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 Ordinary – Names
Vocabulary
- anomaly: something that deviates from what is standard, normal or expected
- aversion: a strong dislike or disinclination
- diva: a self-important person who is temperamental and difficult to please (typically used of a woman)
- imitate: copy (a person’s speech or mannerisms), especially for comic effect
- obnoxious: extremely unpleasant
- petrified: abrupt or offhand in speech or manner
- schlep: haul or carry (something heavy or awkward)
Vocabulary Usage in the Book
- They called it “small anomalies.” (Ch. How I Came to Life, pg. 6)
- It’s an aversion”, which is a word I just learned in Mr. Browne’s class.(Ch. School Pictures, pg. 70)
- And then Mr. Resnick, our theatre-arts teacher last year—he said:‘Charlotte, stop being such a diva!’ (Ch. The Performance Space, pg. 27)
- “I pity the fool” he said in a funny tough voice, like he was imitating someone. (Ch. Jack Will, Julian, and Charlotte, pg. 19)
- “Julian, you’re being so obnoxious!” said Charlotte, which made Julian laugh.(Ch. The Performance Space, pg. 28)
- Since I have never been to a real school before, I am pretty much totally and completely petrified. (Ch. Why I Didn’t Go to School, pg. 4)
- “It’ll be a bit of a schlep, though.” (Ch. The Deal, pg. 32)
Comprehension Questions
- August thinks the only reason he is not ordinary is that no one sees him that way. (Ch. Ordinary, pg. 3)
- When the doctor tells August’s mom he probably won’t live through the night the nurse whispers in August’s moms’ ear, “Everyone born of God overcometh the world.” (Ch. How I Came to Life, pg. 7)
- On the drive home from Christopher’s house Auggie realizes that his mom lied about taking an IQ test, it was actually an admission test for a school. (Ch. Driving, pgs. 11 – 12)
- When Auggie meets Mrs. Garcia, he sees her eyes drop for a second, which he has experienced a million times before. (Ch. Nice Mrs. Garcia, pg. 17)
- On the school tour Jack whispers advice to Auggie that he is going to need to talk. (Ch. The Performance Space, pg. 30)
- After Auggie tells his mom about the tour his mom calls Julian, “the kind of kid who’s one way in front of grown-ups and another way in front of kids.” (Ch. Home, pg. 34)
- On being told by Ms. Petosa to sit next to Auggie in class, Henry puts his backpack on his desk in between him and Auggie so he doesn’t have to interact with him. (Ch. Locks, pgs. 38 – 39)
- During Ms. Petosa’s class Julian asks Auggie if he likes Darth Sidious from Star Wars because he is a character whose face gets burned and becomes totally deformed. (Ch. Lamb to Slaughter, pg. 44)
- According to Mr. Brown the most important thing is knowing who we are. (Ch. Choose Kind, pg. 47)
- Summer sits down at Auggies lunch table the first day of school and they decide to make it the “summer only lunch table”, for kids with summer names to sit. (Ch. The Summer Table, pg. 52)
- Auggie decides to have a bowling party and invites his whole class, but the only kids who attend are Jack, Summer, Reid, Tristan, and both Maxes. (Ch. Apples, pgs. 66 – 67)
- Auggie realizes the kids are afraid of touching him when a girl is asked to be his dance partner and has an anxiety attack, and another student drops his experiment because their hands touch. (Ch.The Cheese Touch, pgs. 71 -72)
- Auggie overhears Jack say the teachers assigned Jack to sit next to Auggie and that Auggie always follows him around and he doesn’t know what to do about it. (Ch. The Bleeding Scream, pg. 77)
Section 2: Chapters A Tour of the Galaxy – Seasons Greetings
Vocabulary
- catastrophe: an event causing great and usually sudden damage or suffering; a disaster
- defective: imperfect or faulty
- meticulous: showing great attention to detail; very careful and precise
- pettiness: undue concern with trivial matters, especially of a small-minded or spiteful nature
- sepia: a reddish-brown color associated with monochrome photographs of the 19th and early 20th centuries
- spiteful: showing or caused by malice
- quip: a witty remark
Vocabulary Usage in the Book
- Does August see himself as he might have looked without that single gene that caused the catastrophe of his face? (Ch. August Through the Peephole, pg. 89)
- If I have children, there’s a one-in-two chance that I will pass on the defective gene to them. (Ch. The Punnett Square, pg. 105)
- He meticulously tries to get every hair in place. (Ch. The Padawan Bites the Dust, pg. 97)
- I admit:I had always thought I was above this kind of typical teenage pettiness, but I felt a lump in my throat throughout lunch. (Ch. Major Tom, pg. 94)
- I’ve poured over grainy sepia pictures of long dead relatives in babushkas… (Ch.Genetics 101, pg. 103)
- “You would know if you had come back to check on me,” I said spitefully, “like you said you would.” (Ch. Breakfast, pg. 101)
