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: Foreword-Chapter 4
Vocabulary
- chamber: a room where members of a government meet
- decipher: to find the meaning of something that is difficult to read or understand
- despondency: the state of being despondent; very sad and without hope
- hearthstone: stone forming a hearth
- hoax: an act that is meant to trick or deceive people
- lament: to express sorrow, regret, or unhappiness about something
- manuscript: the original copy of a play, book, piece of music, etc., before it has been printed
Vocabulary Sentences
- It is not always easy to decipher the best way to resolve a conflict.
- The busy toddler did lament the fact that she had to stop playing and take her afternoon nap.
- One of his favorite memories of Thanksgiving was sitting on the hearthstone, listening to his grandfather recall everything he was thankful for that year.
- It took JRR Tolkien twelve years to complete his Lord of the Rings manuscript.
- Ethan’s father did not appreciate the April Fool’s hoax his children played on him by putting salt in his toothpaste.
Comprehension Questions
- Amos thinks that Ben is undeniably stupid at times. (pg. 4)
- The first thing Amos remembers clearly is being in a kitchen and smelling cheese. (pg. 6)
- Amos settles on the sneezing room, and decides to sleep inside Benjamin Franklin’s cap. (pg. 6)
- Amos’ inspiration for the Franklin stove is his own experience of being warmed by the chestnuts dropped by the Hot-chestnut Man. (pg. 11-12)
- Ben gathered different materials such as an iron oven, screws, bolts, and an old broken sword to make the prototype stove. (pg. 12-13)
- Amos says thanks for Ben using the word “we” regarding the stove. (pg. 16)
- Ben agrees to compensate Amos with food, clothing, and a fur cap. (pg. 18-19)
- Amos is able to help Ben keep from falling into a puddle or running into a cart while sitting in his cap. (pg. 20)
- Ben always wears a cap because he is dependent on Amos’ advice. (pg. 22)
- Amos thinks swimming is dangerous, unsanitary, and barbarous. (pg. 23)
- Ben chases the dog because he took his cap. (pg. 25)
- The tokens think Ben has drowned when they find his watch on the riverbank. (pg. 26)
- Ben is despondent because he can’t find Amos. (pg. 30)
- Ben discovers Amos is safe and sound when Amos bites his thumb. (pg. 30)
Section 2: Chapters 5-8
Vocabulary
- apparatus: a tool or piece of equipment used for specific activities; the organization or system used for doing or operating something
- brooding: to think a lot about something in an unhappy way
- contempt: a feeling that someone or something is not worthy of any respect or approval; speech or behavior that does not show proper respect to a court or judge
- contrive: to form or make something in a skillful or clever way
- epoch: a period of time that is very important in history
- maxim: a well-known phrase that expresses a general truth about life or a rule about behavior
- vanity: the quality of people who have too much pride in their own appearance, abilities, achievements, etc.; the quality of being vain
Vocabulary Sentences
- Jacob felt contempt toward the people who stole his mother’s purse.
- The brothers did contrive a plan to use Lego stop motion animation to share their favorite stories with family and friends.
- Ellen enjoyed trying to figure out the meaning behind the famous maxims of Benjamin Franklin.
- Clara was brooding over the argument she had with her sister.
- The little girl smiled with vanity when her grandma complimented her princess costume.
Comprehension Questions
- Ben thinks that the dissemination of man is man’s highest calling. (pg. 31)
- Amos had injured his tail in one of the presses in Ben’s print shop. (pg. 33)
- Poor Richard is someone that Ben made up. (pg. 34)
- Amos makes improvements in the risings and settings of the moon in the Tide Table. (pg. 34)
- The result of Amos’ changes to the Almanac causes the ships in the harbor to be aground. (pg. 35)
- Ben is inspired to study electricity after he rubs a tube and then touches Amos’ tail to cause a shock. (pg. 40)
- Ben claims he will tear the lightning from the skies and harness it to do the bidding of man. (pg. 41)
- Amos helps Ben prepare for his electrical demonstration by checking the wires and apparatus with Ben’s diagrams and descriptions. (pg. 44)
- The Governor’s hair stands straight up and his clothes are burned from Ben’s demonstration. (pg. 46)
- Ben responds to the lightning storm with fright by hiding under his bed covers and pillows. (pg. 53)
- Amos determines that lightning is electrical after being shocked over and over again while holding on to the kite during the rain storm. (pg. 61)
- Ben agrees to give up his electrical experiments because it was not part of their written agreement. (pg. 62-63)
- Ben asks Amos to join him in fighting for the sacred cause of Liberty. (pg. 63)
- Ben sails to England alone after Amos discovers he brought lighting rods for more experiments. (pg. 65)
Section 3: Chapters 9-11
Vocabulary
- agile: able to move quickly and easily; quick, smart, and clever
- bereft: sad because a family member or friend has died
- eloquent: having or showing the ability to use language clearly and effectively
- foray: an attempt to do something especially for the first time; a short journey
- quaint: having an old-fashioned or unusual quality or appearance that is usually attractive or appealing
- solemn: very serious or formal in manner, behavior, or expression; sad and serious
- thwart: to prevent someone from doing something or to stop something from happening
Vocabulary Sentences
- Lucy was an agile soccer player and enjoyed outsmarting her opponents.
