Rascal – Blackbird and Company

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 – 2

Vocabulary

Epaulet: an ornamental shoulder piece on an item of clothing, typically on the coat or jacket of a military uniform
Martinet: a strict disciplinarian, especially in the armed forces
Parsonage: a church house provided for a member of the clergy
Phosphorescent: a light emitted by a substance without combustion or perceptible heat
Shrill: a high pitched sounded
Tremolo: a wavering effect in a musical tone, typically produced by the rapid reiteration of a note

1. “And upon a bank overlooking a bend in the big stream we found wild
  strawberries almost as bright as the red epaulets on the wings of the
  blackbirds.” (pg. 37)
2. “But she was a martinet concerning deportment, dress, housekeeping, and
  much besides.” (pg. 46)
3. “I asked some of these questions of Reverand Hooton, the Methodist
  minister whose church and parsonage adjoined our property, and his
  answers were not particularly satisfying.” (pg. 28)
4. “Ahead lay some of the most productive walnut and hickory trees I
  had ever looked, a good swimming hole in the creek, and, in one bit
  of forest, a real curiosity)

a phosphorescent stump which
gleamed at night with foxfire, as luminescent as all the lightning
bugs in the world)

ghostly and terrifying to boys who saw it for
the first time.” (pg. 16)

“Finally he looked at me and trilled a shrill question: Who had stolen his
sugar lump?” (pg. 33)
“Tree toads and frogs in the swamp began their chorus, and a little screech
owl, sounding almost like another raccoon added an eerie tremolo.” (pg. 22)

Comprehension Questions

Sterling says that the signature of spring is violets and anemones in the grass, and apple trees with their promising buds. (pg. 16)
Sterling, Wowser and Oscar find a mother raccoon with four babies living in the den at the oak tree. (pg. 19)
As Sterling hacks through the tree limb he fears the mother raccoon may rush him as the limb begins to break. (pg. 22)
The distant lightening and low rumble of thunder sounded like artillery and reminds Sterling that war is still raging in France and that his brother Herschel was to be moved to the front lines. (pg. 23/24)
Sterling thinks that it is unfair that God allowed his mother to die so young as she never had the chance to see the pets he was raising and as a biologist and mother she would have enjoyed that. (pg. 28)
Wowser is Rascal’s stands as guardian at the foot of the oak tree. (pg. 30)
When Rascal is first given a lump of sugar he washes it in his milk and it dissolves. When he is given a second lump he shows he has learned the lesson and puts it immediately into his mouth. (pg. 33)
With Rascal sleeping in his bed with him, Sterling no longer feels lonely when his father is away. (pg. 34)
On the peninsula Rascal encounters a new creature, a crawfish or crawdad, a freshwater lobster. (pg. 38)
After eating his fill of crawfish, Rascal takes a nap in the willow shade near Sterling’s bicycle. (pg. 40)
When Poe-the-Crow tries to steal the penny from Rascal’s mouth he accidently grabs onto some of Rascal’s whiskers, so attaching himself to the raccoon. Rascal and Poe-the-Crow fight for the penny until Sterling untangles them. (pg. 44)
When Theo comes to visit, Sterling doesn’t dare tell her that her room is now his and Rascal’s. (pg. 46)
When the moon rises, Rascal wakes up, leaves the oak tree to join Sterling in his bed. However, Theo is now is that room and Rascal curls up in bed with Theo who screams in fright. (pg. 49)
Sterling finds Theo’s lost diamond wedding ring in Poe-the-Crow’s nest of twigs and leaves in the church belfry. (pg. 51/52)

Section 2: Chapters 3 – 4

Vocabulary

Berserk: out of control with anger or excitement; wild or frenzied
Eminence: fame or recognized superiority, especially within a particular sphere or Profession
Gallant: to be brave or heroic; grand or fine
Gastronomic: relating to the practice of cooking or eating good food
Plumage: a bird’s feathers collectively
Ulterior: existing beyond which is obvious or admitted; intentionally hidden

“Rascal went slightly berserk.” (pg. 73)
“From our eminence above Chequamegon Bay we could see several of
the Apostle Islands blending into the far distance.” (pg. 84)
“I suppose we should have been cheering for that fish, making such a
gallant fight for his life.” (pg. 96)
“But his keen nostrils informed him that somewhere in this sand was a
gastronomic delight he had never sampled.” (pg. 64)
“There they lay, gleaming and radiant, the plumage of the most beautiful
bird in North America.” (pg. 99)
“Not all of Rascal’s motives were ulterior.” (pg. 54)

