Practice Questions for Airborn by Kenneth Oppel

Practice Questions for Airborn

1. In which city do Matt’s mom and sisters live?  Lionsgate City, p. 1
2. Name a constellation that Matt sees?  Orion, Lupus, Serpens, Hercules, Draco, p. 1
3. What month does the story begin?  September p. 1
4. Who are having a context of who could spot the most shooting stars?  Matt and Baz, p. 2
5. What is odd about the hot air balloon Matt sees?  Its running lights are off, p. 2
6. How does Matt communicate to others from the crow’s nest?  A speaking tube, p. 3
7. Which crew member respectfully calls Matt Mr. Cruse? Captain Walken, p. 3
8. What is the name of the hot air balloon?  Endurance, p. 3
9. How do they try to message the hot air balloon?  By wireless, p. 4
10. What is goldbeater’s skin?  The fabric of the airship that holds hydrium gas, p. 5
11. What is the smell of hydrium?  Ripe mangoes, p. 5
12. What is Matt’s job title on board the Aurora?  Cabin boy, p. 6
13. What four-hooked device pulls the Endurance into range?  A grapple, p. 7
14. What does Matt not fear?  Heights, p. 10
15. What does Matt have to do to the flight lines of the balloon?  Cut them with a knife, p. 13
16. What is “like a giant jellyfish”?  The burning balloon fabric headed for the ocean, p. 14
17. Who is the airship’s physician?  Doc Halliday, p. 15
18. What do the others tell Matt to do once the man in the gondola has been rescued?  Get some sleep, p. 16
19. What does Matt regularly dream about on the Aurora? Flying with his father, p. 17
20. What is the matter with Benjamin Malloy?  He had a heart seizure, pneumonia and he’s dehydrated, p. 17
21. What was Malloy attempting in his balloon?  A solo circumnavigation (fly around the globe all by himself), p. 17
22. How does Malloy describe creatures that “no one’s...ever...seen”?  Beautiful, p. 18
23. What does Matt do twice while listening to Malloy talk about the creatures?  He lies, p. 19
24. How much time passes between chapters 1 and 2?  One year, p. 21
25. Who are Matt’s two sisters?  Sylvia and Isabel, p. 23
26. What does Matt give his musical sister Isabel?  A didgeridoo from Australia, p. 23
27. What does Matt give his 12 year old sister Sylvia?  A tortoise shell  hairband from the Grand Bazaar, p. 23
28. What kind of perfume does Matt’s mother love so much?  Iberian scent his father had always bought for her, p. 23
29. How does Matt feel when he’s on shore leave?  Landlocked, p. 24
30. What are Orient Express, Titania, and Arctic Star?  Other airships, p. 24
31. What type of cargo weighs close to 12,000 pounds?  Food, p. 25
32. Where is the Aurora headed?  Sydney, Australia, p. 24
33. What would the Aurora dump to become lighter than air?  Water/ballast, p. 25
34. Who is the ship’s cook? Chef Vlad, p. 26
35. What does Matt aspire to become after cabin boy?  Assistant sailmaker, p. 27
36. Whose job does Matt hope to get?  Tom Bear’s, p. 27
37. What would not fall because the Aurora sails so smoothly under Captain Walken?  A fountain pen standing on its end on a table, p. 27
38. What noisy flying machine brings Kate and Miss Simpkin’s to the Aurora?  An ornithopter, p. 28,33
39. What nickname does the crew give to ornithopters?  Mosquitoes because of their puny size and noisy whine, p. 28
40. What is the relationship between Miss Simpkins and Kate?  Miss Simpkin’s is Kate’s chaperone, p. 30
41. How does the ornithopter make an aerial landing onto the Aurora?  By locking onto the docking trapeze, p. 31
42. How does Miss Marjorie Simpkins introduce her charge?  Miss Kate de Vries, p. 33
43. Why does Miss Simpkins have trouble walking along the grilled metal floor of the catwalk?  She is wearing high heels, p. 35
44. What art work is at the top of the red capeted stairs of the A-Deck?  A Michaelangelico fresco, p. 36
45. What is the name of the room Kate and her chaperone stay in?  Topkapi stateroom, p. 36
46. What is the Topkapi stateroom named after?  A sultan’s palace in Constantininople, p. 37
