Guide for
Hatchet
Vocabulary List
Make sure you know the definition and pronunciation of each of these words:
Consuming*
rigid
vague
agony
frantic
startled
altitude
procedures*
desperately
moderately
extensive*
intense
extension
ultimately
battered
wincing
obvious*
assumed*
audible
mocking
viciously
foul
asset
panic
Chapters 1 and 2
Read the chapters. Then write an answer to each question. Answers should be in complete sentences,
and each answer should be at least 2 sentences long. Make sure you use the words in the question to
begin your answer, and make sure you answer all parts of the question.
1. Where is Brian going at the beginning of the story? How is he getting there?
2. What does Brian think about during the flight? Why are these memories painful?
3. What did Brian’s mother give him before he got on the plane? Explain how this made Brian
feel. How does he react?
4. Which of the following happened first?
A. Brian thinks the pilot is sick because of something he ate.
B. Brian is alone in the plane with no pilot.
C. Brian realizes that the pilot is having a heart attack
D. Brian remembers the man in the mall who had a heart attack.
5. How is Brian able to keep the plane flying after the pilot’s heart attack?
6. Brian experiences all of the following emotions during the plane trip except-A. Brian thinks the pilot is sick because of something he ate.
B. Brian is alone in the plane with no pilot.
C. Brian realizes that the pilot is having a heart attack
D. Brian remembers the man in the mall who had a heart attack.
7. Why does Brian decide to keep flying until he runs out of fuel? How does he feel about this
decision? Explain your answer.
8. What is Brian’s plan for surviving after the pilot dies? How does he prepare for the landing?
Chapters 3, 4, and 5
Read the chapters. Then write an answer to each question. Answers should be in complete sentences,
and each answer should be at least 2 sentences long. Make sure you use the words in the question to
begin your answer, and make sure you answer all parts of the question.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Describe how Brian makes his crash landing. How does he feel once he reaches land?
What is the first thing Brian remembers after the crash? Why do you think he thinks of this?
How does Brian feel as he tries to wake up after the crash? What problems does he face?
How does Brian adjust to his new surroundings? How is the lake different from where he
lives? Support your answer.
5. What does Brian do about his thirst? What happens as a result?
6. Remembering his English teacher, Perpich, helps Brian to
A. Stop drinking too much water at once.
B. Think positively.
C. Wait patiently for someone to come rescue him.
D. Find food.
7. List the things Brian has to help him survive. Which is the most important? Why?
8. Why does Brian fear not being found?
A. His parents might not look for him.
B. Being an American, the Canadians might leave him alone.
C. The radio signal never went through.
D. After the pilot died, Brian flew off the flight path for hours.
Writing
Brian is very upset about his parents’ divorce, and he blames his mother. He is tormented by the
Secret. Pretend you are Brian’s best friend and write a paragraph or two, offering advice about how
to deal with the divorce and the secret.
Story/Vocab Test 1
1. Why is Brian going to Canada? How is he getting there?
2. What secret does Brian know about his parent’s divorce? How does he feel about this? How
do you know?
3. When the pilot dies, what are Brian’s choices? What does he do? Explain why.
4. Describe the place where Brian crashes.
5. How does Brian feel about his situation by the end of this section? Support your answer with
details from the story.
6. Which of the following inferences can you make based on Brian’s attitude at the end of the
section?
A. He will not know what to do, panic, and give up.
B. He will not build a shelter because he doesn’t want to stay by the lake.
C. He will take things one day at a time and try to do what he can to survive until he is
rescued.
D. He will want to stay by the lake even if someone does rescue him.
7. Which of the following is a fact?
A. The thought was there but he fought it down for a time.
B. They might never find him.
C. It would be all right.
D. They would find him soon.
8. The main theme of this novel so far is—
A. Learning how to adjust to city life.
B. Having the courage to depend on yourself.
C. Being kind and generous to others.
D. Protecting the environment.
9. Read the following sentence from page 11 of the story. “The pilot’s mouth went rigid, he
swore and jerked a short series of slams into the seat, holding his shoulder now.” Which of
the following means the same as rigid?
A. stiff
B. smooth
C. open
D. both A and C
10. Read the following sentence from page 22 of the story. “He had a vague feeling that he was
wrong to keep heading as the plane was heading.” Which of the following means the
opposite of vague?
A. happy
B. certain
C. unsuspecting
D. unsure
11. Read the following sentence from page 51 of the story. “The noise of his voice had startled
everything and it was quiet.” Which of these sentences uses startled in the same way?
