All He Knew Flashcards
How does Henry get to Riverview?
On a Greyhound bus
Who rides with Henry to Riverview?
His mother
What affliction does Henry have?
He is deaf
What is Henry’s sister’s name?
Molly
What made Molly cry?
Kids teasing her about Henry being deaf
What kind of flowers did Henry pick for Molly when she was sad?
Dandelions
How does Henry describe the smell of the hallway at Riverview?
Like when Grandad forgot to change his clothes, the neighbor’s puppy having accidents, and potatoes forgotten in a corner all mixed together
When was Henry born?
July 1933
What did the neighbor do with Molly while Mama was having Henry>
Took her for a walk
How old was Henry when he took his first steps?
One year and six days
What caused Henry’s deafness?
A high fever
How did the family realize that Henry had become deaf?
He couldn’t hear the harmonica that he was given as a Christmas gift
How old was Henry when he became deaf?
4
What happened after Henry tried to keep talking for a while?
His voice started to change and it became hard for people to understand him
How old was Henry turning when his family threw him a birthday party?
6
Who was the girl that attended Henry’s birthday party?
Sadie
Why did Sadie get upset at the birthday party?
She wanted to play catch with the boys, but they said “No girls allowed,” and Henry didn’t hear this, so he played with them
What did Sadie do when she got upset at the birthday party?
She threw a ball through the kitchen window
What did Henry decide he would do about talking after the birthday party disaster?
He would only talk at home to his family
What does the school principal suggest that Henry’s parents get for him?
Hearing aids
Why don’t Henry’s parents get hearing aids for him?
They can’t afford them
What does Henry call the skinny man with keys at Riverview?
Slim Jim
What does Henry call the man with keys who doesn’t have much hair at Riverview?
Baldy
What does Henry call the man with keys who has scars on his face and neck at Riverview?
Appleman
What does Henry call the man with keys who blows his whistle and jerks Henry’s blanket back to wake him up every day at Riverview?
Blanketman
What does Henry call the man with keys who looks like an angry barking dog and kicks kids who don’t obey at Riverview?
Barker
Which boy on the ward does Henry quickly become friends with?
Ted
What physical differences does Ted have?
One leg is shorter than the other and one arm hangs loose
What prank do Henry and Ted imagine pulling on Barker?
Catching a mouse and putting it in his coat pocket
Who is the new boy with curly hair that comes to the ward?
Billy
What does an older boy take from Billy?
A postcard
What is the name of the boy who takes Billy’s postcard?
James
How do Henry and Ted get Billy’s postcard back?
Ted distracts the boys and the men with the keys by jumping and pointing and acting like he sees a mouse while Henry gets the postcard from James’s cabinet
What does Henry name the spider in his window?
Rex
Because the boys walk in pairs, who does Henry walk with?
Ted
Which boy who doesn’t have a partner is invited to walk with Henry and Ted?
Billy
How does Ted try to convince Blanket Man to wake Henry up?
Gently shaking his shoulder
What does Baldy bring to Henry and Ted to help gently wake Henry up?
A piece of string
What color clothing do men and boys on the ward wear?
Gray-green
What color clothing do women and girls on the ward wear?
Brownish-gray
What color clothing do the men and women with keys wear?
Dark blue
What does Henry see inside a chain-link fence that reminds him of a cemetery?
Tall grass and weeds and little rows of sticks
Which man with keys is the only one who lets the boys outside?
Baldy
What does Henry notice during his first time playing kickball?
A boy-sized hole between the trees and the fence
How does Blanket Man punish James when he thinks James isn’t moving fast enough?
He isn’t allowed to eat breakfast
What does Henry do when he notices that James isn’t allowed to eat?
Gives him a piece of toast
What does James do after being punished?
Slips through the hole in the fence and runs away
How does James look when Blanket Man and Barker bring him back to the ward?
He’s limping, his face is bruised, and one eye is swollen shut
Where do the men with keys put James when they bring him back to the ward?
They put him in a chair in the hallway and strap him to it
How many days is James strapped to the chair in the hallway?
28
What does Molly send Henry in the mail around Christmas?
A drawing of a Christmas scene at their house, with one empty chair at the table left for Henry
What does Molly send Henry in the mail for his 7th birthday?
A letter and a picture of a birthday cake with seven candles
When James leaves in July when Henry is 7, where does he go?
He gets moved to a different building with older boys
Why is there a crack in the windowpane in the boys’ room?