47. How can messages be sent by passengers within the airship?  Through message tubes, p. 37
48. What had Matt’s father given him on his tenth birthday?  A brass compass, p. 39
49. What is the inscription on the compass?  “From one sailmaker to another”, p. 39
50. What position had Matt’s dad held on board the Aurora before he died?  Sailmaker, p. 39
51. Who will be the new junior sailmaker instead of Matt?  Otto Lunardi’s son, p. 41
52. What are this boy’s qualifications?  He is the son of the owner of the Lunardi fleet of airships and he has attended the Airship Academy, p. 41-2
53. What does Captain Walken offer to do for Matt?  Transfer him to another ship where he can move to a position above cabin boy, p. 42
54. What is Matt’s response?  He wants to stay with the Aurora, p. 42
55. Who comes for Matt’s tour of the Aurora?  Only Kate de Vries, p. 43
56. Why is Kate often unaccompanied by her chaperone?  Miss Simpkins has headaches and needs to nap, p. 44
57. Where are exercise camels found on board the airship?  In the gymnasium, p. 44
58. What film will play in the onboard cinema?  Gilgamesh, p. 45
59. What kind of door leads to the smoking room?  A padded leather one, p. 45
60. What is on the walls of the smoking room?  Depressionist paintings, p. 45
61. What is goldbeater’s skin made of?  Cow’s intestines, p. 46
62. Where are the vents in case some of the hydrium has to be released?  On the top of the airship, p. 47
63. What is the fabric outside of the gas cells made of?  Cotton, p. 47
64. What do the airship’s engine run on?  Aruba fuel, p. 48
65. Who was born on an airship?  Matt, p. 48
66. Over which ocean was Matt born?  Atlanticus, p. 48
67. Who is the storyteller in Kate’s family?  Her grandfather, p. 49
68. What do Matt and Kate say laughingly about Miss Simpkin’s future?  She would make a good wife to a dictator someday, p. 49
69. Where had Kate read about the balloon rescue?  In the Sky Guard report, p. 51
70. Why is Kate on this voyage?  She wants to see what her grandfather saw, p. 53
71. What does Miss Simpkins think of Kate spending time with Matt?  That it is inappropriate, p. 54
72. What on Matt’s bunk had his mother made for him?  An eiderdown quilt, p. 55
73. Who is Baz’ sweetheart?  Teresa, p. 56
74. What does Baz bet that Matt will be captain of the Aurora in ten years?  His molars, p. 58
75. With whom did Chef Vlad have an angry disagreement about Duck being on the menu?  Mr. Lisbon, p. 59
76. Where are the junior sailmaker insignias placed on Bruce Lunardi’s uniform?  Corners of his jacket collar, p. 61
77. Whose hair is “in some kind of terrifying beehive”?  Miss Simpkins, p. 62
78. Who played the lounge music? Baz, p. 64
79. What time does Kate de Vries order “Two hot chocolates”? Around midnight, p. 64
80. Where are Benjamin Malloy’s sketches kept?  In his log/journal that Kate still has, p. 70
81. What holds together the log of the Endurance?  A hair ribbon, p. 67
82. What did Benjamin Malloy eat that he hated?  Tinned baked beans, p. 68
83. What is remarkable about the creatures Kate’s grandfather spotted?  They live in the air and do not land; they give birth in the air; they have never been seen before, p. 72
84. Why does the captain point out Mount Mataurus?  It is erupting, p. 76
85. What mirages did sailors see over the years?  Sky kelpies and mermaids, p. 78
86. What does Kate’s mother think of the journal of Benjamin Malloy?  Based on hallucinations, p. 79
87. To whom did Kate send a letter about the creatures Malloy had seen?  Zoological Society, p. 79
88. Who suggested that Kate turn her interests to “more comfortable young ladies’ pursuits”? Sir Hugh Sniffler of the Zoological Society, p. 80
89. What does Kate NOT want Matt to call her anymore?  Miss, p. 82
90. Why does Mr. Granthan (navigator) say that airships try to stay away from the area Kate’s grandfather had seen the creatures and an island?  Winds are unfriendly to airships there.
