The Whale Rider

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. Where is New Zealand? What does the geography of New Zealand look like? What are some facts regarding New Zealand’s culture and history?

Teaching Suggestion: The Whale Rider takes place in a Māori community in Whāngārā, New Zealand. The characters’ deep connection to place is an important aspect of the novel; this question is intended to activate students’ prior knowledge about the larger nation within which Māori communities live. The resources offered below can be used to fill in any gaps in their existing knowledge.

• This 4-minute video shares the wonder of National Geographic staff as they encounter New Zealand.
• This entry on New Zealand from Country Reports features an organized overview of the country with links to additional information.
• This article from the New Zealand Government website describes the population of New Zealand as if it were a village of 100 people.

2. Where is Polynesia? Can you name any of the islands in Polynesia? List bulleted pieces of information you know about indigenous Polynesian cultures. Who are the Māori?

Teaching Suggestion: This question is intended to activate prior knowledge about cultures in this area of the world before students are offered more specific information about the Māori. The emphasis on Polynesia in this question is meant to clarify that the Māori culture originated in Polynesia and shares many elements with Polynesian cultures. Students who do not know much about Oceania may tend to confuse the Māori with Australia’s Aboriginal peoples, who have entirely different origins and culture. More specific information about the Māori can be found in the resources linked below.

• This site from New Zealand’s tourism board offers a thorough introduction to Māori culture and history. (Note: Although this site is promoting tourism to New Zealand, the resources it offers are primarily informational rather than commercial.)
• This 2-minute newscast shares the visit of a Hawaiian waka crew to Whāngārā; students can see local children, the marae, and other settings related to the plot of The Whale Rider.
• This 2-minute video compiles footage of students all over New Zealand performing hakas to honor the victims of the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

How important is tradition to you, personally? Do you most value family traditions, cultural traditions, religious traditions, or some other form of tradition—or is tradition generally not a part of your life? Under what circumstances do you think it is important for traditions to evolve with the times, if ever?

Teaching Suggestion: Questions about the preservation of cultural tradition lie at the heart of The Whale Rider’s action. This prompt is designed to get students thinking about the value of tradition and what circumstances might require traditions to change. Students may enjoy hearing one another’s perspectives on this topic, and such a discussion will highlight that legitimate differences of opinion on the subject exist: Even if you initially have students respond in writing, you might wish to allow some time for discussion afterward.

DURING READING

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

Chapters 1-4

Reading Check

1. For how many years does the original whale rider’s last spear stay in the air?

2. What instrument does the ancient whale’s human master play?

3. What is the name of the book’s narrator?

4. What role does Nanny Flowers tell Rawiri he must fulfill because he knows where Kahu’s birth cord is buried?

Short Answer

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

1. In Chapter 1, what is the condition of the land and sea in the beginning, and what are the land and sea waiting for?

2. In the memory the ancient whale has of meeting his human master, why does the man play sad songs for the whale?

3. Why is Koro angry and disappointed when Kahu is born?

4. What evidence does the narrative give that shows that Nanny Flowers is strong and independent?

5. Why is Koro so angry about Kahu’s name?

Paired Resource

“Paikea at the American Museum of Natural History”

• Dr. Wayne Ngata, a scholar and advocate for his own Māori people, discusses a bittersweet visit to view an important Māori artifact and tells Paikea’s story. (Paikea is another name for Kahutia Te Rangi.)
• This resource relates to the theme of A Return to One’s Roots.
• What artifact have the author and his fellow Māori come to view? What name does The Whale Rider use for Paikea? Why is this artifact in America? How do the Māori visitors feel about seeing it? What does the emotional nature of their visit tell you about contemporary Māori people and their relationship with their ancestors and their traditional culture? Do you see the same concerns reflected in The Whale Rider?

“Te Ao Haka - Paikea Haka”

• In this 2-minute video, a group of young Māori perform a haka about Paikea (Kahutia Te Rangi).
• This resource relates to the themes of A Return to One’s Roots and Man’s Relationship with Nature.
• How old are the people performing this haka? Who do you think the older man who appears near the end of the video is? What does this show about the importance of passing on traditional Māori culture? Which characters in The Whale Rider believe that passing on traditional culture is important? This haka is about Paikea, which is another name for Kahutia Te Rangi. Why is the setting of the video especially appropriate? Which characters in The Whale Rider seem to value their connection to nature?

