Readnour 8-ELA
RL.8.1 (textual evidence) RL.8.2 (central idea/theme) RL.8.3 (interaction of story elements)
RL.8.4 (connotations, analogies, allusions, figurative language), RL.8.9 (compare/contrast fiction with historical account)
FEVER 1793
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The Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Laurie Halse (pronounced like waltz) Anderson was born on October 23, 1961, in Potsdam, New York (close to
the border of Canada). She and her husband have known each other since they were three years old; they have
four children, all adult-aged now. Anderson has written several novels and series including: Vet Volunteers,
Speak, Twisted, Prom, Chains, Catalyst, and Fever 1793.
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Reading and Quiz Schedule
Assignment Pages Due Dates
Quiz
1-4
5-8
9-12
13-17
18-20
21-24
25-29
Epilogue
Quiz
Quiz
Quiz
Quiz
Quiz
Quiz
Quiz
1-23
24-62
63-87
88-129
130-162
163-199
200-239
240-243
January 12
January 20
January 26
February 2
February 9
February 17
February 23
In class – February 24
February 25-27
TEST
IMPORTANT:
1. Chapter questions will be checked at the beginning of each due date.
2. The asterisk (*) indicates that research is required to answer the question. Please use the Internet
(credible sites only) and the Appendix of the novel (pages 244-251) to locate answers.
Characters and Conflicts Chart
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9
10
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19
20
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22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
Fever 1793
by Laurie Halse Anderson
CHAPTER 1
WORD
wretched
pg. 1-2
droned
pg. 2
abhorred
pg. 3
dawdling
pg. 3
SENTENCE FROM TEXT
“Another hot August day. Another long, hot
August day. Another long, hot, boring,
wretched August day.
“Her voiced droned on and on as she
clattered down the stairs.”
“Mother abhorred mice.”
MEANING
“No more dawdling. I had to get dressed.”
1. The narrator says, “It was the War.” To which war is she referring? (pg. 1)
2. What is the background of Mattie’s mother? What was her family like? (pg. 2)
3. “ . . . the facecloth smelled like old cheese,” (pg. 3). What literary device/figurative language is used?
4. Polly is late. Where does Mattie think Polly is? (pg. 4)
5. In 1793, Philadelphia was the capital of the country. The novel does not say this directly, but it is hinted at
on page 4. What does the narrator say that lets the reader know that it is the capital? (pg. 4)
6. “My city, Philadelphia, was wide awake.,” (pg. 4). What literary device/figurative language is used in this
sentence?
7. Why does Mattie’s mother’s family not talk to them anymore? (pg. 4)
8. “Her [Mother] family was wealthy then, but that didn’t stop her from stitching entire quilts before
breakfast, or spinning miles of wool before tea,” (pg. 2). What literary device/figurative language is used?
9. Who is the narrator of the story? What point of view is the author using?
*10. Who is Blanchard? (pp.4-5)
CHAPTER 2
WORD
grippe
pg. 6
victuals
pg. 8
swoon
pg. 12
SENTENCE FROM TEXT
“It must be a grippe, a sleeping sickness.”
MEANING
“ If not for Eliza’s fine victuals . . .”
“I was going to travel to France and bring
back fabric and combs and jewelry that the
ladies of Philadelphia would swoon over.”
apothecary
“I wanted to own an entire city block – a
pg. 12
proper restaurant, an apothecary, maybe a
school . . . “
1. Mattie says, “ . . . after the War of Independence ended in 1783. I was four years old.” How old is Mattie in
this chapter? (pg. 7)
2. What has happened to Mattie’s father ? (pg. 7)
3. What is ironic about Mattie’s mother’s last name? (pg. 7-8)
4. Who is Eliza? (pg. 8)
5. Why is Eliza vital to the cook household? (pg. 8)
6. What made Philadelphia one of the best cities for freed slaves? (pg. 8)
7. Mattie says on page 9, “They both supped sorrow with a big spoon that’s what Mother said.” Who is she
talking about (two names)? Explain this quotation.
8. What was there a lot of talk of down by the river? (pg. 10)
9. What had been going on for six weeks to cause drooping plants? (pg. 11)
10. “If not for the heat, I could have stayed in the kitchen for an eternity,” (pg. 11). What literary
device/figurative language is used?
