The War I Finally Won

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

Chapters 1-7

Reading Check

1. What kind of surgery does Ada get?

2. Who pays for Ada’s surgery?

Short Answer

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

1. What are some of Ada’s feelings after she discovers her mother has died? Do any of these feelings conflict with each other? Why or why not?

2. Why is Ada distressed about where she will stay after her mother’s death? Where do these worries likely come from?

Paired Resource

Black Outs World War II

• This 1-minute video explores the purpose of blackouts during World War II.
• This information offers an opportunity to connect to the theme of The Pervasive Consequences of War.
• What was the purpose of blackouts during World War II? Why do Ada’s nurses cover the windows while she was in the hospital?

Chapters 8-13

Reading Check

1. Why won’t Ada and her family have meat for Christmas?

2. Where did Susan study mathematics?

Short Answer

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

1. What evidence is there about an imminent attack on the British home front?

2. What do Ada’s worries reveal about how she views life?

Paired Resource

“How Britain Prepared for Air Raids in the Second World War”

• This article explains the Air Wardens Service, including duties like fire watcher.
• Shared theme includes The Pervasive Consequences of War.
• What was the purpose of the Air Wardens Service? Why is Ada’s responsibility as a fire watcher important?

Chapters 14-19

Reading Check

1. Who is going to be tutored at the cottage where Ada lives?

Short Answer

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

1. What does Lady Thornton bring with her when she moves to the cottage? How does Ada feel about the belongings?

2. How does Ada’s response to Ruth reveal how little she knows about World War II?

Paired Resource

“Country Houses Used in Wartime Efforts” (Photos)

• Photos in this piece of writing show country homes that aided in wartime efforts.
• This resource connects to the theme of The Pervasive Consequences of War.
• How were country homes used during World War II? Why is Lady Thornton forced to leave her home and live with Ada?

Civilian Internment in Britain

• This article describes British internment camps during World War II. (Content Warning: This article may not be suitable for all groups because of descriptions of camp conditions and mentions of suicide.)
• Shared themes include Finding Humanity in a Perceived Enemy, The Pervasive Consequences of War, and The Importance of Family.
• What was the intended purpose of British internment camps? Why might Ada and Lady Thornton be suspicious of Ruth based on the reaction of British society at the time?

Chapters 20-26

Reading Check

1. What does Lord Thornton give Ada when he visits the cottage for the weekend?

Short Answer

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

1. How do the villagers and those in Susan’s cottage treat Ruth because of where she comes from?

2. How does Lady Thornton’s privileged lifestyle create hardship for Susan and her family?

Chapters 27-34

Reading Check

1. What does Jonathan bring when he visits Lady Thornton?

Short Answer

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

1. Why is Lady Thornton shocked by Ada’s upbringing? How does it change her perspective on others?

2. How does Ada attempt to control Susan and Jamie fate?

Paired Resource

“The Life of the Jews in Germany After the Nazi Rise in Power”

• This 5-minute video describes the persecution of Jews in Germany leading up to Kristallnacht. (Content Warning: depictions of Nazi oppression of the Jewish people)
• This information offers an opportunity to connect to the theme of Finding Humanity in a Perceived Enemy and The Pervasive Consequences of War.
• Why are Ruth and her family forced to immigrate from Germany? How does Ruth’s description of her treatment in Germany align with the video?

Chapters 35-43

Reading Check

1. Which of the horses is ill with colic?

Short Answer

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

1. How does Jonathan Thornton die and what does it represent about class and the universal suffering in World War II in Britain?

2. In what way does Ada compare her life to Maggie’s during the war? What evidence supports her claim?

Chapters 44-50

Reading Check

1. What country joins the war after Singapore and Pearl Harbor are attacked?

2. Who does Lord Thornton bring with him when he comes home for Christmas?

Short Answer

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

1. How do Lady Thornton and Ruth begin to repair their relationship? What steps does Lady Thornton take to continue to build her relationship with Ruth?

2. How does Ruth put Ada’s black-and-white thinking on motherhood into perspective? What lesson does Ada learn from Ruth?

Paired Resource

“America Enters World War II”

• This 5-minute video explores the events that prompt the United States to join World War II.
• Shared themes include The Pervasive Consequences of War.
• Why were Americans reluctant to enter World War II? What caused the US to join the war, according to the radio broadcast Susan and Ada listen to?

Chapters 51-57

Reading Check

1. Why is Susan sent to the hospital in London?

Short Answer

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

1. What knowledge heightens Ada and Jamie’s fears for Susan’s illness?

2. What connection is Ada surprised to have with Lady Thornton?

Chapters 58-63

Reading Check

1. What delicacy is brought by Lord Thornton for Susan’s household to enjoy?

Short Answer

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

1. What prompts Ada to help Lady Thornton and what does she do to help her?

2. Where does Ada take Susan and Jamie for her birthday? How is the trip healing for Susan?

Recommended Next Reads

Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez

• This novel is about a family who flees from the Dominican Republic to America because of government corruption.
• Shared themes include The Importance of Family.
• Shared topics include oppressive governments, suspicion, and freedom.
• Before We Were Free on SuperSummary

A Night Divided by Jennifer A Nielsen

• This novel explores the experience of a girl in Germany whose family struggles after World War II, following the Germany’s division.
• Shared themes include The Pervasive Consequences of War and The Importance of Family.
• Shared topics include heroism, freedom, and historical fiction.
• A Night Divided on SuperSummary