Life As We Knew It

Chapters 1-5

Reading Check

1. Skating lessons (Chapter 1)

2. Happy and excited (Chapter 2)

3. Having enough food (Chapter 5)

Short Answer

1. Sammi is into boys and having sex, while Megan is becoming very involved at church. (Chapter 1)

2. The moon tilted the wrong way and moved to the middle of the sky, where it looked exceptionally large. The craters could also be seen with bare eyes. (Chapter 2)

3. Miranda was happy that school was not closed because it made her feel normal and like everything was going to be okay. (Chapter 3)

4. They heard that the electricity might be out for the entire summer, that the moon might crash into the Earth by Christmas, and that school might be canceled for the rest of the year. (Chapter 4)

Chapters 6-10

Reading Check

1. Off (Chapter 6)

2. It’s always gray. (Chapter 8)

3. Two (Chapter 10)

Short Answer

1. Miranda’s mother was mad because she did not know where Miranda was or how long she’d be gone during this time of crisis. (Chapter 6)

2. Miranda states, “I picture a kitchen full of food, a working refrigerator, farmers’ markets with fresh produce and eggs and pies and cookies and chocolate fudge. I imagine air conditioning and TV and Internet and 80-degree weather and indoor pools and no mosquitoes.” (Chapter 7)

3. Many natural disasters started taking place. First, there were tsunamis and flooding, followed by earthquakes, and then volcanoes started erupting everywhere. (Chapter 8)

4. Megan wants to prove to God that she loves him and that she is repentant. She says she has nothing else to sacrifice, so she must sacrifice her friendship with Miranda. (Chapter 9)

Chapters 11-15

Reading Check

1. Texas (Chapter 11)

2. Chocolate chips (Chapter 12)

3. Three hours (Chapter 13)

4.     Miller’s Pond (Chapter 15)

Short Answer

1.  She was born there and wanted to die there. (Chapter 13)

2. Their chance of survival chance is higher at home because the crisis is happening everywhere, and at home they at least have a roof over their heads, heat, food, and water. (Chapter 14)

3. She no longer went to school or the pond and was afraid to go into town. She also couldn’t see outside after her brother covered the kitchen window. Finally, when they all moved into the sunroom, she lost any sense of privacy. (Chapter 15)

Chapters 16-17

Reading Check

1. In her sleep (Chapter 16)

2. Took a sponge bath (Chapter 16)

3. 96 pounds (Chapter 16)

4. A blizzard (Chapter 17)

Short Answer

1. She was very nervous as she drove home. (Chapter 16)

2. He said it proves that mail is still traveling and is unpredictable, so a letter with updated news could appear at any time. (Chapter 16)

3. They are now isolated from the town, Peter, and the hospital. They are worried their roof might cave in from the weight of the snow. (Chapter 17)

Chapters 18-21

Reading Check

1. Joyful (Chapter 18)

2. He died. (Chapter 19)

Short Answer

1. Miranda never knew that she “could love as deeply as” she does and that she would be “willing to sacrifice things for other people,” like how good pineapple juice tastes, “the warmth of a wood stove,” “the sound of Horton purring,” or “the feel of clean clothes against freshly scrubbed skin.” (Chapter 18)

2. Matt wants them to learn how to ski in case of an emergency, and Miranda wants to be able to ice skate again. (Chapter 18)

3. It meant that they were not alone and that there was still life out there. (Chapter 20)