Little House on the Prairie/By the Shores of Silver Lake

from Little House on the Prairie

1. Preview: After reading the background box on page 99, the reader knows

• the names of all the characters in the story.
• the general time and place where the story happens, but not the exact setting of the story
• the exact time and place for the setting of the story.
• the specific dangers that the family will face during the story and how the family will deal with them.

from Little House on the Prairie

2. The main conflict (problem, challenge) that the Ingalls face in this story is announced in dialogue by which character? (pg. 100)

• Ma
• Laura
• Pa
• Baby Carrie

from Little House on the Prairie

3. In quickly preparing to protect the house, Pa "caught Bunny and tied her fast to the north corner of the house." What should we picture in our minds when reading this? (page 101)

• Pa tying a pet rabbit to the corner of the house
• Pa tying a pet rabbit to the corner of the house, going really fast
• Pa tying one of the family's horses tightly to the corner of the house so it can't run away
• Pa trying to convince one of the escaping bunnies to get to the corner of the house quickly

from Little House on the Prairie

4. What character traits does the Ingalls family show in their response to danger? (pages 102-103)

• teamwork and bravery
• arguing and working
• kindness and generosity
• fear and disappointment

from Little House on the Prairie

5. What protected the family's house from the prairie fire to provide the story's resolution (ending)?

• The wind blew the fire past the house, barely missing it.
• Pa dug a furrow around the house, and Ma used wet sacks to stop fire from crossing it.
• Laura and Ma dumped a tub of water on the fire.
• Jack howled. Pet, Patty, and Bunny did their part to fight the fire by jerking at the ropes.

from By the Shores of Silver Lake

6. The main problem, or conflict, of the story is

• that a raging prairie fire threatens the Ingalls' house.
• that the water is rising in Big Slough and may flood the Ingalls' house.
• that Grace has disappeared.
• that Laura finds herself out of breath.

from By the Shores of Silver Lake

7. How does the setting contribute to the plot of the story?

• The house is near a large, swampy area called Big Slough, which makes it possible for a small child to get lost in a dangerous place.
• The house is located in a wide meadow, which means farm animals will be a threat to the family.
• The house is close to the ocean, which puts young Grace in danger of drowning if no one is there to keep her out of the water.
• The house is located in a dark forest where children get easily lost, and many children have disappeared there.

from By the Shores of Silver Lake

8. Which of the following is a true statement about the events in the story?

• Ma and Pa went looking for Grace in a meadow, but Laura went looking for her in Big Slough.
• Ma told Laura to stay in the house and watch her little sister while Pa and Carrie went to look for Grace.
• Laura felt cold and sick inside the house, so she went outside to the meadow to recover in the fresh air.
• Ma and Pa went looking for Grace in Big Slough, but Laura went south into the open prairie to find her.

9. "There, in a great pool of blue, sat Grace." This sentence from paragraph 19 means

• Laura found Grace in a pool of water at Silver Lake, which is located close to the Ingalls' home.
• Laura found Grace in an area of the prairie covered with flowers that looked blue, like a pool.
• Laura found Grace in a tub of water that Ma had left on the prairie.
• Laura found Grace looking very sad, or blue, in the prairie.

from By the Shores of Silver Lake

10. "Slowly, together, they fought their way out of Big Slough and slowly came up to the shanty, draggled and muddy and very tired and thankful." Which two words in the final sentence of the story are most important in figuring out the theme, or message, of family unity?

• slowly, fought
• shanty, draggled
• together, thankful
• muddy, tired