What time of day does the story take place?
Lunchtime
Early evening
Morning
Why can’t John get a job?
He is too young
He is illiterate
He needs to look after his mother and their farm
Where is John’s father?
He is dead
He left his wife when John was a baby
He is fighting in the war
Who is John named after?
His father
His maternal grandfather
His uncle
What kind of animal does Crichton Smith compare the mother to?
A reptile
A rodent
A bird
What is the weather like outside during the story?
It is raining
It is snowing
It is foggy
Where is John’s mother when he comes home?
In the garden
In the bathroom
In bed
What is wrong with John’s mother?
We don’t know
She has cancer
She is paralysed
Who is on the bus that passes their house?
A girl who John is attracted to
His old school teacher
The boys from the village
What does John do at the end of the story?
He suffocates his mother
He opens the door and listens to the rain
He smashes her teacup against the wall