Counting by 7s

1. Willow loves the number 7. There are two other things that she is passionate about. What are they?

A) science and cooking

B) language study and reading

C) homework and taking tests

D) medicine and plants

2. Why is Willow accused of cheating on the test she takes in school?

A) She looks at another student’s paper.

B) She gets every answer right.

C) She has the exact same answers as another student.

D) She comes in late and still finishes on time.

3. After meeting with Willow, Dell Duke creates a new category in his counseling system. What category does he create for Willow?

A) genius

B) weirdo

C) oddball

D) freakshow

4. Where does Willow first meet Mai and Quang-ha?

A) She meets them at her new school.

B) She meets them at a nail salon.

C) She meets them at Dell Duke’s office.

D) She meets them at the library.

5. Later, why does Dell Duke throw the flyers for Cheddar in the trash?

A) He learns the cat was killed.

B) Cheddar is not really his cat.

C) He does not think the flyers will help.

D) Cheddar is discovered hiding in his office.

For each of the following questions, write a one-sentence response based on details in the story.

6. What does Willow wear to school on the first day?

7. When Dell Duke loses Cheddar, how does Quang-ha help make flyers to find the lost cat? 

8. Why does Willow have a taxi pick her up from school for her second meeting with Dell Duke?

A) She does not think that taking the bus is safe.

B) She does not want her parents to know where she is going.

C) She wants to get there early so she can see Mai again.

D) She does not want to walk in the rain.

9. What is one way Willow shows Mai that she wants to be friends with her?

A) She starts to speak to Mai in Vietnamese.

B) She invites Mai over to her house.

C) She brings Mai books and magazines she thinks she will like.

D) She takes Mai and her brother out for ice cream.

10. On her second cab ride with the taxi driver Jairo Hernandez, Willow leaves him a note when she gets out of the taxi. What does the note tell him?

A) He should follow his dreams and go to college.

B) He has a mole on the back of his neck, and he should have a doctor look at it.

C) The note lists days and times she wants him to pick her up from school.

D) She thinks his cab is being followed, and he should be careful.

11. When Willow finds out that her parents have been killed, what is she no longer able to do?

A) She can no longer count by 7s.

B) She can no longer remember anything else from that day.

C) She can no longer picture what her parents looked like.

D) She can no longer remember anything she reads.

12. After Willow loses her parents, what makes Mai decide that Willow should come home with her?

A) Mai sees that her brother, Quang-ha, is the only one who can calm Willow down.

B) Dell Duke tells Mai that she is Willow’s only friend.

C) Mai finds a library book in Willow’s room about Vietnamese customs.

D) In Willow’s room, Mai finds the cat flyers that she and Quang-ha made with her.

13. Why is Quang-ha furious that Willow will be staying with them?

A) He doesn’t want the kids at school to think he and Willow are friends. 

B) He does not want to be the only boy in the house.

C) He believes that Mai gets whatever she wants and he does not.

D) He already has no privacy in the garage where they live.

For each of the following questions, write a one-sentence response based on details in the story.

14. What important news does Willow’s mom learn on the day that she and her husband die in the car accident?

15. Why does Mai’s mom, Pattie, like the color red so much? 

16. After losing her parents, what decision does Willow make?

A) She decides to stop going to school for a while.

B) She decides to write down every single detail about the day they died.

C) She decides to stop seeing Dell Duke for counseling.

D) She decides to create a garden in her parents’ memory.

17. When Willow goes to the Jamison Children’s Center, she sees a newspaper photograph of the accident that killed her parents. What happens when she sees the photo?

A) She looks up and sees that Mai is there with her.

B) She runs into the bathroom because she feels sick.

C) She begins to cry and has no idea where she is.

D) She faints and cuts her head on a table as she falls.

18. When Jairo Hernandez picks up Willow in his cab to take her to the library, what does he think of her?

A) He thinks she looks angry.

B) He thinks it is strange that she takes taxis so often.

C) He thinks she is like an angel sent to guide him.

D) He thinks she may be spying on him.

19. When Willow has Jairo take her to the library, what is she looking for there?

A) newspapers so she can learn more about the accident that killed her parents

B) books about losing a parent

C) books about Vietnamese culture

D) a computer so she can hack into the emails of the Jamison Children’s Center

20. What is Mai’s plan for getting Willow to stay with them a little longer?

A) pretend they did not find Willow and keep the fact that she is with them a secret

B) pretend they live at Dell’s apartment so Child Services does not see where they really live

C) clean up the garage and build an extra room for Willow

D) have Quang-ha move in with Dell to make room for Willow

21. Which of the following is a lie that Dell tells to Lenore Cole, the woman who is trying to find new parents for Willow?

A) He says he is homeschooling Willow.

B) He says he does not know where Willow is.

C) He says Willow is back in school.

D) He says Cheddar is Willow’s cat. 

For each of the following questions, write a one-sentence response based on details in the story.

22. Jairo learns Willow’s name because she leaves something behind in the taxi. What does she leave behind?

23. Willow falls asleep in a chair at the library. Who finds her? 

24. Why is it painful for Willow when she overhears what the manicurists at Pattie’s shop say?

A) They talk about Willow because they do not know she understands Vietnamese.

