Preview
Copywork
About This Passage
Two sentences in which Stanley does real thinking with his shovel in his hands. The first sentence sets up a puzzle politely — 'It was a little surprising' — and names the rule it breaks: leaders are supposed to be the biggest or the toughest. The second sentence sharpens the facts: 'except for Zero, X-Ray was the smallest.' Copy both sentences, keeping the commas around 'he thought' and the capital letters in the names. Notice the word 'obviously' — Stanley can see what X-Ray is not; the chapter leaves him, and us, working out what X-Ray has instead.
It was a little surprising, he thought, that X-Ray was the leader of the group, since he obviously wasn’t the biggest or the toughest. In fact, except for Zero, X-Ray was the smallest.
Full copywork activity with handwriting lines available in the complete study guide.
Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
Summarize the chapter in order: the angry return to the hole, X-Ray's visit, the secret about Rex, the request and Stanley's 'I guess,' the glad-thinking afterward, the power puzzle, and the Derrick Dunne daydream. Then explain which sentence in the chapter you would call its quiet turning point, and use the chapter's words to show why.
Discussion Questions
- X-Ray builds his request in steps: first he watches Stanley dig, then he shares a secret — 'No one knows this' — and only then asks, 'If you find something else, give it to me, okay?' Why might X-Ray arrange the conversation in that order? Use the chapter's words from the visit to explain what each step does to Stanley's ability to say no.
- Stanley answers X-Ray's 'That's only fair, right?' with two words: 'I guess.' But the chapter opened with Stanley fuming, 'It wasn't fair,' about his fossil. Compare the two uses of fair. Why might the writer put both fairness claims in the same chapter? Use the chapter's words from both moments to explain what the comparison shows.
+ 3 more questions in the complete study guide
Vocabulary Builder
Item 1
So unusual it deserves to be noticed and talked about
Item 2
Pictured something in your mind that is not really there
Item 3
So completely that thought and feeling stop
+ 5 more vocabulary words in the complete study guide
Critical Thinking
+ 5 more questions in the complete study guide
Get the complete study guide — free
Sign up and get your first book with every chapter included. Copywork, discussion questions, vocabulary, and critical thinking.
Sign up free