Brian's Winter

Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Part 1, Chapters 1-3

Reading Check

1. When the story begins, how long has Brian been stranded in the wilderness?

2. What does Brian call the stronger bow that he makes to defend himself from bears?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. In Chapter 1, why does Brian have to go back to hunting with a bow and arrow?

2. In Chapter 2, how is Brian proven wrong about bears?

3. Why does Brian start calling one of his arrows his “medicine arrow”?

Paired Resource

“Alone Is About Much More Than Pure Survival”

• This article from The Walrus, by Erin McCleod, ponders some of the psychological aspects of isolation in the wilderness from the perspective of contestants on the reality show Alone.
• This resource relates to the themes of Nature’s Beauty Versus Nature’s Severity, The Role of Intellect in Survival, and Awareness of One’s Surroundings Brings Emotional Rewards.
• What main idea about human psychology is McCleod trying to convey? What psychological impact is isolation having on Brian? How do the profiled contestants each try to connect with nature in a different way? Which contestant’s feelings about nature seem closest to Brian’s? What inner resources do they draw upon in order to survive? What inner resources does Brian draw upon? What about nature’s “neutrality” makes it a good place for the contestants to test themselves? Does the author seem to be portraying nature as a neutral force, or does it actively try to harm or help Brian?

Part 1, Chapters 4-7

Reading Check

1. What kind of rock does Brian make arrowheads from?

2. What does Brian name the skunk that lives near his camp?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why does Brian make a hole in the roof of his shelter?

2. What happens when the skunk visits Brian’s camp in Chapter 5?

3. How does Brian’s friendship with the skunk save him in Chapter 7?

Paired Resource

“African Tribesmen Can Talk Birds Into Helping Them Find Honey”

• This article from the New York Times, by Natalie Angier, details how the Yao of Mozambique work with wild honeyguide birds to locate honey. (Note: May require subscription.)
• This resource relates to the themes of Nature’s Beauty Versus Nature’s Severity and The Role of Intellect in Survival.
• How do the Yao and honeyguides cooperate to increase available food for both humans and birds? Are the birds trying to help the humans, or are the birds just behaving in a way that they have learned gets them food? How does this story relate to Brian’s encounters with Betty? How does Betty’s behavior show that she can figure out how to shape human behavior and use humans as a source of food? What truths about nature are revealed by the incident with Betty and the bear?

Part 1, Chapters 8-10

Reading Check

1. What does Brian use to make himself moccasins?

2. When Brian regains consciousness after killing the moose, what does he find is pinning him down?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What does Brian realize about hunting in winter when he first walks out into the snow in his new moccasins?

2. Why does Brian generally try to avoid moose?

3. What is Brian’s plan for butchering the moose?

Paired Resource

“How Does Nature Impact Our Wellbeing?”

• This article from the University of Minnesota explains the many ways in which exposure to nature promotes health.
• This resource relates to the themes of Nature’s Beauty Versus Nature’s Severity and Awareness of One’s Surroundings Brings Emotional Rewards.
• How does this article say being in nature can impact people? Do you see some of these impacts in Brian’s story so far? Are Brian’s reactions to his surroundings the same reactions anyone would have, or do they reveal something about Brian? Brian is not lost in the wilderness by choice, and the experience certainly has some stressful and negative aspects. Why do you think that the author also wants to show the benefits of this experience for Brian?

Part 2, Chapters 11-13

Reading Check

1. Where does Brian store the moose meat to keep it away from predators?

2. What special occasion does Brian celebrate in Chapter 12?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What is the main problem that Brian has when he is trying to work with the moose hide?

2. What turns out to be making the noise that Brian has mistaken for gunshots?

3. After Brian realizes what is making the gunshot noises, what does he conclude about the woods in winter?

Part 2, Chapters 14-15

Reading Check

1. What animal inspires Brian to make snowshoes?

2. What animal does Brian feel bad about killing in Chapter 14?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. When Brian realizes how hard it is to walk in the snow, what does his reaction show about his personality?

2. Why doesn’t Brian shoot any of the plentiful rabbits he sees when he is out hunting in Chapter 15?

3. After his successful hunt, what does Brian conclude about winter?

Paired Resource

Winter Landscape and Snow Landscape

• Both resources are Gustave Courbet paintings; the first is hosted on the Rijksmuseum’s website, and the second is hosted by the National Museum of Western Art.
• These resources relate to the themes of Nature’s Beauty Versus Nature’s Severity and Awareness of One’s Surroundings Brings Emotional Rewards.
• How does Courbet use techniques such as light, shape, line, color, and composition to create different feelings in similar scenes? Is there a way in which both paintings can be said to accurately depict the experience of being in the winter woods? Which of the two paintings best reflects Brian’s experience? What does Brian’s own attitude have to do with your answer?

Part 2, Chapter 16-Epilogue

Reading Check

1. What sound does Brian hear at the end of Chapter 16?

2. What does Brian smell while he is following the trail in Chapter 17?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What mixed feelings about wolves does Brian have after witnessing them attack a moose?

2. What is Brian surprised to find when he follows the trail in Chapter 17?

3. When Brian is finding it hard to leave the woods behind, what words of comfort does David offer him?

Recommended Next Reads

Brian’s Return by Gary Paulsen

• In this sequel to Brian’s Winter, Brian is having trouble fitting back into his old life; he returns to the Canadian wilderness, hoping to find out where he really belongs.
• Shared themes include Nature’s Beauty Versus Nature’s Severity, The Role of Intellect in Survival, and Awareness of One’s Surroundings Brings Emotional Rewards.
• Shared topics include adventure, wilderness survival, northern Canada, bildungsroman, and coming of age.
• Brian’s Return on SuperSummary

Northwind by Gary Paulsen

• In this middle-grade novel set in the Viking Age, orphaned Leif flees the disease ravaging his small settlement, taking his canoe farther and farther northward into a rugged coastal wilderness.
• Shared themes include Nature’s Beauty Versus Nature’s Severity, The Role of Intellect in Survival, and Awareness of One’s Surroundings Brings Emotional Rewards.
• Shared topics include adventure, wilderness survival, bildungsroman, and coming of age.