81 pages 2 hours read

Paolo Bacigalupi

Ship Breaker

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2010

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During Reading

Reading Questions & Paired Texts

Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

CHAPTERS 1-5

Reading Check

1. How old is Nailer?

2. What do the people at Bright Sands call it when a scavenger finds very valuable salvage?

3. What force that both Sloth and Sadna believe in does Nailer think cannot be real?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. When Nailer sees the clipper ship with the hydrosails, what does it remind him is true about the world?

2. Why does Nailer think about Jackson Boy when his LED patch begins to fail?

3. When Nailer tells Sloth that he will let her go and not retaliate against her for not helping him if she will at least tell Pima where he is, why does Sloth refuse his offer?

4. Why is Richard angry at Nailer when Nailer gets home from the bonfire?

Paired Resource

The Appointment in Samarra

  • This 2-minute video is a reading of W. Somerset Maugham’s retelling of the very brief story “The Appointment in Samarra.”
  • This resource relates to the theme of Destiny Versus Free Will.
  • What did the servant and his employer believe would happen if the servant went to Samarra? What happened instead? Why? What message does this story send about fate and free will? Which characters in Ship Breaker would likely agree with this story’s message?

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