House of the Scorpion Comprehension Questions - Miss McCandless's ...

[Pages:11]House of the Scorpion Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1 ? In the Beginning 1. What is the setting of this chapter? 2. What is Eduardo trying to do? 3. How old are the frozen cells? 4. How many of the cells survived the process? 5. What happens to most clones? Why didn't it happen to this clone?

Chapter 2 The Little House in the Poppy Fields 1. Describe Cecilia in a complete sentence. 2. Describe Matt in a complete sentence. 3. What do you think mi vida means? Why is it significant that Celia calls Matt this. 4. Besides Celia, what is Matt's only connection to the outside world? 5. What did Matt see & hear outside the house one day when Celia was at work? 6. What was his reaction? 7. What didn't Celia want Matt to call her? Why? 8. Why did Matt have trouble understanding the word "loaned."

Chapter 3 ? Property of the Alcaran Estate 1. Who came to visit Matt? Is it the same as before? 2. Why did Emilia bring Maria along? 3. Why couldn't Matt go outside to visit with the children? 4. How did he initially try to communicate with them? 5. What motivated Matt to break the window? 6. What happened to him? 7. Where did the Children take Matt? 8. What was discovered on Matt's foot? 9. How did Steven's father react to Matt being brought to the house? What happened next?

Chapter 4 ? Maria 1. How do the children describe clones? 2. Why is Matt brought back inside? 3. Where is Matt taken? 4. How does Rosa treat Matt? 5. Will Celia be coming to see Matt? 6. In a complete sentence(s), describe Maria. 7. How is Maria different than the others? What does she do for Matt? 8. Why do you think Celia told Matt stories about chupacabras and other monsters? 9. Why does Maria stay with Matt? What are the consequences of this decision? 10. At this point, what is Matt's state of mind?

Chapter 5 ? Prison

1. What has happened to Emilia and Maria? 2. Why does Rosa think Senator Mendoza always visits El Patron? 3. Describe the conversation between Rosa and the Doctor (Willum) on p.3740. 4. What steps did Rosa take to make Matt's life miserable in his prison. 5. Why do you think Rosa was so upset with Matt? 6. Who's Tom? How did Matt and Tom's first meeting go? 7. Who finally brings Celia to see Matt? 8. How did Matt initially respond to the sight of Celia? 9. Is there evidence that Matt means more to Celia than how their relationship was

described in chapter 2. 10. What was Celia's plan to free Matt?

Chapter 6 ? El Patron 1. What is the setting at the beginning of the chapter? What did Matt get? 2. What was Rosa's warning to Matt? 3. For whom was Matt cleaned up to meet? 4. Incomplete sentences, describe El Patron. Who old is he? 5. Who is supposed to report to El Patron? 6. What is discovered when Matt takes off his shirt? 7. Describe the exchange between Rosa and Dr. Willum. 8. What does El Patron decide to call Matt? Why? 9. What is the relationship between Matt and El Patron? 10. What is Aztlan? 11. What is the significance of Scorpions? 12. Typhoid? 13. Where was Celia now living? 14. What is Maria to do? Why? 15. How long was Matt in prison? 16. What is the reaction of everyone to Matt? El Patron? 17. Who is most important to El Patron? What is the significance of this? What are the consequences? 18. Who did Matt choose as a bodyguard? Why?

Chapter 7 ? Teacher 1. In a complete sentence(s), describe Tom. 2. Who stops the fight between Tom and Matt? 3. What is the reaction to Matt wanting Maria and Tom to go? 4. What was a "little off" about Tom? 5. In a complete sentence(s), describe Tam Lin. 6. Why did the doctor visit more? What power did it give to Matt? 7. Why is Maria leaving? 8. What is Matt and Maria's relationship like? 9. How does Tam Lin describe El Patron? Choices?

