The+Color+of+Water+Comprehension+Questions

The Color of Water Comprehension Questions Chapter 2 1. Describe the following characters (physical characteristics, personality, relationships): Ruth, James, Hunter Jordan. 2. How did James feel about his mother riding a bicycle around the neighborhood? 2. Where did James' stepfather live? Why? 3. Where did the family live before moving to Queens? 4. According to Ruth, why didn't she look like the other mothers? Chapter 3 1. where did Ruth (Rachel) first live in America? 2. Who was Zaydeh? 3. What happened to him? 4. Who was Bubeh? 5. How did Ruth feel about her grandparents? 6. Name some of the things that Jewish people did when someone in the family died. Chapter 4 Vocabulary: light-skinned brown-skinned divulge -- reveal fraught with -- worried with; burdened with foolishness -- silliness scoffed -- made fun of teasing -- kidding; joking to boot -- in addition a constant itch that got bigger and bigger -- some idea or thought that keeps bothering acknowledge -- recognize prompted -- triggered outraged response -- angry or wild reaction ruined -- destroyed whereupon -- at which time; at which point laid the ruse out -- revealed the lie tattered -- worn recollection -- memory a fishing pole, the bait, tackle, and line -- fishing gear a great feat -- an outstanding accomplishment get along -- able to be together permeated -- penetrated; become an integral part of bland -- plain reemerged -- came out again teenyboppers -- teenagers pedal a bike -- ride drag racers -- car racers a dip in the road -- a hole or decline airborne -- flying bounced -- move up and down barreling -- speeding skidding -- sliding smacking -- crashing with loud noise wobbling away -- move away unsteadily souped-up -- a car with a big and fast engine script -- writing, lettering left in the dust -- left far behind screeching -- a loud pitched sound, as of brakes swallowed a story whole -- believed something completely 1. How did Andrew McBride and Mommy represent the best and the worst of the immigrant mentality? 2. What were the contradictions in the mother? 3. How do you understand Mommy's attitude about herself and black people? 4. Why didn't James welcome the Black Power movement? Chapter 5 "The Old Testament" 1. Describe James' mother's life before she moved to Virginia and then her life in Virginia. 2. Why did she have low self-esteem? 3. What did James' mother mean when she said, "...but love didn't come natural to me until I became a Christian." 4. Why is this chapter about her childhood called "The Old Testament?"

Vocabulary hand-me-down clothes -- used clothes cast-off clothes -- discarded clothes a traveling sideshow -- like a circus quilt - bed covering kneydlach - Yiddish food Kugl -- Yiddish food kosher dishes -- food prepared according to certain regulations claustrophobic -- afraid of enclosed spaces crawl -- walk on all fours (hands and knees) molest -- sexually abuse self-esteem -- self-respect domineering -- bullying, pushy, overbearing clean the house spic-and-span -- clean the house well crumb -- tiny speck of bread or cake or cookie speck -- spot of dirt or dust leavened bread -- bread made with yeast so that it rises Passover -- the Jewish holiday that celebrates the passing over of the Angel of Death who came for the first born a seder -- a religious ceremony to celebrate Passover Matzoh and parsley, boiled egg -- some of the symbolic foods used in the seder the Haggadah -- the readings for Passover one-horse town -- small town signed a bank note -- borrowed money from a bank matzoh balls -- balls made from unleavened bread and used in soups gefilte fish -- a pickled fish commonly eaten at Passover chopped liver -- a pate of liver darn socks -- mend socks glaring -- angry face Chapter 6 vocabulary butchering the songs -- singing poorly crank an engine -- start the engine/car gusto -- energy or enthusiasm pulpit -- the podium where the minister stands and preaches clad -- dressed in roused him -- awakened him congregation -- audience at church hilarious -- very funny stutterer -- person who stumbles over and repeats sounds when trying to speak fired across the room like bullets -- ran across the room connoisseur -- someone who knows and appreciates fine food or wine fire up a church -- inspire the congregation get the spirit -- become inspired outstretched -- wide open sober-looking -- serious convulsing -- shaking hymns -- religious songs muffle our laughter -- try to keep the laughter quiet shrill voice -- high-pitched voice a spiritual trance -- a special state of consciousness brought on by the spirit billowed sleeves -- full sleeves a jolt -- a shock trailing -- following behind slow drawl -- speak in a slow accent artillery rounds -- the bullets in a gun/rifle chuckling -- laughing to him/herself old-timers -- older people bad mouthing -- speaking ill of someone big mamas -- big women slithering around -- crawling around like a snake deacon -- a church officer hollering -- screaming/yelling

Chapter 6 1. Why is this chapter called "The New Testament"? 2. When James asks his mother the color of God, what does she reply? Why? What does this tell us about her understanding of the spiritual teachings? 3. What does Richie, James' brother, ask the REv. Owens in church one day? What was Rev. Owens' reply? Was Richie satisfied with his explanation? Explain. 4. What happened every Easter? What happened to Billie one Easter? What was Mommy's reaction? 5. What do you think of her reaction to Billie's recitation of a verse from the Bible? chapter 7 vocabulary an intersection -- crossroads out of sight -- hiding low key -- trying not to be obvious robbing these folks blind -- stealing a lot a hundred percent markup -- charging 100x the original price tuberculosis -- a respiratory disease double pneumonia -- a respiratory disease (lungs fill with water) Chapter 7 1. What happened when the Ku Klux Klan drove by the store? 2. Why did James' mother worry about the KKK? 3. How did Tateh protect himself and his property? 4. Why did Mommy never let her children play with guns? 5. What was BC? Why did people take it? Why did some people love to take it? 6. What was Tateh's attitude toward the people he served? 7. Describe Sam, Mommy's brother. What happened to him? What was his relationship with his father? 8. Why did Mommy call her family in 1957?

