Questions for I Survived: Mount St. Helens

I Survived: The Eruption of Mount St. Helen’s, 1980 by Lauren Tarshis

Chapter 1

  1. Name 3 things that happened when the volcano exploded.

Chapter 2

  1. What does Skeleton Woman look like?
  2. Does Jess believe in Skeleton Woman?

Chapter 3

  1. Which nearby mountain is most famous?
  2. Which nearby mountain is nearest Seattle?
  3. Which nearby mountain does Jess think is most beautiful?

Chapter 4

  1. What was the wood from the trees used for?
  2. What does Clive do when he quits the lumber company?
  3. How did Jess’s dad die?

Chapter 5

  1. Is Skeleton Woman in the cabin?
  2. What happens when they are in the cabin?

Chapter 6

  1. What caused the trees to fall and the earth to shake?
  2. What are the small earthquakes a warning of?

Chapter 7

  1. What is a “dormant” volcano?
  2. How long has Mount St. Helen’s been dormant?
  3. What did the Cowlitz tribe call St. Helen’s?

Chapter 8

  1. Where is Mount Pelée?
  2. What came down the mountain after the first explosion?
  3. How many people died from the hot gas and ash?

Chapter 9

  1. How thick is the earth’s crust?
  2. When does St. Helen’s make its first loud boom?

Chapter 10

  1. In what mountain range is St. Helen’s located? (see picture)
  2. What is a steam explosion?
  3. How large is the crater at the top?
  4. Where is Jess’s Dad’s camera?

Chapter 11

  1. What noises are missing from the mountain forest?
  2. Where is the camera?
  3. What do they smell?

Chapter 12

  1. Where do the kids hide from the poisonous gas and ash?
  2. What hits Jess?

Chapter 13

  1. Why is it dark?
  2. What do the kids use as smoke filters to breath?

Chapter 14

  1. What happened to the forest?
  2. Why does Jess plan to leave without the boys?

Chapter 15

  1. What happened to the water in the streams?
  2. How does Jess signal the helicopter?
  3. How does Jess see where the twins are?

Chapter 16

  1. Where was Jess burned?
  2. How many people died in the explosion?
  3. Where did Jess move?
  4. Who will run Clive’s restaurant now?

Gray Pages

  1. Why does the writer use boys as main characters?
  2. Are the I Survived books boy or girl books?
  3. Why was the Mount St. Helen’s eruption important?
  4. How large was the landslide?
  5. Was there a dramatic warning before the explosion?
  6. Can scientists predict volcanic explosions better today?
  7. Has Mount St. Helen’s erupted again?
  8. What is the horseshoe-shaped area called that contains the most dangerous volcanoes?