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 1-3
Vocabulary
- blunt: having a thick edge or point, not sharp; saying or expressing something in a very direct way that may upset some people
- kilometer: a unit of length equal to 1,000 meters
- reassure: to make someone feel less afraid, upset, or doubtful
- retort: to answer an argument by a counter argument; to answer back sharply
- tap: a plug for a hole; a device consisting or a spout and valve attached to the end of a pipe to control the flow of a fluid, a faucet
- term: a word or phrase that has an exact meaning; the length of time during which a person has an official or political office
Vocabulary Usage in the Book
- When they had returned with the water, she called Tito to the back of the house and spoke bluntly. (Ch. 1, pg. 2)
- Their mother worked and lived in Johannesburg, more than 300 kilometers away. (Ch. 1, pg. 2)
- “…The farmer has gone inside for his supper,” the boy reassured them. (Ch. 3, pg. 13)
- “That’s just it,” Naledi retorted quickly. (Ch. 1, pg. 4)
- Naledi wished over and over as she and Tito walked down to the village tap with their empty buckets.(Ch. 1, pg. 2)
- It was school vacation now, but during the term it took the children more than an hour to walk to school each day, so they were used to walking. (Ch. 1, pg. 2)
Vocabulary Sentences
- While driving around Ireland, we saw a sign indicating that the historic church was 30 kilometers away.
- The President of the United States decided to campaign for a second term in office.
- The school teacher smiled and reassured the students that there would be no pop quiz this week.
- Jan seemed to frequently have a retort when her mother asked her to wash the dishes.
- The tap water left a bad taste in my mouth.
Comprehension Questions
- Granny says the hospital is too far away and they don’t have money to pay a doctor. (Ch. 1, pg. 1)
- Naledi and Tiro walk to the village with empty buckets to buy water every day. (Ch. 1, pg. 2)
- The children try to avoid looking at the place of graves on their way to the village. (Ch. 1, pg. 2)
- Naledi plans to walk to Johannesburg to ask their mother for helpg. (Ch. 1, pg. 2)
- The walk to Johannesburg is 300 kilometers. (Ch. 1, pg. 2)
- Naledi and Tiro want to avoid the police because they didn’t have a pass. (Ch. 2, pg. 8)
- Naledi and Tiro could have been shot by the farmer if he had caught them taking the orange. (Ch. 3, pg. 11)
- A boy from the farm takes the children to a shed to sleep in and also gives them some food. (Ch. 3, pg. 14)
- Naledi and Tiro bury the orange peels in the dirt in order to hide the fact that they have eaten oranges. (Ch. 3, pg. 14)
- The boys give Naledi and Tiro a little pap to eat. (Ch. 3, pg.14)
- “Sala sentle” means stay well, and “Tsamaya settle” means go well. Both are expressions of farewell in the Tswana language. (Glossary, pg. 77)
Section 2: Chapters 4-7
Vocabulary
- heave: to lift, pull, or throw something with effort; to breathe in and out in a slow or loud way
- inconvenient: causing trouble or problems; not convenient
- lorry: a large, heavy motor vehicle for transporting goods or troops; a truck
- pavement: the hard surface of a road, driveway, etc.
- steer: an ox less than four years old; to be moved or guided in a particular direction or along a particular course
- windscreen: a screen that protects against the wind; British term for windshield
Vocabulary Usage in the Book
- The bus now heaved its way up a steep hill and soon they were leaving the city buildings, seeing the sky again, as well as trees, grass lawns, and flowers either side of the road. (Ch. 6, pg. 27)
- “I hope you realize how inconvenient this will be for me…” (Ch. 7, pg. 32)
- The engine started up and the lorry was soon thundering along. (Ch. 6, pg. 28)
- They stepped off the bus onto a wide pavement along a street lined with great leafy trees. (Ch. 6, pg. 28)
- He pushed a few coins into Naledi’s hand, and before the children had finished thanking him, he began to steer them through the crowd. (Ch. 5, pg. 23)
- Through the front windscreen they could see the driver was black.”(Ch. 6, pg. 25)
Vocabulary Sentences
- Marty heaved a sigh of relief after reading the acceptance letter from the university.
