Close+Reading+Questions+for+The+Tomorrow+Code

Back to:Term One Year 10, 2009 or The Programme for the Year, 2009 __The Tomorrow Code__, by Brian Falkner **Prologue** (a)    Where is the prologue set? (pg 11) (b)    Who are the characters that we are introduced to throughout the prologue? (c)    What remains of the scientists did they find? (pg 14)

** Book One “The Chimera Project” 1.    The End  ** (a)     What is Joni Mitchell predicting the world will be like? (pg 19) (b)    Who are the characters that we are introduced to in this chapter? (c)    Find and quote the simile used by Tane to describe the effect of the stars? (pg 20) (d)    Why couldn’t the guard see them? (pg 22) (e)    What is exhilaration? (pg 23) (f)    What do the kids in Tane’s story do? (pg 24) (g)    How did the grad students manage to go back in time in Michael Crichton’s __Timeline?__ (pg 25) (h)    What were Tane’s strengths at school? (pg 26) (i)    What were Rebecca’s strengths at school? (j)    What was the question that Tane asked that captured Rebecca’s interest and imagination? (pg 27) (k)    What had happened to make Rebecca’s mum sit in front of the T.V all day and night? (pg 28) (l)    What would they have to transmit through? (m)    Author’s use a literary device called “foreshadowing” what is the quote that demonstrates this device in action on page 29? (n)    How does Rebecca regard Tane? (o)    How do you think Tane regards Rebecca? Why?

(a)    Rebecca is an environmental activist. What does this mean? (pg 31) (b)    Which country was she saving the whales from? (c)    Quote the simile that describes the sound that the protesters made. (pg 35) (d)    What does intensifying mean? (pg 36) (e)    Where did Rebecca spend time that day? (pg 36/37) (f)    Brian Falkner uses Irony to point out a world environmental issue and the consequences for demonstrating against it. Quote his irony as spoken through Rebecca. (pg 37)
 * 2.    Save the Whales, Sunday, September 27   **

(a)  What is the environmental setting for this chapter (pg 39) (b)  Who is Fatboy to Tane? (pg 40) (c)  What is Fatboy’s real name? (d)  What does Fatboy do for a job? (pg 41) (e)  What was the design of Fatboy’s moko? (f)  Why does Tane start to feel angry about the way Rebecca is looking at Fatboy? (pg 42) (g)  Falkner uses the character of Tane to tell us what Rebecca looks like. Do you think you would like the way she dresses? Why? (pg 42/43) (h)  Why did Tane bite his lip? (pg 44)
 * 3.  Fatboy and His Moko, Sunday, October 4  **

  (a)     What was Rebecca researching? (pg 53) (b)    What was the strange irony? (pg 54) (c)    Draw an arrow diagram showing where Quantum foam led Rebecca to. (d)    Where did Fatboy take Rebecca to? (e)    Quote the metaphor used to describe the colour of Auckland city? (pg 55) (f)    What is “the blackness of the sea” a metaphor for? **  6.     Swift, Friday, October 16  ** (a)    What lie had Rebecca made up to be the “Swift” feed? (pg 59/60) (b)    What form did the raw data take? (pg 61) (c)    How does Rebecca think that they may be able to detect the quantum foam? (d)    What are gamma rays? (pg 62) (e)    What are the Swift and Compton Gamma Ray Observatories recording? (f)    What did Rebecca think may be hidden in the gamma ray bursts? (g)    What was the history of Rebecca and Tane’s relationship? (pg 64)
 *   5.     Beneath the Bridge    **

(a)  Approximately how long did it take for Rebecca’s programme to run? 9pg 66)   (b)   Would Rebecca’s mother be able to repay the bank after the house sale? (pg 67)   (c)   What was different about the organisation of the numbers so that it wasn’t just raw data showing a gamma ray burst? (pg 71)   (d)   What language do computers ‘talk’ in? (pg 72)   (e)   What code did Tane finally realise that the numbers were trying to communicate in?( pg 75)   (f)   What was Morse Code originally used for when a light was used to transmit the patterns? 9pg 76) (g)  What did Tane finally discover the message was giving them? (pg 81) (h)  What was the last piece of Morse Code that Tane recognised? (pg 84)
 * 7.  111000111, Friday, October 16-Saturday, November 7  **

