Blood on the River
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a man who has had experiences with war, languages, and who is a skilled teacher
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Captain John Smith
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organized, warriors, loyal to leader
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The Powhatan Indians
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What some settlers expected to find lying on the ground
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gold
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Reverend Hunt's reason for coming to Virginia
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to convert natives to Christianity
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a natural resource found in Virginia that was not plentiful in England
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lumber, tall trees
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Who were the first women to come to Jamestown?
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A married woman and her servant
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When Captain Smith says, "They have cut off my hands and cut out my tongue," he is using a metaphor or simile?
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metaphor
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When Captain Smith says, "They have cut off my hands and cut out my tongue," he means that
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he has had his power to help the settlers destroyed.
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When Captain Smith promised guns to Powhatan, he
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offered cannons that were too heavy for the natives to carry.
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Werowocomoco is
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the name of the village where Powhatan could often be found.
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What rule does Samuel make for himself in the very early stages of the voyage?
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Trust no one.
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Why is James killed?
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because he ran to the ship and made himself easy to shoot with arrows during an Indian attack
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What stops the gentlemen from hanging Captain Smith the first time they try?
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They realize that Captain Smith is able to communicate with the natives, and they can't.
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Who "saved" Captain Smith when he believed he was about to be executed by the Powhatan?
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Pocahontas
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Why did Pocahontas lay her head on top of Captain Smith's when the natives appeared to be about to kill him?
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Laying her head on his to save Captain Smith was Pocahontas's part in a ritual play symbolizing Smith's death as an Englishman and his rebirth as a member of the Powhatan tribe.
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Why were palisade walls not built right away when the settlers arrived at Jamestown?
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Captain Wingfield believed that building a palisade might insult the natives, who he believed had been friendly.
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What were the advantages of bows and arrows over muskets in battle?
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Bows and arrows would go farther than musket balls, they were silent, they were faster to use, and the arrows could be tipped with poison.
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What path did the ships take on their way from London to Jamestown?
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a "u" pattern, heading south, then west, and finally, north
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When Samuel used the metaphor "a dance of death", he was talking about
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sword fighting
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When Samuel got into a fist fight with Richard, what does Captain Smith require him to do and why?
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stand on one foot to learn how difficult it is to stand alone--the need to work with others
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How does Samuel's attitude toward the natives change over the course of the book?
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He fears and dislikes them at first, but learns to view them as equals who should be respected after his has gotten to know Namontack and Kainta well.
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Why did the Virginia Company want to find a passage to China (the Orient) through North America?
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They had to pay high prices to the Turks for silks and spices and could deal directly with the Chinese and Indian dealers, saving money, if they were able to find a route to them through North America.
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Why would an accusation made by Master Wingfield against Captain Smith be dangerous?
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Captain Smith is a commoner and cannot defend himself against an accusation from one of his "betters."
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Which of the following was sent back to England from the New World? jewels, gold, clapboards, corn
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clapboards
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The settlers were surprised to learn what about the James River?
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It became salty and slimy during part of the year. The water was not good to drink and not good for their plants.
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Samuel was taken to the New World by Reverend Hunt because Reverend Hunt thought...
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that Samuel was too eager to fight and would not last long at the orphanage.
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How did Namontack respond to Reverend Hunt's attempts to convert him to Christianity?
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Namontack listened and then told Reverend Hunt about the Indian gods and myths.
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How did Samuel learn valuable lessons about the Indian ways of hunting and fighting?
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He lived with Kainta and his tribe for a while and learned how to make bows and arrows and how to use them.
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Captain Smith's last journey up the James River was cut short for what reason?
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he was badly burned when his gunpowder bag caught fire.
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At the orphanage, Samuel was known for
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taking out his anger on the other boys.
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Captain Smith's announcement that he will return to England would be what part of a plot diagram?
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The climax
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According to the novel, raccoons were found
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in North America, only
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What were some consequences of the arrival of so many colonists in Jamestown in 1609?
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a division between experienced colonists and new ones, overcrowding, attacks by ignorant settlers on the Indians
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When Captain John Smith arrived to find the Discovery loaded with gentlemen and food, he
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threatens to fire on the Discovery and sink it if the gentlemen did not come back and bring the food with them.
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When Captain Smith became president, most settlers felt how?
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glad, especially after their experiences with Presidents Wingfield and Ratcliffe
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While living with Kainta, Samuel learned that planting, weeding, harvesting, and cooking were
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considered women's work
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The settlers wasted considerable time looking for what?
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gold
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When Captain Newport left for England, he usually took what necessity with him?
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most or all of the food in the fort
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When Captain Smith tells Powhatan that he is to come to Jamestown to receive a crown from King James, Powhatan does what?
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becomes angry and demands that Captain Newport bring the crown to him
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Problems with muskets were that
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they were slow to load and had a shorter range than arrows.
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When the Indians traded with Captain Smith, he was very
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skillful, giving up no guns and few weapons of other kinds, but substituting beads and copper
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When Captain Smith called Master Wingfield weak and cowardly, how did Samuel feel?
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afraid that Wingfield would use his power to harm Captain Smith and the other commoners
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Samuel gets in serious trouble in Virginia for
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kidnapping a baby
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In 17th Century England commoners' children were treated in what ways?
