The Egypt Game

Comprehension Questions
Chapter 1: The Discovery of Egypt
1.Who owns the Antique store?
The one who owns the antique store was the professor.
2.Where is the store located?
The store is located in the Orchard Avenue .
3.How do people in the community generally feel about the Professor?
They were scare because anyone knows him
4.Who first witnesses the Egypt Game?
Marshall first witnesses the Egypt game.
5.What are the names of the three children the Professor watches through the window?
The names of the 3 children the professor watches through the window were:
April Hall, Marshall Ross and Melanie Ross.
6.What is Marshall carrying with him?
Marshal was carrying with him the Octopus, a toy he loved.
Chapter 2: Enter April
1.What does April Hall sometimes call herself?
She sometimes call herself April Dawn.
2.What is the name of the building where April comes to live?
Pink house (Casa Rosada).
3.Who is Dorothea?
She is Aprils mother.
4.Who is Caroline?
Aprils grandmother.
5.What happened to Aprils father?
He died in an accident.
6.Where does Caroline work?
University town.
7.Who is April supposed to check in with before leaving the building?
Melanie, Mr Ross and Marshalls mom.
8.What does April purchase from the drug store?
She walks down the rows of supplys looking for fake eyelashes.
9.Why is April impressed by the man at A-Z?
10. What does April tell the man she wants to be when she grows up?

Chapter 3: Enter Melanieand Marshall

1.Why is Melanie hopeful as she knocks on Apartment 312?
Melanie thought April could be a real friend. Also Melanie always looks forward to meeting
new people.
2.What is Melanies initial reaction when April opens the door?
Is shocked when she sees Aprils Hollywood get up.
3.Why doesnt April think Melanie will like her?
Because of her appereance.
4.How does April first describe her mothers job to Melanie?
5.What is Melanies favorite occupation?
Being a detective.
6.What does Melanie keep hidden in the dull-looking old geography book?
Melanie keeps her paper dolls in a book.
7.How does April react to Melanies secret hobby?
At firs, April is scornful, but she later become interested.
8.What name does Melanie give to the games that the girls play?

Chapter 4: The Egypt Girls

1.Where do Melanie and April go almost every day in August?
To an abandoned storage behind AZ-antiques.
2.How do April and Melanie earn the name the Egypt girls?
Because one they in the library they found a book about and ancient pharaoh and they got
fascinated about that.
3.Why are April and Melanie worried about the start of school?
April was nervous about been with other class in a new school and Melanie is worried about
how her classmates would react to Aprils attitude, like a Hollywood attitude.
4.What aspect of Aprils appearance most concerns Melanie?
Her false Eyelashes
5.What reason does April give Melanie for her feelings about Caroline?
She says that Caroline doesnt understand or care about her.
6. What do April, Marshall, and Melanie find in the deserted yard that April considers a
beautiful messenger from out of the ancient past?

Chapter 5: The Evil God and the Secret Spy

1. Who does Melanie suggest might be watching them through the window?
Melanie suggests that the Professor could be watching them through the window if he moves the
curtian. April is worried like Melanie at first, but then she convinces Melanie that even if he did move the
curtain, he wouldn't be able to see through the dirty window. Also, if the window is dirty, he must never
use it.

2. Who do the girls appoint pharaoh?

While playing the Egypt Game, April and Melanie need a pharoah. Marshall is with them, so they decide
to appoint him pharoah. Marshall is only 4, but he says what he wants to say and nothing more. He acts
very grown-up, so he will get the job done. April and Melanie need a name for the pharoah(Marshall).
They decide to name him Set. Marshall Ross is officially the pharaoh, Set.

3. What do they name the pharaoh?

Marshall Ross is officially the pharaoh, Set.

4. Why does Marshall agree to play the game?

At first Marshall wasnt going to play the game. This is because he didnt understand the whole the game
is pretend and all imaginary. Once April kind of explained to Marshall how the game works he is about to
play it. The deal was settled when he asked what a pharoah was and the girls answered. he was into
playing once he heard the he was a king and that everyone should bow down to him.

