House of the
Scorpion Chapter
Review
Questions
8th Grade Language Arts
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What is the setting of this chapter?
What is Eduardo trying to do?
How old are the frozen cells?
How many of the cells survived the process?
What happens to most clones? Why didn’t it happen to
this clone?
Chapter 1
• What do you think “mi vida” means?
• Why is it significant that Celia calls Matt this?
• Besides Celia, what is Matt’s only connection to the
outside world?
• What did Matt see & hear outside the house one day
when Celia was at work?
• What was his reaction?
• What didn’t Celia want Matt to call her? Why?
• Why did Matt have trouble understanding the word
“loaned.”?
Chapter 2
• Why couldn’t Matt go outside to visit with the children?
• What motivated Matt to break the window? What
happened to him?
• Where did the children take Matt?
• What was discovered on Matt’s foot?
• How did Steven’s father react to Matt being brought to
the house?
Chapter 3
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How do the children describe clones?
Where is Matt taken?
How does Rosa treat Matt?
How is Maria different than the others?
What does she do for Matt?
Why do you think Celia told Matt stories about
chupacabras and other monsters?
• Why does Maria stay with Matt? What are the
consequences of this decision?
Chapter 4
• What steps did Rosa take to make Matt’s life miserable in
his prison?
• Who’s Tom? How did Matt and Tom’s first meeting go?
• Who finally brings Celia to see Matt?
• What was Celia’s plan to free Matt?
Chapter 5
• What was Rosa’s warning to Matt? For whom was Matt
cleaned up to meet?
• What is discovered when Matt takes off his shirt?
• What does El Patron decide to call Matt? Why?
• What is the relationship between Matt and El Patron?
• Where was Celia now living?
• How long was Matt in prison?
• What is the reaction of everyone to Matt? El Patron?
• Who is most important to El Patron? What is the significance
of this? What are the consequences?
• Who did Matt choose as a bodyguard? Why?
Chapter 6
• What was a “little off” about Tom?
• Why did the doctor visit more? What power did it give to
Matt?
• Why is Maria leaving?
• What is Matt and Maria’s relationship like?
• What made Matt finally talk? Why?
Chapter 7
• What are the farm workers like? What controls them?
• Why won’t the horse leave the farm?
• Where was their picnic? Why did Tam Lin keep this place
a secret?
• What was the purpose of the picnic?
• What is an “eejit?”
• What will be done about Matt’s education?
Chapter 8
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What did Matt dream?
Who is Felicia?
What did Matt witness in the Secret passage?
What did the Doctor give to Felicia?
What talent did Matt discover he had?
What motivated Matt to learn?
Chapter 9
• How old is El Patron? What question did he repeatedly
ask his last visit?
• What instructions does Celia give Matt?
• What was Matt’s plan? Why did he pick this time?
• Who is Mr. Ortega?
• What did El Patron’s birthday mean for Matt?
• Who is Mr. MacGregor?
• How has El Patron’s health changed?
Chapter 10
• Who is El Viejo?
• By moving the place cards, what is Matt showing? How
does Maria react?
• What are the implants? Why did El Viejo decide against
using them? Why is this a dangerous decision for him?
• Why did El Patron value gifts?
• What did the Farmers give as gifts?
• How has Maria and Matt’s relationship changed? Why?
What is El Patron’s reaction to this?
Chapter 11
• Whose clone was in the room?
• What do you think was Tom’s motivation for bringing
Maria and Matt to the hospital room?
Chapter 12
• An earlier line from the book was repeated by Matt:
“Clones go to pieces when they get older.” What do you
now think this statement means?
• Why did Felicia run off with Mr. MacGregor? Why was
she brought back? Who is Felicia’s son?
• What is wrong with Mr. MacGregor’s clone? Why did
Matt not suffer the same fate?
Chapter 13
• Why was Matt so upset by Tam Lin’s departure?
• What happened to Tom? Why?
• How did Celia come to work for El Patron?
Chapter 14
• Why can’t Matt send Maria a letter?
• What has happened to Rosa? What was Matt’s reaction to
seeing Rosa?
• What did Matt find at the canyon? Why do you think Tam
Lin left these things for Matt?
• Who has died? What was the reaction to Matt at the
service?
• What was Matt’s reaction to MacGregor entering the
service? What about him has changed?
Chapter 15
• Why did Maria forgive Matt?
• What did Matt think about faults?
• What religious predicament, according to Maria, does
Matt find himself in? Her answer?
• How did Tom and Felicia describe El Viejo’s corpse?
Why?
• What does Felicia say that startles Maria? Matt?
• How is El Patron going to help Matt and Maria?
Chapter 16
• Why do you think Maria gave Matt the book about St. Francis?
Matt’s thoughts?
• What was contained in a “History of Opium?” How was this different
than what Matt expected?
• What was the structure of Opium? Most powerful families and land?
• How was Matteo Alcaran (El Patron) described by the book?
• Why did Matt begin studying how the empire worked?
• Who rescued Matt from drowning? What were they part of? How did
Matt talk to them?
• Why do eejits sleep in the field some nights?
• Why brought Hugh, Ralf and Wee Willie to Opium?
• How is Tam Lin described? What did he do?
Chapter 17
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Where are Celia and Matt rushing to? Why?
What is done to Matt upon entering the hospital?
What “strange” activity was Tam Lin doing?
Who would provide El Patron with a “donor heart?”
What questions did Matt want to ask Tam Lin?
How old is El Patron now?
What is meant by “In the end they’re only rocks” (p. 183)?
What is El Patron’s reaction to Matt describing St. Francis’
perspective on giving to the poor (p. 183-184)?
