Comprehension
Questions
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Part One
Chapters 1 - 15
Chapter 1
1. What is ironic about
the name Sunset
Towers?
2. What facts did you
learn about the people
associated with it?
Chapter 2
3. Why was it strange to
see smoke coming
from the Westing
house?
4. Why was Doug careful
to avoid touching
Turtle’s braid?
5. If you were Turtle,
would you have
agreed to stay in the
Westing house for $2 a
minute?
Chapter 3
6. Contrast the way Mrs.
Wexler treated Angela
with the way she
treated Turtle.
7. Why didn’t Chris tell
his brother Theo about
“the limper” he had
seen?
Chapter 4
8. Why did Turtle hope to
remain in the Westing
house for 25 minutes?
9. What surprising news
was in the letters from
E.J. Plum?
Chapter 5
10. Why is Judge J.J. Ford
surprised to see E.J.
Plum in charge of the
Westing estate?
11. Of what did Sydelle
Pulaski’s dress remind
Turtle?
Chapter 6
12. Do you think the
potential heirs were
really Sam Westing’s
nieces and nephews?
13. According to the will,
who will inherit the
windfall?
14. Explain the following
comment by Mr. Hoo:
“The poor are crazy; the
rich just eccentric.”
Chapter 7
15. Describe the room
where the 16 heirs
hear about the
Westing Game.
16. Why were Mrs. Wexler
and Mr. Hoo upset
that their spouses
weren’t at the
meeting?
Chapter 8
17. Why didn’t Judge Ford
believe that Sam
Westing was
murdered?
18. Did it surprise you that
Angela checked in
Turtle’s diary and took
a newspaper from her
desk drawer?
Chapters 9 & 10
19. What were the business
papers referred to on the
index card in the
elevator?
20. Describe Mrs. Wexler’s
treatment of Turtle.
21. According to Mr. Hoo,
how had he been
wronged by Sam
Westing?
22. Why did Judge Ford
conclude that Mrs.
Wexler was not related
to Mr. Westing?
Chapter 11
23. How did Ms. Pulaski
protect the information in
the notes took at the
reading of the will?
24. Why, do you think, did
Turtle lie to Mrs.
Baumbach about her
name? How did she get
her nickname?
Chapter 12
25. Do you think there was a
bomb in the coffee shop?
What does the chapter
title tell us?
26. Turtle said that Angela
didn’t really want to
marry Denton. Find
examples in this chapter
(and previous chapters)
that might support this
opinion.
Chapter 13
27. Do you think Mr. Hoo
misjudged Doug? Why or
why not?
28. Of whom did Angela
Wexler remind Flora
Baumbach?
29. What made Chris feel
like he and Sydelle had
become real friends?
30. How did the authorities
explain the two
explosions?
Chapter 14
31. Why did the doorman
refuse to accept a tip
from the judge?
32. Why does Sandy
McSouthers suffer from
bad headaches?
33. Who was talking in
Grace Wexler’s kitchen?
What were they
discussing?
34. Why were the tenants
buying so many Westing
Paper Products?
Chapter 15
35. Why do you think Turtle
listened to her transistor
radio in school?
36. Why didn’t Theo agree
with Otis that there hadn’t
been a murder?
37. Do you think Dr. Wexler
liked his wife working in
the restaurant?
38. What is George
Theodorakis’s connection
with the Westings? Why
do you think he didn’t tell
anyone about it?