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
Vocabulary
- constellation: a group of stars forming a recognizable pattern
- howl: a long, loud, doleful cry uttered by an animal such as a dog or wolf
- memorize: to commit to memory, learn by heart
- prideful: a feeling or deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one’s own achievements
- sermon: a talk on a religious subject, especially one given during a church service
- trot: to proceed or cause to proceed at a pace faster than a walk
- intend: to have a course of action, a plan or objective
- “She knew all the constellations, every planet in the nighttime sky.” (pg. 28)
- “And he wasn’t but two or three words into his sermon when there was a
terrible howl coming from outside.” (pg. 34) - “I wrote them down just the way he said them to me so that I wouldn’t
forget them, and then I read them out loud to Winn-Dixie until I had
them memorized.” (pg. 30) - “I don’t want to appear prideful,” she said, “but my daddy was a very rich
man.” (pg. 45) - “And he wasn’t but two or three words into his sermon when there was a
terrible howl coming from outside.” (pg. 34) - “And that dog came trotting over to me just like he had been doing it his whole
life.” (pg. 10) - “And then he crept up on the couch with us in this funny way he has,
where he gets on the couch an inch at a time, kind of sliding himself
onto it, looking off in a different direction, like it’s all happening by
accident and he doesn’t intend to get on the couch, but all of a sudden,
there he is.” (pg. 77)
Comprehension Questions
- It is hard for Opal not to fall in love immediately with Winn-Dixie because of his good sense of humor. (pg. 12)
- It is sometimes hard for Opal to think of the preacher as her daddy because “he spends so much time preaching or thinking about preaching or getting ready to preach.” (pg. 13)
- Opal thinks her daddy might let her keep Winn-Dixie because he is a suffering dog and her father likes to care for those who are suffering. (pg. 14)
- Opal can tell that Winn-Dixie doesn’t like the bath because he didn’t show his teeth or wag his tail. (pg. 20)
- Opal doesn’t have any friends because she had to leave them all behind when they left Watley. (pg. 21)
- Opal wants her daddy to tell her ten things about her mama, one for each of the years she has been alive. (pg. 24-25)
- The tenth thing the preacher tells Opal about her mama is that her mama loved her very much. (pg. 29)
- Some of the things that Opal prays for are: her mama, herself that she is lonely, and the mouse who escaped from the church. (pg. 38/39)
- Opal is like her mama in that she likes to be told stories. (pg. 43)
- The book that the bear takes from the library was War and Peace. (pg. 48)
- When Opal realizes that Miss Fanny is lonely she suggests she, Winn-Dixie and Opal be friends. (pg. 50)
Section 2
Vocabulary
- furious: extremely angry
- installment: a sum of money due as one of several equal payments for something
- mosquito: a slender, long legged fly that spreads a number of diseases through its bite
- peculiar: strange, odd or unusual
- roundabout: to not follow a direct route in travel, or speech
- theme: the subject of a talk, a piece of writing, or a person’s thoughts
- routine: a sequence of actions regularly followed
- “And Winn-Dixie who was standing on the other side of the window, pulled
up his lip and showed me his teeth and sneezed and wagged his tail
something furious; so I knew he absolutely loved that leash and collar
combination.” (pg. 53) - “But I love this collar and leash, and so does my dog, and I was thinking
that maybe you could set me up on an installment plan.” (pg. 53) - “…Miss Franny Block started in, ‘and I was just a little girl
no bigger than you, my father Herman W. Block, told me that I
could have anything I wanted for my birthday.”’ (pg. 45) - “But then I became aware of a very peculiar smell, a very strong
smell.” (pg. 47) - “I think they are just trying to make friends with you in a roundabout
way,” Gloria said.” (pg. 91) - “…The theme is pink.” (pg. 59)
- “Me and Winn-Dixie got into a daily routine where we would leave the
trailer early in the morning and get down to Gertrude’s Pets in time to hear
Otis play his guitar music for the animals.” (pg. 87)
Comprehension Questions
- According to Opal, Winn-Dixie is better than anyone she knows at making friends. (pg. 57)
- Opal has a dog, a job, Miss. Fanny as a friend, and a birthday party invitation that help her to stop feeling so lonely. (pg. 59)
- Gloria knows that she can trust Winn-Dixie because he likes peanut butter. (pg. 63)
- Gloria Dump sees people with her heart rather than her eyes, which do not see well. (pg. 66)
- Winn-Dixie makes Opal’s father laugh when he opens his mouth wide like he is laughing at what the preacher said. (pg. 71)
- The thunderstorm terrifies Winn-Dixie, he bangs his head on Opal’s bedroom door, whines, runs crazily throughout the trailer. (pg. 72-76)
- After the storm Opal realizes how much she loves her father when he puts his arm around Winn-Dixie and says they will have to keep him safe during future storms. (pg. 78)