- It was inconvenient for Amy to take her sister to school, since she was already late for her dental appointment.
- Mia’s feet burned as she ran across the hot pavement.
- The lorry broke down in the middle of the road and caused a huge traffic jam.
- The dirty windscreen made it difficult to see the road clearly.
Comprehension Questions
- Naledi and Tiro have their first ride in a truck on the second day of their journey. (Ch. 4, pg. 19)
- As the children get closer to Joannesburg, the land is no longer flat but has mountains with steep rocks and crags. (Ch. 4, pgs. 19-20)
- The children hope to find their Mma in Parktown. (Ch. 4, pg. 20)
- Mma works so far from home so that she can pay to send them to school. (Ch. 4, pg. 20)
- The children act oddly because their father worked in a mine, got a coughing sickness, and then died there. (Ch. 5, pg. 22)
- The truck driver gives them money and shows them where to catch the bus. (Ch. 5, pg. 23)
- The children make the mistake of trying to get on a bus that is only for white people. (Ch. 6, pgs. 25-26)
- The children have not thought about their little sister all day because so much had happened all day. (Ch. 6, pg. 28)
- Mma can’t leave for home immediately because she needs to stay with Belinda so Madam and the Master can go to a dinner party. (Ch. 7, pgs. 30-32)
- Naledi notices Mama uses tin plates and mugs for them to use, instead of the glistening plates and delicate glasses. (Ch. 7, pgs. 32-33)
- The Madam says the children can’t spend the night in Parktown because the police won’t like it. (Ch. 7, pg. 33)
Section 3: Chapters 8-11
Vocabulary
- carriage: a large vehicle with four wheels that is pulled by a horse and also carries people; a separate section of a train
- dustbin: a can for trash or garbage
- freedom: the quality or state of being free; liberation from slavery or restraint from the power of another
- hurl: to throw something with force; to say or should an insult in a loud and forceful way
- rubbish: things that are no longer useful or wanted and have been thrown out; words or ideas that are foolish or untrue; something that is worthless, unimportant, or of poor quality
- surge: to move very quickly and suddenly in a particular direction
Vocabulary Usage in the Book
- At each station the crowd heaved toward the carriage door, people urgently pushing their way through. (Ch. 8, pg. 35)
- BLACKS ARE NOT DUSTBINS. (Ch. 10, pg. 45)
- Coming back to help fight for freedom and make life better for everyone. (Ch. 10, pg. 48)
- But in a sudden surge at one of the stations, they found themselves being carried forward, hurling out onto the platform. (Ch. 8, pg. 36)
- But Grace said the children marched because they had to learn a lot of “rubbish” in school. (Ch. 10, pg. 49)
- But in a sudden surge at one of the stations, they found themselves being carried forward, hurling out onto the platform. (Ch. 8, pg. 36)
Vocabulary Sentences
- Ivan loved to hurl snowballs at his big brother.
- Jade was thrilled to find her lost earring after mistakenly sweeping it into the dustbin.
- William thought his essay was rubbish since he did not get the top grade in the class.
- The American flag is a beautiful symbol of freedom.
- Lola felt a surge of excitement and fear as she waited in line for the giant roller coaster.
