Poppy

65 pages • 2 hours read

Poppy

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1995

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Introduction

Before Reading

During Reading

After Reading

During Reading

Reading Questions & Paired Texts

Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key plot points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Chapters 1-4

Reading Check

1. Who does Mr. Ocax eat for breaking the rules of Bannock Hill?

2. What symbol signals a family emergency in Poppy’s house?

3. Where does Lungwort intend to move half of his family because of overpopulation?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Compare Poppy’s personality with Ragweed’s. How are the two different?

2. What are the rules regarding the mice population living in the Dimwood Forest? Why does Mr. Lungwort abide by the rules?

3. Why might overpopulation become an issue in Lungwort’s community? What does Lungwort intend to do about it?

Paired Resource

“Limiting Factors”

This National Geographic article explores the concept of population density, limiting factors, and carrying capacity in animal populations.
How do limiting factors affect animal populations? How might Poppy’s family be impacted by limiting factors in her home? How would you describe the carrying capacity of Gray House?

Chapters 5-8

Reading Check

1. What does Poppy find in Mr. Ocax’s regurgitated pellet?

2. Who does Mr. Ocax blame for his refusal to allow the clan to move to New House?

3. What item does Poppy use to gain courage?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. How does Poppy’s clan respond to Ragweed’s death? What factors likely contribute to their response?

2. What is Poppy’s white flag intended to represent? Why does she feel as she does about the white flag?

3. Why does Mr. Ocax refuse to allow the mouse clan to move to New House, according to Poppy? What is she determined to do about it?

Paired Resource

“Why People Fall for Misinformation”

This 5-minute video explains what misinformation is and why it spreads.
How is misinformation spread? What types of misinformation do Poppy and her family members believe? How does misinformation contribute to the novel’s theme of Challenging Assumptions?

Chapters 9-12

Reading Check

1. What does Poppy fantasize about becoming?

2. What type of creature traps Poppy in a hollow log?

3. What is Ereth eager to visit at New House?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why does Poppy think of Ragweed often when she encounters difficult problems? What does Ragweed represent to Poppy?

2. What is the significance of Ereth’s rescue of Poppy? What makes Ereth an important ally?

3. How are Poppy and Mr. Ocax similar in their observations about their environment?

Paired Resource

The Great Horned Owl

This 3-minute video describes the hunting tactics of the great horned owl.
What makes the great horned owl an adept hunter? Why does Mr. Ocax have an advantage over the mice in his forest? Do Poppy and her family members have a good reason to be afraid of the owl?

Chapters 13-16

Reading Check

1. What stolen item makes Mr. Ocax angry with Poppy?

2. What does Poppy see in the barn of New House?

3. What does Poppy collect to wield as a weapon?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. How is Poppy’s perception of the forest altered by the daylight?

2. How does Ereth threaten Mr. Ocax’s carefully crafted reputation? What else threatens his reputation?

3. What is the similarity Poppy recognizes in herself and Mr. Ocax?

Paired Resource

Making Assumptions

This 2-minute video explains why the brain is prone to make assumptions and the types of assumptions we should challenge.
Why does the human brain default to making assumptions about certain situations? What assumptions should we challenge? How does Poppy’s willingness to challenge assumptions help her to discover the truth?

Chapters 17-20

Reading Check

1. What does Poppy take from Mr. Ocax to celebrate her victory over the owl?

2. What is the name of Poppy’s new husband?

3. What does Ragweed drop the night of his murder, eventually becoming a tree?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What happens to Poppy’s attempts at diplomacy with Mr. Ocax? What does it reveal about his character?

2. How does Lungwort respond to Poppy’s victory? What is ironic about his response?

Recommended Next Reads

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien

This novel is about a mouse who seeks help when she discovers her son is too sick to relocate during harvest time.
Shared themes include The Nature of Tyranny and Heroism and The Power of Love.
Shared topics include survival, the hero’s journey, and anthropomorphism.
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH on SuperSummary

Redwall by Brian Jacques

This fantasy novel is about a group of peaceful animals unexpectedly attacked by a vicious rat clan.
Shared themes include The Nature of Tyranny and Heroism and The Importance of Challenging Assumptions.
Shared topics include courage, villainy, and quests.
Redwall on SuperSummary

Reading Questions Answer Key

Chapters 1-4

Reading Check

1. Ragweed (Chapter 1)

2. A red flag (Chapter 3)

3. New House (Chapter 4)

Short Answer

1. Ragweed is more carefree and open-minded than Poppy, who tends to be careful and follow the rules. For example, Ragweed convinces Poppy to break the rules of Bannock Hill, and Poppy is reluctant to do so. When Mr. Ocax kills Ragweed because he does not follow the rules, Poppy wonders if Ragweed is responsible for his death because of his incautious actions. (Chapters 1-2)