• What is a “Dragon Hoard?” Why did
• Tam Lin tell the story?
Chapter 18
• What happened to Matt when singing? What does this signify?
• Why does Tam Lin want to tell Matt the truth despite the
watching cameras?
• What does Tam Lin say about how they’re treated?
• How many eejits have died in 100 years?
• What did Matt begin to realize about the role of clones?
• Why is it ironic that El Patron refers to Matt as Mi Vida?
• Why did Matt feel he was different?
• What did Matt have to “look in the eye?”
• How old is Matt now?
Chapter 19
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Why did Matt further study Tam Lin’s books and Maps?
Why did El Patron come up with idea of Eejits?
What happened to dead Eejits?
How did they lose their humanity?
Who wrote the book? What was the author’s relationship
to Maria?
• What did Matt plan to do with his new knowledge?
Chapter 20
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Who is getting married? Why did El Patron want this?
Why wasn’t Matt going to the Oasis?
Where did Matt and Maria meet?
What does Maria think about Matt’s soul?
Who is Maria engaged to? Who decided this?
How was Maria different from the others at the wedding?
What happened at the end of the wedding?
Chapter 21
• Why do you think El Patron told so many stories to Matt
about the afterlife?
• What is Maria’s plan?
• What does El Patron need to survive?
• What did the red light show? What are the possible
dangers?
• Who betrayed Matt and Maria?
• What are all clones considered?
Chapter 22
• What is Matt being tested by Willem and the other doctors for?
• Why was Matt allowed to keep his intelligence?
• What is implied by El Patron’s story and the quote “I am meant to have
those lives.” (p. 232-233).
• What is said of the economies of the USA and Aztlan? How have things
changed?
• Why does El Patron think Matt owes him continued life?
• Why has Celia poisoned Matt?
• Why would the technician want a snip of Matt’s hair?
• How did Matt react to El Patron’s death? How is the news given to him?
Is his reaction surprising?
• What is Mr. Alcaran’s order to Tam Lin? How many other clones were
there?
• How has Tam Lin changed? What will happen to Celia? Why?
Chapter 23
• What was Tam Lin’s real plan?
• What was Tam Lin’s perspective on the bombing? Working for
El Patron?
• What did Celia show Tam Lin?
• What does Tam Lin mean when saying he can’t escape the
“moral consequences?” What does he intend to do?
• What is the “filthy lie” about clones?
• What is meant by “El Patron kept Opium frozen one hundred
years in the past?” (p. 245).
• Where does Tam Lin tell Matt to head to first when he gets to
Aztlan?
Chapter 24
• Why does Matt weep for El Patron?
• What does Matt finally see across the border? His
reaction?
• How was Matt able to get across the border?
Chapter 25
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How was Matt welcomed in Aztlan?
What is Matt’s cover story?
Why was Matt asked about skills?
Is Matt familiar with the new technology available? Why or
why not?
• What does “The orderly production of resources is vital to the
general good of the people” (p. 264), “Its hard, but fair” and
“Attention to the welfare of the nation is the highest virtue to
which a citizen can aspire” (p. 265) tell you about the priorities
of the country of Aztlan?
• Why did the boys have to be locked in?
• What is a keeper?
Chapter 26
• Who were the Lost Boys and Lost Girls?
• What was Opium called at the work camps? What was
known about it?
• What did the boys have to recite before eating?
• What did Matt not want the other boys to see?
Chapter 27
• Why was Matt’s work quota double the other boys?
• What happened at age 18?
• What is the symbolism of the emblem of a beehive on the
keepers’ uniforms?
• What is Plankton? Why are they harvesting it? What
will prevent escape?
• What happened to the Colorado River and Gulf of
California?
• Why were the boys denied dinner?
Chapter 28
• Why is Matt called “the aristocrat?”
• Who is Ton-Ton? What happened to him? Why?
Chapter 29
• Why was Matt targeted with accusations each night?
• What comparison was made to El Patron?
• What did Fidelito do out of fear of what would happen to
Matt?
• What did Matt take at the infirmary?
Chapter 30
• Why didn’t Matt want the Landarum?
• What happened every night? What was the significance
of this event to Matt?
• What happened to Matt’s skin?
• What is Matt’s escape plan?
• Why was “friendship a pain” for Matt?
• Matt finally admits who is his mother?
• Who does he see as his father figure?
Chapter 31
• Why is Fidelito punished by Jorge in particular?
• What was Flaco’s “implied threat” (p. 320-321).
• What was found out about Matt? What was the impact on
the other boys?
• Where were Matt and Chacho taken?
Chapter 32
• Why was the tape on Matt’s mouth removed?
• How does Matt describe Tam Lin?
Chapter 33
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Who arrived to help the boys? With what?
How was Chacho removed from the bone pit?
What happened to the keepers?
Where is Flaco going? Why?
What did Matt say to Ton-Ton to try to console him?
Where are Matt and Fidelito going?
Chapter 34
• Who came to help Matt and Chacho?
• What day was being celebrated? Purpose?
• How would the boys go undetected?
Chapter 35
• Who was waiting for Matt and Fidelito at the hospital?
• What happened to the keepers?
Chapter 36
• How have things changed in Opium?
• What does Esperanza’s view of international law mean
for Matt? What is Matt to do?
• What was the extent of the suffering El Patron had
caused?
• What was Matt’s job?
• Who greeted Matt in the music room?
Chapter 37
• What happened to all of the Alcarans and most of the
bodyguards, including Tam Lin?
• How did Daft Donald survive?
• Why did Tam Lin not warn anyone else?
• Tam Lin knew what would happen to him by drinking the
toast to El Patron.
• Why do you suppose he drank anyway?
Chapter 38