By Katherine Paterson

Literature Study Guide Name: _______________________________

Pg. 1-6

1. What is Gilly’s full name? ____________________________________________________

2. What does salvage mean? _____________________________________________________

3. Describe Maime Trotter: ______________________________________________________

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4. Why did Gilly clean? _________________________________________________________

5. Why do you think Gilly wanted to be "in charge?" _________________________________

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1. What is a bureau? ___________________________________________________________

2. Who is Courtney Hopkins? ___________________________________________________

3. Who comes to supper? Describe him: ___________________________________________

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4. Why didn’t Gilly like him? ____________________________________________________

5. What does delinquency mean? ________________________________________________

1. Write a synonym for vigorously. _______________________________________________

2. Why does Gilly get so upset before dinner? _______________________________________

3. What disturbed Gilly about Mrs. Harris? __________________________________________

4. Why do you think she told the teacher she wanted to be called Gilly? ____________________

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5. What happened out on the playground? ___________________________________________

1. Who follows Gilly home? ______________________________________________________

2. What was Gilly’s first idea when she found her mom’s address? ________________________

3. Why wouldn’t Mr. Randolph care if a light bulb was burned out at his house? ______________

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4. What fell out from behind "Sarsparilla to Sorcery?" _________________________________

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5. What did Gilly read to them after dinner? __________________________________________

6. How was Gilly going to get the money to go to San Francisco? _________________________

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7. What does justify mean? ______________________________________________________

1. What does benign mean? ______________________________________________________

2. What did Gilly want to use W.E. for? _____________________________________________

3. What is a synonym for enthralled? _______________________________________________

4. What did Gilly and W.E. do on the front porch? ____________________________________

5. Why do you think Gilly was trying not to let Maime Trotter affect her? ___________________

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1. How was Gilly doing in school? _________________________________________________

2. Write a synonym for despised: _________________________________________________

3. Describe the "joke" that Gilly played on Ms. Harris: ________________________________

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4. What do you think Swahili is? _________________________________________________

5. What did Miss Harris say to Gilly? ______________________________________________

1. What does it mean what it says that if Gilly "stayed much longer, this place would mess her up?"

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2. What is a synonym for anxiety? ________________________________________________

3. What is a delinquent? _________________________________________________________

4. Who helped Gilly"clean out" Mr. Randolph’s place? _______________________________

5. How much money did she get? _________________________________________________

6. How much money did Agnes get?_______________________________________________

7. What was Gilly’s plan to get back in the house? ____________________________________

8. What does it mean to "take advantage" of someone? ________________________________

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9. What happened when Gilly looked for more money? ________________________________

10. Why do you think Gilly changed the word "love" at the end of her letter? ______________

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1. Why did Gilly think Trotter was a "religious fantatic?" Give two reasons: _______________

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2. What does steadfast mean? ___________________________________________________

3. Where / How did Gilly get the rest of the money? __________________________________

4. What did Gilly give to Mr. Ranolph? Describe it? __________________________________

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5. What two words dill W.E. say when Gilly was about to leave? ___________ ____________

6. What did the clerk at the bus station do? __________________________________________

1. What does deprived mean? ____________________________________________________

2. What did Gilly decide about who to stay with? _____________________________________

3. What was Gilly going to teach William Ernest? _____________________________________

4. What does tentatively mean? ___________________________________________________

1. What happened to Mr. Randolph, W.E., and Trotter? _________________________________

2. What is a pediatrician? ______________________________________________________

3. Who came to visit Gilly? ______________________________________________________

4. Why did the woman think Gilly was in "such a place?" _____________________________

5. What does fatigue mean? _____________________________________________________

1. What did Miss Ellis tell Gilly and her "family?" ___________________________________

2. Why do you think Gilly considered Trotter her "family" now? ________________________

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3. What does indefinitely mean? _________________________________________________

4. What does this phrase mean: "It’s out of my hands." _______________________________

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1. What does belligerently mean? ________________________________________________

2. What did Mr. Randolph give Gilly as a going away present? ___________________________

3. What did Troter say when Gilly told her they couldn’t make her go? ____________________

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4. Whose room does Gilly sleep in? Why? _________________________________________

1. Why was Gilly lying in her first letter? ___________________________________________

2. What book (or author) did the name Galadriel come from? ___________________________

3. Why did Gilly write to Miss Harris? ____________________________________________

4. What does gutsier mean? ____________________________________________________

5. How long was Courtney going to stay? __________________________________________

6. Why did Gilly think that she had "thrown away her whole life for a stinking lie?"

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7. What did Trotter tell Gilly about happy endings? ___________________________________

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