Chapters 5-8

Reading Check

1. What do the migrating whales see as their greatest threat?

2. Whose funeral takes place in Chapter 6?

3. What nickname for Koro does two-year-old Kahu use in Chapter 7?

4. What is the one class that Kahu cannot find a way to sneak into?

Short Answer

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

1. What details in Chapter 5 show that the pod of whales functions like a tribe?

2. In Chapter 6, what does Rawiri share about his relationship to Kahu during the years since her birth?

3. What details about the meeting near the end of Chapter 6 demonstrate that women are excluded from important aspects of the tribe’s culture?

4. In Chapter 7, what detail of Kahu’s behavior does Rawiri try to wake his father to tell him about?

5. While they are in the meeting house in Chapter 7, what story does Koro tell the boys, and how does Kahu react?

Paired Resource

“Māori Women: Caught in The Contradictions of a Colonised Reality” by Annie Mikaere

1. This journal article from the University of Waikato’s Waikato Law Review, authored by a Māori legal scholar, explains the misperceptions about women’s power in Māori society due to colonization.
2. Due to its length, this resource is offered as a teacher-facing resource; students might read an abridged or summarized version.
3. This resource relates to the themes of The Inclusion of Women and A Return to One’s Roots.
4. What does this article share about how women’s role in Māori society changed as a result of colonization? Are Koro’s ideas about what is traditional for Māori women completely accurate, or are his ideas also impacted by colonization? Which character’s ideas are most similar to the ideas in this article?

Māori and Whaling

• This brief entry from an encyclopedia maintained by the government of New Zealand explains the changing relationship of Māori with whaling over time.
• This resource relates to the theme of Man’s Relationship with Nature.
• What changes have occurred over time in the relationship between Māori peoples and whales? How are these changes reflected in the story that Koro tells the boys in Chapter 7? What larger changes in the way Māori people relate to nature do Koro’s story and his lessons for the boys reflect, and what does Koro think will result from these changes?

Chapters 9-13

Reading Check

1. In Chapter 9, what is poisoning the water the whales are swimming through?

2. What two places does Rawiri travel to in Chapter 10?

3. How long does Rawiri stay on Jeff’s family’s coffee plantation?

4. What does Koro challenge the boys to retrieve from the ocean in Chapter 13?

Short Answer

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

1. What is ironic about the trench the whales are traveling near in Chapter 9?

2. During his travels, what encounters show Rawiri that his parents are well known and highly regarded?

3. What does Rawiri see in the sky that causes him to think it is time to go home to New Zealand?

4. What details from the school ceremony in Chapter 12 show that Kahu is a loving and forgiving granddaughter to Koro?

5. What does Kahu do when she learns that her grandfather is sad about the boys’ failure to meet his challenge in Chapter 13?

Paired Resource

“New Zealand: A Nation Grappling with Its Racist Past”

• This Psychology Today article discusses discrimination against the Māori and some reasons why New Zealanders of other ethnic groups might tend to minimize the problem.
• This resource relates to the theme of A Return to One’s Roots.
• What forms of discrimination and prejudice against Māori people does this article discuss? Which forms of discrimination and prejudice does Rawiri face while he is away from home? How might this kind of discrimination make Rawiri want to be back home again, surrounded by his own people? Do you think that his experiences make him more or less proud to be Māori? What evidence in the text supports your answer?

“Spoken Word Poetry on the Importance of Whakapapa”

• In this 6-minute TEDx video, a young Māori spoken-word poet shares a poem about the importance of place, the land, and putting down roots.
• This resource relates to the themes of A Return to One’s Roots and Man’s Relationship with Nature.
• What does this poet feel like she is always searching for? How does this relate to New Zealand’s colonial past? Why is the land and her connection to it so important to this poet? In what way is Rawiri more fortunate in his connection to a particular place? How does this poem relate to Kahu’s connection to her father’s ancestral lands? What evidence is there in The Whale Rider that demonstrates important ancestral connections to particular places?

