Sarah, Plain and Tall

sarah plain and tall bundle

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
  1. hearthstone: stone forming the bottom of a fireplace
  2. feisty: not afraid to fight
  3. pesky: irritating
  4. snore: noisy breathing while sleeping
  5. suspenders: straps for holding up pants
  6. wheel: to roll
Vocabulary Usage in the Book
  1. It was dusk, and the dogs lay beside him on the warm hearthstones. (Ch. 1, pg. 3)
  2. I“And Jack was feisty.” (Ch. 1, pg. 7)
  3. I“What if she thinks we are loud and pesky?” (Ch. 2, pg. 13)
  4. She snored in a high whistle at night, like a teakettle, and let the fire go out. (Ch. 1, pg. 9)
  5. He wore a clean blue shirt, and a belt instead of suspenders. (Ch. 3, pg. 18)
  6. I watched a marsh hawk wheel down behind the barn. (Ch. 3, pg. 20)
Vocabulary Sentences
  1. Anna warmed the bread on the hearthstone.
  2. Shanna’s little brother was pesky all afternoon.
  3. My grandfather wore red suspenders to hold up his jeans.
  4. I helped the faber wheel the horse cart out to the barn.
  5. Both of my friend’s parents snore loudly at night.
  6. The wild ponies were very feisty while playing in the pasture.
Comprehension Questions
  1. Caleb asks if Mama sang to him every day. (Ch. 1, pg. 3)
  2. It takes Anna three days to love Caleb. (Ch. 1, pg. 6)
  3. Papa puts an advertisement in the paper for a wife. (Ch. 1, pg. 9)
  4. Sarah Wheaton prefers to build bookshelves and paint. (Ch. 2, pg. 12)
  5. A woodchuck is far off in the field. (Ch. 3, pg. 19)
  6. Caleb rolls a blue marble back and forth. (Ch. 3, pgs. 20-21)
  7. Anna and Caleb are afraid Sarah will change her mind and leave them. (Ch. 3, pgs. 23-24)

Section 2: Chapters 4-5

Vocabulary
  1. paddock: small field where animals are kept
  2. dusk: before darkness
  3. rustle: soft (insert comma here) light sound
  4. dune: hill of sand
  5. mica: a mineral
  6. lantern: a light under a glass covering
Vocabulary Usage in the Book
  1. There were buds on the wild roses that climbed up the paddock fence. (Ch. 4, pg. 26)
  2. At dusk Sarah cut Caleb’s hair on the front steps, gathering his curls and scattering them on the fence and ground. (Ch. 4, pg. 29)
  3. Sarah sang us a song we had never heard before as we sat on the porch, insects buzzing in the dark, the rustle of cows in the grasses. (Ch. 4, pg. 30)
  4. “Dune,” said Sarah. (Ch. 5, pg. 33)
  5. “It was soft and sparkling with bits of mica, and when we were little we would slide down the dune into the water.” (Ch. 5, pgs. 33-34)
  6. He took the lantern and went out the door to the barn. (Ch. 5, pg. 34)
Vocabulary Sentences
  1. Larry grew up learning to write by lantern light.
  2. We slid down the sand dune on cardboard sleds.
  3. Bats surrounded us at dusk.
  4. The sparkle in sand can be caused by the mineral mica.
  5. Kara made the dry grass rustle as she walked through it.
  6. The sheep were kept in the paddock at night.
Comprehension Questions
  1. The dogs loved Sarah first. (Ch. 4, pg. 25)
  2. Sarah and Caleb pick paintbrush, clover, and prairie violets. (Ch. 4, pg. 29)
  3. Papa bakes bread for dinner. (Ch. 4, pg. 28)
  4. Sarah scatters the cut hair on the ground so that the birds will use it to build their nests. (Ch. 4, pg. 29)
  5. When Sarah barks like a seal, Lottie and Nick run in to lick her. (Ch. 4, pg. 31)
  6. Caleb’s first word as a baby is “windmill.” (Ch. 5, pg. 33)
  7. Sarah says, “You bet I’m not scared.” (Ch. 5, pg. 35)

