A Long Walk to Water Reading Comprehension Questions
by Linda Sue Park
Book Summary
This book tells two true stories that become connected. One story is about Salva, a boy in Sudan in 1985, who has to run away from his village because of war. He walks for many years, facing hunger and danger, trying to find safety and his family. The other story is about Nya, a girl in Sudan in 2008, who walks for hours every day to get water for her family. Eventually, Salva, as an adult, starts a project to bring clean water to villages in Sudan, including Nya's village, bringing their two journeys together.
Reading Comprehension Questions
Use these 14 questions to check understanding and spark deeper thinking about A Long Walk to Water.
1.What caused Salva to run away from his school and village?
2.What did Nya do for many hours every day to help her family?
3.Who was the leader of the organization that brought the well to Nya's village?
4.Why do you think Salva decided to start an organization to bring water to Sudan?
5.How do you think Nya felt when she first saw clean water coming from the new well in her village?
6.Why was it important for Nya's sister, Akeer, to have clean water?
7.What is one big lesson the story teaches about never giving up?
8.What does the story show us about why clean water is so important?
9.How did Salva's life change from when he was a boy running from war to when he was an adult helping his country?
10.What does the word 'refugee' mean when Salva became one?
11.In the story, what does 'perseverance' mean, like when Salva kept walking for many years?
12.What does 'scarcity' mean when Nya's village had little clean water?
13.If you were Salva, what do you think would be the hardest part of walking for so long without your family?
14.How would your life be different if you had to walk for hours every day just to get water, like Nya?
Key Vocabulary
Important words from A Long Walk to Water to discuss with your child.
Discussion Prompts
Great conversation starters for parents and teachers reading A Long Walk to Water with children.
What was your favorite part of A Long Walk to Water? Why did it stand out to you?
If you could talk to any character from A Long Walk to Water, who would you choose and what would you ask them?
How did A Long Walk to Water make you feel? Can you describe a moment that surprised you?
Would you recommend A Long Walk to Water to a friend? What would you tell them about it?
What lesson or message do you think Linda Sue Park wanted young readers to learn from this story?
Frequently Asked Questions
What reading level is A Long Walk to Water?
A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park is recommended for grades 2-4 readers with an AR level of 4.7. It's an excellent choice for building reading comprehension skills at this level.
What are good comprehension questions for A Long Walk to Water?
ReadBuddy provides 14 carefully crafted comprehension questions for A Long Walk to Water, covering literal comprehension, vocabulary, and inference skills. These questions help students engage deeply with the story.
How can I use A Long Walk to Water for reading practice?
Read the book together or independently, then use ReadBuddy's comprehension questions to check understanding. Focus on vocabulary words, discuss character motivations, and encourage your child to make connections to their own experiences.
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