Where the Red Fern Grows
Name: _____________________________________________________________ Date: ____________
Chapters I, II, III, IV
1. By what method is the story told?
2. What is the setting of the novel?
3. Who is the main character of the story? Who are the other characters introduced in this section of the novel?
4. What "terrible disease" did the main character say he had?
5. What did Papa give the boy in place of what he wanted, and what was the result?
6. Why couldn't the boy have what he wanted?
7. Describe the boy's plan to get what he wanted.
8. How long did it take the boy to earn the money?
9. What was his grandfather's reaction when the boy told him of his plan?
10. Describe the boy's journey to pick up his purchase.
Vocabulary Chapters I, II, III, IV
Part I: Using Prior Knowledge and Context Clues
Below are the sentences in which the vocabulary words appear in the text. Read the sentence. Use any clues you can find in the sentence combined with your prior knowledge, and write what you think the underlined words mean on the lines provided.
1. It was too much for him and he took off down the street, squalling like a scalded cat.
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2. I kept coaxing. On his stomach, an inch at a time, he came to me and laid his head in my hand.
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3. It's strange indeed how memories can lie dormant in a man's mind for so many years.
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4. I figured something drastic must have happened in his life, as it is very unusual for a hound to be traveling all alone.
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5. Water from a rain puddle or a mountain stream would quench his thirst and cool his hot dry throat.
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6. It starts gnawing on his heart, and gets all mixed up in his dreams.
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7. I mulled them over in my mind.
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8. Next, I went to the barn and up in the loft. Far back over the hay and up under the eaves, I hid my can.
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9. After leaving the mountain stream, my pace was much slower.
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10. Feeling the pangs of hunger gnawing at my stomach, I decided I would stop and eat at the next stream I found.
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Part II: Determining the Meaning Match the vocabulary words to their dictionary definitions.
___ 1. squalling A. persuading by pleading or flattery
___ 2. coaxing B. severe or radical in nature; extreme
___ 3. dormant C. afflicting or worrying persistently
___ 4. drastic D. overhang at the edge of a roof
___ 5. quench E. sudden sharp spasms of pain
___ 6. gnawing F. screaming or crying loudly
___ 7. mulled G. inactive but capable of being activated
___ 8. eaves H. to satisfy
___ 9. pace
___ 10. pangs J. rate of speed for walking or running