Mrs. Davis - English Final Study guide- The Glass Castle

What does Rex give Jeanette as a going away present when she goes to New York?

His best knife

How does Jeanette first learn that her parents have moved to New York - without really knowing it?

She hears about a van breaking down on a highway and police were involved.

How does Jeanette's bullying by a group of girls at school finally come to an end?

She helps a boy who got attacked by a dog and carries him home, Dinitia saw this and stopped bullying her

What is the three year old doing when the section begins?

She is cooking hotdogs while standing on a chair

When the narrator meet her mother at a Chinese Restaurant, she asks her mother what he could do to help her, what is her mother's reply?

She wants money for an electrolysis treatment

When the narrator returns to her apartment after seeing the "woman on the street", how does she feel when she looks around her apartment and sees all her beautiful things? Why does she feel this way?

She was ashamed, because she saw her mom digging through the trash and was homeless

One day the children become angry at their mother when Brian yanks back the covers on her bed. What do they find?

She was hiding and eating chocolate while they were hungry

What did Jeanette try to do to fix up the house at 93 Little Hobart Street? How did it turn out? How did she feel about it?

Sheared to paint it yellow but couldn't finish, it then chipped off because it froze during the night

What is the funny term that Rex uses for Jeanette's nose after she falls out of the family car and injuries herself on the side of the road?

Snot-locker

What does Jeanette have to do one night when her dad come home after "getting in a fight with a mountain"?

Stitch his wound up

What is Oz? What happens to Oz? How does this effect Jeanette, Lori and Brian?

The Kid's piggy bank, Dad breaks it and steals money. They get angry.

Who is Mary Charlene?

The baby that died

What os the most inspiring scene in the book for you? Explain why.

The most inspiring scene for me was when Jeannette helps a young African American boy escape a dog attack. She carries him home and sees Dinitia watching her from across the street. After that, Dinitia begins to befriend Jeannette. Even though Jeanette could've left the boy she felt compassion towards him and brought him home. Dinitia even though she hated Jeanette and bullied her saw that she helped him and then befriended her.

What is the most memorable scene in the book for you? Explain why.

The most memorable scene in the book for me was when Jeanette saw her mom digging through a dumpster while Jeanette was all dressed up on her way to a party. Jeanette slid down in the taxi so her mom wouldn't see her and call out her name. She ended up asking the driver to take her home because she felt ashamed of her mom

When Lori says, "Now, no recriminations" to Brian, what does she mean? Explain.

"recrimination" means to charge in return; to countercharge She probably means that it is not helpful to lay blame since Rex is not there to defend himself and since it all happened so long ago.

Who is Ginger? What did Rex make Brian give to her?

A prostitute and Brian gives her his comic book

Who is the boy with the lop-sided head who wants to be Jeanette's boyfriend?

Billy Deal

What type of sandwich does Erma send for Jeanette's lunch on the first day of school in Welch?

Bread and mayonnaise

What celebrity does Jeanette get to interview for The Maroon Wave? What is Rex's reaction to this?

Chuck Yeager, he could hardly contain his excitement

What keeps Jeanette from explaining her position on homelessness when she is challenged by Professor Fuchs?

Her parents are homeless and the Professor says that people become homeless because of drugs but her parents didn't become homeless because of drugs

When the family has to get out of town quickly, what did Jeanette's dad call it?

Doing the Skedaddle

With what does Jeanette become fascinated after she comes home from the hospital?

Fire

Discuss Rose Mary Walls. What kind of woman is she? What are her strengths, weaknesses, flaws, and contradictions? What do you think about her description of herself as an "excitement addict"?

Good: intelligence, tenacity, adventurous spirit, optimism Bad: Perhaps she has some scars caused by her parents, not necessarily inherited from them

What does the narrator try for the first time while in the hospital? What does her mother think of it?

Gum, her mother hates it

What strange gift does Rex give to his children one year for Christmas when money is tight?

He let them pick out their own stars for them to own

What is the irony in Jeanette's father's words "You don't have to worry anymore Baby, you're safe now," when he is taking her from the hospital without her doctor's permission?

He says she is safe now, but he is taking her away from the safest place should could be in

What does Rex use to try to convince Jeanette not to go to New York?