A. The startled bird flew away in haste.
B. The earthquake startled him fully awake.
C. The robber tan off, startled into action by the police sirens.
D. Both B and C.
Vocabulary List
Make sure you know the definition and pronunciation of each of these words:
Diminish*
welted
receded
accomplished*
painstaking
intervals
slender
destroy
indicated
gestures
smoldered
regulate
ruefully
overcome
terror
ignite
precious*
dormant
initial*
self-pity
gingerly
exasperation
eddied
convulse
Chapters 6 and 7
Read the chapters. Then write an answer to each question. Answers should be in complete sentences,
and each answer should be at least 2 sentences long. Make sure you use the words in the question to
begin your answer, and make sure you answer all parts of the question.
1. What is different for Brian about being lost compared to how he used to play at being lost
with Terry?
A. Terry and he planned on having a gun, a knife, fishing gear, and matches.
B. Terry and he thought they wouldn’t have any weapons, but Brain has his hatchet.
C. Terry and he planned on being near a river, not a lake.
D. Terry and he thought they might be more seriously injured.
2. What does Brian use as a shelter? Why? How does he make it safe? How does he feel about
this shelter after 3 days?
3. Why does Brian find it so hard to find something to eat in the wilderness? What does he
eventually find? How?
4. How does seeing his reflection in the water make Brian feel? Why? Explain what this might
mean for his survival.
5. What are the two types of berries Brian eats? How does he react to them?
6. What does Brian realize about the bear after he recovers from his initial panic?
7. Brian probably sleeps with the hatchet by his head because—
A. Terry and he planned on having a gun, a knife, fishing gear, and matches.
B. Terry and he thought they wouldn’t have any weapons, but Brain has his hatchet.
C. Terry and he planned on being near a river, not a lake.
D. Terry and he thought they might be more seriously injured.
Chapters 8, 9 and 10
Read the chapters. Then write an answer to each question. Answers should be in complete
sentences, and each answer should be at least 2 sentences long. Make sure you use the words in
the question to begin your answer, and make sure you answer all parts of the question.
1. What attacks Brian in the middle of the night? How does he react? How does he feel when
it’s all over?
2. Brian learned that the most important rule of survival is that—
A. Feeling sorry for yourself doesn’t work.
B. Crying makes you feel a lot better and able to go on.
C. You need a good shelter to keep out wild animals.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
D. Finding food is the first job that needs to be done.
What important discovery does Brian make when he puts together his experience with the
porcupine and his dream?
Brian has no trouble getting sparks, but he cannot make them ignite. What steps does he take
to solve this problem?
A. He thinks about the problem, then finds exactly what he needs, fuel and air, on the first
try.
B. He experiments with many different kinds of tinder, then thinks about the problem and
realizes he needs fuel and air.
C. He finds some matches from the survival pack on the plane.
D. He has a dream which tells him exactly how to make fire.
Describe Brian’s method for making a fire.
How does Brian feel about his fire? Why?
What food does Brian discover in the sand? Describe how he feels eating this food.
Writing
Write 10 rules for survival. List the most important at number 1 and the least important at
number 10.
Story/Vocab Test 2
1. What does Brian use for a shelter? How does he feel about calling it “home”? Support your
answer.
2. What is the result of Brian’s eating so many “gut cherries”? What does he learn from this?
3. Which of the following is an opinion
A. The water was so calm he could see his reflection.
B. The face was cut and bleeding, swollen and lumpy
C. His eyes were slits in the bites and he was covered with dirt.
D. He was ugly, uglier than he had ever been in his life.
4. What was one bad result and one good result of Brain’s encounter with the porcupine?
5. Why is building a fire so important to Brian? How does he use everything he has to build
one?
6. How does Brian feel when he discovers the turtle eggs? How is he learning to handle his
hunger? Give an example to support your answer.
7. In which of these sections at the library would you probably find a book like Hatchet?
A. Biography
B. Fiction
C. Nonfiction
D. Mystery
8. The setting of this novel is best described as—
A. Present-day New York City
B. The future, in a wilderness training center for kids
C. Present-day, in a north-Canadian forest
D. The past, in a Canadian village
9. Read the following sentence from the story. “When he finished, he was still hungry, but the
edge was gone and his legs didn’t feel as weak as they had.” Which of the following conveys
about the same meaning as the phrase the edge was gone?
A. There was no more food left
B. He thought he could stop himself from throwing up.
C. He wasn’t hungry at all anymore.
D. The hunger wasn’t as bad a before.
10. Read the following sentence from the story. “He scotched up, wincing a bit when he bent his
stiff leg, and crawled to where the hatchet lay.” Using context clues, what does wincing
mean?
