Perfect Answers for the Comprehension Questions

  1. An idiom is an expression peculiar to a particular language that means something different from the literal meaning of the word. How does “to pull a Charlie Gordon” represent an idiom? What does it mean? Cite textual evidence to support your answer.
  2. “To pull a Charlie Gordon” is representing an idiom because of why Joe carp or Frank Reilly say it. When they said it/mentioned it on page 43, they said, “I never knew that Joe and Frank and the others liked to have me around all the time to make fun of me…now I know what it means to ‘pull a Charlie Gordon.’” In the context of Charlie figuring out what that phrase means, the audience can infer it means when you act in a “stupid” way or mess up. This phrase represents an idiom because it doesn’t actually mean “pulling a Charlie Gordon,” but a totally different idea.
  3. The literal meaning of an idiom is comparing something. When Amos Borg said “Ernie for godsake what are you trying to be a Charlie Gordon.” They are making fun of Charlie Gordon. They use the idiom Charlie Gordon to represent stupidity or retardation.
  4. An inference is an educated guess based on clues. Foreshadowing is defined as the use of clues or hints to suggest events that will occur later in the plot. When Charlie is on his way to the hospital to have the operation, a black cat crosses his path. What might the black cat crossing his path symbolize? What might this event foreshadow bout Charlie’s operation? Cite textual evidence to support your answer.
  5. The black cat might represent/symbolize bad luck to Charlie. Charlie says, “Only a black cat crossed me when I was comming to the hospitil.” By saying the words “only,” that is his way of saying everything was going good, “except for” a black cat crossed him. This might foreshadow about Charlie’s operation that something may go wrong or mess up in the surgery or afterwards.
  6. The black cat that crosses Charlie’s path it might sypbolize that something is going to go wrong. In progress report 5, it says, “I got my rabits foot and my lucky penny and my horseshoe. Only a black cat crossed me when I was comming to the hospitil.” Only is showing contrast to the “lucky” things in his pocket. He is superstitious about the cat.