The boy at the back of the class

Chapter 2-The boy with the lion’s eyes

1.How does the narrator describe Ahmet’s eyes?

The narrator describes Ahmet’s eyes like lion’s eyes. They were grey and silvery-blue with specks of
golden-brown and these were the strangest colours according to the narrator.

2. What did the kids try to do during break time?

They looked everywhere in the playground trying to find the new boy, but they couldn’t find him.

3. What did the new boy do during P.E.?

He sat in the corner staring at his rucksack.

4.Why didn’t any of the students in the narrator’s class learn anything during the history class?

They didn’t learn anything during the history class because they were all too busy whispering about
the new boy.

5.What did Clarissa tell them about the new boy?

She said that he was using a lower year workbook, so his reading and writing mustn’t be very good.

6.Why was everyone crowding around Jennie? Who is Jennie?

Jennie is a famous student in school who is in the class next door, she is known to know something
about everything as she likes to spy on people and make up stories that are not all true. Everyone
gathered around her to see what she has to say about the new boy.

7.Why did the narrator say that people tend to believe lies even when they know they are lies?

They tend to believe lies because they are more exciting than the truth.

8. What did Jennie tell everyone about the new boy? Did the narrator and Michael believe her?

She told them that the new boy spent all his break-times with Mrs. Sanders because he has done
something bad in his old school, and he was too dangerous to be let out into the playground with
them. The narrator and Michael didn’t believe her.

9. In page 19, what did the narrator ask her friends to do? Why? What happened after that?

The narrator asked them to wait for two more minutes hoping that the new boy was still inside the
school building, later the new boy came out into the playground holding Mrs. Khan’s hand and
staring at the playground.

10. What did the narrator do in page 20 and what was Ahmet’s reaction?

The narrator ran over to where the new boy was standing, tapped on his shoulder, said hello and
gave him the lemon sherbet. Ahmet took a step back away from the narrator as though he was
frightened.

11.Did he take the lemon sherbet at the beginning? What made him change his mind afterwards?

No, he didn’t take it because he was shy and afraid, but afterwards the woman told him it is ok to
take it and he took it.
12.What happened at the end of the chapter that made the narrator happy? What did the narrator
say will do when she/he grows up?

The narrator felt extra happy after Mrs. Khan smiled at her/him with her whole face and had given
her /him a wink, too. The narrator said that he/she will wink at people to make them feel special,
too.

13.What did the narrator decide to do the next day?

The narrator decided whenever she/he saw the new boy staring at her/him, she/he was going to
give him just as many winks as she/he could.