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