11. What insect is mentioned on pages 1, 2, and 12?
12. What has happened to Polly? (pg. 3)
CHAPTER 3
WORD
cradle
pg. 14
churn
pg. 14
SENTENCE FROM TEXT
“She had been cradle friend, the girl I
played dolls with.”
“I could see it then, my small hands and
Polly’s together on the handle of the
churn.”
“ If not for Eliza’s fine victuals . . .”
MEANING
robust
pg. 15
1. How many children are in Polly’s family? (pg. 15)
2. How has Mattie’s mother changed since her father’s death? (pg. 17)
3. Mattie’s mother refuses to let her go to Polly’s to deliver food or go to the funeral. Why? What does
Mother fear? (pg. 16)
4. Mattie says, “Life was a battle . . .” (pg. 17). What type of literary device/figurative language is used?
5. Name the appositive in the following sentence:
CHAPTER 4
WORD
SENTENCE FROM TEXT
delectables
“Bring those delectables over here . . . .”
pg. 18
yarn
“A ship’s captain finished telling a yarn, and
pg. 18
the window panes rattled with laughter.”
instill
“ He tried to instill same military training in
pg. 19
me, but always sweetened it with candy.”
miasma
“It’s the source of a deadly miasma, a fould
pg. 19
stench, indeed.”
stench
“. . . a foul stench, indeed.”
pg. 19
bilious
“. . . died soon after bilious fever . . . “
pg. 20
noxious
“ There are noxious fumes all around the
pg. 20
district.”
1. What has Mattie’s grandfather been his whole life? (pg. 19)
2. Who did Grandfather serve under in the army? (pg. 19)
3. Who is King George and what does he repeat? (pg. 18-19)
MEANING
4. “It’s the source of a deadly miasma, a foul stench, indeed,” (pg. 19). What is the antecedent of the
pronoun in this sentence? (pg. 19)
5. What is Mr. Carris’s theory of what is causing the sickness? (19-20)
6. Explain the lawyer’s argument of disagreement concerning the stench being a killer. (pg. 20)
7. Who is Mr. Jefferson? What is his job? (pg. 21)
8. What is unusual about the currency in 1793? (pg. 22)
There are many different kinds of money/currency. Massachusetts – pence, Virginia – shillings,
French – francs, British – pounds
*9. Explain the money conversion of today.
1 pence = ______________________ U.S. dollars
1 shilling=______________________ U. S. dollars
1 franc = ______________________U. S. dollars
1 pound=_______________________U. S. dollars
10. What did Mother accidentally say when Mattie offered to put away the dishes? (pg. 22)
*11. A government clerk mentioned Santo Dominigan refuges. Where is Santo Domingo and why were there
refugees in Philadelphia in 1793?
*12. Philadelphia had not had yellow fever in 30 years – 1763. What happened in Philadelphia in 1763?
CHAPTER 5
WORD
necessary
pg. 24
pleurisy
pg. 26
imp
pg. 26
larder
pg. 26
liebchen
pg. 29
demure
pg. 32
ninny
pg. 33
shift
pg. 33
SENTENCE FROM TEXT
“One night, I fell asleep in the necessary and
woke with a fervent prayer of thanks that I
had not fallen in.”
“It could have been a sudden pleurisy or a
weak heart . . . “
“Whatever took that little imp away, it
wasn’t fever . . . “
“The sun was growing hot, and the larder
stood empty. “
“How many eggs you want, liebchen?”
“I would fish like a lady, with good posture
and a demure manner.”
“Good luck with your paints? Did I really
say that? What a ninny.”
“ . . . curtsied awkwardly, stepping on my
shift.”
MEANING
1. How many people had died in a week? (pg. 24)
2. Explain: “They made our strongbox grow delightfully heavy.” (pg. 24)
3. What is Mattie’s mother’s name? (pg. 25)
4. Where is Mattie’s mother thinking of sending Mattie? (pg. 25)
5. What was Grandfather’s opinion of Polly? What word does he use that implies this opinion? (pg. 27)
6. What does Mrs. Epler think is the cause of the fever? How can people, according to Mrs. Epler, avoid
getting the fever? (pg. 28)
7. Who does Mattie meet on the way back from the Market? (pg. 30)
8. “My stomach flipped over like an egg in a skillet,” (pg. 30). What type of literary device/figurative language
is used?
