Chapters 1-4

Questions

1. What kind of animal is Ivan?
2. What names have humans given Ivan?
3. Why does Ivan just call himself by his first name?
4. What does Ivan say about gorillas and words?
5. What does Ivan say about humans and chattering?
6. What does Ivan say about the patience of gorillas?
7. What are gorillas skilled at making?
8. How does Ivan still look like a wild gorilla?
9. Where does Ivan live?
10. What does one of the walls in Ivan's cell have?
11. Who is the boss?
12. Who are Ivan's best friends?
13. What does Ivan have a view of from his cell?
14. What does Ivan say about gorillas and anger?
15. When does Ivan say that a silverback should only use anger?
16. What does Ivan remember his father doing?
17. What does Ivan wish he had?
18. What does Ivan wish he could do?

Answers

1. He's a gorilla.
2. They call him Mighty Silverback and the One and Only Ivan.
3. He likes to keep it simple.
4. They don't want to waste words, unlike humans.
5. They waste a lot of time chattering, like chimps.
6. Gorillas are as patient as stones.
7. They're great at making metaphors.
8. He's four hundred pounds of pure power, and mightier than any human.
9. He lives at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, a circus-themed shopping center in a human habitat made of cement and glass.
10. The wall has a jungle scene with a waterfall painted on it.
11. Mack, the resident clown-human, is the boss.
12. He's friends with Stella, an elephant, and Bob, a dog.
13. He can see the mall and the world beyond it, which consists of a treeless parking lot, the freeway, and a billboard with images of an angry gorilla and a clown on it.
14. Anger is precious for gorillas.
15. A silverback should only use anger to maintain order or to warn his troop of danger.
16. He can remember him beating his chest to show he was in charge.
17. He'd like to have someone to protect.
18. He'd like to be able to read.