10. The Doctor once told Rosa "clones go to pieces when they get older" (p. 71). What do you think this means?

11. In a complete sentence(s), describe "Teacher." 12. What made Matt finally talk? Why? 13. What did Matt say? What does that say of his selfesteem? 14. How will they celebrate this event?

Chapter 8 ? The Eejit in the Dry Field 1. Describe the farm workers. What are they doing? 2. What was the fate of the man lying on the ground (p. 7778)? What does this say of the value placed on his life? 3. Why won't the horse leave the farm? 4. Where was their picnic? Why did Tam Lin keep this place a secret? 5. What was the purpose of the picnic? 6. Does Matt really understand who or what he is? 7. How does Tam Lin describe the cloning process? 8. What is an "eejit?" Examples? 9. Will Teacher come back? 10. What will be done about Matt's education?

Chapter 9 ? The Secret Passage 1. How does Matt study? Is he a good student? 2. What is the significance of being a "photograph?" 3. What did Matt dream? 4. Why didn't Matt like "Furball?" 5. Who is Felicia? 6. What did Matt discover? 7. What did Matt witness in the Secret passage? 8. What did the Doctor give to Felicia? 9. What talent did Matt discover he had? 10. What motivated Matt to learn?

Chapter 10 ? A Cat with 9 Lives 1. How old is El Patron? What question did he repeatedly ask his last visit? 2. What instructions does Celia give Matt? 3. Find a Spanish to English Translator online. Look up Mi Hijo. How has Celia's attitude toward Matt changed? 4. What happened to Furball? What do you think Motivated Tom? 5. What was Matt's plan? Why did he pick this time? 6. Who is Mr. Ortega? 7. What did El Patron's birthday mean for Matt? 8. Who came to the party? 9. Who were the "Farmers?"

10. Who is Mr. MacGregor? 11. Why did the people cheer for El Patron? Did everyone cheer? 12. How has El Patron's health change?

Chapter 11 ? The Giving and Taking of Gifts 1. What is taking place? 2. Who is El Viejo? 3. Who is attending the party? 4. By moving the place cards, what is Matt showing? How does Maria react? 5. What are the implants? Why did El Viejo decide against using them? Why is this a dangerous decision for him? 6. Why did El Patron value gifts? 7. What did the Farmers give as gifts? 8. How has Maria and Matt's relationship changed? Why? What is El Patron's reaction to this?

Chapter 12 ? The Thing on the Bed 1. How were Matt's activities to be? 2. How were the expeditions with Tam Lin? 3. Who visited Matt? Why? 4. Who arranged the meeting between Matt and Maria? 5. What did Maria, Tom, and Matt think was in the room? What actually was in the room? 6. Whose clone was in the room? 7. What do you think was Tom's motivation for bringing Maria and Matt to the hospital room?

Chapter 13 ? The Lotus Pond 1. An earlier line from the book was repeated by Matt: "Clones go to pieces when they get older." What do you now think this statement means? 2. Why did Felicia run off with Mr. MacGregor? What was she brought back? Who is Felicia's son? 3. What is wrong with Mr. MacGregor's clone? Why did Matt not suffer the same fate? 4. How was Mr. MacGregor's health getting better? 5. What was Matt's plan for meeting Maria? 6. What new subject was Matt beginning to study? 7. What happened at the Lotus Pond? 8. Who do you think killed Furball? 9. Who is leaving Matt? Why?

Chapter 14 ? Celia's Story 1. In a complete sentence(s), describe the Alcaran "estancia." 2. Why was Matt so upset by Tam Lin's departure? 3. What happened to Tom? Why? 4. How did Celia come to work for El Patron?

