QUESTIONS FOR THE CHAPTERS 1-6

Chapter One

1. Explain why Kino’s wife Juana usually wakes up before him.
2. Describe the tone of the pearl in Chapter One.
3. List the evidence of beliefs in superstition portrayed in Chapter One.
4. Outline the characteristics of characters in Chapter One of The Pearl.
5. What is Juana’s greatest weakness in Chapter One?
6. Who is the narrator of The Pearl?
7. Why does the doctor refuse to treat Coyotito in The Pearl?
8. What song does Kino hear in The Pearl?
9. What is the symbolism of the scorpion in The Pearl?
10. Contrast the differences between the doctor’s house and that of Kino.
11. In The Pearl, what is Juana’s reaction when she sees the scorpion climbing down the rope towards Coyotito’s box?

Chapter Two

1. How is the pearl made?
2. “Juana sensed his excitement and she pretended to look away.” Explain this statement.
3. Describe Kino’s most valuable possession in Chapter Two.
4. What new song does Kino hear in Chapter Two of The Pearl?
5. What medication has Juana used for the baby’s swollen shoulder?
6. What occupation does Kino indulge himself in?
7. Explain two reasons why Kino’s canoe is so important to him.
8. List examples in The Pearl that show money is important in life.

Chapter Three

1. In what sense does Kino become man’s enemy in The Pearl?
2. How is the doctor affected by greed in the novel The Pearl?
3. What does the doctor do when he comes to Kino’s house for the first time?
4. What are the reactions of the following to the news of Kino’s pearl discovery?
   • a) The Priest
   • b) Shopkeepers
   • c) Doctor
   • d) Beggars
   • e) Pearl buyers
5. What experience in Chapter Three makes Kino realize that his innocence has put him at the mercy of the people?
6. Describe an example of foreshadowing in Chapter Three.
7. What does the doctor do that is dishonorable?

Chapter Four

1. Why are the pearl buyers excited about Kino’s pearl?
2. Why did Kino sell his pearl for the offered fifteen hundred pesos?
3. What did the buyer know?
4. Why does Kino keep saying, “I am a man” in Chapter Four of The Pearl?
5. What evidence is there that the pearl buyers worked together to cheat sellers?

Chapter Five

1. Who are two people who feel that the pearl is evil?
2. In what sense does Kino become every man’s enemy?
3. How does Kino kill a man in Chapter Five of The Pearl?
4. Why does Juana want Kino to throw the pearl back into the ocean after their return to La Paz?
5. According to the author, what are the three qualities of a woman?
6. What are four examples that depict Kino compared to or described as an animal in The Pearl?
7. What does Kino mean when he says the pearl has become his soul?

Chapter Six

1. What reasons are portrayed by Kino’s actions in The Pearl?
2. How does Kino get in touch with his ancestors on his way to the capital?
3. What could be the reason why Kino hears the music of the family and the pearl intermingling?
4. Explain what Kino has done to avoid being traced on his way to the capital.
5. How does Juana portray a role model of the wife?
6. Why are Kino’s dreams on his way to the capital seen to be shattered?
7. “Coyotito lives in his world of innocence”—how true is this statement?
8. Describe the characters of:
   • i) Kino
   • ii) Juana
   • iii) Coyotito

Examples of Essay Questions

1. Describe the character of each of the following using four points:
   • a) The French Doctor
   • b) The Native Indians
2. Discuss eight points that show how the theme of curiosity is portrayed in the book The Pearl.