Student Name (& Class): _____ Date

							Student Name (& Class): ___________________________________ Date Due: ______________

              Novel Study: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
                                               (Part 1)
POINT FORM NOTES: You WILL be able to use your own notes for daily quizzes. They will also
prove invaluable for final test review. Typed is ok providing they are your own. Every year, some boys
decide to share pt. forms and that is called Plagiarism = ZERO marks & academic probation!

           * In addition to notes, you are expected to answer the following questions,
                                in hand written cursive script.


QUESTIONS (Ch. 2 - 157)

1.     Keep a list (“Table” with page numbers) of at least 5 similes and at least 5 metaphors
used by the author in the first 100 pages.

2.      The hero/narrator of Mark Haddon's novel has Asperger's syndrome. Write down at
least 18 of his various symptoms as described in the first 100 pages of the novel. (You will
want to place your answer on a separate sheet of paper, so you can update it as you read)

3.      Why does Christopher like dogs ?

4.     Chris calls his book a “murder mystery novel”. Why ? Throughout the novel, what
techniques does he refer to from that genre of writing ?

5.      (Ch. 13) Why doesn’t Chris tell jokes ?

6.       The author (Mark Haddon) has many of his characters use profanity (i.e., swear words)
in their dialogue. Why do you think he uses these? What does it add to the portrayal of the
characters’ personalities?

7.     (Ch. 17) Explain why the night sky (according to the Big Bang theory) is not absolutely
blinding with light, given that we know there are billions bright stars in it.

8.      Why are the chapters numbered 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, etc. and not 1, 2, 3, 4 … ?

9.      (Ch. 29) Give the 2 reasons why Chris finds people confusing.

10.   He says the story about St. Christopher carrying Jesus across the river is apocryphal.
What does apocryphal mean, and why does Chris use it here?

11.     (Ch. 37) Chris says he doesn’t like reading “proper” (i.e., fiction) novels. Why not?

12.     (Ch. 43) The author uses FLASHBACK in this chapter. Describe the event .
                                                 Page 2
13.    State 4 things Chris does when he has passed 4 yellow cars in a row on the way to
school?

14.     (Ch. 53) Chris talks about 2 kinds of heart attacks. What are they, and how are they
different?

15.    (Ch. 59) Chris disobeys his father’s rule and carries on investigating Wellington’s
death. What justification does he give for this action?

16.    (Ch. 61) Why doesn’t Chris believe in Heaven?

17.    Chris says most murders are committed by _____________________________

18.     Why does Chris feel it is just as bad when kids yell “Special Needs ! ” as when they
insult them with “spaz”, “crip”, or “mong” ?

19.    What are “A” level exams in Britain ?

20.    (Ch. 73) Who does Chris blame his parents’ arguments and potential divorce on? Why?

21.     (Ch. 79) Given that Chris can not tell lies, how does he justify telling a “white lie” to
his dad in this chapter?

22.    What secret does Mrs. Alexander reveal to Chris ?

23.    In Ch. 103, Chris smells something unfamiliar to him on his dad and Rhodri. What
might this be ?

24.    In Ch. 127, Chris says he likes to imagine he’s in a submarine alone. Yet in the
previous chapter, he says “…the pictures in my head are all pictures of things which really
happened.” Did the author make a mistake here (i.e., contradict himself) ?

25.     Chris can’t handle human touch (i.e., physical contact). What do his parents do to show
affection instead of hugging him?

26.    Why does Chris NOT like Sir Conan Doyle?

27.    Why does he believe the Law of Occam’s Razor is true ?

28.    In her letters, what justification does his mother give for leaving them ?