5. What happened to the others Celia traveled from Aztlan with?

Chapter 15 ? A Starved Bird 1. Where has Maria and Emilia been sent to? Why? 2. Why can't Matt send Maria a letter? 3. What has happened to Rosa? What was Matt's reaction to seeing Rosa? 4. What did Matt find at the canyon? 5. Why do you think Tam Lin left these things for Matt? 6. Who has died? What was the reaction to Matt at the service? 7. What was Matt's reaction to MacGregor entering the service? What about him has changed? 8. What has changed about Maria? 9. Describe the children's choir? 10. What is the Priest's reaction to Matt? Other people? 11. Why does Maria confront the priest? 12. Where does Matt take Maria?

Chapter 16 ? Brother Wolf 1. What does Maria accuse Matt of doing in the passage? 2. Where did they end up? How was it different? 3. Why did Maria forgive Matt? 4. What did Matt think about faults? 5. What religious predicament, according to Maria, does Matt find himself in? Her answer? 6. How did Tom and Felicia describe El Viejo's corpse? Why? 7. How was Tom and Felicia searching for Matt and Maria? 8. What does Felicia say that startles Maria? Matt? 9. How is El Patron going to help Matt and Maria?

Chapter 17 ? The Eejit Pens 1. Who left at the beginning of the chapter? 2. Why do you think Maria gave Matt the book about St. Francis? Matt's thoughts? 3. Has anything changed about Matt's feelings about Rosa? 4. Is there any significance to Matt calling Eejits "Brothers and Sister Eejits?" 5. What was contained in a "History of Opium?" How was this different than what Matt expected? 6. Create a flow map to sequence History of "Pact Made in Hell." 7. What organization did Esperanza Mendoza, author of the History, belong to? 8. What was the structure of Opium? Most powerful families and land? 9. How was Matteo Alcaran (El Patron) described by the book? 10. Why did Matt begin studying how the empire worked? 11. What was the first thing Matt wanted to do when "helping the one in charge?" 12. What was done with the polluted water? 13. Who rescued Matt from drowning? What were they part of? How did Matt talk to them?

14. Why do eejits sleep in the field some nights? 15. Why brought Hugh, Ralf and Wee Willie to Opium? 16. How is Tam Lin described? What did he do?

Chapter 18 ? The Dragon Hoard 1. Compare and contrast Celia's view of the Farm Patrol with Matt's experience? 2. Describe Celia's behavior at the beginning of the chapter? 3. Where is Celia and Matt rushing to? Why? 4. What is done to Matt upon entering the hospital? 5. What "strange" activity was Tam Lin doing? 6. Who would provide El Patron with a "donor heart?" 7. What questions did Matt want to ask Tam Lin? 8. How old is El Patron now? 9. What is meant by "In the end they're only rocks" (p. 183). 10. What is El Patron's reaction to Matt describing St. Francis' perspective on giving to the poor (p. 183184)? 11. What is a "Dragon Hoard?" Why did Tam Lin tell the story?

Chapter 19 ? Coming ? Of ? Age 1. What happened to Matt when singing? What does this signify? 2. The statement "clones fall to pieces when they get older" is said once again. Why? 3. Why does Tam Lin want to tell Matt the truth despite the watching cameras? 4. What does Tam Lin say about how they're treated? 5. How many eejits have died in 100 years? 6. What did Matt begin to realize about the role of clones? 7. Why is it ironic that El Patron refers to Matt as Mi Vida? 8. Why did Matt feel he was different? 9. What did Matt have to "look in the eye?" 10. How old is Matt now?

Chapter 20 ? Esperanza 1. How did knowing he was 14 make Matt feel? 2. Why did Matt further study Tam Lin's books and Maps? 3. Why did El Patron come up with idea of Eejits? 4. What happened to dead Eejits? 5. How did they lose their humanity? 6. What is Matt's reaction to what he read? 7. Who wrote the book? What was the author's relationship to Maria? 8. What did Matt plan to do with his new knowledge? 9. Who had once lived at the Oasis? 10. Who was Felipe? 11. Why can't Matt escape to Aztlan yet?

