The Time Warp Trio by Jon Scieszka

PLEASE READ INTRODUCTION FIRST
Main Directory
Answer Key

     This is fun reading for your fourth grader.  The book is the same as the television show by the same name.

Chapter 1

1. On page 1, the writer writes, “The four players of the game we had interrupted stood eyeing us.”  Why do you think this primitive game of basketball was played with four players on each side? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. On page 2, the author writes, “I am the High Priest of Chichen Itza.”  Do you think this is a fictional person?  Yes  No
3. Do you think Chichen Itza is a real place?  Yes  No    If yes, what country is it located? _______________________________________
4. On page 3, Sam says that they’re in a Maya ring ball court around the year (circa) 1010 A.D.  Look at the picture on page 2.  Do you think this is the New World, Europe, or Asia? ____________________________________________________
5. On page 4, they mention two players in red-feathers and two in blue-feathers.  Do you think these players were in two separate teams?  _______________________
6. On page 4, Joe asks the High Priest if he has seen a blue book.  Do you think books were invented around 1010 A.D.? _________________________________

Chapter 2

1. Sam mentioned that the Mayan people had a “number system every bit as good as ours, and a calendar that was even better.”  What was the name of their number system? _________________________________________
2. What is the name of their calendar? _____________________
3. Sam says the Mayan people also invented the zero.  What does their zero look like? _____________________________________________________________

Chapter 3

1. How was the High Priest dressed? _________________________________________________________________

Chapter 4

1.    Does Fred make the shot to save them or will they be sacrificed? ____________________________________________________________________

Chapter 5

1.          Why do you think the buildings had carvings of snakes, birds, and cats? _________________________________________________________________

2.          What is the habitat of snakes, birds, and cats?

a.       Snakes live in _______________________________________________

b.      Birds live in _________________________________________________

c.       Cats live in __________________________________________________

3.          Do these animals live in the same habitat? ______________________________

4.          Why do you think the buildings had carvings of people colored red, yellow, green, and blue? ________________________________________________________________

5.          Joe describes the town square in the center of the buildings filled with people buying and selling stuff.  What did they use for money? ________________________________________________________________

6.          What did Joe say the ninety-one steps stood for in the Mayan Pyramid? _______

7.          How many sides on a Mayan Pyramid? _________________  (A)

8.          How many steps on each side of the pyramid? _________________ (B)

9.          If you multiply A and B, what do you get as a product? _____________  (C)

10.      The last step on top of the pyramid is added to C to give you an answer of? ____

11.      The steps in the Mayan Pyramid represent the number of __________ in a year on the Mayan Calendar.

12.      Joe mentioned that sound travels down the pyramid.  The speaker at the top of the pyramid doesn’t have to yell or scream to be heard by the people at the bottom.  True or False

13.      What did the High Priest get upset at the boys when they head his name? _________________________________________________________________

Chapter 6

1.          What colors are anacondas? __________________________________________

2.          How big do anacondas get? __________________________________________

Chapter 7

1.          What was the name of the boy who rescued the trio? ___________________ (A)

2.          Where did he rescue the trio? _________________________________________

3.          Who is A’s mom’s younger brother? ____________________________

Chapter 8

1.          Jun’s mother told the boys about a legend.  What was the legend about? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2.          On page 41, Jun says, “Kaka loses his head.  Then my mom and I can return to our place in the city.”  Do you consider this plan to be ethical?   ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 9

1.          Did the High Priest accept the challenge? _______________________________

Chapter 10

1. Joe compared the Mayan players to current _____________ pros.
2. Joe said they didn’t _____________ the ball for the first _________ minutes.
3. They ____________ the ______________ from ____________ to __________ to _________________.

Chapter 11

1. How did Sam give his own blood to the stone serpent? ________________________________________________________________
2. Did Sam spare the losing team? Yes    No
3. What did Sam ask for in return after freeing the city from the High Priest? ________________________________________________________________

Chapter 12

1. What do you think Sam meant on page 61 when he said, “But you really might want to look into this thing called ‘the wheel.’  Very handy invention.” ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Why do you think the planet Venus swirled around them when they warped back to the present day? __________________________________________________

Chapter 13

1. Do you think Sam made the shot at the end of the book? _________________________________________________________________

Da Wild, Da Crazy, Da Vinci

Chapter 1

1.  Who do you think Thomas Crapper is? _________________________________________________________________
2. What did Leonardo da Vinci invent? _________________________________________________________________

Chapter 2

1. Who have the trio sailed with? _______________________________________
2. Who have they fought? _____________________________________________
3. Who invented the first flushing toilet? _________________________________
4. Who do people associate as the inventor of the toilet? _____________________
5. Who painted the Mona Lisa? _________________________________________

What type of drawings did Leonardo make? ________________