from The Pigman & Me by Paul Zindel Review
What misunderstanding takes place in the school yard? John Quinn thought that Paul was being greedy in keeping the paddle longer than fifteen minutes. Paul didn’t know about the time limit and thought that John Quinn was picking on him.
2. Why does Paul hit John with a paddle? Paul is nervous and does not realize what he is doing.
3. Why does John want to fight Paul? John feels he has to fight or he will look bad in front of the other kids.
4. What advice does Paul get from Nonno Frankie? Nonno Frankie tells Paul to yell like Tarzan; he tells him to pretend his opponent is vicious.
5. What does Paul do after he falls down during the fight 5. What does Paul do after he falls down during the fight? Why does he do this? Paul acts as if he were hurt. He wants the fight to be over.
6. Explain the difference between John’s attitude and the attitude of the other students after Paul falls down. John wants the fight to end but the students want it to continue.
7. What problems does the attitude of the other students create for John and for Paul? Both John and Paul want the fight to end, so the cheers of the other kids make it difficult for them to stop fighting.
8. How did a lack of knowledge cause trouble for Paul? Because Paul did not know the rules about the use of paddles, he kept one past the time limit, provoking a fight.
9. Why does Nonno Frankie insist that Paul always know the rules? He believes that if people make a point of knowing the rules, they will never accidentally do something wrong.
10. What is the main idea of this selection? Life is full of written and unwritten rules.
11. Define mood. The overall feeling a literary work produces in a reader.
12. What mood is created by the fight between the two boys at school? suspense
13. exact demand with force or authority
14. demented insane; mad
15. observant quick to notice; alert
16. undulating moving in waves, like a snake
17. distorted twisted out of normal shape
18. condemnation expression of strong disapproval