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: 1808 through September 24, 1804
Vocabulary
- dilapidated: in a state of disrepair
- green: young or inexperienced, naive
- knapsack: a back with shoulder straps, a backpack
- paltry: a small portion
- parley: a conference between two arguing parties
- pirogue: a canoe made out of a single tree trunk
- reprobate: a person that lacks integrity or principles
Vocabulary Usage in the Book
- At the time we met, I was living with a man named Brady on a dilapidated barge moored at the Pittsburgh wharf. (May 23, 1804, pg. 11)
- I treated the wound with a poultice of Peruvian bark.(July 10, 1804, pg. 30)
- He pulled it out of his knapsack and started scratching words on the first page with that little spear he dipped in the black water he called ink. ( May 23, 1804, pg. 18)
- “Even if he were for sale, I wouldn’t part with him for such a paltry sum…” (May 23, 1804, pg. 15)
- We have invited them to parley with us tomorrow morning…. (August 2, 1804, pg. 42)
- The two smaller canoe-like boats, called pirogues, rode high on the water and rode reasonably well, even against the powerful spring current. (May 23, 1804, pg. 10)
- “…How else would an old reprobate like him get to meet the president of the United States?” (June 12, 1804, pg. 21)
Comprehension Questions
- While waiting by the fire with Colter and Drouillard, Watkuweis removes a small book with a leather cover and brass clasp from her bag. (1808, pg. 6)
- While looking downriver, Seaman likens the Missouri River to a snake. (May 23, 1804, pg. 10)
- When he sees a hint of sadness in Captain Lewis’ eyes, Seaman cheers him up by dropping a rat he had killed at Lewis’ feet. (May 23, 1804, pg. 14)
- While bargaining over the price of Seaman (Champion,) Brady lies, and tells Lewis that Seaman saved him from drowning three times. (May 23, 1804, pg. 16)
- Cruzatte plays his fiddle after the demonstration of force, which is irritating to Seaman. (June 12, 1804, pg. 25)
- Seaman sees Private Collins steal a cup of whiskey from a barrel when all the other men are asleep. (July 4, 1804, pg. 28)
- Captain Lewis treats Private Fields’ snake bite with Peruvian bark. (July 10, 1804, pg. 30)
- Seaman is convinced that Captain Clark owns York because even Seaman, himself, has more freedom than York. (July 10, 1804, pg. 32)
- Captain Clark wants venison, roasted beaver tail, elk steak, and berries for his birthday dinner. (August 1, 1804, pg. 36)
- Seaman knows Moses Reed had not left his knife at Council Bluff because he saw him carve his initials into a tree only an hour earlier. (August 2, 1804, pg. 47)
- Dorion tells Captain Lewis that trinkets and disease had been brought to the Omaha. (August 11, 1804, pg. 48)
- Seaman escapes from the wolfp pack when White Feather swoops down, causing the leader of the wolf pack to stumble. (August 15, 1804, pg. 55)
- Captain Lewis is most affected by Floyd’s death because he feels responsible, and that he should have done something to prevent it. (August 19, 1804, pg. 59)
- The standoff with the Tetons is broken when Black Buffalo orders his men to back down. (September 24, 1804, pg. 73)
Section 2: October 22, 1804 through June 9, 1805
Vocabulary
- beseech: urgently ask someone to do something
- confound: cause confusion is someone
- gallant: splendid or stately
- melodrama: extravagant theatricality
- quell: completely overwhelm and cause to submit
- smattering: a small scattered amount
- spire: the upper tapering part of a structure
Vocabulary Usage in the Book
- “…I am sure your man Drouillard is a good man, but does he speak fluent Shoshone?” (November 3, 1804, pg. 91)
- On most days I stayed on shore foraging, unless the Captain made me ride in the boat, which he seldom did. (March 30, 1805pg. 102)
- Inside were two rows of small huts for the men to sleep in, a foundry, and a plaza to hold council with the Indians, of whom there was a steady flow. (November 3, 1804, pg. 88)
- I did not hear Charbonneau utter a single word all during this harangue. (February 11, 1805, pg. 99)
- Captain Clark and I are tending her, but the birth is taking an inordinate amount of time. (February 11, 1805, pg. 97)
- “I would like to be your interpreter.” (November 3, 1804, pg. 89)
