You can find these at the link http://www.davis.k12.ut.us/ffjh/thompson/cotrsg.htm
Chapter 1
1. What is the setting of Chapter 1? (time and place)
2. Why is Sundara staying with her aunt and uncle in the small fishing village?
3. Why do people suddenly begin to flee the village?
4. What is Grandmother’s attitude toward leaving? What do she and Soka insist must happen before they leave?
5. Where are Sundara’s parents, her brother, and her sister?
6. What item does Sundara make a special point to get before leaving?
7. “Everyone had the same story. Their own families had to come first.” Describe the circumstances that made Sundara think this.
8. Describe what happens on the boat.
After carefully reading the chapter, give a brief description of each of the following characters:
a) Sundara b) Tep Naro c) Soka d) Ravy e) Pon f) Chamroeun g) Grandmother
Chapter 2
1. What is the setting of Chapter 2? (time and place)
2. Why won’t Sundara ask Mrs. Cathcart not to read the poem?
3. How is Sundara’s poem different from most of the other students’ work?
4. Who is Kelly?
5. Soka and Grandmother are very upset when Sundara arrives home from school. Why?
6. How does Sundara ease Soka and Grandmother’s worries?
7. Why, when speaking to each other, do the Khmer characters seem to speak perfect English?
8. Who is Mr. Bonner?
9. Why does Soka not tell other refugee families where she (and her family) works?
10. What is the “pig slop” that Grandmother refuses to eat?
11. Where does the family attend church? Why? (What is Soka’s philosophy of worship?)
12. What is the “distant roar...coming from the direction of town” at the end of the chapter?
Chapter 3
1. Why does Mr. Bonner like having Sundara sell his produce at the market?
2. Regarding money, what is Soka’s constant reminder to Sundara?
3. Why does Sundara remove her jacket even though it is still cold out?
4. Why does Soka believe that Lam Bing would make a good husband for Sundara?
5. “Then she saw him.” Who did Sundara see and what is it about him that attracts her attention?
6. Where has Sundara seen “Jonatan” before?
7. Why did he really come to the market? (It’s not to buy flowers.)
8. How did Sundara learn English? What is the simile she uses to describe life without the ability to communicate?
9. What is Sundara concerned Ravy may do when they get home?
Chapter 4
1. Why is Sundara “allowed” to go to the football game?
2. What is the real reason Sundara wanted to go to the football game?
3. Who is Cathy Gates?
4. Why does Sundara say to her friend, “Oh, Kelly! I’m shock!”? (What shocks her?)
5. What concerns Sundara when she sees all the football players saying a pre-game prayer?
6. What is ironic about what the players do when the prayer is finished?
7. What bothers Sundara during the singing of the “Star Spangled Banner”?
8. Why does Sundara finally understand “why everyone thought Jonathan McKinnon was wonderful”?
Chapter 5
1. What has Jonathan asked Sundara to help him with?
2. Why is she so nervous about talking to Jonathan? (Why does she think she shouldn’t?)
3. How did Sundara meet Jonathan’s father? What effect did he have on her?
4. What “rating” does Sundara receive from the football players that are teasing Jonathan?
5. What fact about Sundara’s parents surprises Jonathan?
6. Why does Sundara “feel sorry” for Jonathan?
Chapter 6
1. Who is Moni? How did she get to America?
2. What one topic can Sundara “never discuss. Not even with Moni”? Why?
3. What’s going on in the house during this chapter?
4. Why does Sundara wish she were younger?
5. How does she feel that her circumstances are different than many of the refugee families who are coming to America now, four years after her trip?
