Chapter 1

Page  Word Definition

5 Raucous adj. Rough-sounding and harsh
6 Pensively adv. Deeply, often wistfully or dreamily thoughtful.
Working (land) or growing (crops) as a sharecropper. (A tenant
6 Sharecropping   v. farmer who gives a share of the crops raised to the landlord in
lieu of rent.)
Made or became extremely thin, especially as a result of
8 Emaciated v. starvation.
8 Undaunted adj. Not discouraged or disheartened; resolutely courageous.
11 Morosely adv. Sullenly melancholy; gloomy.
11 Disdainfully adv. Expressively disdainful; scornfully and contemptuously.
13 Dismally adv. Dreadfully; disastrously.
15 Knell n. Sound of a bell
15 Transposed v. Put into a different place or order
16 Milling v. Moving around in churning confusion
18 Reverberated v. Reechoed (a sound)
21 Dubious adj. Fraught with uncertainty or doubt
22 Penchant n. A definite liking; a strong inclination
23 Temerity n. Foolhardy disregard of danger; recklessness.
A roll or knot of hair worn at the back of the head or especially
28 Chignon n. at the nape of the neck.
One that refuses to abide by the dictates of or resists
30 Maverick n. adherence to a group; a dissenter.
31 Imperiously adv. Arrogantly domineering or overbearing.

Chapter 2
34 Formidable adj. Inspiring awe, admiration, or wonder
36 Ornate adj. Elaborately, heavily, and often excessively ornamented
A narrow, high chest of drawers or bureau, often with a mirror
36 Chiffonier n. attached.

Chapter 3
The property of a material that enables it to resume its original
42 Resiliency n. shape or position after being bent, stretched, or compressed
43 Emitted v. To give or send out matter (a smell)
43 Donned v. To put on (clothing)
44 Embittered v. To arouse bitter feelings in
47 Flippantly adv. Casually
 48 Moronic adj. Regarded as very stupid
48 Wafted v. Conveyed or sent floating through the air
Marked by or acting with quiet, caution, and secrecy intended to
50 Stealthily adv. avoid notice
51 Oblivious adj. Lacking conscious awareness
64 Adamantly adv. stubbornly
66 Confer v. To meet in order to deliberate together or compare views
66 Precariously adv. Dangerously lacking in security or stability

Chapter 4
72 Expounding v. Explained in detail
72 Discourse n. Conversation
72 Admonished v. To counsel (another) against something to be avoided
73 Haughtily adv. Scornfully and condescendingly proud
73 Riveted v. To engross or hold attention
74 Feigned v. Pretended
96 Fathom v. To penetrate to the meaning or nature of; comprehend.
98 Proprietors n. One who has legal title to something; an owner.

Chapter 5
104 Envisioned v. Pictured in the mind; imagined
112 Retaliated v. Paid back (an injury) in kind
112 Malevolently adv. Wishing harm to others; maliciously
113 Sullenly adv. morosely or sulkily
113 Ambled v. Walked slowly or leisurely; strolled

Chapter 6
137-138 Languidly adv. Lacking energy or vitality; weakly

Chapter 7
144 Interminable adj. Being or seeming to be without an end; endless
160 Placid adj. Satisfied; complacent
To act together in abstaining from using, buying, or dealing
164 Boycott v. with as an expression of protest or disfavor or as a means of
coercion
168 Insolently adv. Audaciously rude or disrespectful; arrogantly

Chapter 8
177 Jovial adj. jolly

Chapter 9
 195 Wisteria n. Any of several climbing woody vines in the pea family, having
pinnately compound leaves and showy purplish or white
flowers.
197 Persnickety adj. Snobbish
203 Amenities n. Social courtesies; pleasantries
204 Chain gang n. A group of convicts chained together, especially for outdoor
labor

Chapter 10
227 Lethargically adv. Causing sluggishness, inactivity, and apathy

Chapter 11
254 Crescendo n. A steady increase in intensity or force

Chapter 12
258 Traipsing v. Walking or tramping about
260 Menacingly adv. threateningly

   Chapter 1
1. Describe the Logans.
2. What news did T.J. tell Cassie and her brothers?
3. Why didn’t these children have a bus to take them to school?
4. Why did Jeremy’s older sister, Lillian Jean, beat Jeremy?
5. What is the significance of the Confederate flag flying?
6. Why were there less students in the higher grade levels?
7. The school was given "brand new" books. Why were they soiled?
8. Why didn’t Cassie and Little Man want their books?
9. Why didn’t Miss Crocker get upset by the condition of the books?
10. What was Mama’s reaction particularly when Miss Crocker said, "I
think you’re spoiling those children, Mary. They’ve got to learn how
things are sometime" ?

   Chapter 2
1. Who is Mr. Morrison and why has he come?
2. What happened to John Henry Berry?
3. What did Papa demand the children swear to?
4. Rewrite the second paragraph on pg. 40 in proper English.
5. What do you think will happen next in Chapter 3?
   Chapter 3
1. Why was Little Man always getting angry and frustrated?
2. How did Stacey plan to get revenge? What was the outcome of his
revenge?
3. What danger were Cassie and her brother in?
4. Predict what will happen next in Chapter 4.

