House of the Scorpion Chapters 15 – 25 – Flashcards
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Why was Matt pulled out of bed in the middle of the night and then rushed to the hospital with Celia?
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El Patrón had suffered a heart attack.
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How did Matt's story of St. Francis, who gave stuff away to the poor, affect El Patrón?
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El Patrón became angry at the thought of giving his things away and for a few days he seemed to be recovering.
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How had Celia recently changed her garden?
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Instead of growing vegetables, Celia planted many new, creepy plants.
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Whose wedding was set to take place at the Alacrán mansion soon?
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Steven and Emilia's
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When Matt returned to the secret oasis, what information did he read and learn about MarÃa's mother, Esperanza Mendoza?
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She wrote the book A History of Opium, was still alive, and had won the Nobel Peace Prize.
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How old was Matt at the end of chapter 19?
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14
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What happened one day as Matt played his guitar and sang a Spanish ballad for El Patrón?
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Matt's voice cracked, indicating he was growing into a man.
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Lying in bed after his party, what horrible reality did Matt begin to understand?
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He realized that El Patrón was probably going to kill him soon and use his parts for transplants.
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As Matt sat at El Patrón's side, what did he notice about the old man's mind?
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El Patrón's mind seemed to be in a confused fog. He constantly spoke of the old days and he confused Matt with his deceased son, Felipe.
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How did the long swim at the oasis seem to affect Matt that night?
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The swim made Matt very ill with stomach flu.
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What happens to Matt's heart? To what does Tam Lin attribute this?
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Matt's heartbeat becomes very erratic. Tam Lin attributes this to the chemicals in the sludge.
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What does Tam Lin tell Matt about his origin?
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That he was harvested from a cow that was sacrificed
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Why does Matt want to run away to Aztlán? What causes him to reconsider?
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Matt wants to escape the cameras and Felicia's malice and avoid MacGregor. He reconsiders because he would have to leave Celia and Tam Lin and not see Maria.
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How do Tam Lin and Celia react to Matt's recurrent illness?
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They spend hours by his bedside discussing the dangers in something Celia has been doing.
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What does Matt believe El Patrón's declining health means? How does Matt react?
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Matt believes that a clone of El patron is growing inside a cow to be used for fetal implants. Matt feels trapped.
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How many miles did Matt travel before reaching the Aztlán border?
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10 miles
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Why was Matt told to get to the border the very next day?
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The Farm Patrol was going to be at the house for El Patrón's wake.
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After telling Matt his service was no longer needed, what order did Mr. Alacrán give Tam Lin?
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Mr. Alacrán told Tam Lin to have Matt put to sleep.
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What three people did Matt weep for on the high ridge of the Ajo Mountains?
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Celia, Tam Lin, and El Patrón
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Where did Tam Lin announce he'd dispose of Matt after being dismissed by Mr. Alacrán?
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Tam Lin stated he'd dump Matt next to the eejit pens.
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Why didn't Tam Lin help Celia escape with Matt?
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He knew Celia could never have climbed the steep rocks, for she was too old.
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How was Matt able to escape the Farm Patroller who grabbed him by his backpack?
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He unsnapped his backpack and slid out of the straps.
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In what way did Tam Lin note that Matt was different than the seven clones before him?
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Matt was the only one with musical talent.
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How did Matt learn the route to Aztlán's border?
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Tam Lin had left maps for Matt inside a metal chest of supplies. The route was marked with a red pen.
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After working his way through a canyon with dense bushes, what new obstacle did Matt encounter?
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a very steep cliff
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What two substances did Celia secretly feed Matt so that his heart would not be a healthy transplant for El Patrón?
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foxglove and arsenic
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What story was Matt to tell the Aztlános when he reached their border?
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He was to tell them his parents were taken by the Farm Patrol.
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According to Tam Lin, why was Matt going to find Aztlán a confusing place?
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El Patrón had kept Opium frozen in time and Matt would find many things advanced and unfamiliar.
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Why did Matt recognize the hospital room he was taken to?
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It was the same room where MacGregor's clone had been kept.
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How did Tam Lin protect Celia from becoming an eejit?
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He marked her forehead so it appeared she'd been operated on and then he put her in the stables with Rosa.
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What situation gave Matt an opportunity to escape past the Farm Patrol and reach the border safely?
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A group of men who'd been hiding in a nearby junkyard quickly burst off across the border and thus gave Matt a chance to escape when the Farm Patrol began chasing them.
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After testing Matt's blood and urine, what did the doctor report?
