A Long Walk to Water Theme Inferences Evidence

On pages 59 and 60, which piece of evidence below proves that Uncle thinks Salva's family is probably dead?

• "Uncle stood quietly and said nothing more."

• "'Salva, few people survived the attack on the village.'"

• "Salva shook his head, unable to imagine what life would be like in the camp without uncle."

On page 61, which evidence best shows that Salva was extremely hungry?

• "The water was unfit to drink, but a dead stork lay by the pond's edge."

• "Immediately, the group began to make preparations to cook and eat the bird."

• "As the bird roasted, Salva could hardly keep his eyes off it. There would only be enough for a bite or two but Salva could hardly wait."

On page 65, which piece of evidence shows that Salva grows and becomes stronger after his Uncle's death?

• "Salva was amazed to find himself walking faster and more boldly than he had before."

• "Beneath his terrible sadness, he felt stronger."

• "Now that Salva was without Uncle's care and protection, the group's attitude toward him changed."

On page 67, Salva and others at the refugee camp are ordered to leave the camp. Linda Sue Park writes that Salva "was swept along by the crowd of thousands of people running and screaming" and "it was as if the people ceased to be people and instead became an enormous herd of panicked, stampeding two-legged creatures." From this you can assume that ...

• Salva feels good about leaving the camp since he has been stuck there for six years.

• Salva is probably panicking because it is so chaotic after the orders were given to leave the camp.

• Salva feels angry that he was suddenly getting kicked out of the camp without warning.

One of the themes of "A Long Walk to Water" is that you should never give up. Which quote below shows that theme?

• "How can I go on without them? But how can I not go on?... I need only to get through the rest of this day and no other" (Park 72-73).

• "He felt as though he were standing on the edge of a giant hole - a hole filled with the black despair of nothingness...I am alone now. I am all that is left of my family" (Park 72).

• "As the days went by, the uneasiness grew into fear. Salva was almost seventeen years old now - a young man" (Park 73).

One of the themes of "A Long Walk to Water" is that you should be patient. Which quote below shows that theme?

• "The water...seeped in so slowly that it took a long time to collect even a few gourdsful. Nya would crouch by the hole, waiting. Waiting for water. Here, for hours at a time. And every day for five long months" (Park 27).

• "Nya put the container down and sat on the ground. She always tried not to step on the spiky plants that grew along the path, but their thorns littered the ground everywhere" (Park 8).

• "Nya was still making the two daily trips to the pond. Each time she returned, she could see that slowly but surely the patch of cleared earth was growing larger" (Park 64).

Which of the quotes below shows that Nya is confused by the strangers who came to their land to find water?

• "Nya shook her head. What were they talking about? She knew that place like the back of her own hand...There wasn't a single drop of water on that spot, unless it was raining!" (Park 57-58).

• "The earth was dry and rock-hard. Nya felt puzzled and doubtful: How could there be water in such a place?" (Park 64).

• "As the jeep drove up, most of the children ran to meet it. Shy about meeting strangers, Nya hung back" (Park 51).

Which quote below shows that the refugees in Salva's group respected uncle?

• "He knows it will be hard for me, Salva realized. He does not want to leave me there, but he has to go back and fight for our people" (Park 60).

• "Now that Salva was without Uncle's care and protection, the group's attitude toward him changed. Once again, they grumbled that he was too young and small, that he might slow them down or start crying again, as he had in the desert" (Park 66).

• "They buried Uncle in a hole about two feet deep, a hole that had already been made by some kind of animal. Out of respect for him, the group walked no more that day but took time to mourn the man who had been their leader" (Park 65).

Pick the sentence that best describes the difference between Salva's and Nya's lives?

• Nya lives a comfortable life getting water with her family while Salva lives a sad life where he has to walk for days in the desert and has little food and water.

• At the beginning of the book, Nya is part of the Nuer tribe, but Salva is part of the Dinka tribe, and they are always fighting. Nya goes out every day to get water from the pond while Salva takes care of cattle.

• Both Nya and Salva lead difficult lives. Nya has to walk for hours every day for several months to get water and has to deal with heat and thorns. Salva has to walk for hours in the desert to flee from the war and must deal with death and a missing family.

What is a theme or life lesson of A Long Walk to Water?

• You should not give up even when you encounter hardship. Instead, take life one step at a time.

• South Sudan has no water.

• The Nile River is the mother of life in Sudan.