Billy wouldn’t stop crying, so Barker threw a shoe at him and missed, and hit the window instead
What does Appleman bring to Henry that surprises him?
Clean clothes and shoes that are less worn out than his usual ones
Where does Appleman take Henry after giving him new clothes?
Down the hallway he remembers from the day he first arrived
Who is waiting for Henry in the room that Appleman takes him to?
His mom and Molly
What does Henry notice about Molly?
She has brown bigger
What does Henry’s mom give him during their visit?
A peppermint, an orange, and two new pairs of socks
Why has it taken so long for Mama and Molly to visit Henry?
They had to save up the money
When does Mama say they will visit again?
At Christmas
What does Henry yell when Appleman is yanking him back through the door?
Take me home!
Why does Appleman think that Henry is lying about being deaf?
Because he hears him talk to his mother
What is Riverview’s full name?
Riverview Home for the Feebleminded
To what facility did Mama take Henry to get tested?
The State School for the Deaf
What test did the State School for the Deaf do to decide whether to take Henry?
They tried to teach him to blow out a candle
What did Henry do during the candle test?
He didn’t understand and he was scared, so he crawled under the table and refused to come back out
What did the man at the State School for the Deaf say when Henry failed the candle test?
That Henry appears to be unteachable
How did Henry once save Molly’s life when they were little?
Molly tried to coax a raccoon out from under the porch and Henry told her to leave it alone because it might have rabies–turns out, it did
What song do the boys at school sing to Molly about Henry?
They’ll take your brother to the loony bin, loony bin, loony bin,
They’ll take him to the loony bin, and they should take you, too
Which members of Henry’s family visit him at Christmas the year he is 7?
Mama and Papa
What gifts does Molly send with her parents to give to Henry
More pictures that she has drawn
What happens 17 days before Mama and Papa’s trip to Riverview?
Pearl Harbor is bombed
What is the only written part of Henry’s name that he can recognize
H
What does Papa learn to do after Pearl Harbor is bombed?
Weld
What job does Mama get after Pearl Harbor is bombed?
She works at the bakery
Why don’t Mama and Papa end up going to Riverview?
They can’t get enough time off work
What does Molly think is the glue that holds their family together?
Henry
What gift does Ted share with Henry and Billy when his family visits for Christmas
An orange
Why does a girl at a party tell Molly that she’s lucky?
She doesn’t have a brother
Who are the only men with keys who remain after Pearl Harbor?
Baldy, Barker, Blanket Man, and Slim Jim
What does Billy drop on the floor of the meal place?
A not-quite-empty crock of tomato soup
What does Barker do to Billy when he drops the soup?
He slaps him
What does Ted do when Barker slaps Billy?
Ted swings a broom at Barker
What does Barker do to Ted after Ted swings a broom at him?
Barker straps Ted to one of the chairs in the hallway
When Henry daydreams of escaping, where does he imagine he would rest before the long walk home?
The rickety barn that he passed on the bus when he first came to Riverview
What shadow puppet animals do Henry and Billy make with their hands?
A wolf and a rabbit
What is the name of the conscientious objector?
Victor
What is a conscientious objector?
Someone who believes that war is wrong
Who is Steven?
Victor’s older brother who is going off to war
Who is Victor’s little brother?
Joey
What happened to Victor’s father during the Great War?
He lost his arm
Which of Victor’s relatives was killed in the Great War?
Uncle Frank (his mother’s brother)
Which relative is coming to see Victor off to his new job?
Aunt Muriel
Why was Aunt Muriel sent to prison?
For fighting for women’s right to vote
What is Victor’s new job?
An attendant at Riverview
When Henry wakes up early in November 1942, who is missing from their bed?
Billy
Henry looks out the window and sees Billy going where?
Turning off the road and heading for the barn
What happens when Henry follows Billy to the barn?
He finds Billy inside, crying
What item was propping open the door to the boys’ dorm?
A book
How do Henry and Billy slip back into the ward undetected?
They join the line of boys walking to breakfast, and the new attendant doesn’t recognize them
Unlike the other attendants who wear dark blue, what color does the new attendant wear?
White
Why does Henry decide to speak his name aloud to Victor?
Victor tries his best to communicate with him, and he has a friendly face
When is the second time that Henry speaks aloud to Victor?
He says “don’t do that” when Victor is strapping Ted to the chair in the hallway
What creature does Victor watch Ted, Henry, and Billy work together to save while Ted is strapped to the chair?
A spider
Because Henry doesn’t kill the spider, what does Victor think that Henry might be?