(a)    What was coming up for Tane and Rebecca at school? (pg 86) (b)    How old did Tane and Rebecca have to be to purchase a Superball ticket? (pg 87) (c)    What does conciliatory mean? (pg 93) (d)    What three other pieces of information did Tane find in the message? (pg 94) (e)    Who were Tane and Rebecca receiving the messages from? (pg 95)
 * 8.    Mr Dawson’s Tree Museum, Friday, November 13   **

The Grandfather Paradox and Mobius Strip (a)  Slice up a strip of paper and create a Mobius strip. Google Mobius strip to see an example of one. (pg 99) (b)  What did Rebecca explain about the significance of the Mobius strip and sending messages through time? (pg 100) (c)  Why does Rebecca think it’s like text messaging language? (pg 101) (d)  What did Chimera mean in biology? (pg 102) (e)  What was the scientific discovery of the century that they had just proved? (pg 105) (f)  Was this a cunning get-rich-quick-scheme they had stumbled upon?
 * 9.  Saturday Night, Saturday, November 14  **

(a)    Quote the simile Falkner uses to describe how Tane was feeling trying to keep their secret. (pg 107) (b)    What is a geneticist? (pg 108) (c)    What did SUB EON TLS turn out to mean? (d)    What is evensong? (pg 110) (e)    How did Tane view his brother? (pg 111)
 * 10.    Evensong, Sunday, November 15   **

(a)  Why did Tane try to sound ‘cool’ on the phone? (pg 113) (b)  What does ‘absconded’ mean? (c)  Were Tane and Rebecca allowed to leave the school grounds? (pg 114) (d)  What could have happened if the Tane and Rebecca of the past had been able to communicate with them fourteen months earlier? (pg 115) (e)  What had Fatboy brought with him? (pg 116) (f)  What does “so literal” mean? (g)  What does Tane mean when he thinks “you want to be part of everything”? (pg 118) (h)  Why did Rebecca’s smile already make Tane regret the decision to trust Fatboy with all the information? (pg 119) (i)  Where was the Subeo sales rep? (pg 120) (j)  What’s a rhinovirus? 9PG 121) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhinovirus  (k)   Why is it interesting that Tane bought a leather jacket? (pg 122)   (l)   What was the ad that caught Tane’s eye? (pg 123) http://maps.google.co.nz/maps?sourceid=navclient&rlz=1T4HPAA_enNZ310NZ310&q=west+harbour+auckland&um=1&ie=UTF-8&split=0&gl=nz&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&resnum=1&ct=title   (m)     The chapter was called “Trust”. This title has turned out to be a verbal pun (play on words). Why?
 * 11.  Trust, Monday, November 16  **

(a)  What two things had “sold’ them the house? (pg 126) (b)  What does “brusque” mean? (pg 128) (c)  Who was feeling brusque? (d)  Who arrived just in time to allow them to write the cheque out for the Nautilus? (pg 130) (a)    What is the hyperbole that Falkner uses to describe the plane? (pg 131) (b)    What did Tane’s parents think that he was doing? (pg 132) (c)    Identify and quote the hyperbole re the plane on page 132. (d)    What was Fred Ladd’s favourite saying re the Widgeon? http://www.dnzb.govt.nz/DNZB/alt_essayBody.asp?essayID=5L1 (e)    What year was Fred Ladd appointed an MBE? http://www.dnzb.govt.nz/DNZB/alt_essayBody.asp?essayID=5L1 (f)    What is meant by “it seemed a stark contrast to the lush verdure” of the surrounding islands? (pg 134) (g)    What was Rebecca’s mother famous for in scientific circles? (pg 136) (h)    What is a sabbatical? (i)    Who had painted the picture in Professor Green’s office? (j)    What does Professor Green describe the Antibodies as? (pg 139) (k)    What does Professor Green describe the Macrophages as? (l)    What do the antibodies do to pathogens? (m)    What is the simile used to describe the subtlety of Fatboy? (pg 140) (n)    What did Rebecca think Professor Green was doing? (141)   (a)     What does “illuminate” mean? (pg 143) (b)    Why couldn’t Rebecca get arrested again? (Pg 146) (c)    How were they going to reach Motukiekie?
 * 12.  The man from Subeo, Thursday, November 26  **
 * 13.     Motukiekie, Friday, November 27   **
 * 14.     Water Works, Saturday, November 28   **

