75 pages • 2 hours read
Tae KellerWhen You Trap a Tiger
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2020A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Quiz
Reading Check, Multiple Choice & Short Answer Quizzes
Reading Check questions are designed for in-class review on key plot points or for quick verbal or written assessments. Multiple Choice and Short Answer Quizzes create ideal summative assessments, and collectively function to convey a sense of the work’s tone and themes.
Chapters 1-9
Reading Check
1. Where is Lily going when she sees the tiger the first time?
2. Why does Sam think of Lily as a “QAG”?
3. Why does the dry basement floor confuse Lily?
Multiple Choice
1. Considering Lily’s imagery that depicts it, which of these settings is most like Halmoni’s house?
A) a medieval castle
B) a haunted house
C) a fairytale cottage
D) a time-travel portal
2. In Lily’s favorite tiger story that Halmoni told her when she was younger, what did the sky god require before he saved Eggi and Unya?
A) Eggi and Unya had to tell a story to the sky god.
B) Unya had to agree to be the sun and Eggi the moon.
C) Eggi and Unya had to banish the tiger that chased them.
D) Unya had to take the place of her disguised grandmother.
3. What is implied by Mom’s actions when she makes Lily tea and promises to find her a playdate friend?
A) Mom is more worried about Lily than she is about Sam, Halmoni, or finding a job.
B) Mom is sympathetic to Lily’s anxiety over moving and wants to entertain her.
C) Mom is distracted with problems and not really thinking about what Lily needs.
D) Mom is frustrated by Sam’s attitude and directs more kindness to Lily.
Short-Answer Response
Answer each of the following questions in a complete sentence or sentences. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. Mom climbs through a window to enter Halmoni’s house. How does Lily and Sam’s exchange about this event demonstrate Sam’s tendency to anger easily?
2. What is kosa, and for whom is kosa prepared? According to Halmoni, how will preparing kosa benefit Lily on the day she arrives at Halmoni’s?
3. Why are the tigers coming to find Halmoni?
Chapters 10-18
Reading Check
1. How does Jensen get the idea for a bake sale at the library?
2. Why is Sam reluctant to drive even though she has her learner’s permit?
3. Where do Lily and Ricky construct the trap?
Multiple Choice
1. What seems to be the real reason for Halmoni’s trip to the grocery store?
A) She wants to persuade Sam to drive.
B) She must get medication for nausea.
C) She needs ingredients for breakfast and kosa.
D) She enjoys socializing with townsfolk.
2. Which pair of character traits best describes Ricky as he is portrayed in Chapters 10-18?
A) exuberant and giving
B) irritable and impatient
C) quiet and observant
D) eager and controlling
3. When Mom tells Lily about Halmoni’s illness, what is Lily’s plan?
A) She will talk to Sam for ideas.
B) She will take the tiger’s deal.
C) She will go with them to the doctor.
D) She will set more kosas in the day.
Short-Answer Response
Answer each of the following questions in a complete sentence or sentences. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. What decision does Lily make at the end of her first meeting with the tiger (in the kitchen)?
2. Why is Lily upset when Ricky says he does not know his grandfather’s methods of tiger hunting?
3. How does Lily get Sam to keep quiet about her “secret plan” (Chapter 18) with Ricky?
Chapters 19-27
Reading Check
1. What does the tiger (while still trapped) steal from Lily?
2. How does Sam help Lily to be more of a “warrior princess” (Chapter 20)?
3. What did Halmoni once do to help Lily’s father think before he spoke?
Multiple Choice
1. What slight untruth does Lily allow Ricky to believe?
A) that the trap will prove to Mom that she made a friend
B) that she too once had tiger hunters in the family
C) that Halmoni’s tiger fears result from her illness
D) that she has nightmares of tigers every night
2. Why does Lily think that Halmoni is the baby in the first story from the jars?
A) Halmoni’s mother left her a pearl pendant.
B) Halmoni went across the ocean when she was small.
C) Halmoni disliked living in two worlds.
D) Halmoni claims she could have been half-tiger.