- “Was it wearing moccasins on its hooves?” (May 26, 1805, pg. 127)
Comprehension Questions
- Neman’s court-marshal changes him in that he decides to break ties with Reed and be a more devoted member of the team. (October 22, 1804, pg. 81)
- Seaman finds a child under the burnt buffalo skin. (October 29, 1804, pg. 86)
- Toussaint Charbonneau offers to be Captain Lewis’ interpreter after walking in on him unannounced. (November 3, 1804, pg. 89)
- The Captains are depending on the Shoshone to sell them horses when they reach the mountains in the Summer. (November 3, 1804, pg. 91)
- Seaman discovers that Bird Woman is pregnant before anyone else knows. (November 3, 1804, pg. 93)
- As food becomes scarce, the captains decide to offer the Mandans medical treatment in exchange for food. (January 12, 1805,pg. 95)
- Rene Jessaume suggests that they feed Bird Woman a piece of rattlesnake rattler to hurry her labor along, claiming that it “works every time.” (February 11, 1805, pg. 98)
- Charbonneau freezes out of fear when the boat hits a squall. (March 30, 1805, pg. 104)
- Seaman’s blood tingles when he sees a pack of wolves hunting a herd of antelope near the Yellowstone River. (April 24, 1805, pg. 110)
- Captain Clark changes his opinion of grizzly bears when he sees how small its teeth are. (April 29, pg. 115)
- Cruzatte forces Charbonneau to grab hold of the rudder by pointing his rifle at his head and threatening to shoot him if he doesn’t. (May 14, 1805, pg. 118)
- Charbonneau tries to make it up to the captains by prepapring them a serving of boudin blanc. (June 1, 1805, pg. 129)
- The captains are concerned about taking the correct fork to the Great Falls because some stretches of the river are impassible. (June 3, 1805, pg. 133)
- Captain Lewis credits his mother for his knowledge of herbs. (June 9, 1805, pg. 139)
Section 3: June 13, 1805 through September 18, 1805
Vocabulary
- portage: to carry a boat on land between two bodies of water
- berate: to angrily criticize someone
- report: to give a spoken or written account of something to an authority figure
- dire: a serious or urgent situation
- Shonone: a Native American tribe from the states of Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana
- discourse: communication through speaking or writing
- harangue: to give someone a lengthy lecture
Vocabulary Usage in the Book
- The Captain, still berating himself, picked a heavy limb off the ground and began bashing it against a tree trunk over and over and over again until he was too weak to swing.(July 8, 1805, pg. 157)
- Our situation is dire. (July 31, 1805, pg. 175)
- Drouillard made the signs and Cameahwait nodded and gave a long discourse in hand-talk. (August 15, 1805, pg. 188)
- Cameahwait joined the Captain in the harangue. (August 15, 1805, pg. 192)
- “I will do everything in my power to save her, but if you ever accuse me of jeopardizing a member of this party to accomplish my goal, there is nothing on earth that will save you Mr. Charbonneau!” (June 16th, 1805, pg. 147)
- Our portage around them is going to take considerable effort…. (June 14, 1805, pg. 142)
- The renderings looked pretty good to me, but each time he finished a sketch he tore the page from the red book and crumpled it in frustration. (June 13, 1805, pg. 141)
Comprehension Questions
- Charbonneau accuses Captain Lewis of caring about Sacagawea only because she will help the men get horses. (June 16, 1805, pg. 147)
- Captain Lewis is the only person surprised when his iron boat sinks to the bottom. (July 8, 1805, pg. 156)
- Seaman says that Captain Lewis is an outstanding botanist, biologist, woodsman, hunter, tracker, and commander. (July 15th, 1805, pg. 161)
- Charbonneau wants the captains to order him and Sacagawea to not cross the mountains because he is worried about the health of his son. (July 31, 1805, pg. 177)
- After Captain Lewis spots the Shoshone man, Private Shields moves toward him, scaring him away. (August 8, 1805, pg. 182)
- The Shoshones keep from starvation by (August 8, 1805, pg. 183)
- Captain Lewis places his hat on the head of a Shoshone man in order to calm them down and keep them at the river. (August 15, 1805, pg. 195)