The nautilus http://www.yachtchannel.com/accessories/submersibles.php?RID=584 (a)  Who was Wee Doddie? (pg 149) (b)  What does “biting back one’s annoyance” mean? (pg 150) (c)  Why would they have to change the Sofnolime scrubber cartridges regularly? (pg 154) (d)  What was an important part of their training? (pg 155) (e)  What did Doddie mean about the Nautilus being a “boot not a shape”? (pg 156) (f)  Translate what Doddie says in the last line of this chapter.
 * 15.  Sea of Green, Monday, December 7   **

(a)    What is The Mobius partly named after? (b)    Where did it seem to take an eternity to reach? (pg 160) (c)    Where did they spend the night? (pg 163) (a)    What website were they downloading the data from? (b)    What did they do to avoid the rough weather? (pg 165) (c)    What sound made them feel uncomfortable? (d)    What was Tane worried about? (pg 167) (e)    What did Butt Mop turn out to be? (pg 170) (f)    What did the data converted onto dots on the bitmap begin to show? (pg 170/171) (g)    Where did Tane and Rebecca get the information for the Chronophone? (pg 172) (h)    What was Tane really sick of? (pg 174/175)
 * 16.    The Mobius Trip, Friday, December 11   **
 * 17.    Butt Mop, Saturday, December 12   **

(a)    What does “in death, the ship was the foundation of life” mean? (pg 178) (b)    Where did they spend their third night at sea? (pg 179) (c)    What emotions did Tane and Fatboy both share? (pg 179/180) (d)    What was Rebecca doing in the co-driver’s seat? (pg 182) (e)    What is the personification used by Falkner to describe the action of the seaweed? (f)    What looked like the side of a mountain? (pg 183) (g)    What time did Tane and Rebecca swim toward Motukiekie? (pg 184) (a)    Why did Tane and Rebecca decide to leave on their masks? (pg 185) (b)    What was strange about the jeans and the Nikes? (pg 186) (c)    What was strange about the security gate and the door to the lab? (pg 188) (d)    Why did all the breath in Tane’s body freeze? (e)    Why had Tane’s throat closed up? (pg 190) (f)    What is the metaphor that Falkner has used to describe how well lit the Te Mana is? (pg 191) (g)    What information did Tane give them? (pg 193) (h)    How did Rebecca create a diversion?
 * 18.    HMNZS Waikato, Sunday, December 13   **
 * 19.    Laundry Piles   **

(a)    What language feature does Falkner use to describe the shock of the landing? (pg 195) (b)    What had happened to Rebecca in the hatch area? (pg 196) (c)    What had happened by the time the hatch was empty? (pg 197) (d)    What did Tane realise Rebecca had done for him? (pg 198) (e)    Why did they have to go back through the Waewaetorea Passage at night? (f)    What language feature does Falkner use to describe the shape of the ridge? (pg 199) (g)    What will happen if they can’t make it to Motukokako in time? (pg 200) (h)    Why did Tane feel sick? (pg 201) (i)    What did Fatboy use to keep the Mobius steady in one spot? (pg 202) [Placenames are often difficult to translate, and the original derivation of //Aotearoa// is not known for certain. The word can be broken up as: //aotea// = cloud, and //roa// = long, (white being added in the translation as it is the most common colour of cloud) and it is accordingly most often glossed as "The land of the long white cloud". In some traditional stories, Aotearoa was the name of the canoe of the explorer [|Kupe], and he named the land after it. In another version, Kupe's daughter was watching the horizon and called "He ao! He ao!" ("a cloud! a cloud!"). The first land sighted was accordingly named //Aotea// (Cloud), now [|Great Barrier Island]. When a much larger landmass was found beyond Aotea, it was called //Aotea-roa// (Long Aotea).[|[2]]] ]
 * 20.    Waewaetorea Passage   **
 * Book Two: The Long White Cloud **

Falkner uses a pun when he calls this next part of his book The Long White Cloud......as you will see...

