Bridge to Terabithia

1. Bridge to Terabithia By Katherine Paterson

2. Comprehension Questions Q1. What does May Belle see at the end of Chapter One? A. She sees a U-Haul truck parked at the old Perkins Place.

3. Comprehension Questions Q2. What did Jess like to do? A. Jess liked to draw crazy animals with problems. (p12)

4. Comprehension Questions Q3. Who does Jess really want to show his paintings to? (and who NOT to?) A. Jess wants to show his dad., but he doesn’t want to show it to May Belle. (Although May Belle would laugh at the joke, he’d have to explain it first.) (p14)

5. Comprehension Questions Q4. Why didn’t Jess show his drawings to his dad? A. When Jess was in 1st grade he had told his dad that he wanted to be an artist and his dad had become angry.

6. Comprehension Questions Q5. Did anybody like his drawings? A. Most teachers didn’t like his drawings and told him that it was a waste of time and paper. However Miss Edmunds, the music teacher liked it.

7. Comprehension Questions Q6. What was Jess’ secret? A. Jess’ secret was Miss Edmunds because he was in love with her.

8. Comprehension Questions Q7. What does Miss Edmunds say about his drawings? A. She says that he’s ‘unusually talented’ and encouraged him to keep drawing. (p15)

9. Comprehension Questions Q8. What kind of person is Miss Edmunds? A. Miss Edmunds is from the suburbs so she seems different compared to the people in Lark Creek, and therefore many people call her a ‘hippie’.

10. Comprehension Questions Q8. Why is Jess shocked at the end of Chapter Two? A. Leslie suddenly talks to Jess when he is training, and when he sees her sitting on the fence he couldn’t decide if she was a boy or a girl, because of what she was wearing.

11. Jess and drawing (p18) • Examples that show how much Jess likes to draw; • Milks Miss Bessie a couple of hours later than he should • He would buy by stationery for his drawings

12. Jess and home (p18) • Frustration and Loneliness • e.g. Rooster, dad not around ↓ • May Belle • The only person he can pick on • Aware of it being unreasonable

13. Jess and home (p19~) ② • Jealousy towards May Belle • Dad would hug May Belle • May Belle can act young • Jess could never act like a baby, always treated like an adult

14. Chapter Three Q2. Why does Mrs Myers get angry at Jess during class? A. He was drawing during class, and was trying to come up with a name for a whole book of his drawings. Then Gary Fulcher looked in and Jess stomped on his foot, making Gary yelp out loud.

15. Chapter Three Q2. Write an example of how Lark Creek never seems to have enough money. A. The children ate lunch at their desks. They still don’t have a lunchroom although the county had been promising Lark Creek one for 20 years.

16. Chapter Three Q4. Why does Leslie ‘belong’ to the upper field? Why was it strange that Leslie came down from the upper field to where Jess was? A. Leslie belongs to the upper field, just because she was a girl. No girl played or raced in the running races with the boys.

17. Chapter Three Q4. Why was Leslie able to run in the race? A. Gary was making fun of Jess about Leslie because he had made a fair decision and given advice about the previous heat. Jess also wanted to prove he was tough in front of all the boys so he asked Leslie if she wanted to take part and she agreed.

18. Chapter Three Q4. Why wasn’t Jess going to feel sorry for Leslie anymore? A. He had felt sorry about everyone treating her like an outsider, and allowed her to take part in the race. Unfortunately she won the running race in Jess’s heat and the effort put in during summer seemed wasted.

19. Chapter Four: Rulers of Terabithia 2. The Music Class • Jess has special feelings for Miss Edmunds (p44) • Jess makes up with Leslie 3. Comparison of the suburbs and Lark Creek *Leslie hates being at Lark Creek (p47) She used to have lots of friends and a gym… • The running contest ends • Not fun anymore • Leslie always wins

20. Chapter Four: Rulers of Terabithia ② * The reason Leslie came to Lark Creek - Her parents were reassessing their value structure. i.e. They wanted to think about what’s important in life. → Jess thought this was ridiculous. - Leslie agreed about coming but didn’t think it would be this bad. - “Money” is not a problem for Leslie’s family. =they have plenty of money. - Leslie’s parents are both writers (p67) * No television set

21. Chapter Four: Rulers of Terabithia ③ 4. Bus - Janice Avery - Leslie suggests spending an afternoon with Jess 5. “Terabithia” - the secret land Jess and Leslie made - Somewhere like Narnia - Jess and Leslie become close friends At first they avoided each other at school but eventually started to not care about what others think and say.

