Download Iron Thunder by Avi

Iron Thunder by Avi
Reader’s Rally Questions by James Brown, Bethesda ES
1. In the book, Iron Thunder, what is an anchorage?
place where ships anchor, p. 193
2. In the book, Iron Thunder, what does the term battery refer to?
military term for cannons, p. 193
3. In the book, Iron Thunder, what is a balloon spotter?
Civil War military observers carried aloft in a basket tethered to balloons to
observe what is happening on the ground, p. 193
4. In the book, Iron Thunder, what does the term blockade refer to?
military tactic by which one side tries to prevent the enemy from moving troops
or supplies, p. 193
5. In the book, Iron Thunder, what is the front of a boat called?
the bow, p. 193
6. In the book, Iron Thunder, what is the breech of a firearm?
the back end of the muzzle on a firearm where the explosive charge is packed and
fired, p. 193
7. In the book, Iron Thunder, what is a brig?
a room used as a jail on a ship or boat, p. 193
8. In the book, Iron Thunder, what is a capstan?
the wheel on which an anchor cable is wound, p. 193
9. In the book, Iron Thunder, what was the Anaconda Plan?
the Union was closing down Southern Ports – a blockade, p. 9
10. In the book, Iron Thunder, how did Tom’s father die?
In the war, “in some town in Maryland”, p. 3
11. In the book, Iron Thunder, how old was Tom when he went to work for Captain John
Erickson? 13, p. 4
12. In the book, Iron Thunder, who sent Tom to work for Captain John Ericsson?
Mr. Hendricks, p. 11
13. In the book, Iron Thunder, who was yardmaster of the Brooklyn Navy Yard?
Mr. Hendricks, p. 5
14. In the book, Iron Thunder, what city did Tom live in?
Brooklyn, NY, p. 1
15. In the book, Iron Thunder, what did the term Copperhead refer to?
northern traitors, p. 9
16. In the book, Iron Thunder, where did Mr. Hendricks, yardmaster of the Brooklyn
Navy Yard send Tom? Rowland’s Continental Iron Works, Greenpoint, p. 11
17. In the book, Iron Thunder, what is a floating battery?
“something new in Navy ways,” said the yardmaster. “An ironclad ship.” P. 11
18. In the book, Iron Thunder, how much was Tom going to be paid per week?
75 cents per week – (15 cents per day), p. 12
19. In the book, Iron Thunder, what country did John Ericsson come from?
Sweden, p. 18
20. In the book, Iron Thunder, what army was Captain a member of?
The Swedish Army, p. 18
21. In the book, Iron Thunder, where does Captain Ericsson’s wife live?
England, p. 19
22. In the book, Iron Thunder, what does “come about” mean to a sailor?
“a nautical term for turning around”, p. 194
23. In the book, Iron Thunder, what does the term “crew” mean to a sailor?
the number of active men on a ship, p. 194
24. In the book, Iron Thunder, what is a cutter?
sailing boat with one mast, p. 194
25. In the book, Iron Thunder, what is a Dahlgren’s Cannon?
cannon with a bulbous breech end which held more powder and would fire a
heavier shot a greater distance, p. 194
26. In the book, Iron Thunder, what does draft mean when referring to ships?
depth of a ship’s hull below the waterline, also the minimum depth a ship needs
to float, p. 194
27. In the book, Iron Thunder, what is a fathom?
6 feet, p. 194 (example 6 fathoms = 36 feet)
28. In the book, Iron Thunder, what did the man want who followed Tom from the Iron
Works? Information on Mr. Ericsson’s ship, p. 28
29. In the book, Iron Thunder, what did the Copperhead give Tom?
a gold dollar, p. 28
30. In the book, Iron Thunder, what’s Tom’s sister’s name?
Dora, p. 31
31. In the book, Iron Thunder, what is Tom’s last name?
Carroll, p. 10
32. In the book, Iron Thunder, how many new inventions were on Captain Ericsson’s
ship? “Some forty new inventions”, p. 33
33. In the book, Iron Thunder, how much money did Captain Ericsson and his partners
invest in the ironclad ship? $275,000, P. 36
34. In the book, Iron Thunder, what do they call a sheltered anchorage from the sea?
“roads”, p. 36
35. In the book, Iron Thunder, what is it called when a ship is on station?
“ready to fight”. p. 37
36. In the book, Iron Thunder, before the war, what was the biggest steam propeller
ship in the U.S. Navy? The Merrimac, p. 38
37. In the book, Iron Thunder, what was Captain Ericsson’s ship going to fight the
Merrimac/Virginia with? A turret, p. 39
38. In the book, Iron Thunder, what was the Copperhead spy’s name?
Ogden Quinn, p. 41
39. In the book, Iron Thunder, what name did the waiter use to address Ogden Quinn?
Mr. Parker, p. 42
40. In the book, Iron Thunder, what was affixed to Quinn/Parker’s gun?
A copper penny showing Lady Liberty, symbol of the Copperheads, p. 45
41. In the book, Iron Thunder, what name did John Ericsson pick for the ship?
The Monitor, like a teacher – teach a lesson, p. 47
42. In the book, Iron Thunder, what is a flagship?
The primary ship in a fleet of ships from which an admiral usually commands,
p. 195
43.In the book, Iron Thunder, what is a floating battery?
