A Wrinkle In Time

Chapters 1-3

Reading Check

1. Charles Wallace’s friend Mrs. Whatsit (Chapter 1)

2. Hot cocoa (Chapter 1)

3. The so-called haunted house in the woods behind their house (Chapter 2)

4. He was doing an experiment for NASA. He had to be away and wrote letters home that just stopped one day. (Chapter 3)

5. Calvin is a few grades above Meg at her school; they meet outside the haunted house when the Murray children walk there after school. (Chapter 2)

Short-Answer Response

1. Mrs. Murray is shocked and afraid. Her response implies that Mrs. Whatsit is saying something true, but also something Mrs. Murray didn’t think anyone else knew about. (Chapter 1)

2. Calvin is happy to meet the Murray family because he feels like he belongs with them. They are all intelligent, loving people, both things he doesn’t get much of at home or at school. He’s not being mean, he’s being ironic, alluding to the fact that people see Meg and Charles as unintelligent, but they are the opposite. (Chapter 3)

Chapters 4-6

Reading Check

1. She shows them a dark, ominous shadow that blocks out the stars and emanates evil. (Chapter 4)

2. She makes a wrinkle in her skirt that mimics a wrinkle in time. (Chapter 5)

3. On a planet in Orion’s belt (Chapter 5)

4. Her faults (Chapter 6)

5. The CENTRAL CENTRAL Intelligence Agency (Chapter 6)

Short-Answer Response

1. The tesseract is the 5th dimension, or time squared. Time travelers use it to fold space and time so they can travel from one place to another in an instant, without any time passing. (Student answers will vary based on vocabulary and comprehension of the concept. You may wish to accept answers in the form of drawings.)

2. The planet is two-dimensional, or flat, so there was no room for the children (three-dimensional beings) to breathe. (Chapter 5)

3. The Dark Thing is projecting evil and scientific ignorance upon the Earth. Many of the figures listed were highly invested in discovery and curiosity in the arts and sciences. Student answers may vary based on what they know about the figures listed. Simple, effective answers include that the Dark Thing symbolizes war, famine, climate change, and any number of human ailments. (Chapter 5)

4. Camazotz is a planet where everyone is the same. Students may have different adjectives to describe this: sinister, creepy, scary, strange, etc. (Chapter 6)

Chapters 7-9

Reading Check

1. IT (Chapter 7)

2. Everyone is alike, so everyone is equal. They don’t have to make choices or decisions; they can let IT think for them. (Chapter 8)

3. She uses Mrs. Who’s glasses. (Chapter 9)

4. He tessers. (Chapter 9)

Short-Answer Response

1. The people on Camazotz are suspicious and afraid. (Chapter 7)

2. IT has taken control of Charles Wallace’s mind. (Chapter 7)

3. IT is a disembodied, oversized brain. It emanates evil and arrogance. (Chapter 9)

4. Both Meg and Calvin were starting to get worn out and no longer able to resist IT. (Chapter 9)

Chapters 10-12

Reading Check

1. She’s frozen solid, unable to move. (Chapter 10)

2. When her father tessered them through the Dark Thing, the Thing tried to keep a hold of Meg. (Chapters 10-11)

3. Mars (Chapter 10)

4. Aunt Beast (Chapter 11)

5. In the twins’ vegetable garden, right around the time that they left (Chapter 12)

Short-Answer Response

1. It’s in the details. Mr. Murray’s colleague tried to tesser and never came back. It was a risk everyone knew they were taking. The nature of the project is top secret. Meg handles tessering poorly. L’Engle’s descriptions show that Meg is afraid and uncomfortable when she tessers, but the Mrs. Ws are unfazed. (Evidence can come from throughout the novel, especially Chapters 10-12)

2. Meg becomes angry and unforgiving, even more belligerent than usual. She throws a tantrum and disrespects her beloved father repeatedly. (Chapters10-12)

3. Charles Wallace understands Meg intimately. He barely knows his father and Calvin, so neither one of them would be able to reach Charles Wallace the way Meg can. (Various chapters)