91. What bird does Matt have to shoo off the top of the Aurora? An albatross, p. 87
92. How do the pirates enter the Aurora?  Through the crow’s nest hatches, p. 91
93. Who is the legendary pirate that boards the airship?  Vikram Szpirglas, p. 92
94. What nickname is given to the one-handed pirate?  Rhino Hand, p. 94
95. Who says, “We mustn’t get too attached to our worldly possessions”? Szpirglas, p. 95
96. Why is Mr. Featherstone shot?  He had been trying to send out an SOS, p. 96
97. After the pirates leave, how do they disable the Aurora?  Put gashes into the fabric of the airship with their propellars, p. 99
98. How do the crew members try to repair the airship’s fabric?  Patching with fast setting glue, p. 101
99. What does Matt help hand out in preparation for landing?  Life jackets, p. 104
100. How had Matt’s father died?  He fell, p. 105
101. Why do sixty people jump out of the airship at once at the beach?  To secure the ship with mooring lines, p. 107
102. Why does the Aurora need to be fastened tightly?  Risk of typhoon, p. 108
103. Anyone going inland on the island must be accompanied by whom?  A member of the crew, p. 111
104. Why does the ship need water?  For drinking and to replenish ballast, p. 114
105. Who knows where to find fresh water?  Kate, p. 116
106. How does she know this?  This is the same island her grandfather drew pictures of, p. 121
107. What changes Matt from a skeptic that this is the same island Kate’s grandfather had spotted?  The drawing in his journal with the mountain they had seen as they approached for landing, p. 122
108. What does Kate say about the presence of snakes on the island?  There won’t be any, p. 125
109. What is the “little red demon” that jumped “like it was half Pogo stick”? A snake, p. 131
110. Where do Matt and Kate find the skeleton of the mystery creature?  Hanging from a branch in the tree they climbed to escape the snake, p. 133
111. What type of mammal had Matt seen in the Dutch East Indies?  Flying foxes, p. 134
112. How will Kate number the bones of the cloud cat skeleton?  With a wax pen, p. 136
113. Who says, “Fraternizing with the passengers is forbidden the crew”? Miss Simpkins, p. 140
114. Why is Matt’s lateness for duty not recorded?  It’s his first offense, p. 141
115. What was written on the side of the heavy crates they unloaded to make the ship lighter?  “McGahern’s Rubber Hosing”, p. 141
116. What did the “beefy gentlemen” complain would be warped in the heat and bleach in the sun?  His antiques, p. 142
117. Which crew member seems the most pleased to be on the island?  Chef Vlad because he thinks the fish are wonderful to cook, p. 146
118. How does Kate try to force Matt to come with her to collect the bones?  She says she’ll ask Bruce to come along instead or just go by herself, p. 148
119. What does Kate allow Matt to carry for her on their second trip into the forest?  Her carpet bag, p. 152
120. What is used for packing material around the bones in the carpet bag?  Handkerchiefs,  stockings and women’s undergarments, p. 156-7
121. What does Kate’s mother hate the most, according to Kate?  Being embarrassed, p. 160
122. What seems to be “wrong” with the cloud cat they see on the island?  It can’t fly due to a deformed wing, p. 166
123. What stopped Kate and Matt from quickly returning to the ship after they gathered the bones?  A typhoon, p. 170
124. Where did they find shelter?  In a cave, p. 170
125. What is Matt’s worry during the typhoon?  That the Aurora would be damaged, p. 173
126. Who says about Matt and Kate, “you two have about as much future as a fish and a kangaroo”?  Baz, p. 177
127. What does Baz  and the others think is going on between Kate and Matt?  That they want to be alone because they are in love with each other, p. 177
128. Where can they find hydrium on the island?  It is venting in the cave where Kate and Matt took shelter, p. 185
129. What is Matt’s favourite dinner (with which he is rewarded after the hydrium find)?  Muscovy duck, scalloped potatoes and asparagus, p. 188