3. In which situation does Lily begin to show she is not a “QAG”?
A) in the backseat with Halmoni after the restaurant
B) after being told they would make rice cakes another day
C) when she tells Mom that Sam climbed down a rope
D) in the basement when the tiger comments on her cooking
Short-Answer Response
Answer each of the following questions in a complete sentence or sentences. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. How are Sam’s recollections of Lily’s favorite tiger story different from Lily’s?
2. Lily does not trust the tiger, but she agrees to open the star jars and listen to the stories. Why? What does the tiger suggest will happen if she does so?
3. Why is Lily upset with the events of the second story?
Chapters 28-36
Reading Check
1. With what task are Sam and Lily to help at the library?
2. What does Sam say that Lily demands Sam take back?
3. What is the true origin of the star jars?
Multiple Choice
1. Which statement best describes Lily’s feelings with regard to Halmoni’s memory problems and her mother’s assessment of her own relationship with Halmoni?
A) Lily is afraid of change and does not understand why it must happen.
B) Lily is accepting that Halmoni might get sicker before she gets better.
C) Lily is furious with her family for rejecting Halmoni’s illness and judging her.
D) Lily is relieved that her mother is less worried about Halmoni than before.
2. What is Ricky implying when he asks Lily if she cursed him?
A) that Lily no longer wants to be friends
B) that Lily has been studying magic
C) that Lily knows spells and charms like Halmoni
D) that Lily wants more attention from his buddies
3. Which description best fits the mood of Lily’s apology visit to Ricky’s house?
A) quiet and unproductive
B) awkward, then amicable
C) angry, then lighthearted
D) humorous and fulfilling
Short-Answer Response
Answer each of the following questions in a complete sentence or sentences. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. Why is the timing of Lily’s mud pudding ironic and uncomfortable for Mom?
2. Why, according to Lily, does the tiger not visit on schedule for the third story?
3. What are at least two contributing factors in Lily’s decision to break the star jars?
Chapter 37-46
Reading Check
1. What has Sam secretly been doing in an attempt to protect Halmoni?
2. Where does Lily find the tiger?
3. What does Lily do to provide extra safety for Sam’s drive to the hospital?
Multiple Choice
1. Why has Sam kept memories of Dad to herself?
A) She does not want to think about his accident.
B) She knows they are too painful for Lily to hear.
C) She cannot remember any of her father’s traits.
D) She fears they will fade if she shares them.
2. What is implied when Sam finds the courage to drive to the hospital?
A) She sees the tiger protecting them.
B) She believes the rain has stopped.
C) She trusts Lily’s belief in magic.
D) She knows their father’s spirit will help.
3. Which lesson is NOT implied in the story Lily tells?
A) A person can be both strong and gentle.
B) Sometimes life’s path cannot be altered.
C) A woman can pursue any variety of dreams.
D) It is right to keep some memories to yourself.
Short-Answer Response
Answer each of the following questions in a complete sentence or sentences. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. How does the tiger help Lily and Sam? What is Sam’s reaction to the tiger’s help?
