Freshman Summer Reading
Book List and Review Questions
Directions
The summer reading for freshmen is as follows:
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CP English Literature A Separate Peace by John Knowles
Honors English Literature Lord of the Flies, A Separate Peace and Fahrenheit 451
After reading the assigned summer reading novel, answer the following questions in complete
sentences, on a separate sheet of paper. These questions will be due the first week of school!
CP and HP English Literature
RUBRIC
1.
2.
3.
A GOOD ANSWER SHOWS YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED.
A VERY GOOD ANSWER SHOWS YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED AND HOW IT IS SIMILAR OR
DIFFERENT FROM OTHER IMPORTANT EVENTS AND REFLECTS WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE
CHARACTERS AND THEIR MOTIVATIONS.
AN EXCELLENT ANSWER SHOWS THAT YOU HAVE AN INTERPRETATION OF WHAT THE AUTHOR IS
TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH OVERALL, THEMATICALLY.
ANSWER IN COMPLETE SENTENCES TYPED OR IN PEN ON A SEPARATE SHEET OF
PAPER.
A Separate Peace, by John Knowles
Questions:
1. Give three examples of Finny’s luring Gene into breaking the rules.
2. Explain the “Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session.”
3. Describe the events leading to Finny’s accident at the tree.
4. What are Gene’s and Finny’s attitudes toward school authority and rules?
5. What qualities does each boy have that explain why he is the leader or the follower?
6. How does Finny’s injury affect Gene’s plans for participating in sports?
7. How does the war affect the life at Devon?
8. What is Finny’s theory about the war and how is it typical of his way of thinking?
9. After Finny’s accident, Gene’s purpose was “to become a part of Phineas.” What does he mean?
Does he accomplish this?
10. Why does Gene decide to tell Finny the truth and then feel sorry about doing so?
11. Why does Finny give up his theory about there being no war? Be specific.
12. What is Brinker investigating and who are the witnesses?
13. What happens to Finny after his fall down the staircase?
14. How has Gene changed during the novel?
15. Interpret the last line of the novel.
16. Discuss the meaning of the title A Separate Peace. Why is it a suitable title for the novel?
HONORS ENGLISH LITERATURE
A Separate Peace, by John Knowles (COMPLETE questions above)
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding
Chapter One:
1. What is the importance of the conch in the opening of the story?
2. How is Piggy excluded from the group? How does this help the group?
3. How does Ralph try to win Jack’s friendship?
Chapters Two and Three:
1. Since they lack of matches, how do the boys start a fire?
2. Which of the “littluns” is missing? Who notices that he is not in the group?
3. Compare and contrast the descriptions of Jack and Simon in the jungle. What can be inferred about their
personalities?
Chapter Four:
1. What does Piggy suggest that the boys could make with the materials available on the island?
2. From the time he sees the first pig to the time he helps kill the mother pig, how does Jack change?
Chapters Five and Six:
1. What ability of Piggy’s does Ralph come to admire?
2. What caused the parachutist to bail out over the island?
3. Why is it unwise for Ralph to discuss the beast at an evening assembly?
4. What message from the world of grown-ups does the figure of the dead parachutist represent?
Chapters Seven and Eight:
1. What books from his boyhood does Ralph recall as he thinks about home?
2. How do Sam, Eric and Bill respond to Jack’s invitation to come to a feast?
3. Why does the narrator say that Ralph would never be a good chess player?
4. Why does Simon want to climb the mountain?
Chapters Nine and Ten:
1. Where does Simon go when he wakes from sleep?
2. As Piggy and Ralph discuss the events of the night before, what does Ralph say he is frightened of?
3. What change can be seen in Piggy when he angrily fights Ralph in the water?
4. What motivated Jack to punish Wilfred?
Chapters Eleven and Twelve:
1. What name did Ralph call Jack that infuriated Jack so?
2. What did Ralph find when he hid in the thicket?
3. Why did Ralph and his group feel threatened by their suspicion that Jack’s tribe would be painted?
4. Why was Percival Wemys Madison unable to tell the other officer his name and address?
5. Do you think the events of the novel could actually take place? Why or why not?
Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
Questions:
1. Give a brief description of each of the following characters from the novel: Montag, Claise, Millie, Beatty,
Professor Farber, and the mechanical hound.
2. List three conflicts throughout the novel that arise when people are caught reading books. What is the fate of
each person reading a book in each instance? Be specific.
3. After Montage encounters Beatty, briefly summarize the situation with the mechanical hound.
4. Describe the hobo camp. Who lives there and how do they assure that books will live on forever? Be specific in
mentioning authors and titles.