Chapters 14-20

Reading Check

1. What does Rawiri see a person take from a whale while he is watching the news in Chapter 15?

2. What detail shows Koro the identity of the whale in Chapter 16?

3. After Kahu disappears on the back of the whale, what does Nanny Flowers give Koro?

4. What does Kahu complain about when she wakes up in Chapter 20?

Short Answer

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

1. According to the whale’s memory, why did Paikea decide to stay in Whāngārā?

2. What strange sight does the jogger see in Chapter 15?

3. In Chapter 16, what does Koro ask the bull whale, and what is its reply?

4. Why does Kahu begin to cry when she is on the back of the bull whale?

5. What does the bull whale’s wife tell him about Kahu when they are far out to sea?

Recommended Next Reads 

The Pōrangi Boy by Shilo Kino

• When the government wants to build a prison over the sacred hot springs in 12-year-old Niko’s town, Niko must stand up for what he believes in to save the taniwha living in the springs.
• Shared themes include Man’s Relationship with Nature and A Return to One’s Roots.
• Shared topics include Māori culture, mythical creatures, traditional stories, prejudice, and family relationships.

A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger

• Nina, a Lipan Apache girl, encounters a young cottonmouth called Oli, and the two must team up to save their loved ones from ecological catastrophe.
• Shared themes include Man’s Relationship with Nature and A Return to One’s Roots.
• Shared topics include Indigenous culture, mythical creatures, traditional stories, and family relationships.
• A Snake Falls to Earth on SuperSummary

Chapters 1-4

Reading Check

1. 1,000 (Chapter 1)

2. A flute (Chapter 2)

3. Rawiri (Chapter 3)

4. Kahu’s guardian (Chapter 4)

Short Answer

1. The land and the sea are empty, and they are waiting for the ancestors to come and seed them with living things. (Chapter 1)

2. The man was trying to show that he understood the whale’s sadness over the death of his mother. (Chapter 2)

3. Koro Apirana is the tribe’s leader, and he wants a grandson, not a granddaughter, because tribal leadership is inherited through the male line. (Chapter 3)

4. Even though her husband is the tribal leader and a man in a tribe where only men can be leaders, Nanny Flowers stands up to him and argues with him many times over the issue of Kahu. She frequently brings up her own ancestor, Muriwai, who was a powerful woman. (Chapters 3-4)

5. Kahutia Te Rangi is the name of the tribe’s founder. Koro does not think it is appropriate for a girl to be named after him, because in his mind this is an insult to Kahutia Te Rangi. (Chapter 4)

Chapters 5-8

Reading Check

1. Humans (Chapter 5)

2. Rehua’s (Chapter 6)

3. Paka (Chapter 7)

4. Fishing (Chapter 8)

Short Answer

1. As the whales travel, they cooperate to keep one another safe. The older females help the young mothers, the males guard the group, and the leader uses his memory to find them sanctuary if they are threatened. (Chapter 5)

2. Although he has seen Kahu only infrequently because she is being raised on her mother’s home island, Rawiri still feels connected to her and even thinks that he hears her voice sometimes, telling him not to forget her. (Chapter 6)

3. The meeting is about preserving Māori culture, but only men are allowed to participate because it is believed that having women there is not respectful to the sacredness of the ideas they are discussing. (Chapter 6)

4. When Rawiri and Kahu were watching orcas at the beach, Kahu made strange noises in her throat and the whales dove down under the water. (Chapter 7)

5. Koro tells the boys about a whale dying during a whale hunt. Kahu is so distressed that she cries out and is discovered. (Chapter 8)

Chapters 9-13

Reading Check

1. Radiation (Chapter 9)

2. Australia and Papua New Guinea (Chapter 10)

3. Two years (Chapter 11)

4. A carved stone (Chapter 13)

Short Answer

1. This trench in the ocean is the “Place of the Gods,” once considered the “womb of the world.” Now it is poisoned and lethally dangerous to the young whales. (Chapter 9)

2. He meets cousins everywhere he travels, and they all ask about Koro and Nanny Flowers. (Chapter 10)

3. He sees a cloud that looks like a whale with the swirling moko on its head that identifies it as the whale that Paikea rode. (Chapter 11)