2. Mr. Ocax claims to protect the mice from worse dangers than himself if they obey his rules to remain in their territory. Though fifteen of Lungwort’s family members have died from Mr. Ocax’s tyranny, Lungwort believes they must have deserved their deaths. Lungwort thinks Mr. Ocax is a generous and benevolent ruler. (Chapter 2)

3. Gray House, the abandoned farmhouse Poppy and her family live in, has become overpopulated, and there are worries within the camp that the mice will run out of food. To prevent this problem, Lungwort proposes that half the mice in Gray House move to New House with Mr. Ocax’s permission. (Chapter 4)

Chapters 5-8

Reading Check

1. Ragweed’s earring (Chapter 6)

2. Poppy (Chapter 6)

3. Ragweed’s earring (Chapter 8)

Short Answer

1. The mouse clan dismisses Ragweed’s death, believing that Ragweed brought the death on himself. The clan has been taught they will not be harmed if they follow the owl’s rules. Anyone who dies is, therefore, responsible for their death. (Chapter 5)

2. The white flag Poppy holds represents a truce so Mr. Ocax and the mice can meet peacefully. Poppy, however, feels that the flag represents surrender. She likely feels this way because the mice have accepted Mr. Ocax’s tyranny in exchange for an illusion of safety in the community. (Chapter 5)

3. Mr. Ocax claims Poppy’s disobedience is why he will not permit the mouse community to leave Gray House. Still, Poppy suspects Mr. Ocax is hiding something he does not want the mouse community to discover at New House. Poppy decides to travel to New House to uncover the owl’s secret. (Chapters 6-7)

Chapters 9-12

Reading Check

1. A ballroom dancer (Chapter 9)

2. A fox (Chapter 10)

3. The salt lick (Chapter 12)

Short Answer

1. Poppy thinks of Ragweed whenever she needs the courage to continue her quest. For example, when Poppy sees a river and wonders how she will return home if she crosses it, she draws strength from Ragweed’s memory. Ragweed also inspires Poppy to question how things have always been. (Chapters 1-9)

2. Poppy and her family have been told that Mr. Ocax protects the mice from dangerous porcupines. Poppy first meets Ereth when he rescues her from a fox, negating Mr. Ocax’s claim that they are dangerous. Additionally, Poppy learns that Mr. Ocax fears Ereth’s dangerous quills, making Ereth a powerful ally for the mouse. (Chapters 11-12)

3. Poppy and Mr. Ocax both emphasize the importance of being alert. Poppy strives to be alert to watch for predators, while Mr. Ocax seeks to be alert to be well-fed. The comparison demonstrates the relationship between predator and prey. (Chapters 9-12)

Chapters 13-16

Reading Check

1. Ragweed’s earring (Chapter 13)

2. A large owl (Chapter 14)

3. A porcupine quill (Chapter 15)

Short Answer

1. Poppy feels threatened by the forest’s darkness and fears traveling in it. When daylight breaks, Poppy is in awe of the beauty and life of the forest. (Chapter 10, Chapter 13)

2. Ereth threatens Mr. Ocax’s reputation because the porcupine is not afraid of the owl and challenges his claim that he is the most dangerous creature in the forest. Additionally, Poppy learns that the fake barn owl has frightened Mr. Ocax away from the barn, further damaging his reputation. (Chapters 13-16)

3. Poppy recognizes that she and Mr. Ocax are both motivated by fear. Poppy and the other mice experience the fear of leaving their homes and becoming prey to Mr. Ocax for their disobedience, while Mr. Ocax fears losing control of the mouse clan and his easy food source. (Chapter 16)

Chapters 17-20

Reading Check

1. A feather (Chapter 19)

2. Rye (Chapter 20)

3. A hazelnut (Chapter 20)

Short Answer

1. Poppy attempts to negotiate with Mr. Ocax, but the owl attacks Poppy before she is aware. Sensing the owl’s attack, Poppy stabs him with the porcupine quill. Mr. Ocax’s actions reveal that he is willing to do anything to protect his secret and keep the mouse clan under his control. (Chapters 17-18)

2. Lungwort tells Poppy that he knew things would resolve themselves if Poppy followed his advice. The statement is ironic because if Poppy had followed Lungwort’s advice, she would not have ventured to New House to discover Mr. Ocax’s secret. (Chapter 19)