The Weirdo

Novel Study Guide

Name ______

Date ______Class ______

Find a character who matches the description below. Write the letter of the character next to the matching number. Each character is to be used only once per section.

A. Bo’sun Sanders B. Henry C. Chip Clewt
D. John Clewt E. Tom Telford F. Steve Sanders

______1. Graduate student collecting data on bears in the Powhatan

______2. Sam’s uncommunicative, authoritarian papa

______3. “The weirdo” – scarred in a plane crash

______4. Bear caught in Sam’s father’s trap

______5. Took the job as a spillwayman so that he could paint birds.

A. Steve Sanders B. Sam Sanders C. Delilah Sanders

D. Darlene E. Mrs. Howell F. Buddy Bailey

______6. The mother who tries to keep peace in the family

______7. Seamstress who mentioned her husband’s interest in cockfighting

______8. A friend who visits a main character at the DQ

______9. Brother who is away at school

______10. Stood up to Bo’Sun Sanders when he was about to shoot the bear

A. Slade B. Dunnegan C. Buddy Bailey

D. Truesdale E. Alvin Howell F. John Clewt

______11. Murdered Tom Telford

______12. Arrested Buddy Bailey and admitted that Sam had been right all along

______13. A swamper, Skycoat’s biggest gossip

______14. Store owner who helped Chip’s father with his drinking problem

______15. Was murdered over a gambling debt

Choose the BEST response for each question.

  1. Sam wouldn’t have spent the night in the swamp if Buck hadn’t chased
  2. Aunt Peaches’ car
  3. a deer
  4. a bear
  5. a man in a red and black mackinaw
  1. Sam climbed to the roof of the spillway house because she was afraid of
  2. the dogs
  3. the “weirdo”
  4. the man carrying the bundle
  5. the Sand Suck
  1. Chip told Sam he was helping a graduate student
  2. operate a bird hospital
  3. keep track of bears
  4. control water flow through the canal
  5. map out the swamp to find bears
  1. Sam first met Chip
  2. a year after she found Howell’s body
  3. a day after he started working for Tom Telford
  4. a year after Chip’s injury
  5. a day after Tom Telford started back to North Carolina
  1. The moratorium was
  2. a permanent ban on cock-fighting
  3. a five-month hunting season
  4. a five-year ban on bear-hunting
  5. an end to the hunting ban
  1. Telford taught Chip how to tranquilize, weigh, and tattoo bears because
  2. he felt sorry for Chip and thought working with him might help Chip’s self-esteem
  3. Chip was planning to apply for a job with the Fish and Wildlife and wanted job skills
  4. Tom was eager to relocate as many bears as possible before the hunting season
  5. Tom needed help with his research
  1. When Sam went to see Mrs. Howell, the widow’s attitude toward her was primarily
  2. sympathetic
  3. angry
  4. suspicious
  5. grateful
  1. The founding of the bird hospital demonstrated
  2. Mr. Clewt’s sense of compassion
  3. Chip’s kindness and nurture
  4. Tom Telford’s humane nature
  5. Sam’s love of animals
  1. ______was appointed as honorary chairman of Save Powhatan’s Bears
  2. Sam
  3. Chip
  4. Mr. Clewt
  5. Slate
  1. At the community hearing,
  2. Sam’s father was applauded and Chip was booed
  3. Sam’s father received warm applause and Chip was greeted with silence
  4. Sam’s father reluctantly admitted that Chip’s argument made some sense
  5. Sam’s father asked everyone to listen to what Sam and Chip had to say
  1. Which is NOT a theme developed in this story?
  2. We must find a balance between hunters’ rights and animals’ rights.
  3. Might makes right.
  4. You should stand up for what you believe in.
  5. Persistence pays off.
  1. Which is an example of the novel’s treatment of inner conflict?
  2. Chip struggles with his impulse to “hide” after he is disfigured.
  3. Sam looks for a safe place to spend the night in the swamp.
  4. The man in the mackinaw fires a gun at Tom and Chip.
  5. Sam’s father angrily tells her that maybe he doesn’t want her to live in the house anymore.
  1. After Chip is finished with his schooling, which of the following employment ads would he be MOST LIKELY to respond to?
  2. Accounting – Payroll specialist; fast-pace office
  3. Sales – Telecommunications; seeking goal-oriented professionals
  4. Hotel – Banquet supervisor; looking for a team player with outstanding organizational and leadership skills
  5. Editorial – Staff writer; weekly environmental association newsletter
  1. Which is NOT one of the author’s primary purpose in writing this story?
  2. to educate readers about black bears
  3. to show that disability can be overcome
  4. to persuade readers that black bears should be protected
  5. to demonstrate why city life is preferable to rural life
  1. If the author had chosen a different setting for the same story, his most likely choice would have been
  2. Cincinnati, Ohio
  3. a Virginia suburb of Washington, D.C.
  4. Raleigh, North Carolina
  5. a small California town in the Sierra mountains

31. ESSAY. In five to ten (5-10) sentences, answer ONE of the following.

Chip is considered a “weirdo”. Aside from his appearance, what makes him different from other locals? Cite at least 3 examples from the novel to prove your answer.

Conflict is the focus of a good story. Sam Sanders faces several conflicts in The Weirdo. Explain a conflict that Sam struggles with in the novel and explain how she changes as a result of the experience. Use details from the novel to support your answer.

Jack Slade plays a dual role in the story. He is both good and bad. Describe Jack Slade’s negative traits as well as his positive traits. Cite at least 3 examples from the novel to support your answer.