Comprehension Questions

Rascal’s favorite song is the ballad, “There’s a Long, Long Trail A-winding.”
The myth surrounding Black Hawk cave was that the Indian, Black Hawk used the cave to hide from Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis who were pursuing him during the Black Hawk War. (pg. 59/60)
The mother mallard defends her ducklings from Rascal by swimming directly at him, spreads her wings, takes partial flight and aims her beak between Rascal’s eyes. She then returns to her ducklings. (pg. 63)
Long ago many people had traveled down the old Milwaukee trail. “Toadcrushers,” bringing lead from the mine and early settlers such as the Thure Kumlien from Sweden and Sterling’s ancestors from England. (pg. 66)
The children expressed their patriotism in different ways, the girls knitted wristbands for the soldiers, the boys collected peach pits, which were burned as charcoal to make gas masks. Children also collect bits of tin foil, which were wadded into balls. (pg. 72)
The serious mistake that Sterling makes in his garden is to introduce Rascal to sweet corn. The raccoon loves the corn so much that every night he raids the neighbors corn patch and eats the ears. Pg 73-75)
Sterling’s dad suggests that in order to protect Rascal, and appease the angry neighbors, that Rascal should have a leash, collar and a cage. (pg. 76)
The gentle serenades the Sterling and his father hear during their first night camping are a heron’s distant croak, the footfall of a fox, and fish splashing in the moonlight. (pg. 82)
When Radisson visited the shores of Lake Superior in 1659, he called the lake a “sea of sweet water,” (pg. 84)
A porcupine tries to break into Sterling’s box of dried groceries. (pg. 90)
When Sterling and Rascal sneak up to the lake they see bathers and a doe and her fawn. (pg. 94)
The hat of the fisherman fishing in his trout pond is decorated with trout flies. (pg. 95)
When Sterling tells Bert that he wishes to own a cabin like his, Bert tells him you can’t get anything without working for it and that he worked for 30 years in a sporting goods store before he sold it and retired to the cabin. (pg. 100)
Sterling and his father are convinced a bear is about are they see a blueberry patch that looks like it has been hit by a small cyclone and a hollow tree ripped open and honeycomb strewn on the ground. (pg. 103/104)

Section 3: Chapters 5 – 6

Vocabulary

Awl: a small pointed tool used for piercing holes, especially in leather
Baleful: threatening harm; menacing
Censorship: the suppression or prohibition of any parts of books, film, news, etc. that are considered obscene or politically unacceptable or a threat to security
Trundle: the motion of moving slowly, heavily, typically in a noisy or uneven way
Veritable: used as an intensifier, often to qualify a metaphor
Vociferous: to speak or act in a vehement manner

“He used his smallest awl to make holes and his smallest needle and lightest
waxed thread.” (pg. 110)
“We glared at each other balefully.” (pg. 127)
“Censorship made communication almost impossible in World War I,
and Herschel’s letter merely sent his love and confirmed the fact that
he was unwounded.” (pg. 114)
“And these kits mind their mother very well, trundling after her as she
teaches them how to fish the edge of the creeks.” (pg. 140)
“We turned to our front porch, and Rascal and I sat in wicker chairs
watching a veritable parade.” (pg. 122)
“Neither Spaulding nor Hoyle has ever published a book on pie-eating
contests, and the judges went into a huddle that became vociferous.” (pg. 128)

