The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

Narrator’s Note-Part 1, Chapter 7

Reading Check

1. Charlotte Doyle (Narrator’s Note)

2. She had to finish school, and her family had already departed (Narrator’s Note)

3. Seahawk (Part 1, Chapter 1)

4. A dirk, or knife (Part 1, Chapter 2)

5. Four days (Part 1, Chapter 4)

Short Answer

1. It suggests that in 1832, women were expected to fulfill more subordinate roles in society. (Narrator’s Note)

2. He thinks she will learn something from the exercise of writing every day. (Narrator’s Note)

3. As a woman, it would be inappropriate for her to sail alone. (Part 1, Chapter 1)

4. He is dressed like a gentleman. (Part 1, Chapter 3)

5. Captain Jaggery works for Charlotte’s father, so Charlotte would likely stand with him in the case of a mutiny. Her family’s social standing makes the crew less likely to attack the captain. (Part 1, Chapter 4)

Part 1, Chapters 8-12

Reading Check

1. She stands on the deck and looks at the stars. (Part 1, Chapter 8)

2. She sees the symbol of two concentric circles with signatures in between. (Part 1, Chapter 9)

3. Charlotte (Part 1, Chapter 11)

Short Answer

1. She’s interested in what they’re doing and enjoys learning about the boat (Part 1, Chapter 8)

2. She feels like she’s departed from her role as a proper young lady (Part 1, Chapter 8)

3. Cranick. He is the sailor that Jaggery once maimed. (Part1, Chapter 9)

4. After discovering the mutiny, the captain pushes the crew extra hard, and she feels guilty for betraying their trust. (Part 1, Chapter 12)

Part 2, Chapters 13-15

Reading Check

1. They make her climb to the top of the main mast and come down. (Part 2, Chapter 13)

2. It will help them get to port faster. (Part 2, Chapter 14)

3. Her knife is in Mr. Hollybrass’s back. (Part 2, Chapter 15)

Short Answer

1. He tells her to change back into a proper girl’s dress. (Part 2, Chapter 14)

2. She pounds oakum, scrapes the hull, stands watch, takes the wheel, swabs the deck, tars ropes, and ties knots. She climbs the rigging and learns to work every sail. (Part 2, Chapter 14)

3. He wants to prove that he’s right about how her father will disapprove of her activities once they reach port. (Part 2, Chapter 14)

4. He implies she is not a lady because she participates in sailing duties. (Part 2, Chapter 14)

Part 2, Chapters 16-Appendix

Reading Check

1. Killing Hollybrass (Part 2, Chapter 16)

2. Zachariah (Part 2, Chapter 16)

3. Keetch (Part 2, Chapter 21)

4. Her sailor suit (Part 2, Chapter 22)

Short Answer

1. He is trying to suggest that it is not suitable for women to be doing sailors’ work. (Part 2, Chapter 18)

2. He wants her gone so the crew can’t bring up a case against him in admiralty court. (Part 2, Chapter 19)

3. She can kill him, ruining her and her family’s reputations. She can put her dress on and beg for mercy. She can hang. (Part 2, Chapter 21)