Smoke Signals Viewing Questions
LA 11/12 Writing
Term 2
Directions:
For each RIGHT THERE question, draw a picture that represents your answer.
Choose 10 STOP and THINK questions to answer in a complete sentence.
Choose 5 STORY & YOU questions to answer in a PARAGRAPH each.
Right There
You can find the answer RIGHT THERE. So easy. You can
pause the movie, etc. and see the answer.
1. How did Thomas’s parents die?
2. Who saved Thomas from the fire?
3. What happened to Arnold Joseph?
4. How will Victor get to Arizona?
5. What did Thomas have to do to get a ride?
6. Why is Victor going to Arizona?
7. Why doesn’t the car drive forward?
8. Why did Victor get hit on his head by his
father?
9. Why did Arnold Joseph cut his hair in 1976?
10. What three things does Victor tell Thomas he
has to do to be “a real Indian”?
11. What was the worst thing Suzy did?
12. Why was Thomas so worried about Victor’s
dad?
13. What happened when Victor and Thomas went
back to sit on the bus?
14. Why do Victor and Thomas move spots on the
bus?
15. Who are they singing about on the bus?
16. Who was Jim Thorpe?
17. How did the fire in 1976 start?
18. What was their plans for the ashes?
19. Why does Suzy burn Arnold’s trailer?
Stop and Think
You have to kind of put different pieces of the story together to
get the answer. Sometimes these are WHY questions.
1. What does it mean that Arnold Joseph “practiced
vanishing” ???
2. Why would the guys playing basketball be making fun
of General Custer and Geronimo?
3. Why would Thomas want to go with Victor to Arizona?
4. Why does Thomas keep pushing Victor about his dad?
5. What does Victor hope to find by going to Phoenix, AZ?
6. Why does Thomas keep telling stories about Victor’s
father?
7. Why does Victor’s mom listen to other people (when it
comes to her fry bread?)
8. Why would the girls ask the guys if they had their
passports?
9. Why did Arnold Joseph leave his family?
10. Why was Victor throwing beer bottles at the truck?
11. Why was Victor mean to the girl on the bus? Why was
Thomas nice?
12. Why does Victor beat up Thomas right
13. Why did Arnold ask Suzy about what was the worst
thing she ever did?
14. Why was Victor hesitant about going into Suzy’s house?
15. Why does Thomas talk so much?
16. Why was Arnold Joseph cremated?
17. Why is Thomas always talking about Victor’s dad?
18. How should Victor feel about his dad’s death?
19. Why didn’t the white people move on the bus?
20. Why did Victor cut his hair with his dad’s pocketknife?
21. Why doesn’t Victor want to go into his dad’s trailer?
22. How come Victor never tells stories?
23. Why did Victor see his dad when he was done running?
24. Why did the guy say it was Victor’s fault in the crash?
25. Why does Thomas ask Victor if he knew why his dad
really left?
26. How does guilt play out in the story?
27. How does forgiveness play out in the story?
28. Why was Victor so hostile at the Sherriff’s office after
the wreck?
29. What did Thomas mean when he told Victor he thought
they were in two wrecks that night?
30. Why was it so difficult for Victor to forgive his dad?
31. Why does Victor give some of his ashes to Thomas?
Story and You
A question that connects you/your life to some part of
the story.
1.
Have you ever been to a party that went
horribly wrong?
2. Have you ever known someone who died and
you couldn’t get to the funeral?
3. Have you ever had someone in your life who
“vanished” like Arnold Joseph did to his family?
4. Have you ever known someone who had to live
with abuse at the hands of their own family?
5. Victor says, “People are horrible. You can’t
trust em, rob you blind.” Do you agree?
Why/why not?
6. Do you know someone that has been
cremated?
7. Do you know anyone who has done something
really bad?
8. Have you ever had something stolen from you
at an event?
9. What is the most evil thing you have done?
10. What do you think you could never forgive?
11. What’s something you regret? Is it big enough
to make you want to run away or not go
home?
Out in the World
A question that takes a topic from the story and connects it to
the real world. Doesn’t necessarily have any answer connected
to the story.
1. How does alcoholism impact the rest of the alcoholic’s
family?
2. How does abandonment by a parent impact a child?
3. How can one drunken night have a lifetime of
consequences?
4. How is it possible to love someone and hate someone
at the same time?
Staple all your answers to this directions sheet and turn in to instructor by the end of the hour.