22. Chapter Four: Rulers of Terabithia ④ 6. Leslie had become a special person for Jess (p69) - nobody else understood - Jess got up everyday with something to look forward to (for the first time in his life) - Leslie was part of him, “a more exciting self” - Terabithia was a place for just the two of them

23. Chapter Five: Synonyms • 1. solemn→ e. serious • 2. suspend → d. cease • 3. reject → b.deny • 4. plunged →c. dove • 5. crimson → a. red

24. Chapter Five: Vocabulary 2 • 1. plunged • 2.suspend • 3.reject • 4.solemn • 5.crimson

25. Chapter Five: Q1 • Q. Why didn’t Leslie want Jess to fight Janice Avery? Why did she think the letter would be a better way to get even? • A. Leslie didn’t want Jess to fight Janice Avery because she didn’t think that was the best way to get revenge, and she didn’t want Jess to be beaten up in return. Leslie realised that the letter, which would cause Janice to be humiliated, was a more exquisite form of punishment.

26. Chapter Five: Q2 • Q. What immediate evidence did Jess and Leslie have that Janice believed the contents of the letter? • A. It was clear that Janice believed the contents of the letter because right after school Jess and Leslie could see Janice in a huddle with her friends, presumably boasting about the letter.

27. Chapter Five: Q3 • Q. Why did Jess compare his feelings toward Janice Avery to Leslie’s feelings about killer whales? • A. Leslie said that killer whales needed protection. Jess thought that Janice was like them because they both seem like dangerous animals, but also need to be protected.

28. Chapter Five: Q4 • Q. Why was this chapter called “The Giant Killers”? • A. This chapter was called “The Giant Killers” because Jess and Leslie stopped Janice being the bully. Janice was the giant and Jess and Leslie were the giant killers. • →A connection between Terabithia and the real world.

29. Chapter Six: The Coming of Prince Terrien • Vocabulary • 1. Obsessed→ e. preoccupied by one thought • 2. Speculation→ c. guess • 3. Surplus→ a. excess • 4. Foundling→ b. abandoned infant • 5. Jester→ d. clown; fool

30. Chapter Six: Vocabulary 2 • 1. speculation • 2. foundling • 3. jester • 4. surplus • 5. Obsessed

31. Chapter Six: Q1 • Q. Why did Jess fantasize that he was a foundling? • A. Jess fantasized that he was a foundling because he felt alienated from his sisters and his family. He never felt that his father was proud of him and he felt that he could never please him.

32. Chapter Six: Q2 • Q. Who was Prince Terrien? Why was this a good gift? • A. Prince Terrien was the name of the puppy that Jess gave to Leslie. This was a good gift because it made Leslie happy, it was something she wouldn’t have bought for herself, and it was fun to play with.

33. Chapter Six: Q3 • Q. Contrast what Jess received for Christmas from Leslie and what he received from his father. Which gift was more appropriate? Why? • A. Leslie’s gift was a box of watercolours, three brushes, and a pad of heavy art paper. His father’s gift was a set of electric trains which were hard to operate. Jess loved Leslie’s gift because it was something he wanted and would use for his special drawings. Leslie knew Jess so well that she understood what he wanted; his father didn’t appreciate Jess’s preferences and therefore gave him an inappropriate present.

