by
Robb White
1. Why was killing a bighorn such a big deal to Madec?
2. Why did Madec insist on using Ben for a guide?
3. How many days did the hunting permit give Madec to hunt?
4. What was the deal Madec made with Ben?
5. What observation convinced Ben that something had been shot by Madec?
6. What animal had Madec actually shot?
Chapter 2
1. List ten adjectives in this second paragraph on page 20.
2. Sketch a picture of the old prospector using page 20 as your guide.
3. What was Ben's first major mistake in this chapter?
4. Why is Madec firing the small Hornet rifle?
5. Where on the prospector's body are the Hornet bullet holes?
6. What was Madec hoping Ben would do next?
Chapter 3
1.Why was Madec afraid of a local jury trial?
2. Define contingency.
3. Define perjury.
4. What is the tone of the Madec dialogue?
5. Make a prediction. What does this sentence suggest might happen? "So, tell me this, is it true that people stranded in the desert sometimes get hysterical and take their clothes off?"
6. What were the two alternatives Madec presented to Ben?
7. Compare and contrast Ben's profile with Madec's. Use a Venn Diagram.
8. Define arroyo.
9. What was Ben's great idea as he scampered away from Madec?
Let's do a Desert Study
Answer these questions for a homework grade:
1. Deserts receive less than ____ inches of rain per year.
2. In some deserts, the amount of water evaporating, exceeds____________________________.
3. Modern desert regions are centered in the _________ latitudes, typically straddling the Tropic of __________ and the Tropic of _____________, between 15 and 30 degrees north and south of the equator.
4. Three of the four major deserts of North America are contained within a geological region called the _________________________Province, lying between the ______________________ to the east and the _____________________ to the west.
5. Deep arroyos may cut through the bajadas. Special plants such as the _________________________ and _____________________may grow along the arroyos, giving them the appearance of dry creeks.
1. What distances did Ben calculate when he stood on top of the hills looking west? (western mountains--open desert--highway--town).
2. How long could Ben live in the desert without water? _____How much time would a gallon of water buy him? __________ How about 21/2 gallons? _________ 5 gallons? _________
3. What were Ben's main concerns as night fell?
4. Tell the story of "Hardrock."
5. Name several ways Madec had outwitted Ben in this chapter?
6. What was in the small tin box found on the ledge?
7. Make a prediction. What impact will the item in the box have on the plot of this story? Write your own ending now.
8. What do you think this modern slingshot costs?____________
Vocabulary to learn:
Preen--Butte--Tenacious--Magma--Breccia--Saguaro--Sotol
Chapters 5-6 Questions:
1. What was Ben's main objective at daybreak?
2. How many rounds did Madec have left for each of his guns?
3. What was Madec's strategy in hunting Ben?
4. When chapter six starts what is Madec's despicable act?
5. Describe the butte that Ben is going to walk toward.
6. Explain the life cycle of a saguaro.
7. Why is this sentence so important to the plot? "And then a single brilliant ray of light appeared to come straight through the solid stone of the butte."
8. Create a six question quiz using questions from the Saguaro Cactus link above and the desert buttes link. Turn this in to Dr. Denny for extra credit.
Punctuation Practice:
The boy was probably twelve years old, but undersized. He wore overalls and a torn shirt, and was barefooted.
He said, "I can chop some wood today."
I said, "But I have a boy coming from the orphanage."
"I'm the boy."
"You? But you're small."
"Size don't matter, chopping wood," he said.
1. What are the 7 last stages of thirst? *Writing Task: You are dying of thirst in the desert. You have only a few hours to live. Write your last entries in a diary about your impending death describing your thirst symptoms. 100 words.
2. Explain in some detail how Ben managed to get to the tunnel.
3. What unexpected discovery did Ben make in the tunnel?
4. What are the dimensions of the "lake"?
5. Explain Ben's hunting techniques in the tunnel.
6. Personal reflection: How would you react to eating raw meat (especially if you HAD to eat it to survive? How would you do it?
7. How accurate was Ben with the slingshot at 30 feet?
8. What was Madec doing to get to Ben in the butte?
Chapters 11-12
1. What did Madec tell the chopper pilot? Write a dialogue between the two men using correct dialogue punctuation. (100 words).
2. What was Madec's plan now that he had Ben cornered in the butte?
3. What are Ben's options now?
4. List the three escape plans Ben thought about and then dismissed after he slid down the butte.
5. Describe his final plan that he actually used.
6. Do the Practice and Apply in your classroom grammar book--p. 260.
Chapters 13-15
1. What was wrong with the Hornet and Jeep when Ben got to them?
2. What was Ben's new attack strategy?
3. Name 4 places Madec was hit by the buck shot.
4. How much money did Macec offer Ben to let him go?
5. Where did Ben put the sling shot?
6. What did Strict charge Ben with?
Go to this site and write down the defintion of the charge.
Chapters 16-17
1. What was Ben's major argument to get the sheriff to believe his story?
2. What had happened to the slingshot?
3. Who retrieved it?