9. Explain the meaning of the following sentences and the importance of the syntax (word order and setup) of
the sentences: “He snatched an apple from my basket and took a bite. The impudence.” (pg. 30)
10. What are Mattie’s feelings toward Nathaniel Benson? (pg. 30) Be sure to provide evidence from the novel
to support your answer.
11. What was Nathaniel Benson’s job? (pg. 30)
*12. Historically, who are the Peales and what are they known for doing?
13. What does each ringing of the bell represent? (pg. 32)
14. Girls in 1793 would be shocked by girls’ clothing and behavior today. Explain using direct comparisons
from the text. (pg. 31-33).
CHAPTER 6
WORD
mangle
pg. 34-35
horde
pg. 37
quarantine
pg. 38
spinster
pg. 44
SENTENCE FROM TEXT
“. . . as I cranked the wheel of the mangle . .
I threaded another wet tablecloth through
the mangle to squeeze the water from it.”
“Open a regular store for the hordes of
people who are going to settle at this end of
the city - any day now.”
“The mayor should quarantine them on Hog
Island for a few weeks and the fever should
pass.”
“The last thing this family needs is another
miserable spinster.”
MEANING
1. How many different cultures have been identified as living in Philadelphia? (first five chapters)
2. What is a fond memory Mattie has of winter? (pg. 34)
3. What did Grandfather hear that causes Mattie’s embarrassment? (pg. 35)
4. What ideas does Grandfather have for extra money? (pg. 37)
5. What is Mattie’s idea for extra money? (pg. 38)
6. Why does Grandfather not want to go anywhere? (pg. 39)
7. What message is delivered? (Note the system of communication.) (pg. 41)
8. Why does Mattie decide to go to the Ogilvies? (pg. 42)
9. “Some days I’d rather face the British again than listen to the sound of my dear daughter-in-law,” (pg. 36).
What type of literary device/figurative language is used?
10. Why is the parrot’s name “King George” relevant to this time period? (inference)
*11. Where is Hog Island in relation to Philadelphia in 1793?
*12. “This season it’s those cursed refugees (Santo Dominigans)” – ships from Barbados 30 years ago. What
happened in Barbados 30 years ago to cause refugees to come to Philadelphia?
CHAPTER 7
1. Summarize the afternoon tea with Pernilla Ogilvie.
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2. What are the three back-to-back sentences that accurately pinpoint the Ogilvie’s attitude toward the
Cooks? (pg. 53)
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CHAPTER 8
WORD
vehemently
pg. 61
SENTENCE FROM TEXT
“Sir, I protest most vehemently!”
MEANING
1. “[I] smelled the breath of death for the first time since all this hardship began, [and] was scared,” –Diary of
J. Henry C. Helmuth, Philadelphia, 1793. What type of literary device/figurative language is used?
2. Why is a “cannon blasted” in the front of the square? (pg. 54)
3. What does Eliza ask Mattie to collect to “discourage the flies”? (pg. 55)
4. What does the extra space between paragraphs signify on page 57?
5. Review the list of the Mayor’s orders on page 58. Which do you believe is the most helpful advice? Which
do you believe is the most useless advice?
6. What is an almshouse, and why is it closed? (pg. 59)
7. “Frost always killed fever,” Mr. Carris said it “drained the poison from the air,” (pg. 61). What does this
mean?
8. As Mattie and Grandfather return to the coffeehouse, the see a man with a cart. What is the man doing?
Who is in the cart? (pg. 62)
*9. Who is the group called College of Physicians of 1793? Who is in charge of the nation’s medical views
now?
CHAPTER 9
WORD
dumb
pg. 63
taut
pg. 67
SENTENCE FROM TEXT
“I stood dumbly while Grandfather knelt by
Mother’s side.”
“Her face was pulled taut in pain . . .”