34. Chapter Six: Q4 • Answers would vary!

35. Chapter 7: The Golden Room~Antonyms~ • 1. Reluctant→ d. eager • 2. Exiled→ f. returned • 3. Garish→ e. tasteful • 4. Anxiety→ g. calmness • 5. Hostile→ a. friendly • 6. Comprehend→ c. misunderstand • 7. Weird→ b. normal

36. Chapter 7: The Golden Room~Vocabulary~ • 1. weird • 2. exiled • 3. anxiety • 4. comprehend • 5. garish • 6. hostile

37. Chapter 7: Q1 • Q. Compare and contrast Leslie’s relationship with her father with Jess’ relationship with his father. • A. Leslie had a warm and close relationship with her father based on mutual trust and need. Jess had no feelings of warmth toward his father and felt that he could never please him.

38. Chapter 7: Q2 • Q. What did Jess mean when he said that the Burkes were smart in a way he had never known real live people to be? • A. Jess only knew people who had common sense, knowledge and practical values until now. Jess meant that the Burkes were college-educated and knowledgeable about music, art, and literature.

39. Chapter 7: Q3 • Q. What was the “sacred place”? What was its significance to Jess and Leslie? • A. The pine grove was a “sacred place.” It was important because it was a secret place where Jess and Leslie could be true to themselves, a place where no one would intrude on their lives.

40. Chapter 7: Q4 • Q. What unwritten code of behaviour did Janice break? How did Leslie console her and what advice did she offer? • A. Children protected their parents’ reputations; Janice had betrayed her father by telling her friends that he beat her. Leslie told Janice how she had been teased; she advised her to pretend that she didn’t know what her tormentors (her “friends”) were talking about.

41. Chapter 7: Q5 • Q. How did Jess react when MayBelle told him she knew where he went with Leslie? Why did he react this way? • A. Jess was furious that MayBelle knew about his secret place. He worried that she would tell his mother who would tease him and forbid him to go to Terabithia. He was also angry that the place was no longer a secret.

42. Chapter 8: Easter • 1. pew → c. bench in church • 2. complacent → e. unbothered; untroubled • 3. sanctuary → d. church or other sacred place • 4. numb → b. lacking emotion or feeling • 5. congregation → a. assembly of persons together for religious worship • 6. unison → f. producing the same sound at the same time

43. Chapter 8: Easter • Q1. Why did Easter Sunday become a problem for Jess’s family? • A. Easter Sunday was a problem for Jess’s family because Jess’s father was laid off and the girls could not afford to buy new outfits. They balked about going to church dressed in their old clothes.

44. Chapter 8: Q2 • Q. Why did Jess’s mother hesitate about taking Leslie to church? What was her main concern about her own family’s appearance that day? • A. Jess’s mother was reluctant to take Leslie to church because she was afraid Leslie would not wear a dress. She knew that Leslie’s family had more money and education than she did and did not want Leslie sneering at her. She wanted her family to have new clothes.

45. Chapter 8: Q3 • Q.Why did Leslie want to go to church? • A. Leslie wanted to go to church because she thought it would be a new and interesting experience.

46. Chapter 8: Q4 • Q. What were Leslie’s opinions about the Bible? How did this set her apart even more from the other people in Lark Creek? How was Jess affected by her opinions? • A. Leslie thought the Bible was a beautiful and an interesting story. She didn’t believe in being damned to hell as the rest of the people in Lark Creek believed. She caused Jess to begin to question some of his own beliefs.

47. Chapter 9, 10 Synonyms and Antonyms →　synonym→ antonym • 1. mournfully → gloomily→joyously • 2. emerge → rise→submerge • 3. sodden → soaked→dried • 4. sporadic → occasional→continuous • 5. vanquished → conquered→victorious • 6. scrawny → thin→plump

48. Chapter 9, 10 Vocabulary • 1. vanquished • 2. sodden • 3. scrawny • 4. mournfully • 5. sporadic • 6. emerge

49. Chapter 9, 10 • Q1. What did Judy mean when she said, “I’m stuck”? • A. When Judy said that she was stuck she meant she had a writer’s block, a time when she couldn’t think of anything to write.

50. Chapter 9, 10: Q2 • Q. Why did Jess and Leslie visit Terabithia even though the weather was so bad? • A. Leslie and Jess visited Terabithia because they were bored and had nothing else to do.