- Captain Lewis orders the men to let the Shoshones hold their rifles, which Seaman asserts is the hardest thing they have done. (August 15, 1805, pg. 197)
- Old Toby’s sons leave to rejoin the Shoshones to help their tribe hunt buffalo. (August 18, 1805, pg. 206)
- Three Eagles decides to greet the expedition as friends because of the way they rode up, and because they travelled with a woman and child. (September 3, 1805, pg. 208)
- The Nez Percé Indians call themselves the “Nee-mee-poo,” which means, “the people.” (September 7, 1804, pg. 212)
- Seaman wants to stay up front with Old Toby because he didn’t want to be around the men when they were angry. pg. 215
- When it looks like the expedition may not make it over the mountain, Captain Clark suggests that the best hunters go onward alone, bringing food back to the rest of the camp. (September 14, 1805, pg. 219)
- The old Woman in the Nez Percé camp names Seaman Yahka, which means “Black Bear.” (September 18, 1805, pg. 222)
Section 4: September 20, 1805 through end of story
Vocabulary
- chasten: to restrain or moderate
- slake: to quench or satisfy ones thirst
- scathed: injured or hurt
- hanker: to feel a deep desire to do something
- zest: enthusiasm for a task
- tourniquet: a strap tightened around a limb to slow bleeding from a wound
- quest: a journey with an end goal
Vocabulary Usage in the Book
- The men stared at the fire, chastened. (September 22, 1805, pg. 231)
- The men went out hunting every day and brought back elk and deer, but they quickly tired of this meat, and not a day passed without at least one of the men mentioning his hankering for a slice of buffalo tongue. (January 1, 1806, pg. 243)
- It was a wild ride, but all of our canoes made it through unscathed, much to the disappointment of the Indians waiting below. (September 22, 1805, pg. 237)
- They killed a horse to eat, but this did not slake their appetite. (September 22, 1805, pg. 233)
- He and his friend were on a vision quest to the mountain, where they would fast and pray, and with luck, find their wyakins. (June 21, 1806, pg. 261)
- Captain Lewis stemmed the blood flow with a tourniquet and we proceeded farther down the mountainside and set up a camp in a small glade with barely enough grass to keep the horses alive. (June 17, 1806, pg. 260)
- Captain Clark wanted to go down and get some of its meat and oil to add a little zest to our diet. (January 1, 1806, pg. 245)
Comprehension Questions
- Seaman enjoys being with Mountain Dog because he brings people to see Seaman. (September 18, 1805, pg. 223)
- Of all the goods the expedition had with them, the Nez Percé were most impressed by the rifles. (September 22, 1805, pg. 230)
- The Nez Percé sell the men dogs to eat. (September22, 1805, pg. 235)
- Captain Lewis and his men are in a dark mood because they are in a hurry to reach the Pacific, and received word that some Indian tribes intended to kill them and take their goods. (September 22, 1805, pg. 234)
- The expedition had travelled 4,142 miles from the mouth of the Missouri River. (September 22, 1805, pg. 238)
- The Clatsop tribe helps the men when they are stranded and hungry in the estuary. (Seotember 22, 1805, pg. 238)
- The Clatsops were good bargainers because they had encountered white men before and knew how to drive a hard bargain. (January 1, 186, pg. 243)
- The only long excursion that Seaman gets to go on is when he accompanies Captain Clark to gather meat and oil from a beached whale. (January 1, 1806, pg. 245)
- Colter and Drouillard plan on selling their land, travelling up the Missouri, and hunting and trapping until the days they die. (February 17, 1806, pg. 247)
- The captains plan on hunting and making enough jerked meat to get them past the Chinooks. (March 22, 1806, pg. 250)
- After working their way up the mountain, the men have to turn back because there is no grass for the horses. (June 17, 1806, pg. 259)
- The guides try to talk Captain Lewis out of exploring Maria’s River because they are scared of the Blackfeet Indians. June 30, 1806, pg. 266)
- The Blackfeet Indians steal the men’s rifles and try to scare away their horses after talking late into the previous night. (July 26, 1806, pg. 275)
- Seaman is struck in the leg with an arrow when he is running away from the Blackfeet. (July 26, 1806, pg. 280)