Hanging onto Max Study Guide Questions
Goals: The study guides are designed to assist students in their preparation for class discussions and future tests/quizzes. Students will answer study guide questions to the best their abilities using references to the book and any links to additional information. Students are expected to thoroughly answer at least five (5) study guide questions per chapter. Students are encouraged to thoroughly answer all study guide questions.
1.
Keep
a CHART of parents, children, support networks, and
future plans.
2.
Create
a BUDGET for
basic childcare.
3.
Keep
a list of Flashback Chapters and the Triggers.
4.
Enrichment: Egg Baby
5.
Enrichment: Visit the Daycare Center
6.
Enrichment: Early Childhood Development Notes
1.
What
is the point of Ms. Garcia’s slideshow?
Do you consider this slideshow relevant? Explain.
2.
Is
Sam a “good” or “bad” student?
3.
Who
is Sam’s friend?
4.
Why is Sam in a hurry to leave at 2:30?
5.
How
does Ms. Garcia try to “help” Sam? Is
she actually helping him? Explain.
1.
How
does Sam get home from school?
2.
What
sparks Sam’s memory of Andy?
3.
Why
doesn’t Sam correct the checkout girl at the supermarket? Who IS Max?
4.
Why is music good for child development? NOTES.
Is Metallica the kind of music the experts have in
mind? Explain.
5.
Describe
Chinese Food (Lo mein, fried shrimp, kung pao chicken) using the five senses.
6.
Why
does Sam play with Max as opposed to doing the “million” things he has to do?
7.
What
role does Aunt Jean play in Sam’s life?
8.
What
does Sam’s dad do for a living?
9.
How
does Sam’s dad make Sam feel? How can
you tell?
10. Discuss Sam and Andy’s
friendship.
1.
When
does chapter 3 take place in relationship to chapters 2 and 3?
2.
Why
doesn’t Sam want to hang out with Andy on Friday night?
3.
How
does Andy convince Sam to come out with him?
4.
Is
Sam thinking about having sex with Brittany?
Explain.
5.
Journal
Entry: Recount a time when you and a
friend (or significant other) did not agree.
How did it end? ½ page.
1.
What
is the purpose of “The List”?
2.
Why
are metal detectors almost always set up at the alternative school?
3.
Discuss
the legality
of student searches and the concept of personal property.
4.
How
does the security guard treat Sam differently from Brianna? Why?
5.
How
does everyone react to Sam and Max at daycare?
6.
Who
is Claire Bailey and what does Sam realize a little too late.
7.
Why
does Sam hold baby Emily?
8.
How
does Sam initially want to deal with Claire’s sobs? How does he actually help her?
9.
What
impression do we get of Nicole and Meredith?
Why?
10. Research and report on an
alternative school (like MC2 program). 1 page.
1.
Ask
an adult about “a moment in his/her life that changed him/her and made him/her
see things differently, that maybe made him/her live his/her life differently.”
2.
Why
doesn’t Sam want to write the essay?
3.
What
might be ONE moment in Sam’s life that made him see differently and/or live
differently?
4.
Why doesn’t Claire want to write the essay?
5.
When
does chapter five take place?
1.
Who
is Max’s mother?
2.
Why
might Sam have been given custody of Max?
3.
Why
does Mrs. Harrison want Sam to take the SATs?
4.
Why
does Sam agree to study for the SATs?
5.
How
IS Sam doing as a seventeen-year-old, single dad?
6.
Journal
Entry: What does it mean to be “keeping
doors open”? What doors should YOU keep
open? (½ page).
1.
Is
it strange for Sam to have feelings for Claire?
2.
Which
students are studying for the SATs?
3.
Complete Analogies
Worksheet.
4.
What
is Gemma’s future plan?
5.
What
happened to Emily’s father?
6.
What
happened to Max’s mother?
7.
Discuss
why Claire chose to keep Emily.
8.
Discuss
why Sam chose to keep Max.
9.
What
support networks do Gemma and Claire have that Sam does not?
1.
List
3-5 adjectives
describing Sam and Brittany’s relationship.
2.
Why
does Sam tell Andy about his sexual relationship with Brittany?
3.
Discuss: “If you’re doing it, you should be able to
talk about it.” Why is it awkward for
Sam to talk with Brittany?
4.
Describe
Sam’s relationship with his dad.
5.
What
are Sam’s romantic plans? Why are they
cancelled?
1.
What
are Tawna’s plans after high school?
2.
What
are Nicole’s plans after high school?
3.
What
mental picture of a sixteen-year-old Max does Sam have?
4.
Compare
and contrast life at home for Emily versus life at home for Max.
5.
How
does Sam feel about Claire?
6.
How
does Max “prove” Sam wrong?
7.
How
does Claire feel about her family?
8.
How
does Sam feel about his family?
9.
How
does Sam feel about Claire’s family?
1.
How
does Sam feel when he gives everything to Aunt Jean?
2.
Why
is Aunt Jean helping Sam?
3.
What
familiar face does Sam see in room 23A?
4.
Draw
a cartoon of Andy.
5.
How
do Sam and Claire celebrate?
6.
How
does Claire feel about Sam? How can we
tell?
7.