4. Even though Koro ignores Kahu and treats her badly, she makes a speech praising him and later tells her grandmother that it is not Koro’s fault that she was born a girl. (Chapter 12)

5. Kahu gets Rawiri and Nanny Flowers to take her out in a boat and she retrieves the carved stone herself. (Chapter 13)

Chapters 14-20

Reading Check

1. Its jaw (Chapter 15)

2. The swirling moko on its head (Chapter 16)

3. The carved stone (Chapter 18)

4. Her grandparents’ fighting (Chapter 20)

Short Answer

1. He met a woman and decided to stay with her and the children they would have together. (Chapter 14)

2. A large group of whales are all stranding themselves on the beach. (Chapter 15)

3. Koro asks the whale whether it wants to live or die, but the whale tells Koro that it is up to him. (Chapter 16)

4. She believes that she will die in the attempt to get the whale back into the open sea. (Chapter 17)

5. She tells the old bull whale that his rider is not Paikea but Paikea’s last spear, the one who was meant to land a thousand years after the others—a female child to help the world when it most needed help. (Chapter 19)

AFTER READING

When Kahu is still a young child, Nanny Flowers says that Kahu has the qualities a good leader needs. But Koro does not agree until very late in the story.

• What are the leadership qualities that Nanny Flowers sees in Kahu? What evidence is there that Nanny Flowers’s evaluation of Kahu’s character is correct?
• What qualities is Koro looking for in a leader? Does Kahu have all of these qualities, aside from her sex? What evidence in the story supports your answer?
• Do you agree that the qualities Nanny Flowers and Koro are looking for are the most important qualities in a leader? Why or why not?

Teaching Suggestion: This prompt offers students an opportunity to think critically about how evidence in the story demonstrates Kahu’s leadership qualities and about their own definitions of leadership. You can tailor the difficulty of this prompt to your students’ abilities by asking for more or less detailed evidence in support of their answers to the first two bulleted points. You can extend this conversation by challenging students to consider how context might affect the qualities needed in a leader—what different qualities might a nation’s president, a student-council president, or a team captain, for example, require? How might cultural expectations change what different peoples expect from their leaders? How does Kahu’s context help determine what leadership qualities are important for her to exhibit?

Differentiation Suggestion: English language learners, students with dyslexia, and those with attentional or executive function differences might find sorting through the entire text to find evidence daunting. You might help these students pinpoint the most relevant sections of text to limit the amount they need to review or allow these students to work with a partner or small group to gather evidence. Students with attentional and executive function differences may also find a graphic organizer helpful. If you are asking students to complete this prompt in writing, students who struggle with written expression might be allowed to turn in such an organizer in lieu of complete written responses.

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Draw Kahu’s Connection to the Whales”

In this activity, students will demonstrate their understanding of the motif of Kahu’s connection to the whales by drawing three scenes and explaining their significance.

An important motif (pattern) in The Whale Rider is Kahu’s connection to the whales. In this activity, you will show that you understand this motif by drawing three pictures that represent three different ways in which Kahu is connected to the whales.

Create Your Drawings

• Decide which three separate types of connection to the whales you want to convey.
• Choose three scenes; each scene should demonstrate a different aspect of Kahu’s connection to the whales.
• Divide your drawing surface into three roughly equal parts. Create three drawings that illustrate a key moment in each scene you chose. Leave space at the bottom of each drawing for several sentences of text.
• In the space that you left at the bottom of each drawing, write a few sentences that explain why the scene you have chosen demonstrates a unique aspect of Kahu’s relationship with the whales.

Share and Reflect

• When you finish your drawings, share your work with two classmates. Then, answer the following question: Now that you have seen the choices other people have made, do you think you chose the strongest possible scenes to represent Kahu’s connection with the whales? Why or why not?