5. Who is Set?
Set, or Seth, is an Egyptian god. He is the god of storms, deserts, chaos, and war. According to
Egyptian mythology, Set killed and mutilated his own brother, Osiris.
The god of evil in their Egyptian game.

6. Where do the girls get the rules for the Egypt game?
The rituals Melanie and April do are recorded on a peice of paper with two cylindersglued on either side,
so it opens and closes like a sacred scroll. They hide the scroll inside a small opening in one of the
"altars". While walking to "Egypt" April picked up a rock. It was very smooth and shiny and had a slight
shape of a crocodile. They named it "The Crocodile Rock". They istantly knew it was evil. They
pretended that most of Set's power, the evil god, was in this one little rock.

7. What happens unbeknownst to the girls after they throw the boxes over the fence?
After the girls timidly through the boxes over the fence, the sound of the boxes hitting the floor was
loud. Suddenly, the curtain was opened and you could see the professor watching them through his
window. They were hoping that he wouldn't see them but after the piercing sound it was almost
impossible for anyone to ignore.

Chapter 6: Eyelashes and Ceremony

1. Why is April having trouble concentrating the day before school is to begin?
April knows that the first day of school will be hard for her, but knew thought she shouldn't care what
people thought of her because she thought that Dorothea would send for her soon.

2. Why is Melanie having trouble concentrating?

Melanie was having trouble concentrating because she knew both of April's sides and the one she
would put on at Wilson's school was one that Wilson School wouldn't be able to handle. April acted all
adult and pretended she was all Hollywood for the adults or people she didn't know.

3. What does Melanie take from Aprils room? How?

April was still wearing her fake eyelashes and Melanie couldn't talk her out of leaving them at home
when school started. While she was in April's room, Melanie noticed that April's eyelashes were just
sitting on her dresser. Melanie decided to ''steal'' them. Since they were very sticky, she just swept her
fingers over them, and they stuck like glue to her fingers. She only stole them because she was trying to

protect April from the kids at school because she knew they would think she was weird. The kids would
make fun of her because of the way she dressed and acted.

4. How do the sixth graders at Wilson respond to April?

At Aprils new school the kids give her a weird reaction to her. the dont really acept her. them as tim
egoes on they start to think of he as their own little freak. 2 boys even gave her the nickname of
february. even though they were teasing her name mealanie was a bit happy about this. this is because
it ment the kids were exceting her because that isnt a nickname that you would give to just anyone from
any school.

5. What nickname do Toby and Ken give to April? Why is it important?

They nickname her February. it's important because it means that the kids got used to her.

6. What do Isis and Nefertiti represent?

7. How are the rituals of the Egypt game recorded?
The rituals Melanie and April do are recorded on a peice of paper with two cylindersglued on either side,
so it opens and closes like a sacred scroll. They hide the scroll inside a small opening in one of the
"altars". While walking to "Egypt" April picked up a rock.

8. What is the Crocodile Stone? What do the girls do with it?

It was very smooth and shiny and had a slight shape of a crocodile. They named it "The Crocodile
Rock". They istantly knew it was evil. They pretended that most of Set's power, the evil god, was in this
one little rock.

Chapter 7: Neferbeth
1. Who moves into Casa Rosada in September? How old is she?
In September, a little girl named Elizabeth moves into Casa Rosada. She is 9 years old. Melanie and
April have the job of being and walking her to school too. In the beginning they tell each other not to tell
her about the Egypt game, but the second the time when they go to meet her, they change their minds.
Before long, Elizabeth is a full member of the Egypt game.

2. Who does Elizabeth look like to April and Melanie?

When April and Melanie see Elizabeth, they notice something. This something relates to their Egypt
game. This is because to them they see Nefertiti in Elizabeth. They see it in her appearance. This made
them both want her in the game. That is when they were convinced to let her join.

