Chasing Vermeer

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-book review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. What theme that becomes important later in the story is introduced by Fort’s book?

A) The oneness of all things

B) Defining art

C) The importance of being yourself

D) The danger of making snap judgments

2. What character trait do Calder, Petra, and Ms. Hussey all share?

A) They are artistic.

B) They are unusual.

C) They are talkative.

D) They are impulsive.

3. Which statement is an accurate comparison of Petra and Calder?

A) Calder is better at understanding people than Petra is.

B) Calder is more curious and intelligent than Petra.

C) Petra is better at solving puzzles than Calder is.

D) Petra is more adventurous and confident than Calder.

4. What is a reasonable inference for a reader to make about Ms. Hussey, based on her involvement with the thief?

A) She is too trusting.

B) She is very dishonest.

C) She is slightly greedy.

D) She is sometimes careless.

5. Which character has interests that sound very similar to those of Blue Balliett, the book’s author?

A) Yvette Pillay

B) Tommy Segovia

C) Mr. Watch

D) Frank Andalee

6. What theme is supported by Calder’s observation that investigating Frog’s disappearance would also have led them to the missing Vermeer?

A) The danger of making snap judgments

B) Defining art

C) The oneness of all things

D) The importance of being yourself

7. What theme is supported by Calder’s use of his pentominoes?

A) The risks of impulsiveness

B) Perceiving patterns

C) The importance of art

D) The joy of adventure

8. Which plot event foreshadows the thief saying he wants to allow the public to decide which of the paintings attributed to Vermeer are authentic masterpieces?

A) Ms. Hussey’s art assignment

B) Calder’s explanation of his pentominoes

C) Petra’s reading of Fort’s book

D) Frog’s disappearance

9. What recurring element do the carved lions at the University School and the decor of Mrs. Sharpe’s house both represent?

A) Ominous settings

B) Eccentric personalities

C) The importance of letters

D) Characteristics of Vermeer’s art

10. Which of the following plot events seems like a clue but turns out to be unrelated to solving the mystery?

A) Ms. Hussey giving a class assignment about letters

B) Petra’s father’s meeting with the man with bushy eyebrows

C) Calder and Petra’s shared birth date

D) Petra noticing the shapes in the iron railing

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. How do Petra’s conclusions about the way most people look at art demonstrate that Ms. Hussey’s teaching methods really do support independent thinking?

2. How does the physical copy of Fort’s book end up making connections among Petra, Calder, and Mrs. Sharpe?