   Chapter 4
1. What did the "men in the night" do to Mr. Tatum? Why?
2. What did Stacey do to help T. J. from getting into trouble? What does
this tell you about Stacey’s character?
3. How did Stacey get caught cheating and what happened to him?
4. Why did Stacey and the others go to Wallace’s Store when they knew
they would get whipped if they got caught?
5. What did Stacey decide to do after Mr. Morrison picked the children up
at Wallace’s store?
6. Why does Harlan Granger haunt the Logans to sell their land to him?
7. Why did Mama bring the children to the Berry’s?
8. Why did Mama want the sharecroppers and the farm owners to shop
in Vicksburg? What was the sharecroppers concern?

   Chapter 5
1. What happened in Strawberry?
2. What did Mr. Barnett mean when he said to Stacey, "Then you get her
out of here…And make sure she don’t come back till yo mammy teach
her what she is"?
3. What did Stacey tell Cassie when they left the store about Mr. Barnett?
4. Describe the incident with Jeremy’s sister Lillian Jean.
5. How was Cassie rescued from Mr. Simms?
6. What feelings do you think Cassie had toward the way she was treated
by Mr. Simms?

   Chapter 6
1. Who was Cassie angry at and why?
2. Why does Uncle Hammer make a visit?
3. How did Uncle Hammer react to Cassie’s experience in Strawberry?
4. How did Mama explain to Cassie about…"how things are"?
 5. What is the lesson that Mama teaches Cassie about respect?
6. What happened with Uncle Hammer?
7. During a Sunday drive near the Wallace’s Store, what did Uncle
hammer say that shocked the family?
8. Uncle Hammer faked the Wallace’s out on the bridge who tipped their
hats, and were shocked to see it wasn’t Mr. Granger. What did Mama
mean when she said, "But one day we’ll have to pay for it. Believe
me…one day we’ll pay."?

    Chapter 7
1. After Uncle Hammer found out that Stacey "gave" his coat to T.J.,
what lesson did Uncle Hammer teach as he reprimanded Stacey?
2. What happened in Mr. Morrison’s childhood?
3. What did Mama want to do to stop the Wallace’s from destroying
young black children’s lives and to protect the black families income?
4. What kinds of things did the Logan children get for Christmas?
5. Who was the unexpected visitor and why did he come?
6. What did Papa say about friendship between blacks and whites?
7. Mr. Jamison, the lawyer, offered to help out the thirty black families.
How?
8. What reason did Mr. Jamison give for the Wallace’s not being arrested
for burning the Berry’s home?
9. Mr. Jamison says that killing a black man is of a "minor consideration".
Why?
10. What did Papa mean when he said, "I want these children to know we
tried, and what we can’t do now, maybe one day they will." ?
11. How did Mr. Granger threaten the Logans?
12. What challenge did Papa make to Granger? How would you describe
the mood and atmosphere at that moment?

   Chapter 8
1. How is Cassie "Uncle Tomming" (Miz) Lillian Jean? Why do you think
she is doing this?
2. What lesson did Papa give to Cassie about respect?
3. What was the trick that Cassie played on Lillian Jean?
4. Mr. Granger, Kaleb Wallace, and a school board member came to
watch Mama teaching. What was the outcome and why? Was there
any "hidden agenda"?
5. How did Mr. Morrison plan to help the Logans? What was Papa’s
response?
6. What did Little Willie Wiggins tell Stacey about Mama?
7. What did Stacey mean when he said about T.J., "What he got coming
 to him is worse than a beating" ?
8. What do you think T.J. means when he says, "Got me better friends
than y’all! They give me things and treat me like I’m a man and…and
they white too…" ?

   Chapter 9
1. Why doesn’t Jeremy like his older brothers?
2. What news did Mr. Jamison bring to Papa?
3. Why did Mr. Avery and some other sharecroppers decide not to shop
at Vicksburg?
4. What would happen if the sharecroppers were put into a chain gang?
5. What is the lesson to be learned that Papa talked about regarding the
fig tree? pg. 206)
6. What happened to Papa when he and Mr. Morrison went to
Vicksburg?

   Chapter 10
1. Why didn’t Papa want to borrow money from Uncle Hammer?
2. Why does Stacey blame himself for Papa’s broken leg?
3. How did Mr. Morrison show his great strength in front of the children?
4. What did Jeremy tell Stacey that T.J.’s been up to?
5. What news did Mr. Morrison bring back after paying the mortgage in
Strawberry?
6. Where was Papa going to get the money to pay off the mortgage?
7. Why did Papa dismiss the court system as a means to stop Mr.
Granger?
8. Why did Uncle Hammer walk to the revival?
9. Why was it better that Uncle Hammer return to Chicago?
10. On the last night of the revival, T. J. showed up with the Simmes
brothers. What seems to be their relationship? What did they promise
T.J.?

   Chapter 11
1. Describe what happened to T.J.
2. Why did Stacey help after what he’s done to Mama?
3. After Stacey, Cassie, Christopher-John, and Little Man brought T.J.
safely home, what happened?
    Chapter 12
1. After Cassie told Papa the ugly details of what happened to T.J. and
his family, what did Papa mean when he said, "I’ll do what I have to
do, Mary…and so will you…" ?
2. After Papa and Mr. Morrison left in search for Stacey, what happened
to the cotton?
3. Who helped put out the fire and how was the fire stopped?
4. What happened to T.J. once the fire broke out?
5. What news did Mr. Jamison bring about Jim Lee Barnett and what are
the implications?
6. What was the secret that must never be told?
7. Why did Stacey and Cassie mourn for T.J. and predict what might
happen to him?

How is the title Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry appropriate for this
novel?