Tuck Everlasting

The questions inside

One per chapter, across all 25 chapters — every question is editable before you print.

1. In Chapter 1, the author describes Treegap, the road, and the wood. How does this setting make you feel, and what details create that feeling?
2. Chapter 2 introduces Mae Tuck and her special trip every ten years. What do you learn about Mae, and why might this trip be important to her?
3. In Chapter 3, Winnie talks about wanting to run away. What is making Winnie feel trapped, and what do you think she is hoping to find?
4. In Chapter 4, the man in the yellow suit asks questions and notices things. What makes him seem mysterious or suspicious?
5. In Chapter 5, Winnie meets Jesse by the spring. Why do the Tucks react so strongly when Winnie sees Jesse drink from it?
6. In Chapter 6, the Tucks take Winnie with them and try to explain. How do their actions seem both wrong and understandable?
7. Chapter 7 explains what happened to the Tuck family after they drank from the spring. How did they discover the spring had changed them?
8. In Chapter 8, Winnie rides with the Tucks. How do her feelings about them begin to change, and what causes the change?
9. In Chapter 9, Winnie meets Angus Tuck. What does his reaction to Winnie tell you about what he thinks of the spring?
10. The Tucks' home in Chapter 10 is very different from Winnie's home. What do these differences show about the two families?
11. In Chapter 11, Winnie spends her first night with the Tucks. Why might she feel comforted even though she is far from home?
12. In Chapter 12, Angus Tuck talks about life as a wheel. What do you think he means, and why is this idea important?
13. In Chapter 13, the man in the yellow suit takes the Tucks' horse. What can you predict he plans to do next, and why?
14. In Chapter 14, Jesse talks to Winnie about drinking the water when she is older. What does this show about Jesse and his way of thinking?
15. In Chapter 15, the man in the yellow suit makes a deal with Winnie's family. How does he use their fear to get what he wants?
16. In Chapter 16, the constable and the man in the yellow suit travel together. How are their attitudes about finding Winnie different?
17. In Chapter 17, Miles and Winnie go fishing and talk about life. How does Miles's story help Winnie understand the Tucks better?
18. In Chapter 18, Winnie has to think about what she has learned from the Tucks. What choice or problem is becoming hardest for her?
19. In Chapter 19, the man in the yellow suit explains his plan for the spring water. Why would this plan be dangerous or unfair?
20. In Chapter 20, Mae makes a sudden choice to protect Winnie and the secret. Do you think Mae's action was right, wrong, or both? Explain.
21. In Chapter 21, Winnie returns home, but things are not simple. How has she changed since she left her yard?
22. In Chapter 22, Winnie decides to help Mae. What does this decision show about Winnie's courage and sense of right and wrong?
23. In Chapter 23, Winnie thinks about the toad and the bottle of spring water. What might the toad symbolize, or stand for, to Winnie?
24. In Chapter 24, Winnie takes Mae's place in the jail cell. What risks does Winnie accept, and why is she willing to take them?
25. In Chapter 25, Winnie must face the results of her choice. How do the ending events show that growing up can mean making difficult decisions?

Example answers

Printed at the front of the booklet, so your reader can see what a strong answer looks like.

In Chapter 12, Angus Tuck talks about life as a wheel. What do you think he means, and why is this idea important?

I think Angus means that life is supposed to keep moving, like a wheel turning around. People are born, grow up, get older, and die, and that is part of nature. The Tucks are stuck outside that wheel because they cannot change or die. This idea is important because it helps Winnie see that living forever might not be as wonderful as it sounds.

In Chapter 19, the man in the yellow suit explains his plan for the spring water. Why would this plan be dangerous or unfair?

I think his plan is dangerous because he wants to sell the water without caring what might happen to people. If many people drank it, they might not understand the serious choice they were making. It is also unfair because he only wants money and power from a secret that belongs to the Tucks and the wood. He does not seem to care about protecting anyone.

In Chapter 22, Winnie decides to help Mae. What does this decision show about Winnie's courage and sense of right and wrong?

Winnie's decision shows that she is much braver than she was at the beginning of the book. She knows she could get in trouble, but she also believes Mae should not be punished in a way that would reveal the secret. I think Winnie is learning that doing the right thing is not always easy. She is making her own choice instead of just obeying adults.