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Name ______
Summer Reading Study Guide for Eighth Grade Academic and Transition English
The Name of the Game was Murder
When school begins in August, you will be tested over the summer reading books. You will not have to present the answers to this study guide in class. Its purpose, however, is to guide your reading of the book and prepare you for the test. This becomes your study guide; it will not be reviewed or discussed before the summer reading test. Be sure that you answer these questions in such a way that you can study from them. You do not need to answer in sentences, but write enough to make your answer clear. Use the chart at the end to keep track of the clues.
Chapter 1
1. Who is the protagonist and what is her ambition (career she hopes to have)?
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2. Whom does she visit at the beginning of the novel and why? How is she related to this person?
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3. What is his reaction to her surprise visit?
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4. Why is Samantha unable to return home at this time?
______5. What does Samantha learn about the sleeping arrangements of Aunt Thea and her husband? (p. 6) This may foreshadow an unhappy marriage.
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6. Describe the room that is given to Samantha. Describe its location, size, furnishings, and view to the outside.
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Chapter 2
7. Pages 10 to the middle of 14 are a flashback. On pages 10 and 11, Sam is remembering a conversation with her mother. Explain the conversation.
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8. Pages 12 and 13 tell what happened after Samantha landed at the airport. Who met her at the airport? How did they travel to the island?
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9. Describe the setting in detail. (bottom of p. 13 and top of page 14). What mood does the setting create?
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10. The second paragraph on p.l4 says that Aunt Thea gave her a large bedroom and left her to unpack. In her eagerness to meet Augustus Trevor, she had run downstairs to see him. The last line of the flashback is, “That had been a big mistake.” What does this mean? Remember, chapter 1 began with the conversation with Augustus.
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11. Now we are back to the present. Samantha has unpacked in tower room and is heading downstairs. What does she see on the landing that startles her?
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12. Who identifies this object for her?
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13. Augustus had told Samantha he was hosting a house party for the weekend. Who is the first famous person who comes to the island? Describe her.
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14. Why did she say that she had come to the island? What were her feelings about being there?
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Chapter 3
15. Notice the foreshadowing at the top of p. 24. Laura looks at Thea with a mixture of tenderness and pity. There is also an ominous threat of bad weather.
16. What do Thea and Laura have to say about Julia Bryant? Include the kind of books she writes and the incident with her friend. ______
17. Name and identify (tell their jobs) all the visitors to the island. Add any additional information that seems relevant.
Name / Job/ProfessionChapter 4
18. What did Augustus Trevor stumble upon (discover) while doing research?
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19. What is the game that each visitor will play?
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20. There are six clues but only five guests. Thea is also being forced to play. List the first set of clues given. Write the person’s name and the clue (You may not discover all these clues until later, so write them as learn about them).
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21. What is the clue given to Samantha?
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Chapter 5
22. What scares Samantha during the night? Be detailed.
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23. Identify all the people who work for the Trevors. Give their name and their position. (There are four).
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24. What surprises Samantha during her talk with Julia?
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25. What is announced at the end of this chapter?
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Chapter 6
26. What is found in the fireplace?
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27. Even though it appears that the manuscript has been burned, everyone realizes there is still a problem. What is it? What do they all agree that they must do?
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28. What did Samantha find under the sleeve of Augustus’ jacket?
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Chapter 7
29. Identify the second set of clues for each character.
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30. What does Samantha discover in the bathroom?
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Chapter 8
31. In this chapter Samantha learns who had put the body in the bathroom and why. Explain.
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32. Who found the third set of clues? What had he already done before he gave them to the others?
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33. Which place in the house was Augustus Trevor always protective of?
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Chapter 9
34. Identify the third set of clues.
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Chapter 10
35. Describe the discussion between Laura Reed and Samantha. Be very specific.
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Chapter 11
36. Who found the fourth set of clues? Where were they?
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37. Where and why does Alex encounter Samantha? (p. 127) Summarize their conversation. Again, be specific.
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Chapter 12
38. What is significant about the letters “RCPTY”? (pp. 134-135).
List the steps Samantha went through as she was solving the mystery. Where did she realize that the manuscript was hidden?
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Chapter 13
39. Why does Samantha bump into Alex on the stars? Where was he going? Where was she going? How were there plans interrupted?
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40. Why does Samantha offer to go into the wine cellar? What was she looking for?
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41. Where does Samantha find the manuscript?
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Chapter 14
42. Samantha sits down to read the manuscript. Briefly write what she discovers about the five guests and Thea.
Laura ______
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Alex ______
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Buck ______
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Julia ______
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Thea ______
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Senator Maggio ______
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Chapter 15
43. What does Samantha do with the manuscript? ______
44. Who wrote the fifth set of clues? What did everyone do after reading the clues? What did Samantha do next? ______
Chapter 16
45. Put the events of chapter 16 in order
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46. Who killed Augustus Trevor? ______
47. What was the motive for the killing?
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Chapter 17
48. How was the manuscript destroyed in the end?
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49. What does Samantha figure out at the end about her writing?
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Name / Clue 1 / Clue 2 / Clue 3 / Clue 4