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He reported that Matt had mild anemia and his liver functions were a little off.
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Why was Matt's destination going to be San Luis?
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MarÃa was staying at the convent of Santa Clara in San Luis and there she could help him.
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Why does El Patrón believe he has a right to live, even if it means the death of his clones?
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Has given his clones a good life and thinks he deserves their organs because all his siblings died young and he is meant to have their lives
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What does Celia reveal about using Matt for a transplant? What effect does this have on El Patrón and on Matt?
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Matt can't be used for transplant because she's been giving him arsenic. El Patron becomes enraged, screams, and collapses. Matt is exhausted and uncertain.
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What does Mr. Alacrán order concerning Matt? What does Tam Lin then do to Matt?
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Mr. Alacran orders that Matt be put to sleep. Tam Lin knocks Matt down and ties him up.
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Where does Tam Lin tell the members of El Patrón's army he is taking Matt? Where does he actually take him?
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Tam Lin tells the members of El Patron's army that he is taking Matt to the pit by the eejit pens but he actually takes him to the oasis.
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What does Tam Lin tell Matt about his own past and about Celia's influence in his life?
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He accidentally killed the 20 children and became a "monster" for El Patron until Celia helped him develop moral values
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Where does Tam Lin tell Matt to go? What is his reasoning for not going with him?
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Tam Lin tells Matt to go to Aztlan. Tam Lin's reasong for not going with him is that he has a chance to right some things he's down wrong.
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What does Matt realize about El Patrón's clones?
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The organs of the other clones have been used to extend his life.
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Why does Matt think he is different from the others?
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His brain was not destroyed.
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Why did the wasteland guards, Ralf and Hugh, almost arrest Matt?
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They thought Matt was either an eejit making a run for it or an Illegal.
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Who defended Matt's presence at El Viejo's funeral?
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MarÃa and Celia
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How was El Viejo related to El Patrón?
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He was El Patrón's grandson.
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What crime had Tam Lin committed?
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Tam Lin tried to bomb the Prime Minister's house in London but the blast killed twenty kids on a school bus which had pulled up at the wrong moment.
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Where did Matt take MarÃa as the two fled El Viejo's funeral?
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to the music room and then the adjoining closet with secret passages
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Where did Senator Mendoza send Maria and Emilia to live, soon after Furball was killed?
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to a convent in San Luis
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Who wrote A History of Opium, one of the books Tam Lin had left Matt in the metal chest?
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Esperanza Mendoza, MarÃa's mother
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What was the main crop of Opium and where was it marketed?
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The main crop, opium, was sold to Europe, Asia, and Africa.
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What happened to Matt's Safe Horse when he set out to investigate the wastelands in the north?
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His horse stumbled and its legs folded underneath the animal.
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As Matt set out for a horse ride, what was the first thing he searched for?
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Celia's old house
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Why did El Patrón acquire and use such men as Tam Lin, Ralf, Hugh, and Wee Willie, to use as Farm Patrol workers?
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The men were convicted murderers who would be loyal to El Patrón or they'd be turned over to police.
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Who did Matt recognize as the eejit who prepared his request for a Safe Horse to ride?
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Rosa
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What was the priest's reaction when Matt filed past El Viejo to pay his last respects?
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The priest announced that Matt did not belong there, as he was a beast and not a human.
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How did Matt manage to get back to the Big House from the waste treatment plant?
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Ralf and Hugh delivered him there by truck, with Wee Willie driving.
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List two couples Matt noticed holding hands at El Viejo's funeral.
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Emilia and Steven; MarÃa and Tom
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Who passed away while Matt was enjoying a brief horse ride to the oasis?
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El Viejo
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What does Matt discover at the oasis? What do you think Tam Lin's note implies?
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Matt discovers a note, survival supplies, and a book about opium. Tam Lin's note implies that Tam Lin hasn't deserted Matt.
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Who dies while Matt is in the oasis? How do Mr. Alacrán and El Patrón react to this death?
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El Viejo dies while Matt is in the oasis. Mr. Alacran is sad, and El Patron is annoyed.
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Who killed Furball? How does MarÃa react to this news?
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Felicia killed Furball. Maria reacts by collapsing.
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What does Matt believe his future holds? What does he plan to do with the eejits?
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Matt believes that someday He will be in charge of Opium. Matt plans to free the eejits.
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What does Matt learn about the eejit pens? What happens to Matt when he goes there?
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Matt learns that the eejit pens are located on contaminated land. When Matt goes there he falls into sludge and is caught by Farm Patrol