(a)    What area of New Zealand forest is Gazza in? (pg 209) (b)    What was unusual about the mist that day? (c)    What was in the mist? (a)    Where could they have left their fingerprints? (pg 212) (b)    Where can they can the components for the chronophone? (pg 214) (c)    Where had the main highway been cordoned off? (pg 216) (d)    What did the news reporter say it was? (e)    What does Rebecca fear? (pg 217) (a)    What was the headline on the front page of the newspaper? (pg 220) (b)    What did Rebecca fear her school friends might do? (c)    Why did Rebecca throw up? (pg 222) (a)    How many people disappeared from Whangarei? (pg 225) (b)    Falkner is using irony when he calls this chapter “Silent Night”. How?
 * 1.    Bambi, Tuesday, December 15   **
 * 2.    New Zealand’s Most Wanted, Friday, December 18   **
 * 3.    ‘Tis the Season, Saturday, December 19   **
 * 4.    Silent Night, Thursday, December 24   **

(a)    As Falkner has been ironic in his choice of chapter titles “’Tis the Season” and “Silent Night” what do you predict will cause the “White Christmas” in Northland? (pg 227) (b)    Why was their no fog at Novosibirsk and Burnt Mountain labs? (229)    (c)     What did the fog start to do in front of Crowe, Evans and Manderson? (pg 231) (d)    What language feature does Falkner use to describe the crashed bulk of the truck? (pg 232/233) (e)    Who was in the cab? (f)    What could the little boy tell them? (pg 234) (g)    What did Manderson and Crowe realise about the direction the fog was taking? (pg 235) (a)    Falkner has used the language technique of extended metaphor to show that Tane is feeling trapped in his own drama and chaos. How/where is this extended metaphor? (pg 238) (b)    What is significant about the present his father got? (pg 239) (c)    Why did Tane look the other way when Fatboy gave Rebecca a hug? (pg 241) (d)    What did Rebecca realise the submarine was really for? (242/243).     (a)     How long does Rebecca think that they will be under water for? (pg 245) (b)    What was built into the transmitter? (pg 246) (c)    What were they supposed to do with the transmitter? (pg 247) (d)    Where were the GPS map coordinates taking them to? (pg 248) (e)    What did they find there? (250)   (a)     Who was the speaker on the T.V that made Tane’s heart race? (pg 253) (b)    What had happened to the Horouta? (pg 254) (c)    What happened to the Coastguard vessel sent to find it? (d)    Who does Southwell work for? (pg 255) (e)    How much did the fog expand after it had been in Whangarei? (pg 257) (f)    Where had Crowe set up his line of defence? (pg 259) (a)    What did Rebecca start to explain to Tane before Fatboy arrived? (pg 261) (b)    What upset Tane? (a)    How long did Rebecca calculate their supplies at Rangitoto Cave would last? (pg 267) (b)    Where did they get the photos of Fatboy, Tane and Rebecca? (270)    (c)     Had Tane read the message? (271)     (a)     What do think the fancy new hotel in the seaside town of Orewa is called? (pg 273) (b)    Why do you think Falkner left this name out of his book? (c)    What nationality had the troopers at the house been? (pg 274) (d)    Why Tane relax in front of Crowe? (pg 276) (e)    Where was the sub? (pg 278) (f)    What does Stony Crowe think the bioterrorists have created? (pg 279 and 282) (g)    What were forming in the mist inside the tank? (pg 280) (h)    Did the fog and jellyfish attack Zeta? (pg 286) (i)    What did Rebecca say they were genetically splicing together into a chimera? (pg 288) (a)    What did Tane do to disturb the tank? (pg 292) (b)    What does visceral mean? (pg 293) You may need to look up a word that is very close to it. (c)    What formed in the tank until it ran out of fog? (d)    What did the human hair and nail clippings do? (pg 295) (e)    Had they evacuated Warkworth in time? (pg 296) (f)    Where were the SAS and NZ Army units based? (pg 297) (g)    How did Fatboy face the soldiers and their weapons? (299)    (h)     Where was the fog? (300)
 * 5.    White Christmas, Friday, December 25   **
 * 6.    On Christmas Day, Friday, December 25   **
 * 7.    Sanctuary, Tuesday, December 29   **
 * 8.    An Unnatural Disaster   **
 * 9.    FTBY DNT GO, Thursday, December 31, 9.30 am   **
 * 10.    Candid Camera, Thursday, December 31, 10.45 am   **
 * 11.    Zeta, Thursday, December 31, 12.50pm    **
 * 12.    Xena, Thursday, December 31, 1.45pm   **

