Scar Island

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

Chapters 1-5

Reading Check

1. Jonathan notices that the captain is missing what body part?

2. The Admiral orders Jonathan to kneel on what hard, wooden structure upon arrival at the Slabhenge Reformatory School for Troubled Boys?

3. What is the name of the Admiral’s assistant?

4. In Chapter 4, Jonathan chops what vegetable to help prepare breakfast?

Short Answer

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

1. At this point in the novel, what facts are there about Jonathan’s crime that sent him to Slabhenge Reformatory School for Troubled Boys?

Paired Resource

Reformatories

• This article explores the history of reformatories.
• Why do you think authors like Dan Gemeinhart might choose to set their books in reformatory schools? What about this setting is conducive to stories about Power Struggles and Authoritarianism?

Chapters 6-9

Reading Check

1. Who is the only boy to object to the plan to stay on the island without adult supervision?

2. Where does Jonathan propose they store the eight dead bodies?

3. Sebastian declares that the boys are not “scabs,” as the Admiral called them, but what?

Short Answer

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

1. How do the boys survive the lightning bolt that kills all eight adults on the island? How did the lightning bolt kill all eight adults with a single bolt?

Chapters 10-13

Reading Check

1. When Jonathan falls down a staircase while looking for the Hatch in Chapter 10, what is the first thing he sees at the bottom?

2. How long has it been since the librarian has seen a person?

3. What does Jonathan suggest the boys do to prevent the outside world from realizing that the adults are no longer in charge?

Short Answer

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

1. What is the primary reason the Admiral kept the library and the librarian a secret from the boys of Slabhenge?

Paired Resource

“A Brief History of Shipwrecks in Literature”

• Author Alan G. Jamieson examines the enduring use of shipwrecks in literature as a symbol and plot contrivance leading to transformation.
• This piece includes a discussion on Robinson Crusoe, the book that the boys find themselves reading in their first-ever book club, as led by Jonathan.
• Teacher-appropriate; not student-facing

Chapters 14-18

Reading Check

1. Sebastian catches James eating what of the Admiral’s food?

2. Where was the librarian born?

3. What crime did Jason commit that sent him to Slabhenge?

4. Which of the boys destroys the Sinner’s Sorrow?

Short Answer

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

1. In Chapter 15, how does the librarian describe the Hatch to Jonathan? In your response, explain the history of the Hatch and its intended purpose.

Chapters 19-22

Reading Check

1. Which room is the lighthouse located above?

2. What origami animal is considered Colin’s calling card?

3. When Jonathan refuses to reveal Colin’s whereabouts, how does Sebastian react?

Short Answer

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

1. In Chapter 21, Jonathan reveals to Colin what sent him to Slabhenge. What did Jonathan do? How does Colin react?

Paired Resource

“Author Spotlight: Dan Gemeinhart”

• In this Q&A with author Dan Gemeinhart, he discusses his past career as an elementary school librarian and his motivations for writing his 2019 book, The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise.
• How do you think Gemeinhart’s job as a librarian influenced the librarian character in Scar Island?

Chapters 23-26

Reading Check

1. In the melee between Sebastian and Jonathan, who is the unexpected visitor that bursts through the door?

2. How strong is the massive hurricane threatening the boys’ safety on the island?

3. In Chapter 25, Sebastian’s punishment for Colin involves what animal?

Short Answer

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

1. As the hurricane wreaks havoc on Slabhenge, Jonathan demonstrates several acts of heroism. Describe at least one of Jonathan’s heroic acts.

Chapters 27-30

Reading Check

1. Where does Jonathan keep his book of matches while he swims to reach Colin?

2. When Jonathan asks the librarian if he knows what happened to the adults on Slabhenge, how does the librarian reply?

3. In Chapter 30, how do the boys signal to the outside world that they need help?

Short Answer

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

1. Who does Jonathan imagine he is saving as he saves Colin? How is this moment symbolic?

Recommended Next Reads 

The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart

• Published in 2019, this is Dan Gemeinhart’s follow-up novel to Scar Island. In the book, protagonist Coyote Sunrise, a 12-year-old girl, lives with her dad on the road in an old school bus, traversing the nation for five years.
• Like Scar Island, this title features a clever protagonist with a problematic past and deals with themes of Power Struggle and Redemption.
• The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise on SuperSummary.com

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

• The classic work of literature by William Golding, initially published in 1954, explores themes of Authoritarianism and Power Struggle.
• A group of schoolboys survives a plane crash on an uncharted island, and order collapses without adult supervision. The boys’ true nature emerges as they strive to instill a new kind of order on the island.
• Lord of the Flies on SuperSummary.com