Scar Island

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-book review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. Which of the following is NOT an example of how, in the early chapters of the book (Chapters 1-5, specifically), the author foreshadows the important role that nature, the weather, and the sea will play in the story?

A) Cyrus notes that the sea has been eating away at the island and has already swallowed a beach and a pier.

B) The weather is cloudy, rainy, and moody when the boys gather in the courtyard for the Morning Muster.

C) Cyrus predicts the sea will “have it all” before she’s through.

D) Mr. Warwick believes that, in a few months, a storm will wreak havoc on the left wing of Slabhenge, a vision that came to him in a dream.

2. As Colin drags the body of the Admiral away, an object falls out of the Admiral’s pocket. What is it?

A) A compass

B) A key

C) A coin

D) A rosary

3. Why does Sebastian declare himself in charge now that the adults are all dead?

A) Because he has been on the island the longest and is also the oldest

B) Because he is the strongest of all the boys

C) Because he is the smartest of anyone on the island, which an IQ test has proved

D) Because he has experience in leading groups of boys in his Boy Scout troop

4. When Sebastian decides to deploy the Sinner’s Sorrow as a punishment on certain boys, which of the following best describes what this implies about his character?

A) It proves that he is the only one who can reform the boys, not Jonathan.

B) It shows that, like the Admiral, Sebastian is also an authoritarian figure.

C) It demonstrates that he loves his fellow inmates at Slabhenge, even if it’s a “tough” kind of love.

D) It proves that Sebastian is shrewd and that he can see that there are boys who are beyond reform and deserve punishment in a way that the majority of boys at Slabhenge do not.

5. The librarian, who cannot recall his legal name, suggests that Jonathan call him by the name of his pet rat. What is the pet rat’s name?

A) Smiley

B) Cleave

C) Ninety-Nine

D) Eighty-Eight

6. The storm forces a truce between Sebastian and Jonathan, who struggle to be the leader of the Slabhenge boys. Which of the following events demonstrates the truce?

A) Dripping with sweat and rain, Sebastian and Jonathan shake hands.

B) Sebastian offers a bandage to Jonathan, who is bleeding from a wound in his leg.

C) Sebastian gives Jonathan a lantern to aid Jonathan’s quest to save Colin.

D) Sebastian and Jonathan cry out simultaneously, each of them shouting for mercy.

7. Where is Jonathan when he hears the windows blown out of the dining room from the growing storm?

A) The kitchen

B) His bedroom

C)  The lighthouse

D) The furnace room

8. In the climactic scene of Chapter 27, Jonathan strikes multiple matches to light his candle. How many matches does he use?

A) Two

B) Three

C) Seven

D) Four

9. Why does the librarian insist upon staying at Slabhenge, even when the hurricane threatens to decimate the island?

A) Because he does not want to abandon his beloved pet rat

B) Because he needs to find his favorite book before he leaves

C) Because he is ready to die

D) Because he refuses to leave his precious books behind

10. In the novel’s final scene, what do the boys burn to set the lighthouse ablaze?

A) Their clothes

B) Their juvenile crime files

C) The Admiral’s books

D) A can of gasoline

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1) In Chapter 9, what authoritarian tendencies does Sebastian exhibit in the wake of the adults being struck by lightning? Cite at least two examples.

2) Why does the librarian feel more comfortable talking about the past?