Practice Questions for The House of Sixty Fathers

Chapter 1

1. How does a hole get in the roof of mats?  A bullet
2. Where does Tien Pao live?  On a sampan.  In China.
3. How many drips woke up the pig? 9
4. Besides animals, what had the family saved from their mud house?  The stone mill to grind rice for the baby.
5. Who is “Beauty of the Republic”? Tien Pao’s baby sister
6. Which town do they stop in?  Hengyang
7. What does the river god look like?  Golden hair, white face, blue eyes
8. How much does TP earn for taking the airman across the river?  100 yen each way.
9. What is TP’s father holding when he finds TP?  A paper lantern
10. What do they plan to buy a little of for Father? Tobacco
11. How would the Japanese torture the airman if they caught him?  Put bamboo splinters up his fingernails.

Chapter 2

1. How does TP’s mother carry the baby?  Strapped to her back.
2. How long will it be before the American pay TP’s parents?  One week
3. How many water buffaloes were ramming each other in the river? 5
4. Why is TP laughing inside the sampan?  Because he scared the buffaloes with his dishpan
5. How does TP try to feed rice to the ducklings? With chopsticks
6. What does TP use for a pillow when trying to sleep?  The pig
7. Who saw the lone sampan sweeping down river?  An old man
8. What name does TP give to the pig?  Glory of the Republic
9. Why was it hard to save the rice that had spilled in the sampan?  Pieces of glass from the broken mirror were mixed in with it and the water.
10. What does TP use as a rudder to bring the sampan to the water’s edge?  The dishpan
11. Why does TP not use the ducklings for food?  The thought of killing and eating them is too much for him

Chapter 3

1. What do the froup of children eat when TP is watching them?  Grass and mud
2. Why does TP stay out of sight of people? His is afraid they will eat his pig
3. Where does TP hide by day?  In little caves
4. How does TP try to disguise the mouth of the cave? With leaves
5. What sound in the dark startles TP and then makes him laugh with relief?  The rushing river
6. What happens to the pig’s hoofs in the mountains?  They bleed because cut by sharp rocks
7. What happens to TP’s vision after 5 days and nights in the mountains?  He sees black spots in front of him
8. What does Tien Pao believe the black spots mean?  Evil spirits
9. How does TP try to hide himself from evil spirits? Cover his whole body in mud.
10.   What bird calls from the mountains?  The cuckoo.
11. How do the leaves TP eats taste?  Bitter as gall

Chapter 4

1. Why does Tien Pao leave the cave in the early morning?  It was wet and cold
2. What plant is alone at the top of the look out?  A thorn bush
3. How many horses are pulling each cannon? Six
4. How does the airman beat the flames on his clothes?  With his helmet
5. What does TP yell to the airman? “LOOK OUT   LOOK OUT”
6. What is the only way the airman recognizes TP?  Because of the pig
7. How does the airman comfort TP inside the cave?  He rocks him gently like a mother
8. What food does the airman share with TP?  Chocolate
9. Where had the bullet grazed TP?  On his cheek
10. What kind of wound is on the airman’s leg?  A burn

Chapter 5

1. How does TP carry water to the airman?  In the man’s helmet
2. How does TP communicate with the airman?  Sign language
3. What does the leader of the armed Chinese men look like?  He has a beard
4. What was the signal used by these Chinese guerillas?  Cuckoo calls
5. How does TP travel with this band?  On the leader’s shoulder
6. What is the house made of where they get rice from a toothless woman?  Mud
7. What do the guerillas do during the day?  They pretend to be farmers
8. What is the fake name given to TP?  Tsu
9. How do they hide the pig?  Under a false bottom in a bucket
10. How many bowls of rice does TP get?  Two
11. What does the young woman do with TP’s clothes?  She soaks and removes them to wash his wounds
12. What is the name of the fake mother?  Yin

Chapter 6

1. Why can’t the guerilla take TP past Japanese lines?  Japanese have advanced to Hengyang
2. Which gate does TP use to enter Hengyang?  The rear gate
3. What time does TP arrive at the city?  Almost midnight
4. What are the people of Hengyang trying to do when TP arrives?  Trying to leave the city
5. Where does TP find the river?  Behind the house of the old hag
6. Why does TP not trust the old woman?  She wants the pig and has shifty eyes.
7. What was in the bottom of the woman’s basket?  A bundle of money
8. How does the heavy iron gate open?  Opened by a guard who takes their money
9. How does TP get on the packed train?  A soldier pulls him aboard
10. How does TP ride on the train?  In the basket with his pig.
11. Why is the freight train backing up?  One car was unhooked and it is going back for it.
12. What happened to the engineer?  He is shot.

Chapter 7

1. How does TP get off the train?  The basket he and the pig are in roll out the doorway while the train is going around a curve
2. Why does TP pinch the pig’s snout?  To keep him quiet when people come near
3. Why does he want to use the train track as a guide?  So he doesn’t go the wrong direction by mistake
4. What is TP’s hiding place above the railroad tracks?  A large rock
5. Who told TP that his parents would likely be the last to leave Hengyang?  Because they will not want to leave without finding Tien Pao first
6. What sound awakens TP?  A bugle
7. What does TP see beyond his pig when waking up?  Two pairs of heavy shoes
8. What was the black box that a soldier held?  A camera
9. What colour is the packaging of the gum?  Green, and silver
10. What is funny to the soldiers about what TP does with the gum? He swallows it
11. How does TP travel to the American compound?  By jeep
12. What does TP notice about the wooden house of the Americans?  It is one long bedroom
13. Who is the airman TP had saved?  Hamsun