A raft with cannons, p. 195
44. In the book, Iron Thunder, what is a gunboat?
an armed ship of modest size, p. 195
45. In the book, Iron Thunder, what is the helmsman?
a man who steers a ship under orders from the captain, p. 195
46. In the book, Iron Thunder, who was Jefferson Davis?
the first and only president of the Confederate States of America, p. 195
47. In the book, Iron Thunder, what does the term knot mean to a sailor?
nautical term for measuring speed, a knot is one nautical mile per hour, p. 195
48. In the book, Iron Thunder, what is a magazine on a ship?
A place for storing gunpowder, p. 195
49. In the book, Iron Thunder, what was the original name for the ship Virginia?
The Merrimac, p. 195
50. In the book, Iron Thunder, what did the Confederate Navy rename the Merrimac?
the Virginia, p. 195
51. In the book, Iron Thunder, who did Tom Carroll go to for help about Quinn?
Garrett Falloy, p. 63
52. In the book, Iron Thunder, what day was the Monitor launched?
January 30, p. 68
53. In the book, Iron Thunder, who was the captain of the Monitor?
John Worden, p. 72
54. In the book, Iron Thunder, who helped Tom Carroll escape from the Copperheads
the day the Monitor was launched? Garrett and his friends, p. 73
55. In the book, Iron Thunder, what is the most important thing that a turret does?
turns around, p. 78
56. In the book, Iron Thunder, who took Tom Carroll to sleep in the turret of the
Monitor? The blacksmith, Rory O’Keefe, p. 82
57. In the book, Iron Thunder, who was the very first Union prisoner of War?
Captain John Worden, p. 87
58. In the book, Iron Thunder, why did John Worden address himself as Lieutenant?
“Those days the Navy did not have a higher rank than lieutenant”, p. 87
59. In the book, Iron Thunder, what did Captain Worden tell the crew of the North
Carolina about Tom? He was the first volunteer, p. 90
60. In the book, Iron Thunder, when Tom joined the crew (Navy) of the Monitor, what
was his rank? First class boy, p. 94
61. In the book, Iron Thunder, what is a mutiny?
a ship rebellion in which the crew takes control from the officers, p. 196
62. In the book, Iron Thunder, what is a navy jack?
A jack is a flag, and a navy jack is the official navy flag, p. 196
63. In the book, Iron Thunder, what is meant by the term “on station”?
the task and location a navy ship is assigned, p. 196
64. In the book, Iron Thunder, what is a paddle-wheeler ship?
A ship with large paddle wheels on the sides of the ship, p. 196
65. In the book, Iron Thunder, what is the meaning of the term pilot?
In shallow waters of coasts, bays and rivers, a pilot is a person who knows the
waters well, and can navigate safely, p. 196
66. In the book, Iron Thunder, what is the port side of a ship?
the left side of a ship looking forward, p. 196
67. In the book, Iron Thunder, what is a ram on a ship?
a cast iron spike set in the bow of a ship designed to pierce the hull of an enemy
