A Long Way Gone Chapter 1 Questions

Chapter 1 Questions
Part 1:

Preface: Predict what will happen in the book. What do you think the narrator is feeling based on his reaction from his friends questions? I predict that the book is going to talk abofut the war that Ishmael had faced and was in back at Sierra Leone. The order of sequence from the war and how he ended up in the United States. I also think the book would describe in details how the war affected many children and families back in Sierra Leone. I think the narrator felt sad to know that his fellow students thought it was so cool that he experienced a war.

1. How did the refugees act that walked through their town? The refugees that walked through town were paranoid, because they would often jump and the sound of chopping woods or as stones landed on the tin roofs that were flung by children hunting birds with slingshots.

2. How old is the main character when he is first affected by the war? The main character was just 12 years old when he was first affected by war.

3. What kind of music where the boys fascinated with? (Quotes from the book) As stated from the book , " The four of us sat there mesmerized by the song, trying to understand what the black fellows were saying" the four boys were fascinated with rap and hip hop songs.

4. Where were they going and why? Four of the boys walked sixteen miles to Mattru Jong I guess for a dance competition.

5. What did they bring on their trip? Describe what they were wearing. The four boys had brought notebooks with lyrics that they were still working on, and they also brought cassettes of rap albums. The boys wore baggy jeans, and underneath their jeans they wore soccer shorts, and sweatpants which was used for dancing. They wore long sleeved shirts, and underneath their long sleeved shirt was sleeveless undershirts, T shirts, and soccer jerseys. They wore three pairs of socks that were pulled down and folded to make their crapes look puffy.

6. What was the prank the narrator pulled when they were swimming in the river? The narrator got out the water first and took Junior and Talloi's clothes, and ran across the bridge.

7. What impression do you get from the description of his grandparents? My impression that I get from the description of his grandparents was that they were probably known in their village where they live at.

8. When they arrived at Mattru Jong, whose house did they stay at? Describe. When the four boys arrived at Mattru Jong they stayed at the verandah room of Khalilou's house.

9. What did they hear was happening at home? The boys heard that the rebels had attacked Mogbwemo.

10. Where did they go to wait for news about the main character’s family? What did they decide to do next? The boys went to the wharf to wait for news about the main character's family. Then they decided to go back home to see if they can find their families.

11. Describe the living situation between the main characters family. The main character's family was facing financial problems therefore she couldn't send the main character's brothers back to school.

12. What was a warning they received? As they were walking, they had encountered a woman carrying her flip flops on her head, without looking at the boys she said, "Too much blood has been spilled where are you going. Even the good spirits have fled from that place.

13. What happened as they waited back at his grandmother’s village? They heard people arriving xback from the mining area. They heard their whispers, the cries of little children seeking their lost parents and tired of walking, and the wails of hungry babies.

14.Why did they decide to go back to Mattru Jong instead of staying at the grandmother’s village or going home? The boys decided to go back to Mattru Jong, because they had seen that Mogbwemo was no longer a place they could call home.

15. What were some new regulations in Mattru Jong? They would go to the wharf for new from home.

16. What conclusions did the boys come up with abut the war? The war was just a passing phase that wouldn't last over three months.

17. In your own words describe what the old man meant by “ we must strive to be like the moon’. The man meant that people should always be on their best behaviors, and to be good to others.