MEANING
1. Why does Mattie have doubts about Mr. Rowley? (pg. 65)
2. What felt upside down to Mattie? (pg. 66)
3. Describe Mother’s illness. What does she do that frightens Mattie at the end of the chapter? (pg. 67)
4. What trait did Mother have that was “useful”? (pg. 68)
5. Why does Mother throw a book at Mattie? (pg. 69)
*6. What is the book of Psalms? Who wrote it? What was its purpose/message?
CHAPTER 10
WORD
lancet
pg. 72
valise
pg. 76
SENTENCE FROM TEXT
“Dr. Kerr took a small lancet from his bag. It
glinted in the sun.”
“ . . . the farmer said as he tied down the
valise.”
MEANING
1. What does Dr. Kerr diagnose Mother as having? (pg. 72)
2. What does Dr. Kerr perform on Mother in an attempt to help her with her sickness? (pg. 72)
3. What reason does Dr. Kerr give for why Mother cannot go with Mattie when she leaves town? (pg. 74)
4. What package does Mattie receive? (pg. 75)
5. What is Nathaniel Benson doing to protect himself from the fever? (pg. 75)
6. Who stays to take care of Mother? Why? (pg. 76)
*7. Mother’s treatment included ten grains of jalop and ten grains of calomel. What are these items?
CHAPTER 11
WORD
odiferous
pg. 80
commotion
pg. 83
lurched
pg. 83
SENTENCE FROM TEXT
“ . . . delivers us unto the joys of the
Ludington family barnyard and their
odiferous pigs.”
“ King George squawked and circled above
the commotion.”
“ The wagon lurched forward.”
MEANING
1. What is Mattie’s theory for why they are being attacked by so many insects? (pg. 78)
2. According to her grandfather, what does a soldier need to fight? (pg. 79)
3. What do the four horsemen want when they stop the carriage upon entering Pembroke? (pg. 81-82)
*4. What is the distance between Philadelphia to Pembroke?
5. What happens to Mattie and Grandfather? (pg. 83). They are not allowed to enter Pembroke.
CHAPTER 12
WORD
recuperate
pg. 86
cherub
pg. 86
skirmish
pg. 87
SENTENCE FROM TEXT
“ Grandpa would recuperate at home with
Mother . . .”
“ There’s my cherub.”
MEANING
“ We must form battle plans, for both this
skirmish and the rest of the war.”
1. What is the “soldier trick” that Mattie uses? (pg. 85)
2. Why does Grandfather think he has been a fool? (pg. 87)
3. What did George Washington say was Grandfather’s only fault? (pg. 87)
*4. What are the medical uses of willow?
CHAPTER 13
1. Summarize the chapter .
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2. Explain: “American ladies require a peculiar mode of education,” –Dr. Benjamin Rush, Speech to the Young
Ladies Academy of Philadelphia.
CHAPTER 14
WORD
slovenly
pg. 102
topsy-turvy
pg. 103
SENTENCE FROM TEXT
“ He fired the slovenly devils who caused
the trouble.”
“ It’s quite a topsy-turvy time we’re in, my
sweet.”
MEANING
1. What job does Barney have? (pg. 96)
2. “I was cold. Colder than New Year’s Day,” (pg. 96-97). What type of literary device/figurative language is
used?
3. What is Mattie’s nightmare? (pg. 97)
4. Where is Mattie when she wakes up? (pg. 101)
5. What did Stephen Girard do? (pg. 102)
6. What is Mrs. Flagg’s opinion of Dr. Rush’s and Dr. Kerr’s methods of blood-letting and purging? (pg. 103)
*7. Did Dr. Rush actually sign the Declaration of Independence?
8. What did Grandfather find when he turned to tell Mother where they were? (pg. 103)
CHAPTER 15
*1. What is jaundice? What causes it?
2. Who does Mattie worry about?
3. What did the clerk want to do with Mattie? (pg. 110-111)
*4. The novel states that Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton and Dr. Rush fell ill. Is this historically
accurate?
*5. Free African Society of Philadelphia 1793 – Did this really exist? What did it do?
CHAPTER 16
WORD
SENTENCE FROM TEXT
lurk
“ Fever victims lay in the gutters, the eves,
pg. 116
and wild men lurk on every corner.”