2. How does Sam show her support for Lily in the hospital and after Halmoni’s death?
3. In what ways is it fitting that the library bake sale becomes a kosa for Halmoni?
Quizzes – Answer Key
Chapters 1-9
Reading Check
1. Lily, Mom, and Sam are driving through the rain to Halmoni’s house when Lily sees a tiger in the road. (Chapter 1)
2. Sam thinks Lily’s attitude and actions are stereotypical “Quiet Asian Girl” behavior; she does not speak out or make trouble. (Chapter 3)
3. Halmoni said it flooded and they should not go down there. If it is dry, Halmoni fibbed about the flood. (Chapter 6)
Multiple Choice
Short-Answer Response
1. Sam comments that maybe Mom had boyfriends to sneak out to see when she was younger; Lily, however, says it’s more likely Mom dated only Dad (who is deceased). This aggravates Sam; she is offended by Lily’s innocence on the topic. Lily feels the brief moment of sister bonding is over because Sam is now irritated. (Chapter 3)
2. Kosa is a meal prepared for the spirits ahead of the meal for the living. It is carefully and reverently set up and left for those whose spirits may offer some protection from danger, which is why Halmoni suggests kosa will help keep the tigers away. (Chapter 4)
3. Halmoni admits that there is more to the tiger story than she told Lily when Lily was young; Halmoni stole stories from the tigers, then trapped the tigers in a cave so she could get away across the ocean. Now the tigers want their stories back and are coming for her. (Chapter 8)
Chapters 10-18
Reading Check
1. Lily says Joe’s cupcakes are good enough to sell. (Chapter 10)
2. She is afraid to drive because their father died in a car accident. (Chapter 12)
3. in the basement of Halmoni’s house (Chapter 18)
Multiple Choice
Short-Answer Response
1. At the end of their first meeting, Lily rejects the tiger’s deal out of fear and mistrust. As soon as the tiger vanishes, she changes her mind and tries to call the tiger back, but the tiger is gone. (Chapter 14)
2. Lily just learned that Halmoni is very ill with brain cancer. Lily thinks that if she can hunt down the tiger and tell her that she changed her mind about the tiger’s offered deal, she can save Halmoni, so she is very upset when she learns that Ricky cannot help her. (Chapters 15-16)
3. Lily shows strength she does not usually display with Sam by looking her in the eyes and not backing down; she tells Sam that sisters should “keep each other’s secrets.” (Chapter 18)
Chapters 19-27
Reading Check
1. her protective mugwort (Chapter 21)
2. Sam braids Lily’s hair and creates an up-do like a crown. (Chapter 20)
3. She put mud in his milkshake to help him stay “grounded.” (Chapter 23)
Multiple Choice
Short-Answer Response
1. In Sam’s memory, the older sister lets the tiger in. She remembers it as a sad, upsetting story; she calls it “the worst.” (Chapter 20)
2. The tiger suggests that Halmoni will feel better if she (the tiger) gets her stories back and tells them aloud to Lily. Lily does not trust the tiger but is desperate to help Halmoni. (Chapter 21)
3. The sky god did not uphold his end of the deal; the girl became a tiger anyway; she ran far away from her halmoni, who missed her very much. (Chapter 27)
Chapters 28-36
Reading Check
1. making signs for the bake sale (Chapter 29)
2. Sam says she just wants it to be over quickly, referring to Halmoni’s death. (Chapter 33)
3. Halmoni bought them years before at a flea market. (Chapter 35)
Multiple Choice
Short-Answer Response
1. Mom was just offered a new job by Ricky’s father; she did not expect Lily (of all people) to act out in such a way toward the son of her prospective boss. (Chapter 32)
2. Lily believes that the tiger is not making the third visit to collect the last story because she (Lily) told the tiger to go away at the library right before the mud incident. (Chapter 33)
3. Lily smashes the star jars out of stress and frustration. She feels as though she is the only one who can save Halmoni, and she worries that she ruined her chance by telling the tiger to go away. She cannot bear to hear Halmoni reject the idea of being saved by the return of the stolen stories, yet Halmoni insists it is her time to die. Also, Sam calls the star jars “vases” and looks at Lily as if she is losing control because she is too young to understand. Lily convinces herself that she imagined the tiger and smashes the jars. (Chapters 35-36)
Chapter 37-46
Reading Check
1. sneaking out at night to scatter rice with Jensen (Chapter 38)
2. in the library (Chapter 40)
3. She clasps the pearl pendant around Sam’s neck. (Chapter 40)
Multiple Choice
Short-Answer Response
1. After Lily apologizes to the tiger for telling her to go away, the tiger leads Sam and Lily to the hospital in a circle of protection: No rain falls on the tiger, so by walking in front of the car, the tiger creates a rainless patch in which Sam can drive. The tiger reveals to Lily that she is the spirit of Halmoni’s mother, Lily and Sam’s great-grandmother; she has come to take Halmoni. (Chapters 40, 41)
2. Sam plucks the story from the air, then gives it to Lily. She encourages Lily to finish the story, as she listens to it intently. She holds the pendant between their hands as Halmoni is dying. She makes rice cakes with Lily and Mom, and she asks Lily to tell her a story at the bake sale/kosa. (Chapters 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
3. Halmoni lived across from the library and once devoted time and effort to fixing it up with fresh paint and posters. She also devoted herself to caring for and helping individuals in the community, and the bake sale brings the community together in a way that memorializes her. (Chapters 45, 46)
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