Name______Period______
Chapter 1-September
Understanding What You Have Read
Answer the following questions in COMPLETE sentences.
1. Explain why Holling has to spend Wednesday afternoons alone with Mrs. Baker.
2. Describe the Holling home. Why does Holling call it “The Perfect House”?
3. Mr. Hoodhood is unsympathetic to Holling’s feelings that Mrs. Baker hates him. Why is this?
4. Paraphrase what happened in the soccer game at recess. Include at least four details from the story.
5. Why did the principal want to see Holling? What was the result of Holling’s visit to the Principal’s office?
Thinking About What You Have Read/Journal Response
Answer the following question in AT LEAST ONE paragraph (five or more sentences). Give reasons for your answers with SPECIFIC examples from the chapter.
What are your first impressions of two of the following characters?
Holling Hoodhood Mrs. Baker Mr. Hoodhood Mr. Guareschi
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Chapter 2-October
Understanding What You Have Read
Answer the following questions in COMPLETE sentences.
1. What tasks did Holling have to do on Wednesday afternoons?
2. Holling felt that Mrs. Baker picked on him, but he did not complain. Why not?
3. What happened while the trays of cream puffs were beside the classroom window on Wednesday afternoon?
4. How do we know that Holling, Mrs. Baker, and Mr. Vendleri did not like rats?
5. How did Holling feel when Mrs. Baker told him they were going to read Shakespeare on Wednesday afternoons? Were his fears realized? Why or why not?
Thinking About What You Have Read/Journal Response
Answer the following question in AT LEAST ONE paragraph (five or more sentences). Give reasons for your answers with SPECIFIC examples from the chapter.
At first Holling spent Wednesday afternoons doing chores for Mrs. Baker. How would you handle the balance between assuming an unfair obligation and doing something of benefit to your family?
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Chapter 3-November
Understanding What You Have Read
Answer the following questions in COMPLETE sentences.
1. Explain why Holling enjoyed reading The Tempest.
2. How did Holling use his knowledge of the curses he learned from The Tempest?
3. Everyone was looking forward to eating the cream puffs, but it was not to be. What happened?
4. His friends insisted that Holling still had to buy cream puffs for everyone. Why was this a problem and how was it solved?
5. Why did Mrs. Bigio come to Mrs. Baker’s classroom? What effect did this have on Holling?
Thinking About What You Have Read/Journal Response
Answer the following question in AT LEAST ONE paragraph (five or more sentences). Give reasons for your answers with SPECIFIC examples from the chapter.
Caliban is a monster in The Tempest. Holling says that monsters must always be defeated if there is to be a happy ending. Do you agree? Does this always happen in real life? Give examples.
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Chapter 4-December
Understanding What You Have Read
Answer the following questions in COMPLETE sentences.
1. Explain why Holling tells Mr. Goldman he no longer wishes to play the part of Ariel.
2. How did Holling and his friends feel about the visit of Mickey Mantle to the Baker Sports Emporium? What did they plan to do?
3. How does Holling describe the character and costume of Ariel to his friends? Why does he do this?
4. How did Mrs. Baker help Holling with his part in the play? What was the result of this assistance in his performance?
5. Holling’s visit to the Baker Sports Emporium did not go as planned. Why not?
6. Holling was really disappointed when Mickey mantle refused to sign his baseball. What even more than made up for this disappointment?
Thinking About What You Have Read/Journal Response
Answer the following question in AT LEAST ONE paragraph (five or more sentences). Give reasons for your answers with SPECIFIC examples from the chapter.
When Holling tells his friends that Ariel is a warrior, Mai Thi says, “No good to be a warrior.” What do you think she meant, and why would she say this?
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Chapter 5-January
Understanding What You Have Read
Answer the following questions in COMPLETE sentences.
1. What did Holling see at school when he returned after New Year? How did he feel about it?
2. Why did Mrs. Baker give Mai Thi her cup of hot chocolate on the day there was no heat in the school?
3. Explain why the severe snowstorm and power cut upset everyone in the Hoodhood family.
4. When he was walking to school, Holling saw an opportunity to seek revenge on Doug’s brother for putting all of the photos around the school. What does Holling do?
5. Why was Holling so uncomfortable while writing the Achievements Tests?
6. Why did Holling feel quite differently when his photograph appeared on the newspaper the second time?
Thinking About What You Have Read/Journal Response
Answer the following question in AT LEAST ONE paragraph (five or more sentences). Give reasons for your answers with SPECIFIC examples from the chapter.
The chapter begins and ends with Holling walking down the hallway and everyone smiling at him. How are the two situations the same? How are they different?
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Chapter 6-February
Understanding What You Have Read
Answer the following questions in COMPLETE sentences.