- Mateo gave an eloquent oral report about his favorite political figure from history.
- Anna was bereft when her ninety-year-old grandmother passed away.
- The doctor prescribed antibiotics in order to thwart the infection from getting worse.
- He made a quick foray to see the Grand Canyon, before returning home to California.
Comprehension Questions
- Amos describes the War of the Revolution as being nothing but committee meetings. (pg. 67)
- The most important committee’s task is to write the “Declaration of Independence.” (pg. 67)
- Amos says that Red is the one who really controls Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. (pg. 67)
- Red was in a fury because they copied his “Manifesto” and changed the words from “mice” to “men.” (pg. 69)
- The man who impressed Amos the most was General George Washington. (pg. 71)
- Amos likes George Washington because he is a magnificent man and soldier, and also because he grows the best wheat. (pg. 71)
- Amos persuades Ben that he should appeal to France because of their pastries, wines, and beautiful ladies. (pg. 72)
- George Washington asks Ben to go to France to ask for foreign aid to help plead their cause. (pg. 72)
- Ben is well and active, but Amos is seasick on the voyage to France. (pg. 74)
- Ben is very popular with the French people. (pg. 77)
- Ben and Amos are surrounded by scholars, scientists, writers, and French ladies. (pg. 77)
- Ben gains a reputation as a brilliant diplomat by thwarting every plot against him. (pg. 78)
- Amos’ nerves are on end at Madame Helvetius’s house because of all of her cats. (pg. 79)
- A beautiful white mouse named Sophia lives in the towering headdress of Madame Brillon. (pg. 80)
Section 4: Chapters 12-15
Vocabulary
- erratic: acting, moving, or changing in ways that are not expected or usual; not consistent or regular
- frivolous: not important; not deserving serious attention
- providence: divine guidance or care
- motley: made up of many different people or things
- opulent: very comfortable and expensive; very wealthy
- stalwart: very loyal and dedicated; physically strong
- succumb: to stop trying to resist something
Vocabulary Sentences
- Anabelle’s dog was being erratic just before the earthquake happened.
- Olivia believed it was providence that allowed her to find her missing cat.
- The opulent hotel bragged of marble floors and ocean views from every room.
- Margaret was trying to eat healthier, but eventually succumbed to the delicious apple pie that was left on the counter.
- Amos Fortune was stalwart in his fight for freedom.
Comprehension Questions
- Amos and Ben receive the news that the war is over and the colonies are free. (pg. 85)
- Amos detests the foreign ways of the French. (pg. 85)
- The King and Queen give a great ball in honor of the 4th of July. (pg. 86)
- Ben is sad that Thomas Jefferson is coming to France because he is no longer needed there. (pg. 87)
- Amos is happy because he might see Red Jefferson again. (pg. 87)
- The Slum Mice and Sewer Rats are ripe for revolution because they are starving, oppressed, and they don’t have a leader. (pg. 89)
- Twelve peasant mice occupied Ben’s fur cap. (pg. 95)
- Amos shouts in his loudest voice, “UP AND AT ‘EM!” (pg. 97)
- The King and Queen faint, and the ladies of the court run away when they see the mice. (pg. 97)
- Amos, Red, Sophia and her children, are in Ben’s cap at the end of the evening. (pg. 102)
- The guard is rude to Ben because of the mice he “shed.” (pg. 105)
- Amos can tell he is getting old because he can stand being at the dinners, and he falls asleep while Ben keeps talking. (pg. 107)
- Amos gives Ben a new beaver hat for his eighty-first birthday. (pg. 110)
- Ben is worried because there is no place for Amos in his new hat and he doesn’t know what he will do without him. (pg. 113).