Listen to your child’s answer p.86
Chapter 15
- Why did Turtle always have a radio playing and an ear plug in? To listen to the stocks
- Why did she care so much about the stock market? She thought that’s what Samuel Westing wanted them to do with the money he gave them p.88
- Who is George Theodorakis? Theo and Chris’s father; he loved Violet Westing, but she couldn’t marry him p.94
Chapter 16
- Why did Angela think Turtle was lucky? She could do and be whoever she wanted p.96
- What observation did Chris make that connects Otis to the Westings? He limps p.99
- Do you think Angela was the bomber? Listen to your child’s answer
- What incriminating evidence do you think Turtle took from Angela’s bag? Listen to your child’s answer
Chapter 17
- Who do people think could be the murderer? Why? Otis; their questions lead back to him p.103
Chapter 18
- Explain what happened to Flora’s daughter. She has disabilities and died of pneumonia at 19 years old p.106
- What’s happening to each pair as they work together? They’re starting to become friends and help each other p.113
Chapter 19
- What mistake did Westing make? Explain. At the beginning of the story one person was invited to live at the tower but they were a mistake. Westing invited Sydelle Pulaski instead of Sybil p.119
Chapter 20
- What philosophy about this game do the judge and Sandy have? Westing’s out to punish one of the heirs p.123
- What do they know about Mrs. Westing? Not much, but that she was forcing her daughter to marry a crooked politician and decided to kill herself p.124
Chapter 21
- What’s the judge’s connection to Sam Westing? Her parents worked for him and she grew up in the Westing house; she played chess with Westing and he insulted her; he paid for her education and she never repaid him back p.127
- What has Sydelle figured out at the end of the chapter? What the clues mean; the clues are the song America, the Beautiful p.133
Chapter 22
- Who is the burglar? Why? Madame Hoo; to get money to go back to China p.134
- Why is Crow scared to go to the meeting at the Westing house? She knows she’s in danger p.141
- Who does Sandy and the judge think Crow is? Mrs. Westing p.141
- Who do they think Otis is? Do you think they’re correct? Sam Westing; listen to your child’s answer p.141
Chapter 23
- Why do you think Sandy glared at Crow in this chapter? Listen to your child’s answer p.148
- Who gave herself up as the murderer? Crow p.155
Chapter 24
- Do you think Sandy is really dead? Listen to your child’s answer
- Predict what’s going to happen. Listen to your child’s answer
Chapter 26
- Predict who the fourth person is Sam Westing impersonated. Listen to your child’s answer
Chapter 27
- What did Turtle need to do to win? Show up at the fourth persons home, Dr. Eastman; all of Westing’s pretend names included a direction p.174
Chapter 28
- Who got married in this chapter? Crow and Otis p.176
- Which character is getting help from the judge paying for their education? Chris p.177
Chapter 29
- Summarize this chapter. The heirs all arrive at a party to honor Doug who won an Olympic gold medal. There were updates given for each character p.179
Chapter 30
- What’s the conclusion of this story? Turtle never told anyone she won the prize and who Julian Eastman really was; she married Theo, they didn’t have children due to the possibility of passing on what Chris has; Julian, or Sandy, dies of old age and Turtle hurries home from the funeral to spend time with her niece Alice p.182