Teaching Suggestion: Although visualization is an important reading skill, the primary intent of this assignment is not simply for students to practice visualizing. Rather, it is intended to challenge them to see a pattern in the text as they think of three differing ways in which Kahu is connected to the whales. For instance, they might suggest that she has a psychic connection to them, that she has an emotional connection to them, that she has an ancestral connection to them, or that her destiny is tied to them. If you think that your students will struggle to come up with differing ways in which Kahu is connected to the whales, you might offer them time to discuss as a class or in small groups before they start drawing. You can make this assignment more challenging by adding a requirement that students use visual techniques (line, color, perspective, etc.) in their drawings to convey the mood of each scene.

Differentiation Suggestion: Students with aphantasia may struggle to visualize the scenes they are being asked to draw. These students may benefit from having some preselected visual references to draw from. Students with visual impairments may not be able to complete this assignment as written. A reasonable alternative would be for these students to describe the scenes in words and then write a separate paragraph explaining the significance of each scene. Students with fine motor control challenges may need to work on a computer, as they may be better able to complete the activity using clip art or images sourced from the internet.

Paired Text Extension:

With slight modifications in wording, this activity can be applied to The Pōrangi Boy or to A Snake Falls to Earth.

Teaching Suggestion: If you choose to have students read both The Whale Rider and one of the other recommended texts, you might use this activity as a way to compare and contrast the two texts once students have finished both stories. Instead of asking for three drawings from the same text, you can ask for four total drawings: two selected to show similarities in the protagonists’ relationships with the mystical creatures the books center on, and two selected to show differences in these relationships.

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Kahu is descended from two powerful leaders.

• How does Kahu turn out to be like both Muriwai and Paikea? (topic sentence)
• Explain at least two ways in which Kahu is like Muriwai. Explain at least two ways in which Kahu is like Paikea.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, show how Kahu’s similarities to her ancestors support one or more of the book’s thematic concerns: Man’s Relationship with Nature, The Inclusion of Women, and A Return to One’s Roots.

2. Several times in his narration, Rawiri mentions that people failed to appreciate how important Kahu would become.

• How does Ihimaera use Rawiri’s foreshadowing to create suspense? (topic sentence)
• Give at least three examples of places in the text where Rawiri hints at Kahu’s destiny without explaining what it will be. Explain how these hints create suspense.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, show how people’s failure to see how special Kahu was early in her life relates to the novel’s thematic concern with The Inclusion of Women.

3. In Chapter 9, the whales travel through the “womb of the world” and encounter radiation.

• What does this setting symbolize? (topic sentence)
• Give at least three pieces of evidence that demonstrate that your interpretation of this symbolic place is correct.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, show how this symbolism supports the novel’s larger thematic concern with Man’s Relationship with Nature.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by textual details, and a conclusion.

1. What is the purpose of the passages that follow the perspective of the ancient bull whale? Why show both the male and the female whales’ perspectives? Which parts of the whales’ migration and which of the bull whale’s memories are juxtaposed against which events in Kahu’s story? Write an essay in which you analyze the function of including the whales’ story in the novel. Connect your analysis to the book’s larger thematic concern with Man’s Relationship with Nature. Support your arguments with evidence drawn from throughout the novel. Make sure to cite any quoted evidence.

2. How does Oceania’s colonial past continue to impact the modern Māori characters in The Whale Rider? What does Koro believe about the role of Māori women, and how is this related to colonialism? Write an essay that analyzes the various impacts that colonialism continues to have in the lives of the modern Māori that populate the novel. Connect your analysis to one or more of the book’s larger thematic concerns: Man’s Relationship with Nature, The Inclusion of Women, and A Return to One’s Roots.

Support your arguments with evidence drawn from throughout the novel. Make sure to cite any quoted evidence, and if you choose to supplement your evidence with information drawn from outside sources, be sure to cite these as well.

3. How successfully does The Whale Rider blend its realistic elements with its more mystical elements? Consider details such as Kahu’s special abilities, the personification of the whales, and the visions that Rawiri has: Does Ihimaera manage to make these seem plausible? What strategies do you see him using to get the reader to accept that these things could really happen? Write an essay in which you evaluate how successfully the novel blends realistic and mystical elements. Connect your discussion to the novel’s larger meaning. Support your arguments with evidence drawn from throughout the novel. Make sure to cite any quoted evidence.

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. Which of the following most clearly conveys the book’s thematic concern with Man’s Relationship with Nature?

