Scat

Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Chapters 1-3

Reading Check

1. What does Smoke take a bite of after Mrs. Starch’s criticism?

2. Where is the scheduled field trip for Mrs. Starch’s class?

3. What does Nick believe he has captured in the blur of his video camera lens?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. How is Mrs. Starch described, and what evidence supports this description?

2. Why is the field trip in the Everglades cut short?

Paired Resource

Big Cypress Preserve

• This article describes the Big Cypress Preserve and ways individuals can enjoy the park.
• This resource offers another connection point to the themes The Fragile Environment and Books and the Real World.
• What is Big Cypress Preserve located near? What are some of the advantages of visiting this park? Who created the park, and what was the purpose of its creation? What places can visitors travel to within the park? What kinds of animals might be seen in the park?

“The Science of Wildfires”

• This 8-minute video explains wildfires, possible causes, and why they can become dangerous.
• This resource offers another connection point to the themes The Fragile Environment and Books and the Real World.
• How can smoke be created by trees? How many fires occur in the US annually? How can fire be beneficial in nature? What is required for fire to burn? What is controlled burning? What is the role of water in controlling fire?

Chapters 4-7

Reading Check

1. What is found by Detective Marshall on his doormat?

2. Who is rumored to have caused the fire in the Black Vine Swamp?

3. What does Dr. Dressler find in the mailbox at Mrs. Starch’s house?

4. What is found at the location Mrs. Starch disappeared from?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why is Nick concerned about his father both before and after his father’s return?

2. What does Dr. Dressler find suspicious about the explanation of Mrs. Starch’s disappearance due to a family emergency?

Paired Resource

The Florida Panther

• This 9-minute video describes the endangerment and return of the Florida panther, including commentary from Florida locals.
• This resource offers another connection point to the themes The Fragile Environment, Parental Abandonment, and Books and the Real World.
• How has the habitat of the Florida panther shrunk? Why are there varying perspectives by Florida residents on the increased population of the Florida panther? What concerns have the panthers raised for ranchers?

Chapters 8-10

Reading Check

1. Who caused the forest fire?

2. Who is sitting in the front seat of Mrs. Starch’s car when Marta witnesses an unknown man driving it?

3. What career would Duane Jr. like to pursue?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What transformation has overtaken Duane Jr. as he returns to school after the disappearance of Mrs. Starch?

2. Why does Bayliss dislike the idea of approaching the police with his concerns surrounding his company?

Paired Resource

“Environmental Science Careers”

• This article details various careers in the field of environmental science, including where they work, how they work, and what they might work on.
• This resource offers another connection point to the themes The Fragile Environment and Books and the Real World.
• What kind of work might an environmental scientist do? What kinds of research do environmental scientists do? What is the goal of an environmental scientist?

Chapters 11-13

Reading Check

1. What do Nick and Marta find unsettling about Mrs. Starch’s home?

2. What is Twilly Spree wearing when he appears in Mrs. Starch’s home?

3. Who does Bayliss intend to frame for the crime of arson in the Everglades?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What is Drake McBride’s scheme to make a profit off the government?

2. What actions of Twilly might be considered radical?

Chapters 14-17

Reading Check

1. What does Jimmy Lee Bayliss steal from the Scrod home?

2. What does Duane Jr. borrow from Nick?

3. What is Twilly looking for that he is able to locate in the Everglades?

4. Who does Duane Sr. claim stole Duane Jr.’s backpack?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. How does the Red Diamond Energy Corporation frame Duane Jr.?

2. What is glorified in the novel Twilly recommends to Nick and what does it mean?

Chapters 18-20

Reading Check

1. Who has been alerted to the possible presence of Florida panthers near the Red Diamond Energy Corporation drilling site?

2. What is Mrs. Starch keeping in her tent?

3. What is Twilly searching for when he stumbles on the illegal drilling operation?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. In what ways does the panther cub manage to transform Mrs. Starch’s personality?

2. What bridges the relationship between Mrs. Starch and Duane Jr.?

Paired Resource

Oil and Gas Exploration in Big Cypress National Preserve

• This article explains efforts made by conservationists to prevent oil and gas drilling in the Big Cypress National Preserve.
• This resource offers another connection point to the themes The Fragile Environment, Parental Abandonment, and Books and the Real World.
• What is the role of the EPA in protecting the environment? What efforts have been made to restore and preserve the Everglades? What damages have been caused to Big Cypress National Preserve?

Chapters 21-23

Reading Check

1. Where does Duane Jr. go to hide from the police?

2. What is the name of the bloodhound sent to the drilling site to find the people harassing the Red Diamond Energy Corporation?

3. Which of the characters in the novel demands restitution from the Red Diamond Energy Corporation after the loss of his animal?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What is Twilly’s reasoning for living in the swamp?

2. How does Detective Marshall determine Duane Jr. may be innocent of the charge of arson?

Chapter 24-Epilogue

Reading Check

1. Who justifies the death of the Florida panther to the Fish and Wildlife association?

2. What scares the mother panther away from her cub the second time?

3. Where is Nick shot while attempting to climb to the mother panther?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. How are Bayliss and McBride initially captured and charged?

2. Why is it important for the panther cub to be reunited with its mother, and how is it accomplished?

Recommended Next Reads

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen

• This novel is about a boy who teams up with a group of friends to rescue endangered burrowing owls from a construction site.
• Shared themes include The Fragile Environment and Books and the Real World.
• Shared topics include the Everglades, conservation, and friendship.
• Hoot on SuperSummary

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

• This novel is about a girl who adopts a stray dog that serves as a catalyst for developing new friendships and learning forgiveness.
• Shared themes include Parental Abandonment and Books about the Real World.
• Shared topics include animals as uniting forces, friendships, and gaining perspective.
• Because of Winn-Dixie on SuperSummary