1. What does Mrs. Bowels try to get Mattie to do? (pg. 115)
MEANING
2. What daydream does Mattie have about how everything would go once she returned to the coffeehouse?
(pg. 117-118)
3. How has Philadelphia changed since Mattie has left? Use specific references from the text. (pg. 118)
4. What caused the fever to slow for a few days? (pg. 119)
*5. What is a scullery maid? (used on pg. 117)
6. How were the dead being buried? (pg. 120)
*7. What is significant in the name Potter’s Field? (used on pg. 120)
CHAPTER 17
WORD
helter-skelter
pg. 122
lingered
pg. 123
invalid
pg. 125
edible
pg. 128
SENTENCE FROM TEXT
“Tables and chairs lay helter-skelter”
MEANING
“The powerful stench of sickness lingered.”
“ Maybe they saw the fever rag and thought
there was still an invalid in the house.”
“ The ground was baked too hard to use the
hoe. I decided to pull up what I could and
hope to find something edible overlooked
by varmints.”
1. Describe the condition of the coffeehouse when Mattie and Grandfather return. Give specific details from
the text. (pg. 123)
2. What hadn’t the robbers taken? (pg. 125)
3. Who was still at the coffeehouse?
4. What condition of the garden? (pg. 127)
5. “His color was better, and he was snoring like a barn full of plow horses.” (pg. 127) What type of literary
device/figurative language is used?
6. What is the most valuable asset in the back yard of the coffeehouse? Explain why it is the most valuable.
(pg. 127)
7. As Mattie sat down to eat, what did she eat? What did she notice was missing? (pg. 128)
8. What does the answer to number eight tell us about Mattie’s character?
CHAPTER 18
WORD
dote
pg. 133
SENTENCE FROM TEXT
“ He still wasn’t over his cough. Mrs. Flagg
would have welcomed the chance to dote
on him for a few days.”
MEANING
1. Draw a picture of how Mattie looks at the beginning of this chapter. (pg. 130)
2. Grandfather stated, “Excuse me, Miss. Have you seen my granddaughter, Mattie? She must be around
here somewhere.” What is Grandfather implying about Mattie with this statement? (pg. 133)
3. What does Mattie find for them to eat? (pg. 135)
4. When Mattie leaves the shutters open, what is worried about? (pg. 134)
5. If Mattie had her own shop or traveled abroad, what would her evenings look like?
CHAPTER 19
WORD
brandish
pg. 142
scabbard
pg. 141
SENTENCE FROM TEXT
“ He pressed ahead, continuing to brandish
the sword back and forth wildly.”
“ The tall one pulled the sword from the
scabbard.”
MEANING
1. What is Mattie dreaming of? (pg. 138) Draw a dram bubble and draw inside it what Mattie dreamt of.
2. What wakes Mattie from her dream? (pg. 139)
3. What did Mattie learn to do before she learned to read? (pg. 140)
4. After the crooks capture Mattie, what do they want to know? (pg. 143)
5. How does Mattie know the Grandfather is not fooling around when he aims the gun at the crooks? (pg. 144)
*6. “Grandfather had won that chess set in a card game with a ship’s captain from Siam.” Where is Siam?
7. What does the crook do to Grandfather? (pg. 145)
8. What does Mattie do to the crook? (pg. 145)
9. What actions occur in this chapter that show Mattie is maturing? (pg. 148-149)
*10. What is a Continental? (pg. 141)
CHAPTER 20
WORD
queasy
pg. 155
exorbitant
pg. 158
cowered
pg. 161
SENTENCE FROM TEXT
“ I felt faint and queasy.”
“ They charge exorbitant prices for their
wares and get whatever they ask . . . “
“A small child cowered in the corner. . . “
MEANING
1. Explain why death was a heavy companion – from Mattie’s perspective. (pg. 151)
2. What is the man doing with the cart? ( pg. 150)
*3. Explain what a parody is. Google the Monty Python clip “Bring out your dead” –from Monty Python and
the Holy Grail. How is it a parody of the beginning of this chapter?
4. What does Mattie grab to bury with Grandfather? Why? What does Mattie do to the cart? (pg. 151)
5. What does Mattie demand happens at the gravesite?
.