A) The book’s prologue

B) The story of Muriwai

C) Rawiri’s travels outside of New Zealand

D) Kahu’s speech at the school ceremony

2. Which event is most clearly foreshadowed by what Rawiri sees in the air following the burial of Kahu’s birth cord?

A) The stranding of the whales

B) The bull whale’s wife telling him that Kahu is the final spear

C) Kahu retrieving the carved stone

D) Nanny Flowers threatening to divorce Koro

3. Which two characters’ perspectives are closely mirrored in the perspectives of the male and female whales?

A) Kahu and Rawiri

B) Porourangi and Rehua

C) Porourangi and Ana

D) Koro Apirana and Nanny Flowers

4. Which passages are narrated in the third person?

A) The passages about Kahu’s connection to the whales

B) The passages about the whale migration

C) The passages about the stranding of the whales

D) The passages about Rawiri’s visions of whales

5. Which of the book’s thematic motifs is most clearly conveyed by Kahu’s naming, Nanny Flowers’s arguments with Koro, and Kahu’s attempts to overhear the classes in Māori culture?

A) A Return to One’s Roots

B) Man’s Relationship with Nature

C) The Inclusion of Women

D) The Nature of Leadership

6. Which statement would Koro most likely agree with?

A) Observing cultural traditions is an important part of an ethical life.

B) Sometimes traditions can be best appreciated from an outside perspective.

C) Traditions should change to accommodate modern ways of thinking.

D) Traditional ways of life often hold people back from being successful.

7. Which statement most accurately expresses the relationship between the whales and the Māori as depicted in the story?

A) Māori culture is based on the worship of mythic whale ancestors.

B) Māori culture is organized around observations of the social structure of whale pods.

C) Māori culture depends on being able to use whales for commercial purposes.

D) Māori culture originates with whales and can only survive if the whales survive.

8. Which is the most logical interpretation of the symbol of the final spear?

A) It represents the power of Māori cultural traditions.

B) It represents the lost union between humans and animals.

C) It represents the leadership ability of women.

D) It represents Kahu’s faith in her own abilities.

9. Which statement is best supported by the events of the story?

A) Often, what looks like fate is simply a series of accidents.

B) People entirely create their destinies through the choices they make.

C) Fate has a strong influence on the direction of some people’s lives.

D) Destiny is fixed at birth, and personal choices cannot change it.

10. Which family member seems to have the most understanding of Kahu and her special abilities?

A) Rehua

B) Porourangi

C) Koro

D) Rawiri

11. Which two of the following are most characterized by their stubbornness?

A) Koro Apirana and Nanny Flowers

B) Nanny Flowers and Rawiri

C) Rawiri and Kahu

D) Kahu and Koro Apirana

12. Which two characters are most willing to sacrifice for others?

A) Rawiri and Kahu

B) Kahu and Rehua

C) Rehua and Nanny Flowers

D) Nanny Flowers and Rawiri

13. Which is the best description of Porourangi as a father?

A) Because he is distracted by his responsibilities as the next chief, he is often too busy with tribal business to pay attention to Kahu.

B) Although he does not have the power to change everything about Kahu’s life, he does his best to support her and see that she is happy.

C) Because Kahu reminds him of his deceased wife, it is difficult for him to be very involved in Kahu’s life.

D) Although he has good intentions toward Kahu, his immaturity means he is not a very responsible or attentive parent.

14. Which is the best description of how the bull whale feels as he slowly remembers the events of his life with Kahutia Te Rangi?

A) Nostalgic and wistful

B) Angry and betrayed

C) Rejected and depressed

D) Confused and worried

15. Which is the most logical interpretation of the repeated use of the clause “Let it be done” throughout the text?

A) It shows agreement within the group.

B) It expresses the speaker’s power.

C) It asks for the listener’s cooperation.

D) It signifies acceptance of fate.

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating textual details to support your response.

1. What do Kahu’s status as the “final spear” and her desire to do things reserved only for boys have in common?

2. What earlier story in the novel is the reader meant to think of when the bull whale appears in Chapter 16 and there is a booming noise “like a giant door opening a thousand years ago”? (60)