Answers to Questions:

Grades K-3

 

1. For his stepson.

2. Answers will vary; including pirates, buried gold treasure.

3. Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver.

4. Answers will vary.

5. It was in a chest belonging to a sea captain named Billy Bones who died while living at the inn owned by Jim’s parents.

6. (a) Adjectives such as evil, thief, cruel, heartless and so forth.  (b) They thought this was a quick way to get rich.

7. False. Pirates stole from anyone.  Most were criminals, and if caught, faced death.

8. Sailing ships, mostly called Schooners.

9. Sails are masts that catch the wind and move the boat forward. Rigging are ropes and chains used to make the masts and sails move on a boat. The hull the main body of a ship.

10. Answers will vary: Including brig, frigate, clipper, top sail Schooner. More information can be found at www.mysite.com/seachest/libindex.htm.

 

Grades 4-8

 

1. Stevenson told his stepson about a story of pirates and buried treasure and a pirate named Captain Kidd.  It was first published in a boy’s magazine and later revised as a book in 1883.

2. The hero in the story is Jim Hawkins, who finds a map for a buried treasure and sets out after it.  Jim and his friends come up against a group of heartless pirates who also want the map and the treasure. 

3. Answers will vary. Although Jim is the hero of the story, he finds a buried treasure that is not his own and takes it home.

4. Answers will vary. Some will think he was justified to take the treasure.

5. There is treasure to be found, pirates, sword fighting, sailing on ships etc.

6. By death.

7. U.S. Virgin Islands and Caribbean.

8. By hiding the stolen loot, it was the only way of keeping it safe. The map was necessary because the loot normally was buried in a secluded place.

9. Answers will vary.  Besides the threat of pirates, sea travel depended on the weather and the seas.  A storm could suddenly hit without any warning, and the seas were treacherous.  Sea travel could take days, weeks or months.  Some passengers, never returned from their voyages.

10. Types of sails: Include flying jib, jib, fore staysail, fore topsail, foresail, main topsail, and mainsail. Types of rigging and spars include bowspirit, dolphin striker, fore topmast, foremast, yard, fore boom, mainmast, main topmast, gaff, shrouds, and main boom.   Types of hull include stem, mast step, keel, forecastle deck, forecastle, main deck, bulwarks, hold, hatch, captain’s cabin, quarter deck, tiller, rudder, and bulkhead. (This was found on www.dreamcatchers.net/treasure/ship_parts.html.)

 

Grades 9-12

 

1. Stevenson told his stepson about a story of pirates, buried treasure, and a pirate named Captain Kidd.  It was first published in a boy’s magazine and later became a book in 1883.

2. The hero Jim Hawkins finds a map in the possession of a dishonorable Captain, who has unfortunately died while staying at an Inn owned by Jim’s parents.  Enlisting the help of a doctor and close friend of the family, a seafaring adventure begins.  There are many twists in the plot where first Jim Hawkins and his friends, then the pirates in pursuit of the map, seem to be the victors.  A twist at the end leaves the audience happy with the conclusion.

3. Besides the threat of pirates, the passengers were at the whim of the weather and the expertise of the Captain and crew.

 

4. The pros include many islands for hiding, warm weather, and many ships such as Spanish galleons (laden with gold and silver) sailing the seas. The cons include sandbars and reefs, unpredictable weather such as hurricanes and violent storms (squalls), punishment by death if caught, and so forth.

5. There weren’t laws and ways to enforce them as there are now.  If treasure were found today, the first recourse would be to find the rightful owners.  If that could not be determined and the treasure had historic value, it might be confiscated for display in a museum.  The finder might or might not receive fair market value for its contents.  An example would be treasure found under the sea from shipwrecks.

6. The islands of the Bahamas had many limestone caverns that were used to hide treasure. More information can be found at www.interknowledge.com/bahamas/bspira01.htm.

7. Types of sails include flying jib, jib, fore staysail, fore topsail, foresail, main topsail and mainsail. Types of rigging and spars, include bowspirit, dolphin striker, fore topmast, foremast, yard, fore boom, mainmast, main topmast, gaff, shrouds and main boom. Types of hull include stem, mast step, keel, forecastle deck, forecastle, main deck, bulwarks, hold, hatch, Captain’s cabin, quarter deck, tiller, rudder and bulkhead. (The information can be found at www.dreamcatchers.net/treasure/ship_parts.html.)

8. Brig, Frigate, Clipper and Top Sail Schooner

9. Could not trust or be trusted, more likely to kill or be killed, dangerous profession, known for their drinking and fighting, and ruthless behavior.

10. In those days, a 12-year old was on the verge of becoming a man. Jim aids his parents, takes care of his mother, sets off to provide for the family, defends his honor and those of his friends, and tries to help in anyway that he can without putting his own needs first.