Chapter 8 Vocabulary orchestrated -- planned chaos -- disorganization lost in the sauce -- didn't stand out toothfairy -- imaginary figure who leaves money for a lost tooth denizens -- group wielded -- controlled scavenging -- looking for precious commodity -- valuable resource double-crossing -- cheating by pretending to be friends but working against backstabbing -- hurting someone by doing something to them when they don't expect it intrigue -- elaborate plots

1. How was power determined in such a large family? 2. How does James describe himself in his family? 3. What would turn one brother or sister again the other? 4. What did Mommy say about junk food? 5. Where did Mommy work and what did she bring home every day? What did the kids do? 6. How was Mommy's cooking and cleaning? 7. What pets did the kids have? 8. Describe the house they lived in? Why was it chaotic? 9. Why did the kids hate to hear about Dennis? 10. Describe Helen. What happened to her?

Ch. 9 Shul 1. Where did Rachel go to school? 2. What did her father think about her going to school? 3. What did the kids think of Ruth? What did they call her? 4. What was the status of her family in the white community? in the Jewish community? 5. Who finally became Ruth's friend? What was her house like? 6. How did Frances show Ruth that she was on her side? 7. Where did Ruth and Frances hang out? 8. What was Frances' family's socioeconomic status? Vocabulary synagogue -- Jewish house of worship circumcize -- cut the foreskin of the penis plunge -- jump into spurt -- short bursts of energy gentile -- non-Jewish snicker -- laugh cantoring -- singing in synagogue utter -- say shudder -- shiver with fear innards -- insides be ridiculed -- be made fun of

Chapter 10, School 1. Where did James and his family go to shop? 2. What was the reaction of the Hasidim to the McBride family? 3. Describe the contradictory way that Rachel felt about jews? 4. Describe the "love/hate relationship between the blacks and the Jews". 5. How did Mommy communicate her sense of Jewishness to the children? 6. Why did Mommy pore over teh school applicaitons each year? 7. What was the McBride children's experience in school? 8. What was James' reaction when one of the children called him a "nigger"? 9. How did James' escape the pain of his reality? 10. How did Rachel react when James asked her what a "tragic mulatto" was? 11. What does James explain about the issue of race intheir household? 12. When the kids began to feel the influence of the 60s and Black Power what happened in the household? 13. What happened to Richie on the way home one day? 14. What would have happened to Richies if his mother had not been there at the arraignment? 15. How did Mommy use the "extended black family"? 16. How did James compare his mother to his stepfather? What does he observe about their relationship? 17. How did James begin to think about being seen with his mother? 18. What happened when James went to the store to buy some milk? 19. How was James stereotyped at school? What did his classmates ask him to do? 20. What were the mixed feelings that James experienced when he finally did the James Brown at school? Vocabulary yarmulkes lapsing gawked haggling gibberish kinetic relationship

Boys, Chapter 11 1. How does Rachel explain the reason she became involved with a black man? 2. How was her home life? What did she do for entertainment? 3. What does she say she liked about black people all her life? 4. Who was her first boyfriend? How did they connect? 5. What does Rachel say about her feelings about the South? 6. What happened to Rachel as she and the boyfriend started going out? 7. Who was the one white person who knew about Rache's pregnancy? 8. What did she do? Chapter 12, Daddy this haze of relatives and authority figures loomed a dominating presence huge boilers that heated sat on the stoop neatly manicured bushes a gruff man inadvertently left the cell door open made a living selling illegal booze liquor-making stills 2 5-gallon jugs of hooch they epitomized old-time cool 1. At what point did the idea of having a father occur to James? How did this come about? 2. Why wasn't James really aware that he had a father most of his young life? 3. How was Hunter Jordan, Sr.? 4. Where does Jordan take his "baseball team" to live? 5. What was Jordan's background? Where did he come from? Why did he leave? 6. Why did Jordan "do time"? 7. Who were his brothers? 8. Where did Jordan take his family during the summers? How was it? How did James' experience in the South compare with his mother's? 9. How was Jordan odd? 10. What happened to his place in Brooklyn? 11. What happened to Jordan? 12. How would you compare Ruth's father to James' father? Chapter 13, New York 1. How does Ruth speak of her mother at the beginning of the chapter? 2. How does Mameh look after the two girls? 3. How were the aunts and uncles on her mother's side "living high"? 4. How were they a "funny family"? 5. How did Mameh's family in New York regard Mameh's family in North CArolina? What did they call them? Why? 6. How was life at Aunt Laura's? 7. What about Aunt Mary's? 8. How were teh sisters treated in comparison to Ruth? 9. How did Ruth feel staying with her mother's aunts and/or her grandmother? 10. What did they call the grandmother? How was she? 11. Describe Aunt Betsy. What did she do for Ruth? How does Ruth feel about this aunt? Vocabulary drape a towel fare a kosher delicatssen bottled up inside an eyepopper got with the program a meticulous woman shiny hardwood floors no aversion to housework an accomplished woman