Gang of One—Reading Questions and Activities

Content: Chapters 1 and 2

Name__________________________

Directions: Read Chapters 1 and 2 in Gang of One, using the Reading Strategies on the handout. Then complete each of the following activities. Go back into the book as needed for any answers. For multiple choice questions, place the letter of the best answer in the blank to the left of the question.

Source: Jane Burgstaler

I. First Reactions
In the space below, write down your thoughts, feelings, and reactions about the reading. Just write whatever comes to mind. Don’t worry about spelling, punctuation, or the like. Try to fill the space with your thoughts. (5 points)

II. Vocabulary Study
Choose two words from Chapters 1 and 2 that are unfamiliar to you or the meaning of which you are unsure. Write the page number on which the word is found. Then try to guess the meaning of the word from the context. Write down that guess. Next check the word’s meaning in a dictionary and write down the meaning that applies to the word as it is used in the reading. Finally, write a sentence of your own using the word. (6 points)

First word _____________________________________, found on page ___________________

What do you think it might mean?

What meaning does the dictionary give?

Write a sentence of your own using the first word

Second word _____________________________________, found on page ____________________

What do you think it might mean?

What meaning does the dictionary give?

Write a sentence using the second word

III. Main Ideas and Supporting Details

1. ______ Which of the following sentences best expresses the main idea of the first two chapters.
a. Boys will be boys.
b. Sometimes it is necessary to destroy tradition in order to bring about change.
c. People caught up in the emotion of a movement can do monstrous things in the name of cause.
d. In a revolution it is necessary to expose and destroy the opposition by any means possible.

2. ______ What is the main idea of the first paragraph on page 9?
a. Fan’s mother walked two miles to get to the hospital when he was born.
b. Fan came from a closely knit family.
c. Fan cried a lot as a baby.
d. Fan’s parents placed duty and loyalty to the state and the party above their family.

3. ______ What event might be considered the turning point of the first two chapters, that which will begin a new direction in Shen’s life?
a. the book burning
b. his parent’s approval of his “revolutionary” behavior d. the death of General Hei
c. the death of General Lou

4. ______ How old is Fan Shen when he goes to the book burning?
a. twelve b. ten c. sixteen d. twenty-one

5. ______ How did the students know which books to burn and which not to burn?
a. Any books could be burned.
b. Any book that did not have a red cover should be burned.
c. Students could burn books brought from home but no textbooks.
d. Only “revolutionary” books could be burned.

IV. Making Inferences

1. ______ Throughout the first two chapters, Shen makes statements such as, “Of course, I felt no pity,”
“. . . we did not feel sorry for him” (p. 14), and “I felt no guilt at all when I thrust my stick into the man’s bruised legs and arms.” By his repetition of this theme, we might infer that
a. He is proud that he took part in these actions like a good “revolutionary.”
b. He had no reason to feel guilt because his actions were justified.
c. He was happy that his parents would be proud of him.
d. He now deeply regrets his actions and the fact that he felt no guilt.

2. ______ What is the most likely reason Shen includes the story of the mangoes on page 16?
a. To illustrate the generosity of the Great Leader.
b. To show how ridiculous the young people’s worship of Chairman Mao had become.
c. Because it is a good story.
d. To illustrate how important the Red Guards were to the success of the Cultural Revolution

V. Outlining Activity
The events in the first two chapters are organized in time order. Another name for time order is chronological order or narrative order, in which events are given in the order they happened. Examine the order of the first two chapters by numbering the following events, 1 through 8, in the order they appear.

_____ Fan’s mother cooks him some egg noodles as a reward.

_____ General Hei jumps to his death.

_____ The “struggle rallies” begin.

_____ Sensational revolutionary posters are hung everywhere.

_____ Fan burns books at the Cultural Revolution event.

_____ The mayor of Beijing and his wife are ridiculed at a rally.

_____ General Hei is beaten at a rally for his refusal to “bow down to the people.”

_____ General Luo dies on stage while being “indicted” at a rally.

Source: Jane Burgstaler