A. Crying out loudly
B. Muttering softly under his breath
C. Laughing at himself
D. Contracting in pain
11. Read the following sentence from the story. “The hunger, always there, had been somewhat
controlled and dormant when there was nothing to eat.” Which of the following is the best
synonym for dormant?
A. Painful
B. Crying
C. Asleep
D. unimportant
Vocabulary List
Make sure you know the definition and pronunciation of each of these words:
Inwardly
Jabbing
Swarmed
Extent
Rectify
Impared
Scenery
Flailing
Whine
Infuriating
Influence
Improving
Incredibly
Tapered
Abrupt
Fashioned
Corrosive
Constant
Gnarled
Hefted
Funk
Exulted
Seared
sarcasm
Chapters 11, 12, and 13
Read the chapters. Then write an answer to each question. Answers should be in complete sentences,
and each answer should be at least 2 sentences long. Make sure you use the words in the question to
begin your answer, and make sure you answer all parts of the question.
1. What routines has Brian set up? Why does Brian set up routines? What does he say to keep
himself in the routines?
2. When does Brian realize he has changed? How has he changed since landing in the woods?
3. What is Brian’s solution to his problem of having a signal fire going?
A. He would keep a constant signal fire going.
B. He would have the wood set for a signal fire and bring a burning branch to it if he heard
an engine
C. He would burn his shelter to make a bright signal.
D. He would start a forest fire if he heard an engine.
4. Compare Brian’s thoughts about inventions and hunger before he crashed to his thoughts
while he is in the wilderness.
5. Describe Brian’s reaction to missing the plane. What does it do to him? How has it changed
his hopes and dreans?
6. How does Brian get the idea to fish? What difficulties does he have? What knowledge was
necessary to catch the fish?
7. Brian’s feelings at the end of this section could best be described as
A. Growing confidence
B. Increasing depression
C. Growing fear
D. Increasing relaxation
Chapters 14, and 15
Read the chapters. Then write an answer to each question. Answers should be in complete sentences,
and each answer should be at least 2 sentences long. Make sure you use the words in the question to
begin your answer, and make sure you answer all parts of the question.
1. How have Brian’s thoughts about making mistakes changed. What caused these changes?
2. According to Brian, which of the following best explains motivation behind behavior in
nature?
A. Love
B. Fear
C. Hunger
D. warmth
3. Explain what happens between Brian and the skunk.
4. Why does Brian decide to improve his shelter? What improvements does he make? Why
does he make them?
5. Describe Brian’s fish trap. Why does he make it/ How does it work?
6. Why do the fool birds bother Brian? Why does he want to catch one?
7. How does the First Meat compare to other foods Brian has had in his life?
A. It tastes worse than any other food he has had
B. He does not compare it to any other food.
C. It tastes about the same as any other food he has had.
D. It tastes better than any other food he has had.
Writing
Write a character sketch of Brian. What character traits do you think best describe his
personality? Explain why his actions are examples of those character traits.
Story/Vocab Test 3
1. What changes has Brian noticed in himself? When does he realize these changes?
2. Explain Brian’s thoughts about inventions, hunger, and mistakes. Why are his thoughts about
these things different now than they were before he crashed?
3. How does missing the plane change Brian for a short period? What does he think about these
changes later?
4. What is Brian doing when he says “There are these things to do”?
A. Explaining his survival techniques
B. Keeping himself busy with routines
C. Writing a poem
D. Trying to remember what to do
5. Compare Brian in the wilderness to Brian before the crash
A. Wilderness Brian is thinner and tougher than the earlier Brian
B. Earlier Brian is more confident than wilderness Brian.
C. Wilderness Brian is friendlier than earlier Brian
D. Earlier Brian is smarter than wilderness Brian
6. Which of the following is an opinion from the story?
A. Brian learns to hunt and fish.
B. First Meat is the best tasting food.
C. Brian makes a fish trap.
D. The rescue plane misses Brian
7. What does Brian do when he tries to hunt and fish? How is he finally able to fish and hunt?
8. Describe the effects of Brian’s encounter with the skunk.
9. Read the following sentence from the story. “More wood, he thought, moaning inwardly.”
Which of the following means about the same as inwardly?
A. Painfully
B. At someone
C. Loudly
D. To himself
10. Read the following sentence from the story. “With his bow, with an arrow fashioned by his
own hands he had done food, had found a way to live.” Which of the following has been
fashioned by humans?