1. Explain why Holling thought Romeo and Juliet were stupid?
2. Holling asked Meryl Lee out for Valentine’s Day, but there was a problem. What was the problem? How did Mrs. Bigio solve the problem for Holling?
3. Mr. Hoodhood had a terrible shock when he went to the school board meeting to present his design for the new junior high school. Explain what happened at the meeting.
4. Why did Holling feel responsible for this? How did he feel about Meryl Lee’s behavior?
5. To who was the telegram sent and what did it mean?
Thinking About What You Have Read/Journal Response
Answer the following questions in AT LEAST ONE paragraph (five or more sentences). Give reasons for your answers with SPECIFIC examples from the chapter.
1. Holling concludes that Romeo and Juliet is about divided loyalties. What does “divided loyalties” mean? Give two examples.
2. Describe an instance where you have gone back and changed something because you felt that you did not do the right thing the first time around.
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Chapter 7-March
Understanding What You Have Read
Answer the following questions in COMPLETE sentences.
1. What happened when Mr. Vendleri replaced the bulging ceiling tiles?
2. Holling has two experiences of foretelling the future in March. What were these?
3. The inspection of Mrs. Baker’s class by the school board was interrupted by an unexpected event. What was the event and how did everyone in the room react?
4. Why did discrimination against Mai Thi escalate with the finding of the class pets?
5. Holling made the varsity cross country team. What were the reasons for his success?
Thinking About What You Have Read/Journal Response
Answer the following question in AT LEAST ONE paragraph (five or more sentences). Give reasons for your answers with SPECIFIC examples from the chapter.
We know that Mrs. Bigio’s attitude toward Mai Thi changed after she had been teased by the other students. Why do you think this was?
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Chapter 8-April
Understanding What You Have Read
Answer the following questions in COMPLETE sentences.
1. Holling was careful not to run faster and overtake any of the eighth graders. Why?
2. Meryl Lee said she might be moving away. Why was this?
3. Why did Mrs. Baker’s presence at the baseball game let the boys be treated as special guests? What were the boys able to do?
4. Holling’s father and sister were both upset at the death of Martin Luther King; why did this mark a change in their relationship?
5. How did Holling avoid the same treatment as Danny when he passes the 8th grade students?
Thinking About What You Have Read/Journal Response
Answer the following questions in AT LEAST ONE paragraph (five or more sentences). Give reasons for your answers with SPECIFIC examples from the chapter.
1. Do you think everyone knew how the eighth graders were treating the seventh graders on the cross country team? What should be done to stop the bullying?
2. The novel takes place in 1967-68. Mr. Hoodhood said heather was not going to college. What were his reasons? Do you believe he was right or wrong? Do people still have this attitude today?
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Chapter 9-May
Understanding What You Have Read
Answer the following questions in COMPLETE sentences.
1. What was the reaction of the 8th graders on the cross country team of Holling’s winning the race? Why would they behave this way?
2. What happened when Mr. Hoodhood told Heather that she would not be going to
Columbia?
3. Why was Danny nervous about Bar Mitzvah? How did his friend help him?
4. While Heather was away, Holling realized he did love his sister. How did he show this?
5. Mrs. Sidman brought a telegram to the classroom and gave it to Mrs. Baker, who was unable to open it. Why? Who opened it, and what did it say?
Thinking About What You Have Read/Journal Response
Answer the following question in AT LEAST ONE paragraph (five or more sentences). Give reasons for your answers with SPECIFIC examples from the chapter.
Holling had to meet Heather by himself because his mother would not go with him. Why didn’t his mother go? What do you think of her actions?
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Chapter 10-June
Understanding What You Have Read
Answer the following questions in COMPLETE sentences.
1. Mrs. Baker said she hated camping, so why did she decide to take her class on a camping trip?
2. Why were Holling and Heather very upset when Robert Kennedy was assassinated?
3. Explain how the absence of forks and a can opener resulted in Mrs. Sidman injuring her fingers.
4. Explain why Holling was very impressed with Danny’s party, but his father disagreed.
Thinking About What You Have Read/Journal Response
Answer the following question in AT LEAST ONE paragraph (five or more sentences). Give reasons for your answers with SPECIFIC examples from the chapter.
What did the students take to the airport when Lt. Baker was arriving? Why do you think they went?
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Novel Summary
Thinking About What You Have Read/Journal Response
Answer the following short response questions. Give reasons for your answers with SPECIFIC examples from the novel.
1. Did you enjoy The Wednesday Wars? Why or why not?
2. Were the characters believable?
3. Which character did you like the best? Which one did you like the least?
4. Identify the overall tone of this novel. Did the tone make the novel more enjoyable to read? Why or why not?
5. Would you recommend this novel to a friend? Be sure to justify your opinion.