Comprehension Questions

Sterling takes four quarters ($1) from his crock to use at the leather emporium. (pg. 108)
When Rascal looks into the mirror at Mr. Shadwick’s shop he thinks he is seeing another raccoon. (pg. 111
The old miser, Cy Jenkins makes the concession to deliver the lumber to Sterling’s home if he starts work immediately on the cage for Rascal. (pg. 113
While his father is in Montana, Sterling has a charge account for groceries, but must sell two bushels of his potatoes to pay for staples and hinges for Rascal’s cage. (pg. 117
When Donnybrook trots over to greet Rascal, the raccoon runs his small hands over the horse’s velvet muzzle and shiny rings of the halter. (pg. 119
The impolite question that Sterling asks the Reverend Thurman is, what bet has he made with Mike Conway? (pg. 122
When Rascal stands on the fence surrounding the Merino ram, the ram charges the fence, ramming his horns into the wood and nearly throwing Rascal into the pen. (pg. 124
The three things that every pie eating boy wants as a prize is the three dollar grand prize, the glory and the blue ribbon. (pg. 127
Michael Conway thinks he can beat Gabriel Thurman in his Model T with Donnybrook because he has seen Thurman flood his carburetor and timed him as to how long its takes to start the car. (pg. 130
When Rascal is locked into his cage the first night he runs frantically throughout the cage and cries out to Sterling to be released, which Sterling does. (pg. 132
When Sterling rakes leaves into piles, Rascal likes to burrow into them and jump out and surprise Sterling. (pg. 134
Miss Whalen says it’s wicked to shoot a wild goose or swan because they mate for life and it leaves a widowed mate. (pg. 136
Rascal bites Slammy Stillman because the boy snaps a thick rubber band into Rascal’s face hurting him. (pg. 140
Rascal’s punishment for biting Slammy Stillman is to be locked in his cage for 14 days to make sure he doesn’t have rabies. Pg141

Section 4: Chapters 7 – 9

Vocabulary

Argosy: a large merchant ship, originally one from Ragusa or Venice
Armistice: an agreement made by opposing sides in war to stop fighting for a period of time; a truce
Chloroform: a colorless, volatile, sweet smelling liquid used as a solvent and formerly as a general anesthetic
Intimation- an indication or hint; the action of making something known, especially in an indirect way
Pandemonium: wild and noisy disorder or confusion; uproar
Stratagem: a plan or scheme, especially one used to outwit an opponent or achieve an end

“The argosy of brightly wrapped gifts greatly intrigued my raccoon.” (pg. 171)
“…They’re signing an armistice.” (pg. 157)
“The arm had been amputated on this kitchen table; and Aunt Lillie
had administered the chloroform.” (pg. 180)
“This was my first intimation that I was becoming tired; and my father
said quietly, ‘Sterling, you’d better take your raccoon and go see Aunt
Lillie.’” (pg. 178)
“With Rascal in the basket, I pedaled through the throng, ringing my
bell as a small contribution to the joyous pandemonium.” (pg. 160)
“With Rascal for my constant companion in all these preparations, I was
exhilarated with my stratagems to foil Mrs. Quinn.” (pg. 185)

Comprehension Questions

Uncle Fred has many jobs on the farm, but two of them are to hand milk daily the 52 cows on the farm, and maintain forty acres of tobacco. (pg. 146
According to Uncle Fred, Thure Kumlien’s weakness with birds was that he was unwilling to shoot them. (pg. 151
The strange service that Ernest performs for his mother is to help put the breakfast on the table, which is considered women’s work. (pg. 152
Rascal causes Aunt Lillie to laugh until she cries in the honey house when he turned himself upside down in order to eat the last remaining drips from the honey faucet. (pg. 156
“The War to End War,” meant that there would never be another war, conflict. (pg. 160
Sterling has financial problems as Christmas approaches because that year he decided not to trap muskrats, which usually earned him seventy-five dollars. (pg. 163
Jessica helps Sterling with his financial problems by sending a check for ten dollars to help with his Christmas shopping. (pg. 165
Sterling describes his sister Jessica as spontaneously affectionate, thoughtful, brilliant, and at times unreasonable. (pg. 169
Theo and Norm give sterling a Christmas gift of ice-skates, which were very rare in there region at the time. (pg. 172
“Case weather,” is a sudden thaw with thick fog causes the tobacco leaves to soften and allows handling without damaging the leaves. All the leaves have to be taken to the stripping house and covered in canvas so that they don’t freeze. (pg. 176
Uncle Fred doesn’t want his boys to go to college because he doesn’t want them to get the superior notion that they know more than he does. (pg. 179
Sterling’s father suggest that he paint the canoe in the barn because if the green paint got onto the rug it wouldn’t look good with the colors of the rug. (pg. 183
Sterling keep the housekeeper out of his bedroom by putting a lock on the door and pocketing the key. (pg. 184
When the female raccoon approaches the edge of the stream, Rascal jumps off the canoe and swims over to her. Then they both disappear to start a new life together. (pg. 189