A young conscientious objector
What is a conscientious objector called for short?
CO
What happens to Victor when he encounters Slim Jim and Barker on the sidewalk?
They block his path, Slim Jim shoves him to the ground, and Barker spits on him
What does Henry nickname the new attendant with red hair?
Whistler
What instrument does Whistler bring onto the ward?
A xylophone
Why does Victor finally unstrap Ted from the chair?
So he can play the xylophone
What happens when Barker sees Ted unstrapped from the chair?
Ted hides behind Victor, then Whistler, Henry, and Billy come and stand beside them
When do Mama, Papa, and Molly finally visit Henry at Riverview?
For his 10th birthday
When they visit for his 10th birthday, how long has it been since Henry’s family has seen him?
Over two years
Which attendant takes Henry to his family for his 10th birthday?
Victor
What does Victor say quietly to Molly about Henry?
“Your brother is my favorite”
What did Henry’s family save up their ration points for?
Ingredients to make Henry a birthday cake
What wish does Henry make on his 10th birthday cake?
He wants to go home
Why is Victor working at Riverview?
So he won’t be sent to prison
Why did someone throw a rotten egg at Victor’s family’s house?
Because Victor didn’t go fight in the war
When Henry wakes up sick, what symptoms does he have?
His throat hurts
When Henry wakes up sick, where does Victor take him?
To the nurse
Who gets sick soon after Henry?
Billy
What does Henry think is happening as he watches men dig holes and bury boxes?
He thinks it’s a graveyard
What sickness did Henry get?
The mumps
What happened to Billy when he got the mumps?
He died
What gifts does Henry’s family send to him when they learn of Billy’s death?
A tablet and crayons, and a comic book
Who is the woman in the red dress in Henry’s drawing?
Mrs. Grayson, a neighbor who died when Henry was 3
What makes Henry especially sad about the graves at Riverview?
There are no headstones
What animal does Henry frequently see outside his window?
Squirrels
What condiment does Mama put on Henry’s sandwich when they visit Riverview?
Apple butter
What was Henry’s drawing of a rock with writing on it supposed to represent?
A gravestone
What does Henry use to mark Billy’s grave?
A framed picture of him that Henry drew
What outdoor project do Victor and Whistler start that Henry and Ted help with?
A garden
What games does Victor teach Henry and Ted?
Card games
What is Riverview renamed to once Victor starts working there?
Riverview State Training School
Why does Victor tell Henry’s parents that they should consider taking him out of Riverview?
Because Henry is so intelligent
Why does Mama refuse to ask the School for the Deaf to take Henry again?
Because they didn’t give him a second chance the first time
What word was used to describe Henry when he failed the candle test was also used to describe Billy?
Unteachable
What does Ted like to draw on Henry’s tablet?
A big house with a porch, five people, and a black dog
What happens to Ted when a man and a woman come to visit?
He doesn’t come back to the ward
What is in the letter that Victor brings Henry after Ted leaves?
A drawing from Ted of that same house, but instead of five people there are 6, and instead of a black dog, there’s a little brown one
What are the names of the two sisters that Molly meets at the post office?
Audrey and Melinda Bradley
How do Audrey and Melinda communicate with each other?
Sign language
What is special about Audrey Bradley?
She is deaf
What is the sign for “yes”?
Make a fist and move it up and down
Which of Henry’s friends from the ward lives nearby his family?
Ted
What does Henry feed the squirrel outside his window?
Toast
After Ted leaves, what does Victor teach Henry with the deck of cards?
Magic tricks
When Henry is picked up from Riverview, who comes to get him?
Ted’s dad drove Papa and Molly in his car
What food does Henry eat at the restaurant on the way home?
Soup
What happens to Henry in the car on the way home?
He gets carsick and throws up
Who is waiting at Henry’s house when Henry gets home?
Mama, Ted, and Ted’s mom
What is Henry’s cat’s name?
Snowball
What does Molly write on the card that she puts in Henry’s pocket?
Hello, my name is Henry
How do Audrey and Melinda help Henry?
They start teaching him sign language
What is Ted’s actual name?
Ned
Who frequently send letters back and forth?
Molly and Victor
Who does Henry’s family host for Thanksgiving?
Ned’s family and Victor’s family
What delicious smell at Thanksgiving does Henry love and Audrey teaches him to sign?
Cinnamon
What is Billy’s actual name?
Buddy
What person from Henry’s past comes by to say hello after he comes home?
Sadie