*6. Mattie begins to read aloud, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want . . . .” Explain the written source of
these words and why the men standing there were moving their lips while Mattie was reading.
7. “It was empty.” What is the antecedent to “it”? (pg. 155)
8. Explain why Mr. Brown cannot print an advertisement for Mattie? (pg. 157)
9. “It looked like an enormous broom had swept away all the people” (pg. 155). What type of literary
device/figurative language is used?
10. How many people had left Philadelphia? How many died? (pg. 158)
11. Outside Warner’s house, what does the old lady do to Mattie?
12. What had Mattie lost? (pg. 160-161)
13. What is wrong with the girl with the broken doll? (pg. 162)
CHAPTER 21
WORD
wraith
pg. 166
SENTENCE FROM TEXT
“ You look like a wraith.”
1. What is the girl’s name? (pg. 163)
MEANING
2. Who is the character of Nell and why is she and her situation introduced into the novel at this point?
3. What does Nell do to cause Mattie to say, “Glad you’re on my side.” (pg. 165)
4. Who does Mattie find while walking around town? (pg. 167-168)
CHAPTER 22
WORD
SENTENCE FROM TEXT
harrumphed
“ . . the old woman harrumphed and
pg. 172
snorted.”
disentangle
“She hugged them tightly before
pg. 171
disentangling herself from four arms.”
1. Where does Eliza take Mattie? (pg. 170)
MEANING
2. Joseph is a cooper. What did he do for a living?” (pg. 170)
3. What does Eliza tell Mattie about Mother? (pg. 171)
4. “I’ve seen brooms with more meat on them,” (pg. 172). What type of literary device/figurative language is
used?
5. How does Mattie blame herself for Grandfather’s death? (pg. 174)
*6. “For everything there is a season.” Google this wording to find its original source.
7. What does Eliza suggest Mattie should do? Why does Mattie dislike this suggestion? (pg. 175)
8. What does Dr. Rush ask of the Free African Society? (pg. 175)
9. In what way is Dr. Rush wrong? (pg. 175-176)
CHAPTER 23
1. Why does Nell smell badly? (pg. 178)
2. “Robert, William, and Neil sat on a log and watched me, solemn as three old preachers.” What type of
literary device/figurative language is used? (pg. 178)
*3. Explain what an allusion in literature is. What, if any, allusions are in “told a tale of magic buckets and
flying ships”? (pg. 179)
4. Mother Smith says, “You’re the cruel one.” To whom was she speaking and what did she mean? (pg. 180)
5. What happens at the orphanage? (pg. 183-184)
*6. “Now stir your bones.” What does this idiom mean? What is an idiom? (pg. 187)
7. What happened to the Ogilvie family? (pg. 186-187)
8. As Mattie and Eliza were walking down the street (Mattie with Eliza on her hip), what started falling from
the sky? (pg. 188-189)
9. “My heart tripped over the thought of Nathaniel Benson, and I smiled in spite of myself.” What type of
literary device/figurative language is used? (pg. 189)
10. What did Mother Smith leave to do? (pg. 189)
*11. “One is not supposed to laugh at other people’s misfortunes.” Is this a Biblical allusion? Cite proof.
12. Are we ever told the race of Nell?
CHAPTER 24
WORD
jalap
pg. 194
scurrilous
pg. 194
SENTENCE FROM TEXT
“ At Barrett’s apothecary, Eliza purchased
jalap and Bohea tea.”
“He’s a scurrilous dog, that man.”
MEANING
1. According to Mattie, what is more difficult than cleaning up the sick? (pg. 192)
2. What has happened at the Sharp residence? (pg. 195-196)
3. What has happened to William, Robert, and Nell? Where do Mattie and Eliza decide to take them? (pg.
199)
4. “He’s a scurrilous dog, that man.” What type of literary device/figurative language is used? (pg. 194)
*5. “It’ll be sawdust after this, just like the War.” What War? How was sawdust used? Was it actually used in
American history as stated in this chapter?
CHAPTER 25
WORD
SENTENCE FROM TEXT
MEANING
purge
“She dosed the boys regularly and gently to
pg. 204
purse the putrid bile from their bodies, but
it seemed to have little effect.”
putrid
pg. 204
1. At the coffeehouse, where do Mattie and Eliza put the children? Why? (pg. 201-202)
The put the mattress on top of the table and put the children there so they are off the floor and up high
to catch any air flow.