B) They talk about how hard it must be for Pattie to take care of Willow.

C) They talk about Quang-ha, and Willow has a little crush on him.  

D) They talk about their families and this makes Willow sad.

25. When the group is cleaning and decorating Dell’s apartment, how do Quang-ha and Willow make the skylight look better?

A) They cover it with a big tarp.

B) Willow covers it with green plants.

C) They place pieces from broken bottles on top of it.

D) Quang-ha paints a picture on it.

26. After Quang-ha and Willow finish with the skylight, what does Pattie say that Quang-ha can do?

A) arrange the furniture

B) go out and get lunch

C) watch TV for a while

D) play video games for a while

27. What label does Dell invent for Pattie after she takes over his apartment?

A) Wizard

B) Dictator

C) Dragon

D) Tornado

28. How is Jairo Hernandez able to pay for the college courses he wants to take?

A) He takes out a loan from the bank and has Willow help with the application.

B) He rents out an extra bedroom in his apartment to Dell.

C) He works extra hours driving his cab.

D) He wins $20,000 when he goes to buy books for his classes.

29. What happens to the three computers that Sadhu Kumar throws out?

A) Quang-ha fixes one up so he can use it for homework.

B) Quang-ha, Willow, and Mai work together to fix them.

C) Willow takes parts from all three to make a computer for Dell.

D) Willow brings one to the salon to help Pattie with organizing.

For each of the following questions, write a one-sentence response based on details in the story.

30. While walking to the apartment, Mai steps on an acorn but doesn’t break it. Then the acorn rolls into the road and a car misses it. What does she do with the acorn?

31. After Willow decides that the Gardens of Glenwood apartment building needs a real garden, where does she get sunflower seeds to plant? 

32. How does Willow get permission to plant in the courtyard?

A) She asks her neighbors, and they all agree.

B) Using Dell’s name, she sends a request to the bank that owns the building.

C) She asks Sadhu Kumar, who is the building manager.

D) She has Dell run for building representative so he can give her permission.

33. After Willow and her friends dig up the soil in the courtyard, a huge wind blows dirt everywhere. What do Willow and her friends do?

A) They power-wash the apartment building.

B) The give up on trying to plant anything in the courtyard.

C) They ask all of the neighbors to help clean up.

D) They scoop up all of the dirt in buckets and carry it back to the courtyard.

34. Willow thinks she is like a sunflower. Why does she think this?

A) They both need warmth to survive.

B) They both grow when people care for them.

C) They are both temporary but are still attached to the ground beneath them.

D) They are both growing more quickly than anyone would have thought.

35. After Dell accidentally hits a school van with his car, he starts to run off so that he does not get into trouble. What changes his mind and makes him report that he damaged the van?

A) He thinks about what Willow would do if she were in his situation.

B) He sees Cheddar the cat, which makes him realize he has not been responsible.

C) He tells Quang-ha, who says that that it is wrong to run away.

D) He imagines a new label for himself, “coward,” and he doesn’t like it.

36. When a repairman accidentally throws away all of Willow’s rooftop plants, where does she get new plants for the courtyard?

A) Dell buys her a truckload of plants.

B) All of the neighbors in the apartment bring plants and help put them in the courtyard.

C) All of the staff at the Jamison’s Children’s Center bring plants for her.

D) A local nursery gives her a truck full of plants and brings workers to help plant them.

For each of the following questions, write a one-sentence response based on details in the story.

37. What does Willow want to plant in the courtyard at Glenwood Gardens?

38. Dell writes Willow a note saying that she should take something to her future home. What does he want her to take with her? 

39. After Willow hears the news that she is moving to a group foster home, what does she tells Mai about plants that are moved to new soil?

A) They experience shock.

B) They die.

C) They grow but cannot produce flowers.

D) They survive but don’t grow any taller.

40. When Dell has trouble sleeping because he is thinking about Willow leaving, what does he do?

A) He makes a decision to adopt Willow.

B) He sits up drinking tea with Pattie.

C) He goes outside to water Willow’s garden.

D) He plants a sunflower seed in his kitchen.

41. When Willow discovers Dell’s classification system, what does she think?

A) She thinks Dell is an unkind person.

B) She thinks Quang-ha should have the label “artist.”

C) She thinks it is a good idea, and she will start classifying everyone she meets.

D) She thinks you cannot fit people into labels.

42. It turns out Pattie has been saving money. What does she consider buying?

A) a garden stand where Willow and Mai can help sell flowers

B) the Glenwood Gardens apartment building

C) another nail salon

D) a large house for her family

43. What does Willow do with the lucky acorn she still has in her pocket?

A) She plants it in her garden.

B) She gives it back to Mai, saying she doesn’t need it anymore.

C) She plants it at the group foster home.

D) She plants it at the Jamison Children’s Center.

For each of the following questions, write a one-sentence response based on details in the story.

44. What outfit does Willow wear to her custody hearing?

45. At the custody hearing, who asks to be the guardians of Willow?