(a)    What could Tane, Rebecca and Fatboy put on? (pg 301) (b)    What did Rebecca and Tane finally realised about DNT GO MST? (pg 304) (c)    What happened to Evans? (305)    (d)     What happened when they tried to block the mist with foam? (pg 307) (e)    What did Tane suddenly say and realise? (pg 308) (f)    What sound did the shapes in the fog make? (pg 309) (g)    Where has the new command centre been set up? (pg 311) (h)    What seemed to be happening to the jellyfish that had been beaten up? (pg 312) (i)    How was Rebecca able to save them from the shapes advancing in the mist? (pg 313) (j)    How could they hear each other under water? (a)    What is an epiphany? (b)    What was the question that stirred Tane’s memory about shape recognition? (pg 320) (c)    What did Tane see as he was winched to safety? (pg 322) (d)    What were the jellyfish? (pg 324) (a)    What did Rebecca think the snowmen were if the jellyfish were antibodies? (pg 325) (b)    What was the North Harbour Sports Stadium being used for? (c)    Why did Crowe not want to believe they were antibodies and macrophages? (pg 326/328) (d)    What does pensive mean? (pg 327) (e)    What does Rebecca think has been locked in our genes all this time? (pg 328) (f)    Does she think that Professor Green brought about the antibodies? (pg 329) (g)    How does Southwell describe the behaviour and function of antibodies? (h)    Why wont Crowe listen to Rebecca’s explanation of what they are fighting against? (pg 330) (a)    What is the comparison that Falkner uses to describe how the traffic jam looks on the motorway? (pg 332) (b)    What did Rebecca say the macrophage would have done at the beginning? (pg 333) (c)    How does she describe the population of Whangarei? (pg 334) (d)    What was the advice that Many gave them? (pg 336) (e) (a)    Where had Tane and Fatboy’s parents gone? (pg 339) (b)    What internal conflicting views and ideas are in Rebecca’s mind? (pg 341) (c)    What didn’t Tane’s parents even seem to notice? (pg 343) (d)    How did Rebecca describe the human race to the Maori elder? (pg 347) (e)    What does Kaitiakitanga mean? (pg 348) (f)    What is the difference between the Pakeha view of land and the Maori view of land? (g)    What does the elder explain to Rebecca about greed and stupidity? (pg 349) (h)    Did the elder really believe that Tane had forgotten his whakapapa? (pg 350) (a)    What time did the mist start to reach Albany? (pg 351) (b)    What was the name of the aircraft carrier that had sailed to aid New Zealand? (c)    What did the code suggest as a way to get rid of the macrophages? (pg 355/356) (d)    What does Fatboy direct Rebecca to do? (pg 357) (e)    Who did Rebecca leave behind? (pg 360) (a)    What did Tane realise after kissing Rebecca and working things out? (pg 362) (b)    What language feature is “the avalanche of abandoned cars”? (pg 363) (c)    What is a funeral pyre? (d)    What would happen if the defence line from Mairangi Bay to West Harbour was breached? (pg 366) (e)    What does Rebecca suggest to Mandy? (pg 367) (f)    Why was the last section of the climb going to be the hardest for Tane and Fatboy to    handle? (pg 370) (a)    Where did all the crop dusters come from? (pg 372) (b)    What were they loaded with? (pg 373) (c)    What is the simile used by Falkner to describe the shape of Devonport? (pg 374) (d)    What does sanctuary mean? (pg 376) (e)    What was the problem that they hadn’t counted on up the top of the sky tower? (pg 377) (f)    Did they manage to attach and calibrate the chromophone? (a)    How could Mandy tell that they were on the ege of the mist? (pg 381) (b)    What were they using for weapons instead of guns and rockets? (pg 382) (c)    What does palpable mean? (pg 382) (d)    Why do you suppose Crowe’s “cells” were “afraid” of the creeping mist? (e)    Why do you think people sing hymns and battle songs? (f)    Did the salt water affect the jellyfish and snowmen?
 * 13.    Shapes in the Mist, Thursday, December 31, 3.05 pm   **
 * 14.     Epiphany, Thursday, December 31, 3.15pm   **
 * 15.    Immunity, Thursday, December 31, 5.30pm   **
 * 16.    Before the Storm, 7.00pm   **
 * 17.     Kaitiakitanga 7.40pm   **
 * 18.     New year’s Eve, 9.05pm   **
 * 19.     The Battle for Auckland, 10.20pm   **
 * 20.    Line of Fire, 11.30pm   **
 * 21.    Fateful Lightning, Friday, January 1, 1205am   **

