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The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

Total questions: 35

Worksheet time: 2hrs 45mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

What epidemic outbreak affected the Wimbe district?

a)

COVID

b)

Cholera

c)

Chlorine

d)

Ebola

2.

What did the people in Malawi put in their water to help prevent sickness?

a)

Antibiotics

b)

Salt

c)

Iodine

d)

Chlorine

3.

What signifies twenty days for William and his family?

a)

Twenty days until crops are ready for harvest time

b)

Twenty days until sprouts come out

c)

Twenty days until rations from the government are distributed

d)

Twenty days until they eat again

4.

Which of the following best explains why the author spends so much time in the library?

a)

A. He and Gilbert go just because they enjoy pestering Mrs. Sikelo.

b)

B. He enjoys reading and needs extra time to sort through the disorganized books.

c)

C. It is the only public place in his region of Malawi that has adequate lighting and heating.

d)

D. He has hopes of one day arranging all the books in the library alphabetically.

5.

How did William educate himself while he was a 'dropout'?

a)

he listened to science radio

b)

he read books from the library at Wimbe Primary School

c)

he watched PBS on the community television

d)

his uncle tutored him in Physics

6.

Why does William want to create a windmill?

a)

so he can open his own horse racing business

b)

because he loves birds

c)

to become famous in America

d)

to provide power and freedom to his people.

7.

What did William and Geoffrey search for as an integral part of their creation?

a)

a doctor's mask; they needed porous paper

b)

a woman's shoe; they needed rubber

c)

a plastic water bottle from America; they needed a certain type of plastic

d)

a scalpel, they needed a tiny blade

8.

After William is forced to drop out of school, who does William's father consider a failure?

a)

William

b)

William's mother

c)

himself

d)

Chief Wimbe

9.

Who is the biggest supporter of William?

a)

his sister

b)

his mother

c)

his father

d)

his teacher

10.
"The machine groaned against the breeze, as if begging me to release it."  What type of figurative language is found in the sentence above.  
a)
simile
b)
personification
c)
simile and personification
d)
neither
11.
William's language, Chichewa, doesn't have a word for windmill.  Instead, he used the phrase "magesti a mphepo," which means what?
a)
electric wind
b)
milling the wind
c)
wind harness
12.
What caused the beam in William's room to break?
a)
a storm
b)
termites
c)
poor construction
d)
ants
13.
The bike chain kept on coming off the windmill, causing William to have to climb up and put it back on, sometimes resulting injury. What does Geoffrey suggest he use instead of a chain? 
a)
A rubber belt.
b)
A thick wire.
c)
A strong strip of fabric. 
14.
During the impending famine of 2006, the people of Malawi blaming the weather, they blamed______.
a)
each other
b)
the government
c)
magic
15.

What had William forgotten when he started putting the windmill together

a)

screws

b)

washers

c)

nuts

d)

bolts

16.

What happened to the radio

a)

It received too much current and started smoking

b)

It started playing music and William started dancing

c)

It was used to set up a new radio station

d)

It was used as a transmitter for the windmill

17.

What did some of the people call William because of his plan?

a)

stupid

b)

sick

c)

misala

d)

mphepo

18.

"Ths was Michael Faraday, who invented the first ________________________ in 1831. Cheers to that guy I thought.

a)

transmitter

b)

transformer

c)

transmission

d)

transfusion

19.

What was the name of the welder in town?

a)

Mr. Tembo

b)

Mr. Phiri

c)

Mr. Godsten

d)

Mr. Chipumba

20.
What was one way William used the windmill until he could find a car battery?
a)
turning on a microwave
b)
operating a fan
c)
charging mobile phones
21.

What was the opportunity that William was given at Wimble Primary?

a)

He was offered a teaching position

b)

He was given a donation to make more windmills

c)

He was asked to start a science club

22.

"I connected the wires, and music blasted through the schoolyard, a small riot erupted from all of the excitement." p. 243


What does the word, riot mean here?

a)

an uproar in the crowd

b)

a violent disturbance

c)

An impressive display of colors

d)

a highly amusing person

23.

"Where others see garbage, I see opportunity."


What does William mean when he says this?

a)

People should recycle.

b)

He knew everyday materials could be used to make things that were useful and could benefit their situation.

c)

He knew nothing could be done to benefit their situation.

d)

Collecting garbage is a job opportunity.

24.

Which statement best summarizes the purpose of the TED Global Conference

a)

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design and it is a global conference that is held yearly for scientists.

b)

It is a global conference for scientists and innovators.

c)

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design, and the conference is a meeting that is held yearly for scientists and innovators to get together and share their ideas.

d)

"I wasn't entirely sure what a conference was, or what people did at such things."

25.

William is traveling by plane for the first time at the end of chapter 14. Where is he headed?

a)

The Ministry of Education in Madisi

b)

to stay in a fancy hotel in Kasungu

c)

back home to Malawi

d)

the TED Global Conference in Arusha, Tanzania

26.

What country in Africa does the story take place?

a)

Zambia

b)

Tanzania

c)

Malawi

d)

Zimbabwe

27.
What book changed William's life?
a)
Using Energy
b)
Malawi Junior Integrated Science
c)
Explaining Physics
28.

CHAPTER 15: What impressed William the most at the TED conference?

a)
b)
c)
d)
29.

CHAPTER 15: What did William see for the first time in America?

a)

windmills

b)

television

c)

giraffes, hippos & elephants

d)

coffee

30.

flat rings used with a nut and bolt

a)

hail

b)

ghastly

c)

welded

d)

washers

31.

Tight; tense

a)

level

b)

spewed

c)

abounded

d)

taut

32.

joined metal by using heat and melting the materials together

a)

welded

b)

spewed

c)

abounded

d)

washers

33.

Shot out, expelled, erupted

a)

ghastly

b)

spewed

c)

ailment

d)

abounded

34.

What is a vat?

a)

badly damaged

b)

a large barrel or tub

c)

flat, even

d)

come from

35.

Having no mercy; cruel

a)

Ruthless

b)

Welded

c)

Spewed

d)

Ghastly