IMPORTANT: Comprehension questions will be in chronological order as you read through the story. Page numbers are approximate, and will vary with different editions of the book.
Section 1: Chapters 1-4
Vocabulary
- aft: at, near, or toward the stern of a ship
- escort: to accompany someone somewhere, especially for protection or security
- fore: situated or placed in front
- galleon: a sailing ship originally made as a war ship and later used for trade
- hatchet: a small axe with a short handle
- shell: the hard protective outer case of a mollusk or crustacean
- stern: the rear end of a boat
Vocabulary Sentences
- The seagull flew from the fore to the aft of the large ship.
- The security guard was chosen to escort the president due to his quick reflexes.
- The old wood of the mighty galleon creaked as it drifted through the water.
- A hatchet was the perfect tool to prepare kindling for the camp fire.
- Many shells of all different shapes and sizes were scattered across the beach.
Comprehension Questions
- The Germans attacked the Lago oil refinery in February of 1942. (pg. 1)
- Philip wants to see an enemy U-boat out at sea at Fort Amsterdam. (pg. 2)
- The native cargo schooners bring bananas, oranges, papayas, melons, and vegetables to Curacao. (pg. 3)
- The Queen Emma pontoon bridge is built on floats so it can swing open whenever ships pass in or out. (pg. 4)
- The governor of the Netherlands’ West Indies appeals to Washington for help. (pg. 6)
- Royal Dutch Shell borrowed Philip’s dad because he was an expert in refineries and gasoline production. (pg. 8-9)
- The people of Curacao get fresh water from the US and England in big tankers. (pg. 14)
- The Empire Tern sets sail for England to help refuel the Royal Air Force. (pg. 15-16)
- Philip told the boys he was going to visit his grandparents in Norfolk. (pg. 18)
- Philip is convinced his dad is worried when he inspects the life boats and the fire hoses. (pg. 19)
- On April 6, 1942, Philip’s ship was torpedoed. (pg. 21)
- The captain carried a navigation instrument called a sextant. (pg. 22)
- The first thing Philip hears when he wakes up on the raft is a voice saying, “young bahss, how are you feelin’?”. (pg. 23)
- Philip told Timothy he was twelve because he wanted him to stop treating him as though he were half that age. (pg. 35-36)
Section 2: Chapters 5-9
Vocabulary
- coral: a hard stony substance secreted by certain marine coelenterates as an external skeleton
- douse: poor a liquid over, drench
- driftwood: pieces of wood which are floating on the sea or have been washed ashore
- grave: serious or solemn in manner or appearance
- lurch: make an abrupt, unsteady, uncontrolled movement or series of movements
- outrageous: shockingly bad or excessive
- scorn: to feel or express contempt or derision for
Vocabulary Sentences
- Color filled the warm ocean water as fish swam through to the lively coral reef.
- While walking across the shore, I stumbled upon many weathered pieces of driftwood.
- The soldiers had a grave conversation about the harsh realities of war.
- With it’s giant body, the dinosaur began to lurch through the forest in search of food.
- The amount of maple syrup John puts on his pancakes is simply outrageous!
Comprehension Questions
- Philip knows that timothy doused the torch because he heard it sizzle. (pg. 43-44)
- Philip wants Timothy to tell him what’s out there. (pg. 45)
- The name of the bird makes Philip laugh. (pg. 46)
- Timothy grabbed Philip by the hair with one hand, and with the other pulls him on the raft. (pg. 48)
- Philip asks Timothy not to forget Stew Cat. (pg. 52)
- Stew Cat brushes up against Phillip’s arm. (pg. 55)
- Philip makes Timothy promise to never leave him again. (pg. 55)
- Now that they were on shore, Philip began to think about what happened to his mother. (pg. 58)
- Philip trusted Timothy that his eyesight would return and that an aircraft would spot the fire pile. (pg. 58-59)
- It takes the whole of the afternoon to build the hut. (pg. 58-59)
- Philip refuses to talk to Timothy because he left him for such a long time. (pg. 61)
- Philip says to spell the word “help”. (pg. 63)
- Philip suddenly realizes Timothy can’t spell. (pg. 63)
- The rope would stretch all the way down to the beach and fire pile. (pg. 65)
Section 3: Chapters 10-15
Vocabulary
- catchment: the action of collecting water, especially rainfall
- conniving: given to or involved in conspiring to do something immoral
- jumbi: an evil curse or aura
- langosta: a spiny lobster, especially used in French cuisine
- outrageous: shockingly bad or excessive
- squall: a sudden violent gust of wind or localized storm
- tempest: a violent and windy storm
Vocabulary Sentences
- The conniving con man convinced everyone to give him their money.