130. Where does Matt go inside the ship when he can’t sleep?  Into the cinema, p. 190
131. Which character in the film falls and reminds Matt about how his father died?  Gilgamesh, p. 191-2
132. How does the “imprisoned” Kate attract Matt’s attention?  From her camera flash, p. 198
133. How does Kate escape from her stateroom?  She drugs her chaperone, p. 200
134. Who is sent to find Kate?  Bruce and Matt, p. 201
135. Where is Matt’s compass?  Kate has it, p. 202
136. What is Kate wearing when they find her in a tree?  Harem pants, p. 209
137. What kind of shelter did the cloud cat build?  A nest, p. 212
138. How does Kate lure the cloud cat closer to her camera?  With a stinky fish, p. 217
139. What makes the young people suddenly terrified of the cloud cat?  Seeing her teeth, p. 221
140. What part of Bruce’s his body is injured by the cloud cat?  His leg, p. 223
141. How does Matt know that the airship is not a rescue craft?  It is all black with no markings, p. 225
142. What does Matt quickly discard before they go to talk to the pirates?  His belt, p. 227
143. Who do Matt and Kate pretend to think these pirates are?  People from the Sky Guard, p. 228
144. Where do the pirates take Kate and Matt?  TO the village, p. 230
145. What drink is placed before them by the pirates?  Mango juice, p. 234
146. Why does Szpirglas ask if they know where they are?  He does not want his secret hide-out to be known to others, p. 236
147. Where do Kate and Matt say they had travelled from?  Van Diemen’s Land, p. 236
148. Where do they say they were headed?  The Hawaiis, p. 236
149. What is Szpirglas’ son’s name?  Theodore, p. 239
150. What surprise does Szpirglas give his boy?  A small gold astrolabe stolen from the Aurora, p. 239
151. What is Theodore’s nurse’s name?  Delilah, p. 240
152. Why is Theodore motherless?  She died in childbirth, p. 240
153. What had been put in the mango juice?  Alcohol, p. 241
154. What is the origin of Kate’s wristwatch?  Iceland, p. 242
155. Where is Matt going to sleep?  In a cabin with Crumlin and Szpirglas, p. 243; in a hammock above Szpirglas, p. 246
156. Why does Matt run through the woods in bare feet?  He had to leave his boots in the cabin when he escaped, p. 249
157. When Kate does not come to the rendezvous point, what does Matt do?  He goes back to the village to Kate’s cabin, p. 252
158. What is the pit?  A deep hole in which hydrium vents, p. 254
159. What does Szpirglas reveal about Kate’s grandfather?  That he had slit his hot air balloon since he had spotted their hideout-island, p. 255
160. How do they escape the pit of hydrium?  Knotted the ends of Kate’s pants to make a balloon which rose to the top, p. 257
161. When they get back to the Aurora, who is in the control car?  Szpirglas, p. 261
162. What did Bruce bandage his leg with? A piece ripped from his shirt, p. 262

163. Why do Kate, Bruce and Matt have about six hours before the pirates return?  They have to walk back to their village and back, p. 263
164. Who suggests they shoot all the pirates?  Kate, p. 263
165. Why does Matt know the ship better than Bruce?  He’s lived on it for three years, not three days for Bruce, p. 265
166. Where is a set of keys?  In Matt’s cabin, p. 265; hanging from a hook by his mirror, p. 268
167. How do they get on board the Aurora to try to take it over again?  By the tail fin, p. 266
168. What does Matt plan to get from the infirmary to help Bruce?  Disinfectant and fresh bandages, p. 267
169. How does Matt plan to see what’s going on in the A-Deck?  Through grilles in the duct work, p. 270
170. What injury does Baz have?  Wounded shoulder, arm in sling, p. 271
171. What evil plan of Szpirglas does Matt overhear?  They plan to send everyone to their deaths by setting the ship on fire, p. 272
172. Why could Matt not get any pain medicine for Bruce at first?  The medicine cabinet was locked and Matt had no key for it, p. 273
173. How does he break into the cabinet?  He breaks the glass with a towel wrapped around his arm, p. 274