1. Chapter One Comprehension Questions
October Sky
Chapter One
Comprehension Questions

2. What is the setting of the book (place and time period)
What is the setting of the book (place and time period)? Who is the narrator and how old is he when his memoir begins?
Coalwood, West Virginia
Sonny Hickam (A.K.A. Homer Hickam Jr.) – 14 years old

3. What does the company own in Coalwood? What do you think this implies?
EVERYTHING – Houses, Church, Post office, Main Company Store, Club house, School…
Coalwood and its citizens are under the control of the company – at the mercy of the company.

4. What “Indian” tribe does Sonny invent. What do the Indians do
What “Indian” tribe does Sonny invent? What do the Indians do? Why do they disband?
Coalhicans
They conduct massacres and raids, as well as, ambush the coal mines.
Tony falls out of the tree and breaks him arm. His father later dies, which results in his family having to relocate.

5. What one thing did every Coalwood family have to have?
They must have a male miner in their family working for Coalwood.

6. How old was Homer Hickman, Sr. when he started working in the coal mine?
22 years old

7. Who is Poppy and what happened to him?
Sonny’s grandfather, Homer Hickam, Sr.’s father
Poppy had both of his leg’s cut off due to an accident with a mining cart.

8. Who are the “Great Six?” What effect do you think they have on Sonny?
Teachers at the school who shaped Sonny’s education from grades 1 – 6.
The teachers were known for enforcing the to students to read. This results in Sonny’s love for Science Fiction.

9. Describe Elsie Hickam’s mural. What do you think this symbolizes to her?
Elsie Hickam’s mural is of her honeymoon to Myrtle Beach. The mural includes seagulls, seashells, outline for a palm tree, ocean waves, sand, etc.
This symbolizes another reality, or an escape – her life that could have been.