- As we sat down for our meal, the scent of langosta wafted from the kitchen.
- The neon green paint job of the minivan was outrageous compared to the typical colors.
- While everyone was tucked away inside, a squall tore through the neighborhood.
- The quiet peace of the night was short lived as a tempest seemed to appear from nowhere.
Comprehension Questions
- Philip describes the water that drips into their mouths as sweet and fresh. (pg. 70)
- Timothy tells Philip he doesn’t like some white people. (pg. 71)
- Timothy said it wouldn’t be outrageous to dislike all white people. (pg. 71)
- Timothy told Philip his mother wouldn’t recognize him because he was very brown and lean. (pg. 74)
- Philip figures out the low coral reef is to the east because he felt the warmth of the sun rise in that direction. (pg. 77)
- Religion and doctors are mixed up in the practice of Voodoo. (pg. 78)
- Philip finds Timothy on the north side of the island. (pg. 79)
- Philip thinks about getting back on the raft and letting it drift to sea. (pg. 82)
- Philip steps on a stake. (pg. 83)
- Timothy carves a Stew Cat out of wood. (pg. 84)
- Philip covers Timothy with grape leaves to protect him from the sun. (pg. 88)
- Urchins can inflict terrible pain. (pg. 91)
- To prepare for the tempest, Timothy first lashes the water keg high on a palm trunk. (pg. 100)
- Philip felt a lizard lurking around his legs and feet. (pg. 104)
Section 4: Chapters 16-19
Vocabulary
- accomplishment: something that has been achieved successfully
- bleat: the wavering cry made by a sheep, goat, or calf
- drone: make a continuous low humming sound
- gangway: a raised platform or walkway providing passage
- lee: the sheltered side of something, away from the wind
- reckon: establish by counting or calculation
- severe: very great; intense
Vocabulary Sentences
- Completing the marathon was a great accomplishment for the sixty year old.
- A wailing bleat made it’s way from sheep pasture early in the morning.
- The classroom was so quiet, all you could hear was the electric drone of the lights.
- Sylvia was nervous to step foot onto the rickety old gangway but she needed to board the ship.
- The damage the hurricane did to the house was severe to say the least.
Comprehension Questions
- The first job Philip has after Timothy dies is to bury his body. (pg. 110)
- Philip realizes that Timothy made it possible for him to live through the storm. (pg. 110)
- Philip finds a coconut in the mass of sea grapes. (pg. 112)
- Timothy lashed a dozen fishing poles to a palm tree. (pg. 113)
- Philip figured out that without Timothy’s everything had to be very precise. (pg. 114)
- Washed up on the beach after the storm, Philip found several large cans, an old broom, a wooden crate, and a piece of canvas among other things. (pg. 114)
- The birds attack Philip because he accidentally stumbled into their resting ground. (pg. 116)
- Philip stabs a langosta with his sharp stick. (pg. 119)
- When Philip sticks his hand deep in the hole in the reed, he is bit by a moray eel. (pg. 120)
- When Philip realizes the plane has gone, he puts his head in his arms and sobs. (pg. 123)
- Philip uses sea grape to make black smoke. (pg. 124-125)
- The one thing Philip wants to take from the island is Timothy’s knife that is stuck in the palm tree. (pg. 130)
- When Philip tells the captain about Timothy, he tells him to get some sleep because the Hato was sunk back in April. (pg. 131)
- Philip hopes to one day charter a schooner to find the island where Timothy is buried. (pg. 134)