He says to stay because he is going to build the Glass Castle

How does Jeanette's father feel about her getting her college education? Cite at least two specific examples to support your position.

He was happy, he gave her 1000 dollars and he said he raised a kid who went to college

From where does the title of the book come?

Her father had dreams of building them a "glass castle" so they didn't have to keep squatting and moving around

What unexpected news does Jeanette receive from Rose Mary in the car on the way to Phoenix?

Her grandmother is dead

What does the narrator see out the window of a taxi when she is on her way to a party?

Her mother was digging through a dumpster

What does Rex's reaction to Mary Charlene's death tell you about his character? Explain.

It shocked him and he didn't want to talk about it. It tells you that he doesn't like to talk about his emotions.

Who is "Mountain Goat"?

Jeanette

Why does the Walls family have to do "the skedaddle" from Battle Mountain?

Jeanette and Brian get in a fight with another kid

Who is the "woman on the street" that the section is named after?

Jeanettes's Mom

How is Lori able to leave Welch and go to New York City?

On a bus and she worked once she got there

Who accompanies Jeanette to the bus station the morning she leaves for New York?

Rex

Jeanette's mother says that no matter what "life with your father was never boring." What kind of man was Rex Walls? What were his strengths, his weaknesses, his flaws and contradictions?

Rex Walls was a man that strived for adventure. Even in the tough situations he made it fun for his family and like an adventure.

In Battle Mountain, what type of collection did Jeanette start?

Rock collection

Rex Walls often asked his children, "Have I ever let you down?" Why was this question (and the required "No, Dad" response) so important for him - and for his kids? On what occasions did he actually come through for them?

Rose Mary is intelligent, artistic, tough, adventurous, rebellious, a dreamer, unrealistic, cold, selfish and self-centered. She reads prolifically and is apparently a talented artist. She weathers a lot of hard times with Rex, yet sticks with him. She enjoyed moving around from place to place and based on the information about her mother, she was a rebellious young girl who wanted to be the opposite of her mother. She is unrealistic about things, such as asking Jeannette for an electrolysis treatment when she is living on the streets. Rose Mary's attitude about her children and particularly the death of Mary Charlene shows a certain coldness and detachment. Rose Mary does not want to be bothered with taking care of her children, she feels that the things she has to do and wants to do are more important. She excuses her selfish behavior by stating that she is helping her children and making them strong by making them fend for themselves and learn to care for themselves. There were many times she could have relieved the suffering of the family by selling some of her jewelry or land, but refused to do so. She spent money on art supplies and other things for herself while the children went without food, clothing, proper shelter and health care. She is more responsible than Rex, at least she doesn't leave home for days at a time or come home drunk, but cannot be considered a good or responsible parent.

What does Jeanette ask her dad for on her 10th birthday? Does she get it? Explain.

She asked him to stop drinking and yes but it only lasted a little while

What is the most shocking scene in the book for you? Explain why.

The most shocking scene was when Jeanette's dress caught on fire. She was making hot dogs for herself and she was feeding one to her dog and her dress caught on fire. It was shocking to me because when I was three I had no idea how to make hotdogs and also my parents wouldn't let me cook with fire. I was shocked that her dad took her out of the hospital without the doctors' permission because she was being treated for her burns.

Why were Jeanette and Brian placed in a special class for students with learning disabilities when they enrolled in school in Welch, West Virginia?

Their accents made it seem like they couldn't speak

What is the "Blue Goose"?

Their car's name

What happened to the family cat, Quixote?

They threw her out the window

What does the family do with their garbage?

They throw it in the pit that was meant for the Glass Castle

With what unusual item did Jeanette's father once fix a T.V.?

a macaroon noodle

What was the family's ugliest pet?

a wounded buzzard name Bustard

In what way did the walls family have the concept of the food chain being illustrated right in their own home?

fly --> lizard --> cat, If you kill the flies you kill the cats

What was the event that sort of "broke" the family apart?

maureen stabbing the mom

What was the feeling that Jeanette had for about a year after Rex died?

she felt like she wasn't living the right life

After a big fight between her parents, Jeanette's mother gets a job as a _____________.

teacher

What was the name of the neighbourhood where the Walls family lived in Battle Mountian?

the tracks; originally a mining town, flat desert, voted ugliest town