Chapter 21 ? Blood Wedding 1. Who is getting married? 2. Why did El Patron want this? 3. Who did Benito Alcaran marry? Why? 4. Why wasn't Matt going to the Oasis? 5. What was Matt's attitude toward Stephen and Emilia? Why? 6. Where did Matt and Maria meet? 7. What does Maria think about Matt's soul? 8. Who is Maria engaged too? Who decided this? 9. What did Matt show Maria? 10. How was Maria different from the others at the wedding? 11. What happened at the end of the wedding?

Chapter 22 ? Betrayal 1. What conflict was Matt trying to deal with? 2. Why do you think El Patron told so many stories to Matt about the afterlife? 3. Who is looking for Matt? Why? 4. What does Maria say to Matt that in other circumstances would have thrilled him? 5. Why does Matt and Tam Lin see El Patron as being like a "Force of Nature?" 6. What is Maria's plan? 7. What does El Patron need to survive? 8. What did the red light show? What are the possible dangers? 9. What do Matt and Maria say to each other? 10. Who betrayed Matt and Maria? 11. What are all clones considered? 12. What does Matt think would happen?

Chapter 23 ? Death 1. Where has Matt been taken? What thoughts are running through his head? 2. What is Matt being tested by Willem and the other doctors for? 3. What is the one thing that could help Maria? 4. What does El Patron say to Matt from his hospital bed? 5. Why was Matt allowed to keep his intelligence? 6. What is implied by El Patron's story and the quote "I am meant to have those lives." (p. 232233). 7. What is said of the economies of the USA and Aztlan? How have things changed? 8. Does El Patron care about all the eejits killed? 9. Why does El Patron think Matt owes him continued life? 10. Why has Celia poisoned Matt? 11. Why would the technician want a snip of Matt's hair? 12. How did Matt react to El Patron's death? How is the news given to him? Is his reaction surprising? 13. What is Mr. Alcaran's order to Tam Lin? How many other clones were there?

14. How has Tam Lin changed? What will happen to Celia? Why?

Chapter 24 ? A Final Goodbye 1. Describe Matt's thoughts/feelings at the beginning of the chapter. 2. What was Tam Lin's real plan? 3. What was the choice Matt had to make on p. 242. 4. What was Tam Lin's perspective on the bombing? Working for El Patron? 5. What did Celia show Tam Lin? 6. What does Tam Lin mean when saying he can't escape the "moral consequences?" What does he intend to do? 7. What does Tam Lin tell Matt to do? Go? 8. What is the "filthy lie" about clones? 9. What is meant by "El Patron kept Opium frozen one hundred years in the past?" (p. 245). 10. Where does Tam Lin tell Matt to head to first when he gets to Aztlan? 11. What is significant about Matt's escape?

Chapter 25 ? The Farm Patrol 1. What is the analogy made comparing a Buzzard to El Patron? (p. 251). 2. Why does Matt weep for El Patron? 3. What does Matt finally see across the border? His reaction? 4. Before crossing the border,, who does Matt see? 5. How was Matt able to get across the border? 6. What did Matt lose crossing the border?

Chapter 26 ? The Lost Boys 1. What name did Matt taken when he asked? Why? 2. How was Matt welcomed in Aztlan? 3. What is Matt's cover story? 4. Why was Matt asked about skills? 5. Is Matt familiar with the new technology available? Why or why not? 6. What does "The orderly production of resources is vital to the general good of the people" (p. 264), "Its hard, but fair" and "Attention to the welfare of the nation is the highest virtue to which a citizen can aspire" (p. 265) tell you about the priorities of the country of Aztlan? 7. Why did the boys have to be locked in? 8. What is a keeper? 9. What kind of place does Matt find himself at?

Chapter 27 ? A Five Legged Horse 1. Who were the keepers in charge of? 2. Who were the Lost Boys and Lost Girls? 3. What was Opium called at the work camps? What was known about it? 4. What did the boys have to recite before eating? 5. What had happened to most of the boys' parents?

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