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“Why Monkeys Live in Trees” by Julius Lester
“The Case of the Monkeys That Fell From the Trees” by Susan E. Quinlan
STUDY GUIDE ANSWER KEY
“Why Monkeys Live in Trees”
1. Why do the animals have a contest?
To see who can eat an entire pile of black dust in one day.
2. Why does the contest prove to be more difficult than the animals thought?
It proves more difficult because the mound of dust is actually a mound of black
pepper.
3. What does the monkey say he has to do between bites of pepper?
He says he needs to lie down in the grass to rest between bites.
4. What does Leopard see in the tall grass?
Leopard sees hundreds of monkeys who all look alike in the grass.
5. Why is the monkey able to eat all the pepper?
Many monkeys pretend to be one monkey; after each mouthful they change places
in the grass and go back to take a new mouthful.
6. What two facts of nature does this tale pretend to explain?
Why chickens don’t have ears and why monkeys live in trees.
7. Why is this selection fiction?
The animal characters talk; it is a folk tale.
“The Case of the Monkeys That Fell From the Trees”
8. Why do scientists think it is strange to see monkeys falling from trees in the rain forest?
Monkeys are skilled tree climbers.
9. What mystery do the scientists try to solve?
The mystery of why howling monkeys were suddenly falling from trees for no
apparent reason.
10. Why does Glander suspect the monkeys have been poisoned?
After ruling out diseases, parasites, and starvation, he thought they might have
been poisoned by eating leaves of poisonous plants.
11. Why is Glander fascinated that the monkeys eat madera negra leaves?
He is perplexed because they are highly poisonous.
12. What do the Glanders conclude about why some monkeys died, but others did not?
They conclude that monkeys generally sample leaves to determine if they are
poisonous. At the time the monkeys died, however, their food choices were limited
due to a severe drought. The monkeys that died probably ate too many of the toxic
leaves.
13. What makes Glander think that howler monkeys may provide useful tips to scientists?
He believes that the monkeys’ choice of leaves might help scientists choose plants
worth sampling for medicinal use.
14. Why is this selection nonfiction?
Everything in it is true; it is an article that tells about real animals and ideas.
Fiction and Nonfiction
15. What is fiction?
Writing that tells about imaginary people, animals, and events. It contains one or
more made-up elements. Examples include short stories and folk tales.
16. What is nonfiction?
Writing that tells about real people, animals, places, events, and ideas. Everything
in a work of nonfiction must be true. Examples include biographies and newspaper
articles.
Vocabulary
17. reflection- an image of one’s self, as seen in a mirror
18. bellowed – cried out in a low, loud voice
19. incidents- events; occurrences
20. abruptly- suddenly, without warning
21. distress- serious pain or sadness
22. regally- in a stately manner, like a king or queen