Comprehension Questions
- The children become separated from Grace when they are pushed out by a crowd of people getting off the train. (Ch. 8, pg. 36)
- There is a pass raid by the police and people begin running away from the police. (Ch. 8, pg. 37)
- The children go to the man’s house and his son runs to take the pass to him. (Ch. 8, pgs. 39-40)
- The boy threatens to burn the pass one day. (Ch. 8, pg. 40)
- Jonas and Paul are curious about where Naledi and Tiro are from because they have never been anywhere except Johannesburg. (Ch. 9, pg. 43)
- Grace’s older brother Dumi was picked up by the police in 1976, when students were marching and the place was on fire. (Ch. 9, pg. 44)
- Grace called the student demonstration a “time of fire.” (Ch. 10, pg. 45)
- The police began shooting and killing whoever was in their way. (pg. 46)
- Dumi was studying in another country and he was planning to come back in order to fight for freedom. (Ch. 10, pgs. 46-48)
- Naledi and Tiro hope to see the orange farm where they had spent the night. (Ch. 11, pg. 51)
- Mma becomes quiet and is thinking about how to respond to Naledi’s question about the student demonstration in Soweto. (Ch. 11, pg. 52)
Section 4: Chapters 12-15
Vocabulary
- anxious: causing or showing fear or nervousness
- banknote: a promissory note issued by a bank payable to bearer on demand without interest and acceptable as money
- cluster: a group of similar things or people positioned or occurring closely together; to be or come into a cluster or close group; congregate
- corridor: a long passage in a building from which doors lead into rooms
- queue: a line or sequence of people or vehicles awaiting their turn to be attended to or to proceed
- vague: not clearly expressed; stated in indefinite terms
- veranda: a roofed platform along the outside of a house, level with the ground floor; a porch
Vocabulary Usage in the Book
- She had been waiting anxiously for their return. (Ch. 13, pg. 65)
- After she had taken some banknotes from her purse, he agreed to take them first to their village and then on to the hospital. (Ch. 12, pg. 56)
- At last they were traveling through the town, and then out into the open again, until at last there was a cluster of low white buildings with a few trees and bushes scattered among them. (Ch. 12, pg. 58)
- But when Mma led the way down a corridor and into a room filled with far more people than had been outside, Naledi felt panic grip her. (Ch. 12, pg. 59)
- Around the corner they found the queue of patients. (Ch. 12, pg. 58)
- From time to time, Naledi would see the vague shape of a woman appear with a baby wrapped to her back, but as she came closer, Naledi would see it wasn’t Mma. (Ch. 14, pg. 67)
- It led up to a verandah, where a woman in white sat at a desk. (Ch. 12, pg. 58)
Vocabulary Sentences
- Omar began to feel anxious about the spelling test since he had not taken much time to study for it.
- Ellie enjoyed sitting on the veranda with her grandmother, just chatting and sipping ice tea.
- George gave his mother a vague response when she asked how his day at school went.
- A cluster of homes had been severely damaged by the horrific storm.
- Jill walked down the long hospital corridor before meeting her new baby sister.
Comprehension Questions
- Naledi assumes her mother has borrowed money when she sees the banknotes in her hand. (Ch. 12, pg. 56)
- When Mma and Naledi arrive at the hospital, they see people sitting and lying around the buildings, and a queue of patients lined up to see a woman at the desk. (Ch. 12, pg. 58)
- Naledi realizes that there are even more people waiting for help inside the hospital. (Ch. 12, pg. 59)
- Mma and the young mother think their babies need more milk. (Ch. 12, pg. 60)
- Mma and Naledi share their food with the young mother. (Ch. 13, pg. 63)
- Naledi witnesses the young mother sobbing because her baby had died. (Ch. 13, pg. 63)
- Naledi encourages her mother by linking arms with her, letting her know that at least they have each other. (Ch. 13, pg. 64)
- In normal circumstances, a visit from Mma was filled with hugs, presents, and Mma helping Nono and listening to the children’s stories. (Ch. 14, pgs. 66-67)
- Mma has to return to the city as soon as Dineo is home from the hospital because she is losing pay. (Ch. 15, pg. 70)
- Naledi can’t imagine Grace crying, and also remembers that Grace has to look after her younger brothers and the house by herself most of the time. (Ch. 15, pg. 71)
- Naledi realizes that all her school lessons have been about how to be a good servant, but she wants to become a doctor. (Ch. 15, pg. 72)