2. Why does Eliza think it will be safe this time to leave the shutters open? (pg. 202)
“Eliza put a knife in her waistband – If thy try again, we will be ready.”
3. In the dark, what does Mattie kick with her foot? (pg. 202)
“It’s Nathaniel’s painting, the flowers he had sent me when Mother was ill.”
4. What does Mattie convince Eliza not to do? (pg. 205-206)
Mattie convinced Eliza not to have the children bled by doctors.
5. How much time has passed since Mattie sleepily woke up at the beginning of the novel?
Currently October 14, 1793; the novel started at August 16, 1793 = about 2 months
*6. “ . . . Dr. Rush has seen two other epidemics in his life. The French doctors came from the West Indies,
where they treat yellow fever every day.” What does this tell us? Why is yellow fever in the West Indies
daily?
*7. Vinegar was on the cloth Mattie wore around her nose earlier and now she uses it to scrub the cart. What
exactly is vinegar and what benefits does it have?
*8. What lit the streets? Why weren’t they lit? In what year did electric street lamps go up? (pt. 201)
CHAPTER 26
WORD
SENTENCE FROM TEXT
fetid
“ The fetid stench that had hung over the
pg. 210
city for weeks was gone . . . .”
1. Where had Mattie fallen asleep? Who wakes her up?
2. What does Mattie find when she wakes up? (pg. 210)
3. What dropped as quickly as the temperature? (pg. 210)
MEANING
4. What do Eliza and Mattie do with the children? Why? (pg. 211)
5. What did Eliza do with the furniture? Why?
6. Besides food, what does Mattie find at the market? (pg. 216)
CHAPTER 27
WORD
SENTENCE FROM TEXT
MEANING
gaunt
“ Those of us who remained behind were
pg. 219
gaunt and pale.”
feign
“I would pretend to be surprised to see him,
pg. 220
and he would feign shock that a busy girl
like me had time for a stroll.”
1. “Like a wilted flower struck in bowl of water, it[Philadelphia] drew strength and blossomed . . . . “What
type of literary device/figurative language is used? (pg. 220)
2. What reason does Mattie give for why it might be better that Grandfather is buried in a mass grave? (pg.
220)
*3. People who were dosed with mercury spat frequently and covered their mouths to hide their blackened
teeth. Explain what mercury is and why it causes the teeth to be black.
4. Compare Joseph and Nathaniel’s plan for Mattie and Eliza with Mattie’s plan. (pp. 223-225)
5. Why must Mattie get a lawyer for the partnership? (pg. 226)
6. What does Joseph Blake’s messenger bring Mattie? (pg. 226-227)
CHAPTER 28
WORD
entourage
pg. 232
SENTENCE FROM TEXT
“ Following behind the president’s
entourage came a scraggly parade of
wagons and carriages.”
1. How many months have passed since chapter one?
2. What clever business trick has Mattie developed to sell more food? ( pg. 228)
3. What does Nathaniel offer to do to help out the coffeehouse? (pg. 229)
MEANING
4. What made the coffeehouse “brighter”? (pp. 228-229)
5. What surprise does the arrival of President Washington bring to Mattie? (pg. 233)
CHAPTER 29
WORD
SENTENCE FROM TEXT
*epilogue
pg. 240
wince
“I winced as Silas pounced.”
pg. 240
1. “She felt like a frail bird,” is a simile referring to whom? (pg. 234)
MEANING
2. Why must Mother live a life of leisure? (pg. 237)
3. Where had Mother been? Why had she “went wild”? (pg. 236)
*4. What is chivalry? What chivalrous behavior is exhibited in page 235?
5. List Mattie’s morning routine. (In the Epilogue)
6. “I had a sense of what was to come and I blinked away the tears,” means what? (pg. 239)
7. What does the yellow sun – a giant balloon reference? What does this symbolize?
______________________________________________________________________________________
A. What is the overall theme of the novel? Additional themes?
B. What does the topic does the novel use to show the reader the theme?
C. What is the overall conflict of the novel? Climax?