“The Outcasts of Poker Flat”
Study Questions
Recall
1.
What has the secret committee of Poker Flat decided to do? Why? How is this
decision carried out?
2.
What happens on the second day in camp?
3.
What happens to Mother Shipton? Why? What actions does Mr. Oakhurst take in
the last part of the story?
4.
When the people from Poker Flat arrive at the camp what do they find?
Interpret
1.
What can you infer about Mr. Oakhurst’s character, based on the way he treats
Tom and Piney?
2.
What do you think the narrator means when he says that Oakhurst is “at once the
strongest and yet the weakest of the outcasts”?
3.
What message or lesson does this story convey?
Evaluate and Connect
1.
Which story character or characters do you admire the most? The least? Give
reasons.
2.
Do you think the secret committee of Poker is justified in acting as it does? Why
or why not?
3.
Do you believe that people are sometimes capable of acting in a completely
unselfish way-even sacrificing themselves for the good of others? Explain.