Why Is Brian Not Speaking to His Mom?

Hatchet

By

Gary Paulsen

Chapter 1

1. Where is Brian going?
2. Why is Brian not speaking to his mom?
3. What did Brian’s mom give him on the drive up to meet the airplane?
4. What happened to the pilot as they flew toward Canada?
5. How did Brian know the pilot was having a heart attack?

Chapter 2

1. What was the response Brian got as he tried to communicate over the radio?
2. What were Brian’s two choices as he flew in the plane wondering what to do?
3. Where did Brian decide would be the best place to land the plane?
4. What did the airplane do that made Brian realize he had to land the plane?

Chapter 3

1. Where was Brian able to land the plane?
2. What did Brian have to do to make it out of the crashed airplane alive?

Chapter 4

1. What was the Secret Brian knew about his mom?
2. What attacked Brian as he watched the sun rise?
3. What made the mosquitos and black flies disappear and leave Brian alone?
4. How does the forest compare to the city life Brian was used to?

Chapter 5

1. How old is Brian?
2. What advice did Brian’s English teacher, Perpich, give him in school?
3. Why did Brian think the searchers wouldn’t be able to find him immediately?
4. Why did Brian speak out loud?
5. Why do you think Brian kept telling himself who he was and where he was at?
6. What brought on Brian’s hunger…what kept it at bay?
7. What things did Brian have to survive?
8. What realization did Brian come to about the search party?

Chapter 6

1. What did Brian decide to use as a shelter?
2. What food did Brian find to eat?
3. How did Brian make his shelter safer?
4. Why did he want to stay near the lake?
5. What was Brian’s first good luck?
6. What did Brian use to keep his sense of direction in order?
7. What did he use for a carrying pouch?
8. How would you have handled the hunger problem Brian was experiencing?

Chapter 7

1. When Brian looked in the water at his reflection, how did he feel? Why?
2. What did Brian call the berries that made him sick?
3. What other kind of berries did Brian find?
4. When Brian ran away from the raspberry bushes after seeing the bear, why did he turn back and go back to the raspberry bushes?
5. Brian besides survival what other pains is he contending with?
6. Draw Brian’s reflection
7. Why do you think the berries made his lips numb?
8. How did Brian feel when he saw the bear, cite evidence to strengthen your answer?

Chapter 8

1. Why had the porcupine attacked Brian during the night in the shelter?
2. What did Brian dream of the night he got hurt by the porcupine?
3. What was Brian able to use to start a fire?
4. Where did Brian’s imagination take him when he awoke in the middle of the night?
5. What purpose did the fire serve besides warmth?
6. Who gave Brian the idea for making fire?

Chapter 9

1. Brian says… “it was a long way from sparks to fire”….what did he mean by this?
2. What problem did Brian run into when attempting to light his grapefruit?
3. Brain determined he needed on more thing to make fire what was it….how did he come to this conclusion?
4. What metaphor was used to describe the initial fire?
5. What is a flue?
6. Why do you think Brian felt like the fire was his friend?
7. What steps did Brian take to make a fire?

Chapter 10

1. What did Brian find at the shore four inches buries in the sand?
2. Who had laid the eggs…how did Brian eat the eggs?
3. Why did Brian not want to stop thinking about the searchers?
4. What was an added advantage to having the fire?
5. Why did he need to sleep in short intervals?
6. Why did Brian use the metaphor “city boy” to describe himself?
7. Why did Brian feel rich?

Chapter 11

1. How had Brian begun to change physically since the crash?
2. How was Brian’s mind different since the crash?
3. What was Brian’s plan if he ever heard a plane engine roar overhead?
4. As Brian looked over the lake what did he realize he could eat?
5. Things to do….what were they?
6. How did Brian solve his fish problem?

Chapter 12

1. What problems did Brian encounter when trying to get a fish…how did he solve it?
2. What was Brian working on when he heard the whine of the plane engine?
3. Tell me three words that would describe how Brian felt when the plane turned and went away?
4. What was Brian’s insect repellant?
5. Hunger compelled Brian to do what?
6. Discuss the internal conflicts Brian what contending with?
7. What imagery did the sound of the plane bring to Brian?

Chapter 13

1. What did Brian use for a string on his bow?
2. Why wasn’t Brian able to catch any fish when he first made his bow and arrow?
3. What kind of hope did Brian find building in him?
4. What factors did Brain attribute to a “food fish”?
5. What did Brian’s experience with the wolf … “changed everything” for him…why was he new?
6. Why did Brian use rotten wood?
7. What did Brian consider, that finally allowed him access to the fish in the water?
8. Consider an alternate way of catching fish….what would it be?

Chapter 14

1. What were the effects Brian had after he was sprayed with the skunk?
2. How did Brian make a ladder to get to his food shelf?
3. What did Brian do to store the fish so they wouldn’t go bad?
4. Discuss how mistakes had changed for Brian?
5. What was the single driving influence in nature…why do you think this is the case?
6. What mistake did the skunk teach Brian?
7. What type of fisherman has Brian become?....cite evidence that led you to believe this.

Chapter 15

1. Tell me about the event, First Meat?
2. Why was it so difficult for Brian to catch a fool bird?
3. Why didn’t flies or mosquitos come into the shelter when the fire was built up?
4. When Brian was cleaning the bird to eat it, what did he do with the insides of the bird?
5. How did Brian measure time?
6. What was the secret key?
7. What technique did Brian use to catch the foolbird?
8. Why was First Meat the finest thing he had ever eaten?

Chapter 16

1. Tell me some of the “First Days” Brian remembered?
2. How did the moose react to Brian when she saw him at the water and wanted to come down to the water herself?
3. What did Brian have to do to get away from the moose?
4. What did Brian use with the feathers?
5. Why did Brian feel like he was back to “square one” after the tornado?
6. After the tornado, what unnatural object was sticking out of the water?
7. How has Brian’s reflexes change…cite evidence.
8. What type of conflict occurred between Brian and the moose…why do you think she went after him?

Chapter 17

1. Why was Brian anxious to get the survival pack from the back of the plane?
2. What is a fish board?
3. Why was building a raft difficult for Brian?
4. How did he solve his problem and tie the logs together for the raft?
5. When Brian finally made it to the plane, what was his predicament?
6. Why did Brian turn back on the raft?
7. Why was Brian hesitant to go into the plane…why did he decide to stay?

Chapter 18

1. How was Brian able to get into the plane?
2. What did Brian have to dive into the water for…about how deep did he dive?
3. What made Brian sick when he was under the water looking for the survival bag?
4. How long did it take Brian to go to the plane, get the survival bag and get back to his camp?
5. What do you think bad air triggers are?
6. Why was Brian hesitant to enter the plane?

Chapter 19

1. How did Brian feel about the items in the survival pack as he looked through them?
2. How did the items in the survival bag change him?
3. When Brian went through the dehydrated food packages, why do you think he decided to feast now and be careful with the food later?
4. When Brian was preparing his feast and drinking his orange drink, what appeared out of the sky?
5. What was the first thing Brian said to the pilot of the plane who heard his transmitter?