Thunder Rolling in the Mountains

53 pages • 1 hour read

Thunder Rolling in the Mountains

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1992

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

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Introduction

Before Reading

During Reading

After Reading

During Reading

Reading Questions & Paired Texts

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

CHAPTERS 1-5

Reading Check

1. How long does General Howard give the tribe to leave Wallowa?

2. What is Swan Necklace painting for Sound of Running Feet?

Short Answer

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

1. Why does Jason Upright call the Nez Perce “a greedy bunch” in Chapter 1?

2. Why does Sound of Running Feet think she is different from other women in the tribe?

3. Why doesn’t Springtime want to cross the river until morning?

Paired Resource

“The ‘Roaming Nez Perce’ on a Level Playing Field”

This article discusses the importance of the Wallowa and how Manifest Destiny affected the Nez Perce.
This connects to the theme of Connection to Home.
What was “Manifest Destiny,” and how does the character of Jason Upright reflect this attitude?

CHAPTERS 6-10

Reading Check

1. What does Swan Necklace ask Sound of Running Feet for?

2. What does Red Owl steal from a dead soldier?

3. Where do some of the women try to hide from the soldiers?

Short Answer

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

1. What do the white soldiers do when they see the tribe’s white flag?

2. Why do the Blue Coats allow the Nez Perce to pass?

3. What does Sound of Running Feet do to hide her embarrassment?

Paired Resource

“Coyote (Legend)”

This article from the Oregon Encyclopedia describes the role of Coyote in Indigenous American mythology.
Why does Sound of Running Feet tell stories about Coyote? Who do you think she is comparing to Coyote?

CHAPTERS 11-15

Reading Check

1. Who does the council choose to be their new leader?

2. What does Sound of Running Feet give to Dirty Face?

3. What does the tribe do with the supplies they cannot carry?

Short Answer

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

1. Why do the warriors want to steal General Howard’s mules?

2. Why does Chief Joseph let the white captives go?

3. Why do the Crows refuse to help the Nez Perce?

Paired Resource

“Native Americans: Roles of Women and Men”

This page discusses Indigenous gender roles on a general level.
This connects to the theme of Power of Women and Gender Roles in Indigenous Culture.
What roles did Indigenous women typically have in society? How does Sound of Running Feet clash with tribal men’s expectations?

CHAPTERS 16-20

Reading Check

1. What does Sound of Running Feet think she sees on the rising moon?

2. Who serves as a translator between Chief Joseph and the white soldiers?

3. What does Red Elk keep his eyes on?

Short Answer

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

1. Why does Looking Glass want to slow down their pace?

2. Why are Lone Bird and Lean Elk’s deaths especially tragic?

3. Why does the tribe fight even harder after the end of the truce?

Paired Resource

“Chief Joseph Surrenders”

Chief Joseph delivered this speech on his surrender to General Howard.
This connects to the theme of The Unavoidability of War During Colonization.
What message does Chief Joseph convey in his speech? What persuasive techniques does he use to convey this message? After reading the full text of the speech, why do you think the author chose to only include the last three sentences of it in the novel?

CHAPTER 21-Afterword

Reading Check

1. What does Sound of Running Feet put on Swan Necklace’s chest?

2. What does Alighting Dove do to Sound of Running Feet before she can marry Charging Hawk?

Short Answer

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

1. Why doesn’t Sound of Running Feet shoot Charging Hawk?

2. Why is Chief Joseph sent to the Colville Reservation?

Recommended Next Reads

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell

This novel follows the story of Karana, a young Indigenous girl who displays remarkable resilience when left alone on an island.
Shared themes include Power of Women and Gender Roles in Indigenous Culture.
Island of the Blue Dolphins on SuperSummary

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

This coming-of-age story explores the literal and emotional journey of a young girl named Salamanca who travels with her grandparents to find her mother. Along the way, she entertains them with the outrageous story of her friend Phoebe Winterbottom.
Shared themes include Connection to Home.
Shared topics include Indigenous heritage.
Walk Two Moons on SuperSummary

Reading Questions Answer Key

CHAPTERS 1-5

Reading Check

1. 30 days (Chapter 3)

2. Her buffalo blanket (Chapter 4)

Short Answer

1. Jason Upright calls the Nez Perce “a greedy bunch” because he thinks they have a lot of land that they are not using properly. (Chapter 1)

2. Sound of Running Feet thinks she is different from other women in the tribe because she talks back to the men. (Chapter 2)

3. Springtime wants to have her baby in the place she considers home, so she refuses to cross the river until she gives birth. (Chapter 5)

CHAPTERS 6-10

Reading Check

1. Bullets (Chapter 6)

2. A bugle (Chapter 7)

3. The stream (Chapter 10)

Short Answer

1. The white soldiers fire at the warriors who are waving a white flag. (Chapter 7)

2. The Blue Coats allow the Nez Perce to pass because Chief Joseph promises that they will go peacefully. (Chapter 8)

3. Sound of Running Feet tells the children stories of the trickster Coyote in order to hide her embarrassment. (Chapter 9)

CHAPTERS 11-15

Reading Check

1. Lean Elk (Chapter 11)

2. A hat (Chapter 14)

3. They burn them. (Chapter 15)

Short Answer

1. The warriors want to steal General Howard’s mules because the mules carry the army’s supplies, and General Howard will not be able to follow the tribe without mules. (Chapter 12)

2. Chief Joseph lets the captives go because some of them are women, and the Nez Perce do not kill women for fun like the white soldiers do. (Chapter 13)

3. The Crows refuse to help the Nez Perce because they are afraid of the white soldiers. (Chapter 14)

CHAPTERS 16-20

Reading Check

1. Blood (Chapter 16)

2. Tom Hill (Chapter 18)

3. Their rifles (Chapter 20)

Short Answer

1. Looking Glass wants to slow down because the children and elderly cannot keep up. They are also in buffalo country; if they move slower, then they will be able to hunt buffalo. (Chapter 16)

2. Lean Elk and Lone Bird are killed by members of their own tribe who confused them with Cheyenne warriors fighting with the Blue Coats. (Chapter 17)

3. The tribe fights even harder after the end of the truce because Chief Joseph is not treated properly as a hostage, whereas they treat the white hostage with respect. (Chapter 19)

CHAPTER 21-Afterword

Reading Check

1. His war whistle (Chapter 21)

2. Pierce her ears (Chapter 22)

Short Answer

1. Sound of Running Feet doesn’t shoot Charging Hawk because she wants the killing to end. (Chapter 23)

2. Chief Joseph is sent to the Colville Reservation because he refuses to convert to Christianity. (Afterword)