- I’d never realized how funny she was (not laugh -out-loud Daddy -funny, but full of great quips)…… (Ch. Out with the Old, pg. 107)
Comprehension Questions
- When Via sees August for the first time she says, “It doesn’t look like Lilly!”, which was the name of a doll Gran had given her to “practice” being a big sister.(Ch. Before August, pg. 84)
- After spending four weeks with Gran Via is finally free from being noticed, the staring and pointing that she experiences when she is with August. (Ch.Seeing August, pg. 85)
- Via avoids seeing Miranda after school and having to ride home with her by ducking in to the girl’s bathroom and then taking the subway home. (Ch. After School, pg. 95)
- Via’s dad says she is old enough to ride the subway alone because she is reading the book, War and Peace. (Ch. Breakfast, pg. 101)
- Auggie and Via’s mom immerses herself in getting Auggie’s costume ready every year before Halloween to distract herself from feeling sad over the loss of Gran. (Ch. October 31, pg. 109)
- Via finally convinces Auggie to go the Halloween parade by promising him all her candy. (Ch. Trick or Treat, pg. 113)
- Summer finds out from Maya that the Plague is a game in which anyone who touches Auggie has only 30 seconds to wash their hands or they catch the Plague. (Ch. The Plague, pg. 120)
- At Savanna’s party she tells Summer she has to choose between hanging out with the cool kids or hanging out with August. (Ch. The Halloween Party, pb. 122)
- When Jack asks Summer why August is mad at him, she gives him a clue by whispering “Bleeding Scream” in his ear. (Ch. The Egyptian Tomb, pg. 132)
- The first time Jack ever remembers seeing August, was when he was 5 or 6 years old sitting outside Carvel eating an ice cream cone. (Ch. Carvel, pg. 136)
- Jack changed his mind about being one of August’s “welcome buddies” because if his little brother Jamie, who is usually nice, could be mean then August didn’t stand a chance in middle school. (Ch. Why I Changed My Mind, pg. 141)
- Jack really likes that August is funny, smart and that he feels like he can tell him anything. (Ch. Four Things, pgs. 142 – 143)
- Jack says it is good that he and August don’t hang out anymore because he can hang out with more people like the popular kids, which is also bad because he doesn’t like hanging out with the popular group. (Ch. Ex-Friends, pg. 145)
- Mr. Tushman suspends Jack from school for a couple of days and asks him to write him a letter explaining what happened and another letter to Julian to apologize. (Ch. Detention, pg. 156)
Section 3: Chapters Letters, Emails, Facebook, Texts-The Ending
Vocabulary
- deformed: distorted from the usual or typical shape or form
- hypocrite: a person who says one thing or claims a belief, but does the opposite in actions
- inclusion: the practice or policy of providing equal access to opportunities and resources for people who might otherwise be excluded, such as those who have physical or intellectual disabilities or other minorities
- neglectful: not giving proper care or attention to someone or something
- neutral: not helping or supporting either side in a conflict
- taciturn: (of a person) reserved or uncommunicative in speech; saying a little
Vocabulary Usage in the Book
- i know the one word she didn’t use was “deformed”, though, because that word would have registered with me. (Ch., Olivia’s Brother, pg. 188)
- Okay, I’m a total hypocrite. (Ch. Why I Didn’t Sit with August…, pg. 175)
- …Beecher Prep is not an inclusion school. (Ch. Letters, Emails, Facebook, Text, pg. 162)
- …what word to you use to describe parents who don’t protect enough? underprotective? neglectful?…(Ch. Valentine’s Day, pg. 192)
- “The girls are staying neutral.” (Ch. The War, pg. 172)
- “You’re moody and taciturn and secretive……..” (Ch. Via’s Secret, pg. 216)
Comprehension Questions
- Julian tells everyone that Auggie is bringing Jack down and that they should stop talking to him as a wakeup call for him to stop hanging out with him. (Ch. The War, pg. 172)
- Jack did not sit with August at lunch because he had been hanging with him all morning and just wanted some normal time to chill with other kids. (Ch. Why I Didn’t Sit with August the First Day of School, pg. 175)
- When August and Jack meet Via’s boyfriend for the first time they laugh when he says, “I’m from Brooklyn,” and they don’t know why it is funny. (Ch. The Boyfriend, pg. 185)
- Olivia’s family always tell each other “I love you” and Justin can’t remember the last time his parents said that. (Ch. Valentine’s Day, pg. 192)
- Justin takes off his glasses and tucks his fiddle case under his arm before he approaches Julian, Henry and Miles outside the bagel store. (Ch. The Bus Stop, pg. 199)
- Miranda pulls out a picture from her wallet of August as a little boy, wearing the astronaut helmet she gave him and shares it with Justin. (Ch. Rehearsal, pg. 201)