- Otis likes to let the animals in the pet store out of their cages because he knows what it feels like to be locked up and he feels sorry for them. (pg. 82)
- Opal is collecting stories for her mama. (pg. 85)
- Sweetie Pie can’t choose a pet she wants because she really wants a dog like Winn-Dixie. (pg. 87/88)
- Dunlap and Stevie call Gloria Dump a witch. (pg. )
Section 3
Vocabulary
- abide: to accept or act in accordance with a rule, decision or recommendation
- convince: to persuade someone to believe or do something
- dramatic: to behave in a manner that creates an effect
- lozenge: a small medicinal tablet in the shape of a diamond or rhombus
- melancholy: a feeling of deep sadness
- orphan: a child whose parents are dead
- aching: a throbbing pain
- “…They have this abiding notion that war is fun.” (pg. 105)
- “…And no history lesson will convince them differently.” (pg. 105)
- “Amanda sighed a real big dramatic sigh and stared past me.” (pg. 103)
- “ I was there that my great-grandfather manufactured the Littmus Lozenge,
a candy that was famous the world over.” (pg. 111) - “It almost tastes a little melancholy,” he said.” (pg. 121)
- “Litmus was an orphan,” I asked.” (pg. 108)
- “I believe sometimes, that the whole world has an aching heart.” (pg. 134)
Comprehension Questions
- Gloria Dump keeps bottles hanging in her tree to keep the ghosts of all the things she has done wrong away. (pg. 94/95)
- Gloria shows the tree to Opal to show her that everyone has done bad things, but you can’t judge people by the things they have done, but by what they are doing now. (pg. 95/96)
- Opal wants to help comfort Gloria Dump by reading a book aloud to her. (pg. 100)
- Miss Fanny says that war is “Pure Hell” a place where the soldiers are hungry, covered in fleas, lice, cold in winter and stinky in the summer. (pg. 105/106)
- Littmus decided to build a candy factory to make the world a sweeter place. (pg. 111)
- The preacher thinks the Littmus Lozenge candy tastes like melancholy. (pg. 121)
- Amanda has a pinched face all the time because her 5 year old brother had drowned a year ago. (pg. 124/125)
- Opal thinks she ought to have been told about Amanda’s brother Carson because it explained why Amanda was so pinch faced all the time. (pg. 125)
- Otis was arrested and put into jail for playing his guitar on the street and for hitting a policeman when the handcuffs were put on him. (pg. 130/131)
- Otis doesn’t want the handcuffs on him because then he wouldn’t be able to play his guitar. (pg. 131)
- Gloira tells Opal that she has to invite the Dewberry boys, Dunlap and Stevie to the party. (pg. 137)
Section 4
Vocabulary
- crepe: a light thin fabric with a wrinkled surface
- desperate: feeling a sense of hopelessness that a situation can be dealt with
- introduce: to make someone known by name to another person
- nervous: easily agitated or alarmed
- polite: having or showing behavior that is respectful and considerate to other people
- shuffle: walk by dragging or not lifting the feet
- drizzle: a light rain
- “I strung pink and orange and yellow crepe paper in the trees to make it look
fancy.” (pg. 144) - “It looked so pretty that it made my heart feel funny, all swollen and full,
and I wished desperately that I knew where my mama was so she could
come to the party, too.” (pg. 145) - “Then I introduced Miss Franny to Gloria, and they shook hands and said
polite things to each other.” (pg. 146) - “We were all standing around smiling at one another and acting kind of
nervous, when a real a real screechy voice said, ‘Gertrude is a pretty
bird.’” (pg. 147) - “Then I introduced Miss Franny to Gloria, and they shook hands and said
polite things to each other.” (pg. 146) - “And Otis stood there and shuffled his big jar of pickles back and forth,
trying to free up a hand to offer back to the preacher.” (pg. 150) - “It was mostly a drizzle now.” (pg. 164)
Comprehension Questions
- Opal knows that Otis has arrived at the party because she hears Gertrude’s screeching voice saying, “Gertrude is a pretty bird.” (pg. 148)
- The wonderful gifts that the preacher speaks of in his prayer is of the many different things people bring to friendships. (pg. 153)
- The sound that Opal at first mistakes for Winn-Dixie’s stomach growling is the distant rumble of thunder. (pg. 153/154)
- When the storm interrupts the party Sweetie Pie frantically tears the dog pictures off the trees and chairs. (pg. 155)
- While trying to save the party from the storm Opal forgets about Winn-Dixie and his terrible fear of storms. (pg. 157)
- Sweetie Pie doesn’t think Winn-Dixie was lost during the storm because he was too smart to get lost. (pg. 159)
- Opal works so hard to memorize the list of ten things about Winn-Dixie because then she would have something to hold onto if he didn’t come back. (pg. 163)
- When Opal’s mother left the preacher she left one thing behind that he was thankful for – her! (pg. 167)
- After Opal and her father return to the party, Dunlap surprises her by offering his hand to help her up from the ground. (pg. 180)
- Winn-Dixie was hiding under Gloria Dump’s bed and he sneezed every time he smiled at Otis’s guitar playing. (pg. 173/174)