(a)    What had happened at Mairangi Bay? (pg 389) (b)    What had happened to Te Mana and Te Kaha? (390)    (c)     Where could Ramirez see the fog was chewing its way across? (d)    What language feature is “and chewing its way”? (e)    What does it mean by “the fog, omnipresent in her rear-view mirror”? (pg 391) (f)    What surprised Rebecca? (g)    What were the four white slug-like creatures absorbing and digesting? (pg 392) (h)    Who was finally silent in the mist? (pg 394) (a)    What did Tane and Fatboy realise when they reached the Observation Deck of the SkyTower on the way down? (pg 395) (b)    What did Tane realise about Fatboy? (pg 397) (c)    Tane reached out for Fatboy’s hand but what did Fatboy do? (d)    Who was shooting at Xena and Rebecca? (pg 398) (e)    What was the antibody Jellifish doing to Rebec ca as she ran along the jetty? (pg 400) (f)    Where was the macrophage standing? (g)    What did Xena do? (a)    Where is the hyperbole on page 403? There are two examples. (b)    Where were they trying to get with the fire engine? (pg 404) (c)    What did they wrap around their bodies? (pg 405) (d)    Why was the mist much thinner in the car park? (pg 408) (e)    Why didn’t the macrophages attack them as they crawled? (f)    What was spread out across Quay Street blocking their entrance to the wharves? (pg 413) (g)    What was inside the truck beside Tane? (h)    Why did Ramirez’s parachute, harness and flight suit float to the ground empty? (pg 415) (i)    How did Ramirez’s jet crashing save Tane? (pg 416) (j)    What happened to Fatboy? (a)    What did Tane remember about Fatboy? (pg 419) (b)    What did he manage to do? (a)    Was it the end of the world? (pg 421) (b)    What was Rebecca’s good news? (pg 422) (c)    What was the life that Tane now had? (pg 424) (d)    What was significant about their position in regards to the fish in the ocean cave? (e)    What is a patu pounamu and where did it come from? (f)    What does Tane suggest they do to stop it from happening? (g)    What do you think their chances are of stopping the Chimera Project and the end of humankind?
 * 22.    Silence in the Mist, 12.30am   **
 * 23.    Into the Mist, 1.15 am   **
 * 24.    The God from the Machine, 1.25am   **
 * 25.    The Dream.   **
 * 26.    Te Kenehi Tuarua, Monday, January 4   **