- Justin says Olivia reminds him of a lost bird and he decides to give her his wing to hide under. (Ch. Bird, pg. 203)
- Justin keeps coming back to Miranda’s words, “The universe was not kind to Auggie Pullman.” (Ch. The Universe, pg. 204)
- At the science fair Auggie compares all of the parents’ eyes to compass needles that point towards him, like the North Pole. (Ch. North Pole, pg. 206)
- In February, Julian, Miles and Henry stole Jack’s gym shorts and used a worksheet from his desk as a ball, tossing it around the room. (Ch. The Auggie Doll, pgs. 208 – 209)
- Auggie knows the kids have stopped playing the Plaque game behind his back because no one cringes if he bumps into them and people borrow his pencils without acting like he has cooties. (Ch. The Auggie Doll, pg. 209)
- : August says the white noise is gone when the doctor turns on his hearing aids. (Ch. Hearing Brightly, pg. 214)
- When August hears his dad cry after Daisy dies, he said it is the quietest crying he has ever heard, like whisper crying. (Ch. Daisy’s Toys, pg 225)
- After listening to Justin introduce the school play, August decides that this play is going to be different and that he will enjoy it as it is a grown-up play and he was going to feel smart watching it. (Ch.Understudy, pg. 230)
Section 4: Chapters Camp Lies-The Walk Home
Vocabulary
- attribution: the action of ascribing a work or remark to a particular author, artist or person
- entitled: believing oneself to be inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment
- euphoric: characterized by or feeling intense excitement and happiness
- exemplary: serving as a desirable model; representing the best of its kind
- incantation: a series of words said as a magic spell or charm
- seismic: of enormous proportions or effect
Vocabulary Usage in the Book
- (If so, don’t forget the attribution, please!)(Ch. The Last Precept, pg. 288)
- But, I have to admit, there was a part of me that felt a little entitled to this lie. (Ch. Camp Lies, pg. 237)
- It was that crazy backstage theatre mayhem where sweaty actors stand euphoric while people come worship them for a few seconds. (Ch. The Performance, pg. 246)
- …“is the Henry Ward Beecher medal to honor students who have been notable or exemplary in certain areas throughout the school year.” (Ch. Awards, pg. 303)
- “…,she would have read there a different incantation>. (Chapter Packing, pg. 255)
- A seismic shift. (Ch. The Shift, pg. 282)
Comprehension Questions
- Miranda decides to call Ella, rather than Via because she was an easier friend and wouldn’t ask her questions about her parents or camp. (Ch. Camp Lies, pgs. 237 – 238)
- Miranda tells Mr. D that they can’t do the play, The Elephant Man because her little brother has a birth defect, a deformed face and her parents would have a real issue with the school. (Ch. School, pg. 240)
- Miranda calls August, “Major Tom”, and she is shocked when he tells her over the phone he is going to a “regular” school now. (Ch. What I Miss Most, pg. 241)
- On opening night Miranda knows that she is going to be extraordinary on stage but decides to say she is sick so that Olivia could play the part. (Ch. Extraordinary, but No One There to See, pgs. 243 – 244)
- August feels kind of excited about camp but also nervous because he has never slept away from home before. (Ch. The Fifth-Grade Nature Retreat, pg. 250)
- August’s mom has him promise that he will remember to use bug spray and sunscreen and that he won’t get his new hearing aids wet. (Ch. Packing, pg. 254)
- On the morning he is to leave for camp August takes his stuffy, Baboo, from his duffle bag and leaves it on the bed for his mom with a note attached letting her know she can cuddle him. (Ch. Daybreak, pg. 256)
- When it is announced that the movie they will play at the outdoor movie night is The Sound of Music, August starts clapping because it is Via’s favorite movie. (Ch. Be Kind to Nature, pg. 262)
- Amos tells Eddie to leave Jack and August alone during the outdoor movie night. (Ch. Alien, pg. 267)
- After they stop running from Eddie and his group of friends, Jack realizes that August is missing his hearing aids. (Ch. Voices in the Dark, pg. 270)
- As August walks back to the movie he notices that Amos and Jack stay close on either side of him and that Miles is in front and Henry in back. (Ch. The Emperor’s Guard, pg. 272)
- When August goes back to school after attending camp, there is a big shift as the story of what happened to him has been passed around and everyone looked at him now like he was one of their own, calling him “little dude”. (Ch. The Shift, pg. 282)
- August dad admits to hating the astronaut helmet August would wear constantly because he missed seeing his face, so he threw it out behind his back. (Ch. The Drop-Off, pg. 290)
- After the reception August thanks his mom for making him go to school and she thanks August for being him. (Ch. The Walk Home, pgs. 309 – 310)