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They were tried and sentenced as adults were if they broke the law and considered to be their parents' property.
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Why did President Ratcliffe lose his presidency?
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He ordered settlers to build him a fancy house.
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What did the quoted prophesy given to Chief Powhatan predict?
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The Powhatan would be attacked three times, and would win twice, but be defeated in the third attack.
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What kind of trees in the Caribbean Islands had Samuel never seen before?
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palm trees
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When Captain Smith was passing through the Warraskoyacks' village on his way to trade with Chief Powhatan, what did Chief Sasenticum tell him?
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to beware of Powhatan, who had plans to appear friendly, but kill all of the Englishmen when their guard was down.
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During the voyage, what did the servants have to do?
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very little besides bringing the slop bucket to their masters. They were bored.
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After Powhatan's crowning, when Captain Newport has once again left for London with the settlers' food, what does Powhatan do?
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refuses to trade with the settlers, hoping that they will starve
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When Pocahontas visits Jamestown, she
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brings food, beats Samuel and Richard in a race, and is wearing necklaces of pearl and copper, which shows her importance in the Powhatan tribe and ran about naked.
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How was Ann Buras treated by her mistress?
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She was beaten, required to work hard, and given little food.
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How did Powhatan respond the ceremony crowning him as a prince of England?
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He refused to kneel and became angry at the English.
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Who is able to communicate and negotiate with the Carib Indians? How does he do it?
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Captain John Smith--uses gestures because he does not know the Carib Indian language
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Why is it that so many colonists continue to come to Jamestown in spite of the risk of death and suffering?
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They are ignorant of the difficulties because Jamestown settlers are forbidden to write about any problems in their letters back to those in England.
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In an attempt to help the colonists to survive with enough food, they are
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sent to different locations to live so that food is more available
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When the ships begin the first voyage to Jamestown, what do the gentlemen want to do when there is a period with no wind, which keeps them from making progress for weeks?
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They want to sail back to England.
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Samuel allows Kainta's mother to shave his head on one side because
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removal of his long hair on one side will keep it from getting tangled in his bowstring.
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While Captain Smith is away on an exploration, Richard and Samuel discover that all the food, which had been there the day before, is gone. What happened?
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The gentlemen had taken the food on board the Discovery and were planning to sail back to England, leaving the commoners to starve.
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After the fire destroyed a part of the fort, how did Pocahontas help the settlers?
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She brought food because Powhatan considered the colonists part of his tribe.
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What surprised Samuel while he is living with Kainta in the Warraskoyacks' village?
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The easy availability of food for everyone whenever they want it.
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When Henry and Richard visit Samuel in the Warraskoyacks' village, they tell him that
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their grain was eaten by rats and they have almost nothing left.
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When there was work to be done, how did Captain Smith behave?
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He worked harder than anyone else.
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Who was allowed to remain on the top (open) deck on the ship during the voyage to Virginia?
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ships' captains and sailors only
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In the first months of the Jamestown settlement's existence, what did most of the gentlemen do?
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stood around doing little or nothing
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When Captain Smith first meets Samuel and refers to him as "the fighter," how does Samuel feel?
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defiant because he believed that Captain Smith was just another unfair boss
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When the ships were in the Caribbean Sea and being approached by Carib Indians, what were Captain Newport's orders?
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that the ships' sailors and settlers were not to attack unless they Indians attacked first
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At the beginning of Chapter 6, Samuel describes the Caribbean Islands as being "strung together much like beads on a necklace." What kind of figurative language was he using?
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a simile
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The Indians smear themselves with a mixture of bear grease and a red root power in order to
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avoid sunburn and mosquito bites
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An Indian greeting that Samuel learns from Kainta is
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tapping a fist on one's chest and forehead and then on the friend's chest and forehead
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What lesson does Captain Smith say that the fight between the whale and the swordfih and thresher shark teach?
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Powerful people can be defeated by those who have less power if they are skillful and work together.
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What does Captain Smith mean when he says, "This colony will need to stand on many legs if we are not to be toppled over in the Virginia wilderness"?
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If we do not all work together, we will not survive.
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Why does Samuel stay behind when Captain Smith has decided to return to England?
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Samuel has learned skills that will help the other settlers survive, knows the Algonquian language, and has the toughness required to survive.
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What disadvantages do the settlers have in any attempt to wage war agains the natives?
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food shortages, inexperience with Indian means of moving without making noise or being seen, 10,000 natives to a few hundred settlers
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What is suspected when the settlers begin to fall ill during the summer?
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a curse put upon them by the Powhatans, filthy river water, ratsbane (poison) from a Spanish spy and getting little rest and food
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For which of the settlers did Captain Smith seem to have unwavering respect?
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Reverend Hunt
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Samuel realizes that "standing on many legs" includes
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the Indians, the gentlemen, and the commoners
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What did Captain Smith think of the Virginia Company's plan to crown Powhatan?
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He believed that Powhatan would think he was being insulted and become angry.
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According to Namontack, how could King James be described?
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fat, toothless, drunk, and stinking
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Samuel and Richard were shocked when Pocahontas
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took off her mantle, leaving herself naked for their race