ship, p. 196
68. In the book, Iron Thunder, what does it mean to run up a cannon?
to roll a cannon forward so that it can be fired, p. 196
69. In the book, Iron Thunder, what is a screw propeller?
the type of propeller that drives almost all ships forward, p. 196
70. In the book, Iron Thunder, who invented the screw propeller?
John Ericsson, p. 196
71. In the book, Iron Thunder, what is the deck where the crew of the Monitor sleeps
called? The berth deck, p. 99
72. In the book, Iron Thunder, what do sailors call the bathrooms on a ship?
The head, p. 101
73. In the book, Iron Thunder, where was the Merrimac/Virginia going to attack the
Union Blockade? Hampton Roads, p. 102
74. In the book, Iron Thunder, who did Garrett get to help Tom and stop the
Copperheads? Garrett’s uncle Mike and 5 other policemen, p. 120
75. In the book, Iron Thunder, what is the stern of a ship?
The back end of a ship, p. 128
76. In the book, Iron Thunder, what help did the Monitor need to get to Hampton
Roads? It was towed by the Seth Low tug boat, a paddle wheeler ship, p. 130
77. In the book, Iron Thunder, what was one of the reasons sailors were called tars?
Sailors used oakum, hemp twine soaked in tar, to fill cracks in boats, their fingers
were stained black by the tar, p. 135
78. In the book, Iron Thunder, what happened to the Monitor on the way to Hampton
Roads? A bad storm or a gale, almost sank the Monitor, p. 134
79. In the book, Iron Thunder, what did the Merrimac/Virginia use to sink the
Cumberland? A ram, p. 151
80. In the book, Iron Thunder, what was the name of the ship that was burned by the
Merrimac/Virginia? The Congress, p. 159, 161
81. In the book, Iron Thunder, what was Tom Carroll’s job during the battle?
to relay Captain Worden’s instructions to the turret crew, p. 164
82. In the book, Iron Thunder, what does “piped to quarters” mean?
“sailor talk for get ready for battle”, p. 163
83. In the book, Iron Thunder, what ship was the Monitor protecting from the
Merrimac/Virginia? The Minnesota, flagship of the blockade fleet, p. 171
84. In the book, Iron Thunder, why did the Merrimac’s shells not damage the Monitor?
the Merrimac/Virginia was prepared to fight wooden ships with explosive shells rather
than armor piercing solid shot, p. 176
85. In the book, Iron Thunder, what officer was in charge of the turret and firing the
cannons? Mr. Greene, p. 163-164 (sentence on 2 pages)
86. In the book, Iron Thunder, what was the largest fortress in the United States?
Fortress Monroe, p. 148
87. In the book, Iron Thunder, what does the term shoal mean?
a shallow section of water, p. 197
88. In the book, Iron Thunder, what is the starboard side of a ship?
the right side looking forward, p. 197
89. In the book, Iron Thunder, what is the stern of a ship?
the back end or rear, p. 197
90. In the book, Iron Thunder, what is meant by the Union?
The United States of America, p. 197
91. In the book, Iron Thunder, what do the initials U.S.S. mean?
United States Ship, p. 197
92. In the book, Iron Thunder, what is meant by the navel term watch?”
navy crews are divided in to watches, while some worked others slept or were off
duty, p. 197
93. In the book, Iron Thunder, who was in command of the engine room?
Mr. Isaac Newton, p. 175
94. In the book, Iron Thunder, what disadvantage did the Merrimac/Virginia have
against the Monitor? The Monitor’s draft was 11 feet against 27 feet meaning the
Merrimac had to be careful navigating in shoals, the Merrimac/Virginia was longer
and needed more space to turn, the Monitor was faster and moved better, p. 179
95. In the book, Iron Thunder, what happened to Captain Worden when he was in the
pilot house? Shell hit the pilot house and blinded the Captain, p. 184
96. In the book, Iron Thunder, who took over as captain of the Monitor after Captain
Worden was wounded? Mr. Greene, p. 184
97. In the book, Iron Thunder, why did people think that the Monitor had won the fight?
The Merrimac/Virginia had left the battle and needed 6 weeks to be repaired,
p. 189
98. In the book, Iron Thunder, what physics/nautical term did Captain Ericsson explain
to Tom about ships and why an iron ship will float? As long as the ship weighs less
than the water it displaces, it will float, displacement, p. 51
99. In the book, Iron Thunder, why could the Union Navy claim victory even though the
Merrimac/Virginia sank two ships and damaged a third? The Monitor had kept the
Confederate Navy from breaking the Union Blockade of the Chesapeake Bay, or
saved the Union blockade, p. 189
100. In the book, Iron Thunder, what was the fate of the Merrimac/Virginia after the
battle? “For sure, the Merrimac never fought again. Later on, in May, to keep her
from falling into Union hands the Rebs destroyed her.” P. 190
101. In the book, Iron Thunder, what was the fate of the Monitor?
“On December thirtieth, the Monitor was caught in another big storm. This time in
the early morning hours of New Year’s Eve, the ship sank to the bottom of the
sea.” p. 190
102. In the book, Iron Thunder, what happened to Captain after he was wounded?
Captain Worden recovered his sight and “continued to serve on other Monitors
and had himself a fine navel career.” p. 190
103. In the book, Iron Thunder, what did the London Times say about the English Navy?
“Whereas the English Navy had available for immediate purposes 149 first class
war ships . . . There is not now a ship in the English Navy apart from . . . two
ironclads that it would not be madness to trust in an engagement with that little
Monitor.” P. 191
104. In the book, Iron Thunder, why did the Confederates want to destroy the Minnesota
so badly? The Minnesota was the flagship of the blockade fleet at Hampton Roads,
p. 171