October Sky Test Review

What gift does Sonny get for Christmas?

A signed photo of Dr. Von Braun.

Coalwood

A small mining town in West Virginia, where Sonny lives.

Metaphor

Comparison not using like or as.

Simile

Comparison using like or as.

What action does Homer take after Auk IV lands in Coalwood?

He moves the BCMA to a launch site farther away from Coalwood.

What does Homer do to help Sonny at the national science fair?

He sends new rockets.

Dr. Von Braun at the NSF

He was at Sonny's project, but when Sonny tried to meet him, he had gone.

Dr. Von Braun

Head of NASA's rocket building program, Sonny's idol.

Who drives a corvette?

Jake Mosby

Myrtle Beach

Myrtle Beach is where the Hickam's vacation, and later where Sonny's mom and dad move.

Why does Elsie want Sonny to build a rocket?

So Sonny can go to college and get out of Coalwood.

Homer Hickam Jr.

Sonny

"I had discovered that learning something, no matter how complex, wasn't hard if I had a reason to want to learn it."

Sonny Hickam

Cape Coalwood

The place where the BCMA launches their rockets. It is located on an old slack dump.

What idea does Sonny's mother instill in him?

That Sonny is not like Homer.

What does Sonny's mother paint on the dining room wall?

A mural of a seashore.

What is Sputnik?

A Russian satellite

Mr. Bykovski

A engineer who first helps Sonny build rockets. He later gets sent to work in the mine, where he gets killed in an accident.

Auk

A flightless bird

What does Auk mean?

A flightless bird

Jake

A junior engineer, friend of Sonny, helps the BCMA learn trigonometry.

Quentin

A member of the BCMA, very smart.

Miss Riley's role in the BCMA

An advocate, she helps them get propellant ideas and helps them in school.

How does Homer create problems for the BCHS football team?

Because Homer went to argue about how they are ineligible, the football team got suspended for 1 year.

Why does Miss Riley come to the BCMA's defense?

Because Miss Riley wants them to do well with their rockets.

Why does Quentin agree to help Sonny build a rocket?

Because Sonny has the leadership skills that Quentin lacks.

Why does Homer change his mind and gives Sonny a launch pad?

Because of Reverend Lanier's speech.

Who was the final member to join the BCMA?

Billy

Where does Sonny dream of working some day?

Cape Canaveral

Cape Canaveral

Cape Canaveral is where Dr. Von Braun works. It is also where NASA launches their rockets. Sonny wants to work there when he grows up.

Miss Riley

Chemistry teacher at BCHS, inspires Sonny.

Who did Jim take to the dugout that broke Sonny's heart?

Dorothy Plunk

Germany

Dr. Von Braun's home country.

"Just don't blow yourself up."

Elsie Hickam

What are Homer's hopes for Sonny?

For Sonny to become a mining engineer.

Elsie's dream for Sonny

For him to get out of Coalwood

What was Homer's reaction after he launched the final rocket?

Happiness, pain, and fear.

How does Sonny feel after going into the mine with Homer?

He feels bad about telling Homer how he really feels because they had such a good moment.

What complication occurs at the national science fair?

His example rockets are stolen.

Why is Sonny not allowed to take the calculus class?

His grade isn't good enough.

What is Sonny's real name?

Homer Hickam Jr.

"Little man, when you grow up, your going to find out there's a lot of things you're going to do whether you like it or not."

Homer Hickam Sr

Who finally stood up for Sonny when Mr. Fuller tried to shut down the the BCMA rocket range?

Homer Hickam Sr.

Pg. 107

Ike Bykovski wants Sonny to tell Homer because he thinks Homer should be proud of him.

What are the 3 conflicts Sonny and Jim have with each other?

Jim makes fun of Sonny's friends, the BCMA, and that he is in the band.

"All I've done is give you a book. You have to have the courage to learn what's inside it."

Miss Riley

What are the results of the mine tragedy?

Mr. Bykovski dies and Homer gets injured.

Who is the leader of the coal miner's union?

Mr. Dubbonnet

Does Sonny ever officially meet Dr. Von Braun?

No

What I'd Quentin's definition of a good rocket?

One that does what it is precisely supposed to do.

Who does Sonny encounter during his suit shopping trip in Welch?

President John F Kennedy.

"Prodigious."

Quentin

Jim Hickam

Sonny's brother, a big football star who gets a college scholarship.

Dorothy Plunk

Sonny's crush.

Homer Hickam Sr.

Sonny's dad, the mine superintendent.

Elsie Hickam

Sonny's mom

What was stolen at the NSF?

Sonny's rockets

Who makes up the BCMA?

Sonny, Quentin, Roy Lee, O'Dell, Sherman, and Billy

What do the State Troopers accuse the BCMA of doing?

Starting a forest fire.

Who helped Sonny build rockets?

The BCMA and the engineers at the machine shop.

Big Creek High School

The BCMA go to school there, along with Sonny's older brother Jim.

How are the BCMA'S financial problems solved?

The BCMA picks Ginseng.

The Machine Shop

The machine shop is where Sonny gets his rockets built. Engineers there love to help Sonny.

What are Homer's and Elsie's quarrels usually about?

The mine and Sonny's future.

The Mine

The mine is where Homer Sr. works. Ike Bykovski gets sent to work there after helping Sonny build a rocket.

What problems does the BCMA have to address after launching Auk V?

They need to make it fly straight.

The Dugout

This is where high schools students go to dance.

Why does Sonny decide to enter the science fair?

To show his dad how wrong he was.

In what state is Coalwood?

West Virginia

What was Sonny's dream?

Work at Cape Canaveral.

Does Sonny's father ever witness a rocket launch?

Yes. The last one.