6. Why did Soka have the “operation for no more babies”?
7. Describe Sundara’s relationship with Soka.
8. Who is Chan Seng? Why does Naro not particularly like him?
9. What does Sundara approach Naro about near the end of the chapter? How does he respond?
10. Describe Sundara’s “bedroom.”
Chapter 7
1. What does Jonathan ask Sundara to do at the beginning of the chapter?
2. How does Sundara defend the Khmer custom of arranged marriages?
3. On whom does Sundara eavesdrop in the locker room? What does she hear?
4. According to the Khmer culture, what is the proper way to go on a date?
5. What bothers Sundara about the “discussion” in her international relations class?
6. Who is Pok Simo?
7. Why is Sundara scared of him?
8. What are some of the things Soka criticizes Sundara for?
9. Why is Soka frustrated with the people at Ravy’s school? Who is Mrs. Tep?
10. What does Sundara decide she must do regarding Jonathan? Does she do it?
Chapter 8
1. Why is Sundara used to being watched? Why is she suddenly getting even more attention?
2. Why is Coach Hackenbruck watching Jonathan and Sundara have lunch?
3. How is Jonathan feeling about football lately? Why?
4. What does Cathy Gates tell Sundara? What does this show about her character?
5. Why can Sundara not like any boy she wants, even though she’s in America?
Chapter 9
1. Describe Jonathan’s house.
2. What surprises Sundara about Jonathan’s mother?
3. Why is Sundara shocked that Jonathan’s family has a housekeeper come in sometimes?
4. Where does she go with Jonathan and his parents?
5. Why does Sundara tell the story about the Seed of Happiness?
6. What is the moral of the story?
7. Where is Sundara planning to attend college, and how is she expected to pay for it?
8. What does Dr. McKinnon offer that might help her?
9. Why does Sundara think that maybe Jonathan’s parents won’t approve of her?
10. Why does Sundara vow never to braid her hair again?
Chapter 10
1. What bothers Sundara so much about Jonathan’s unexpected visit?
2. What does Jonathan do to Pon when he meets him? Why is this a problem?
3. What is Angkor Wat?
4. Why does Soka return from the grocery store early?
5. What is Soka’s response to meeting Jonathan?
6. What does Jonathan say (unknowingly) that makes Sundara’s situation worse?
7. What is it that Jonathan just can’t seem to understand?
Chapter 11
1. Describe Soka’s “lecture” to Sundara.
2. What fact almost makes Soka almost reconsider her feelings about Jonathan?
3. What does Soka force Sundara to promise?
4. What unexpected sympathy does Sundara receive from Ravy after Soka leaves?
5. Describe Sundara’s last conversation with her mother.
6. What evidence is there that Moni is still deeply entrenched in Khmer culture despite being in America?
7. What is Moni’s good news?
8. What does Moni ask Sundara to help her do?
9. Describe Sundara’s memory of her last night in Phnom Penh.
10. What does Sundara decide regarding her own plans for a future marriage?
Chapter 12
1. Why does Sundara try to ignore Jonathan at school?
2. “Will you stop making that sound like such a crime?” says Jonathan. What is the “crime”?
3. Describe Jonathan’s response to what Sundara tells him.
Chapter 13
1. What bothers Sundara about her gym class?
2. “It had been hard, these last few weeks....” What had?
3. Who does Sundara meet at the post office? Describe their conversation.
4. What does Sundara decide is the only proper way for her to marry?
5. What does Soka give Sundara? Why?
6. Why are some of the people at school “sympathetic” to Sundara?
7. What “haunted Sundara’s dreams”?
8. Why is Soka so upset when Sundara arrives home?
9. What bad news has arrived for Sundara?
Chapter 14
1. What is the “one small measure of comfort” Sundara feels regarding Chamroeun?
2. Where does Jonathan take Sundara? Why?
3. What does she tell him?
4. “Smile! God loves us!” What does Sundara think when she sees this?
5. Why does Sundara think she must have been a very bad person in her last life?
6. How does Jonathan try to convince her that she is mistaken?
7. To what does Sundara compare Life? Why is Life not like a road (like Americans say)?
8. Why has Sundara never cried since coming to America?
Chapter 15
1. What news does Ravy bring home from the football game?
2. Where does Sundara go the following morning? Why?
3. Where does she go after lunch? Why is she allowed to take the car?
4. What does Sundara see that gives her hope, courage, and a sense of peace?
5. What is Jonathan’s condition?
6. What does he receive from Cathy? How does he feel about it?
7. What does Sundara ask Jonathan about Cathy?
8. How does Jonathan respond?
Chapter 16
1. What is written on the banners that the rally girls are hanging around the school?
2. Who confronts Sundara in the hall? Why?
3. How does Sundara respond?
4. Why does Coach Hackenbruck want to talk with Sundara?
5. What does she tell him?
6. Why did Jonathan get in a fight with his parents?
7. What does Sundara tell him at the end of the chapter?
Chapter 17
1. Why does Ravy get scolded?
2. Why has Soka given up cooking and cleaning?
3. With what does Soka confront Sundara upon returning from the grocery store?
4. Who steps in to “defend” Sundara? How?
5. Where does Sundara go?
6. What happens when Sundara sees the broken doll? Why?
7. How does Sundara get home?
8. What does Grandmother say has happened to Sundara?
9. What explanation does Soka give for the way she treats Sundara?
10. What ironic confession does Soka make regarding the death of her baby on the ship?
11. Why doe s Sundara claim to remember nothing of her experience even though she does?
Chapter 18
1. What does Dr. McKinnon want Sundara to do? Why?
2. What are some of the Khmer customs Sundara shares with Dr. McKinnon?
3. Where do Sundara and Soka go on the Saturday before Thanksgiving?
4. Who do they meet there unexpectedly? How does Soka react?
5. What ironic feelings does Soka express to Nara upon arriving home?
6. What happy news arrives on Thanksgiving?
7. What promise did Sundara’s mother require of Sundara and Soka before they left Cambodia?
8. How has Sundara’s relationship to Soka changed? Why?
Chapter 19
1. Why is Mrs. McKinnon upset?
2. What does Sundara give Dr. McKinnon? Why?
3. Why does Jonathan “feel like such a jerk”?
4. Jonathan says, “I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry, okay?” What did he do?
5. What does Sundara ask for as the chapter ends?
Chapter 20
1. Why is Sundara at the airport?
2. What does Sundara remember (from her own past) as she waits?
3. What piece of sad news does Moni share with Sundara?
4. What does Moni mean when she says she will have to steer her own boat?
5. “No one could keep the river from the sea.” How does this relate to Sundara and Soka?
6. What surprising question does Soka ask Sundara?
7. How does Sundara respond?
8. Why does Valinn not recognize Sundara?
Chapter 21
1. What was the news Valinn brought? Who does Sundara first share it with?
2. Where are Sundara’s parents?
3. According to Sundara, where do the answers to prayers come from?
4. Why is Jonathan sad?
5. What has Sundara learned “just by living”?
6. Do you think Sundara and Jonathan can ever be together? Why or why not?
Themes, Motifs, Symbols: Write your responses on a separate sheet of paper. Support all your responses with details and examples.
Explain the river as a metaphor in Sundara’s story. What does it represent and why is this a valid comparison? (See Chapter 14 as well as the last two pages of the novel.)
Name three motifs that recur in this novel and describe what each contribute to the development of Sundara’s character.
Identify as many “culture clashes” as you can from the novel.
Find examples of each type of conflict in the novel:
person vs. person
person vs. society
person vs. self
person vs. nature
person vs. fate
What is the theme of this novel? Explain the events that illustrate this theme.