Estimate
the calories of a Taco
Bell meal.
1.
Why
is Sam afraid of a bed?
2.
What
is Sam’s dad’s name? What was Sam’s
mom’s name?
3.
What
is Sam’s real reason for not wanting to miss school?
4.
Where
does Sam go in the middle of the night?
Why?
1.
How
does Sam feel about Max?
2.
Who
calls with a great idea?
3.
Visit
Rhododendron State Park
and describe the park.
4.
Why
does Sam hang up the phone so abruptly?
5.
What
is Sam’s dad thinking (according to Sam)?
6.
How
does Sam feel about identifying himself as a father?
7.
How
does Claire feel about identifying herself as a mother?
8.
Define: “bilingual.” Is Max really bilingual? Explain.
9.
How
does Claire ask Sam about his mom?
10. Why does Sam kiss Claire?
1.
Why
does Sam go to the hospital?
2.
Holding
a baby is like…
3.
Describe
Max.
4.
How
does Mrs. Ames treat Brittany?
Sam? The baby?
5.
Why
does Sam focus on Brittany’s bed?
6.
Why
does Sam leave?
1.
Why
does Sam wish that he and Max had stayed home today?
2.
How
does Claire come to the rescue?
3.
How
is Sam’s current relationship with Claire different from Sam’s previous
relationship with Brittany?
4.
Where
does Claire want to go?
5.
How
is Sam feeling about Claire? His
dad? Max?
6.
What
is Sam’s dad worried about?
1.
Why
is Claire upset?
2.
Why
does Sam’s head start to ache in Baby Gap?
3.
Why
doesn’t Claire correct the mom who compliments them at Taco Bell?
4.
Who
shows up at the mall?
5.
What
future plans are made?
1.
What
triggered Sam’s flashback?
2.
What
decision has Brittany come to?
3.
What
doesn’t Sam understand?
4.
What
does Sam request before he can think about it?
5.
Define: “ballistic.”
6.
What’s
the first question Sam asks the lawyer?
1.
What
is Sam starting to understand?
2.
According
to Claire, why was Brittany stupid?
What is she hinting at?
3.
What
does Sam think about as he bathes Max?
4.
What
does Sam’s dad want to know about?
5.
Explain
“The Deal.”
6.
What
does Mitch blame the whole situation on?
7.
What
choices (or “doors”) does Sam still have open?
8.
What
does Sam do with his test scores?
9.
Debate: Adoption
Versus Abortion
1.
Why
is fishing so important to Sam (past and present)?
1.
Do
you think Sam’s dad is really proud of Sam?
Why? Should Mitch be proud of
his son?
2.
What
was Sam’s VERBAL SAT score?
3.
Andy’s
parents are out of town. What does his
girlfriend, Jenny, want to do?
4.
How
does Sam feel about Claire?
5.
Follow
a Martha
Stewart recipe.
6.
Does
Claire like Jenny’s idea? Why?
1.
What
drives Sam crazy? Why?
2.
How
does Sam’s dad feel about Sam’s decision to go out? Why?
3.
Match
each boy to his SAT score, and place the scores in numerical order.
4.
How
does Sam feel while playing basketball with Andy?
5.
Why
does Sam mention NASA
probes to Jupiter? What does this
factoid suggest about Sam’s frame of mind?
When did he learn about these probes?
1.
What
happened to Max? Who is to blame?
2.
How
far away is the hospital and what is the quickest route to get there? MAP
3.
What
is adrenaline
and how does it work?
4.
Fill
out a hospital admittance form.
5.
How
does Andy deal with the crisis?
6.
How
does Sam feel when Mitch shows up?
1.
How
does the doctor treat Sam? Mitch? Why?
2.
As
Sam stares at the ceiling that night, what does he finally completely
understand?
3.
Sam
forgot to call Claire. How does she
react the next day?
4.
Why
does Sam go for a private walk with Claire?
5.
What
does Sam say about Max?
1.
What
reasons does Sam give for his decision?
2.
How
does Claire react to Sam’s decision?
Will they remain a couple?
Support your opinion.
3.
Is
it possible for Sam to become “Uncle Sam”?
Explain.
4.
How
does Sam’s dad react?
1.
When
does chapter 24 take place?
2.
What
does Sam do for a living?
3.
Who
is Sarah?
4.
Why
is it significant that Abby will get to try on Sam’s old “waders”?
5.
Who
comes to see Sam? Describe.
1.
In
what ways was Sam a good father to Max?
2.
Why
did Claire want to have a relationship with Sam?
3.
What
made Sam decide to give Max up for adoption? Examine your own notes from Egg Baby experience.
4.
What
support networks did some of the other girls with babies have that Sam did
not? Use CHART.
5.
How
did Sam’s relationship with his father change (and eventually come full
circle)?
6.
Discuss
the concept of “keeping doors open” as it relates to Sam.
7.
Discuss
the gender biases
and age biases that Sam must come to terms with throughout the story.
8.
What
options are available to teenage parents?
Which option do YOU agree with most?
Why?
9.
Use
BUDGET. How much does a baby cost during for the
first year?
10. How did Margaret Bechard use
flashbacks in Hanging onto Max?