Section 3: Chapters 6-7

Vocabulary
  1. sums: adding numbers
  2. petticoat: skirt worn under a dress
  3. gleam: shining quality
  4. whickering: neigh or whinny
  5. squawk: harsh cry
  6. bellies: stomachs
Vocabulary Usage in the Book
  1. “Sums and writing and books,” he sang. (Ch. 6, pg. 38)
  2. She took off her dress and waded into the water in her petticoat. (Ch. 6, pg. 41)
  3. “It gleams like the sun on glass…” (Ch. 6, pgs. 41-42)
  4. Old Bess and Jack ran along the inside of the fence, whickering at the new horses. (Ch. 7, pg. 44)
  5. “…There are three old aunts who all squawk together like crows at dawn…” (Ch. 7, pg. 46)
  6. Rose and Violet fell asleep in the grass, their bellies full of meat. (Ch. 7, pg. 49)
Vocabulary Sentences
  1. Bright spots of sunlight gleam on the ocean.
  2. Aunt Bess wore a white petticoat under her prairie dress.
  3. The pony’s soft whickering when he saw me, made me smile.
  4. Rachel practiced her sums all night before the big test.
  5. You could see all the children’s bellies shake when they laughed.
  6. You can always hear Lonnie’s parrot squawk when she comes home.
Comprehension Questions
  1. Caleb and Anna sometimes walk three miles to school. (Ch. 6, pg. 38)
  2. Caleb says the wind blows the snow and brings tumbleweeds and makes the sheep run. (Ch. 6, pg. 40)
  3. Anna sinks like a bucket full of water when she tries to float. (Ch. 6, pg. 41)
  4. Papa needs five horses for the gang plow because prairie grass is hard. (Ch. 7, pg. 44)
  5. Sarah misses her brother William. (Ch. 7, pg. 46)
  6. Maggie will give Sarah tansy from her garden. (Ch. 7, pg. 47)
  7. Papa brings Sarah the first roses of summer. (Ch. 7, pg. 49)

Section 4: Chapters 8-9

Vocabulary
  1. sly: clever in a dishonest way
  2. pungent: sharp smell or taste
  3. eerie: strange and mysterious
  4. hailstone: ball of ice
  5. rein: strap fastened to a horse bridle
  6. stern: strict and severe
Vocabulary Usage in the Book
  1. Outside, clouds moved into the sky and went away again. (Ch. 9, pg. 62)
  2. There was a hiss of wind, a sudden pungent smell. (Ch. 8, pg. 53)
  3. The barn was eerie and half lighted, like dust without a lantern. (Ch. 8, pg. 55)
  4. The dogs leaned down to eat the hailstones. (Ch. 9, pg. 58)
  5. I stood and watch Sarah, the reins in her hands, Papa next to her in the wagon. (Ch. 9, pg. 60)
  6. And with a whisper to Old Bess and a stern word to Jack, Sarah climbed up in the wagon and drove away. (Ch. 9, pg. 61)
Vocabulary Sentences
  1. Fried garlic has a pungent smell that makes me wince.
  2. Zak had an eerie feeling walking home alone in the dark.
  3. The rein broke on Smoky’s bridle when he was chasing the cow.
  4. Ranisha’s mother gave a stern warning about playing near the river.
  5. The fox had a sly look in his eyes when he entered the barnyard.
  6. During the storm, a huge hailstone hit a man on the head.
Comprehension Questions
  1. Sarah wants to learn how to ride a horse and drive the wagon by herself. (Ch. 8, pg. 51)
  2. Seal crawls onto Anna’s lap in the barn. (Ch. 8, pg. 54)
  3. Sarah says that she is glad she saved an armful after the wild roses are scattered by the storm. (Ch. 9, pg. 58)
  4. Papa sends Caleb with an ax to chop a tree for firewood. (Ch. 9, pg. 60)
  5. Caleb says the colors of the sea are missing from the drawing. (Ch. 9, pg. 62)
  6. Anna tells Caleb she believes Sarah is coming back because Seal is still there. (Ch. 9, pg. 63)
  7. Sarah brings back three colored pencils back from town. (Ch. 9, pg. 66)