A. Apple
B. Computer
C. Rock
D. Air
11. Read the following sentence from the story. “In the city if he made a mistake usually there
was a way to rectify it, make it all right. Which of these is something that you would need to
rectify?
A. A fight with a friend
B. A birthday cake
C. A new pair of shoes
D. A vacation
Vocabulary List
Make sure you know the definition and pronunciation of each of these words:
provided
insane
bellowed
momentary
Fuselage
register
perfected
hesitate
incessant
stymied
frenzied
furor
retrieved
massive
boughs
vertical
precise
scarce
wrenched
gusts
savagely
stabilizer
instant
nonexistent
Chapters 16, and 17
Read the chapters. Then write an answer to each question. Answers should be in complete sentences,
and each answer should be at least 2 sentences long. Make sure you use the words in the question to
begin your answer, and make sure you answer all parts of the question.
1. Compare and contrast the description of Brian’s attack on the fool bird to the moose’s attack
on Brian. How are Brian’s thoughts about the situations different?
2. What are the effects of the tornado? How does Brian feel about these effects?
3. The author probably had mosquitoes return because
A. mosquitoes are a realistic detail
B. he wanted to show that Brian was back where he started
C. mosquitoes add to the adventure in the story
D. he wanted to add a frightening element to the story
4. Why is rebuilding from a disaster different this time?
5. What does Brian think will make him rich? What does “rich” mean to him now?
6. What problems does Brian come across while he is trying to build a raft? How does he solve
them?
7. Why does Brian return to shore before getting to the plane? How does he change his plans?
Chapter 18 to the end
Read the chapters. Then write an answer to each question. Answers should be in complete sentences,
and each answer should be at least 2 sentences long. Make sure you use the words in the question to
begin your answer, and make sure you answer all parts of the question.
1. How has the hatchet helped Brian survive? Why was dropping the hatchet such a serious
problem?
2. Explain the difficulties Brian faces as he tries to get his hatchet and the survival pack. How
does he react to these challenges?
3. Describe the process Brian goes through to get the survival pack to his camp. How does this
make him feel when he gets it there?
4. How does Brian feel about the contents of the survival pack? Why does he have mixed
emotions?
5. How does the pilot react to finding Brian?
A. He is embarrassed that a kid is better able to survive than he.
B. He his thrilled because he has been searching for Brian.
C. He is frightened because he wasn’t expecting to find anyone.
D. He is amazed and surprised that Brian survived.
6. Based on the Epilogue, you can infer that Brian probably
A. would not survive the winter
B. will become the star of a survival show
C. will return to the wilderness to live
D. will return to his old ways of life.
7. What changes does Brian notice when he returns to society?
Writing
Write an accurate newspaper account of Brian’s survival in the Canadian wilderness. Remember
that a newspaper article has a unique style. Be sure to include the who, what, when, where, why,
and how of the events. Include a short, eye-catching headline for your story.
Story/Vocab Test 4
1. Why does Brian have to start over in the wilderness again? How has his attitude toward
starting over changed?
2. How does Brian get to the plane?
3. What difficulties does Brian face once he gets to the plane? How does he overcome these
difficulties?
4. Read the following sentence from the story. “She had done more damage than he had
originally thought, the insane cow—no sense at all to it. Just madness.” Which of the
following is an antonym for insane?
A. crazy
B. happy
C. sensible
D. angry
5. Which of the following is a fact from the story?
A. The survival pack contained unbelievable riches.
B. The rifle changed him.
C. The emergency transmitter was probably ruined in the crash.
D. The rescue plane landed on the water.
6. What are Brian’s thoughts about the survival pack? Explain your answer using specific
examples from the story.
7. Describe the meeting between the rescuer and Brian.
8. The author probably wrote this story to—
A. entertain readers with an adventure story.
B. inform readers about survival techniques
C. persuade readers to carry a hatchet
D. describe to readers the Canadian wilderness.
9. Read the following sentence from the story “…he had perfected this method after many
attempts and …he had actually caught one with his bare hands.” Which of the following is
something that could be perfected?
A. the telephone
B. a piece of music
C. windows
D. a ladder for roofing
10. Read the following sentence from the story. “Then it backed out, seemed to hesitate
momentarily, and returned with a massive roar; a roar that took his ears and mind and body.”
Which of the following would give a massive roar?
A. a lion
B. a cat
C. a child
D. a rabbit
11. Read the following sentence from the story. “The fish were real and his stomach, even his
new shrunken stomach, was sending signals that it was savagely empty.” Which of the
following means about the same as savagely?
A. barely
B. violently
C. angrily
D. happily