3. Why do April and Melanie ask Elizabeth to join the Egypt game?
While studying Elizabeth Melanie and April realize that Elizabeth has really good ideas. They ask her to
join the Egypt Game. To them she somewhat looked like Nefertiti. April and Melanie instantly knew she
was the on thing the Egypt Game needed. They named her Neferbeth. It is a combination of "Elizabeth"
and "Nefertiti". Neferbeth was honored in as the next high priestess (next to April and Melanie).

Chapter 8: Prisoners of Fear

1. How does Elizabeth respond to the Egypt game?
April and Melanie think of Elizabeth as the perfect addition to the Egypt Game. They thought she was
exactly what they needed to make it perfect. She was always throwing admiring comments and was
crazy about the Egypt game even though she didn't have many ideas and didn't know much about the
ancient history because she was still young. The group thought she looked just like the Egyptian queen
Nefertiti so they combined that name with her own and from then on called her Neferbeth.

2. What name do Melanie and April give to Elizabeth in the game?

They name her Elizabethan.

3. What puts a temporary stop to the Egypt game?

While playing the Egypt Game, Mrs. Ross started frantically calling, "Melanie!", "Marshall!" over and
over. The girls and Marshall quickly and soundlessly slipped out of the backyard. Mrs. Ross took all 3
kids to her house. She was very uneasy and she was thinking about something important; Melanie just

knew it. Then Mrs. Ross explained that there had been a murder in the neighborhood. Mrs. and Mr.
Ross forbid Melanie and Marshall to go out of the house. Caroline also agreed.

4. Who does the community believe is guilty?

The Egypt Game would have to go on hold for a while. The whole neighborhood was blaming only 1
person for the unfortunate murder: the Professor. Nobody knows enough about him to plea his
innocence, so they all believe he is guilty.

5. Who organizes the efforts to invite the Professor to leave?

After the little girl was found dead, many people had different suspicions of who did it. Of course the
proffesor was a big hit. Mr. Schmitt even went so far to make a campain to make the proffesor leave the
neighborhood.

6. How do the players continue the Egypt game when they are confined to the Casa Rosada?
After the tragedy of the ending of the Egypt Game, April has a terrible feeling weighing a ton on her
back. She realized she only got one letter from her mother in the whole month of August. April begins to
realize that she will be in Caroline's town longer then she thought. April starts to get upset and has a
hard time keeping her mind on something to do. All she can think about is the Egypt Game, but she
know she'll have to wait to play her beloved game.

7. How do accusations against the Professor affect his business?

This very much affects his business. Now he only gets an occasional shopper that won't even go by
him. His only other customer is travelers from other towns that don't know about him or the crime.

8. What changes do the players notice in Egypt when they stop by briefly?
When the members of the Egypt Game stop by briefly in Egypt, they notice that the Crocodile Stone
moved a tiny bit over which they thought was a definite sign of it's sinister power. They also noticed that
the flowers on the altar of Nerftiti stayed fresh much longer than they had expected, as if a compliment
to her beauty.

Chapter 9: Summoned by the Mighty Ones

1. Under what circumstances are the kids in the neighborhood allowed to trick-or-treat?
It looks as if Halloween trick-treating was ruined, but eventually, some parents volunteer to
take large groups of trick-or-treaters around the neighborhood.
2. What is Aprils plan for revisiting Egypt?
April has the idea of sippling away from the group in the dark to visit the abandoned storage
yard and Melanie agree.
3. What costumes do April, Elizabeth, Melanie, and Marshall wear for Halloween?
Egyptian costumes they created
4. What token does April claim Set and Isis have sent to the players as a summons?
They pretend to be summoned by the ancient gods Isis and Set. On Halloween evening, they
dress up in their costumes and leave to join the group.
5. What are the players watching for as they trick-or-treat?
Melanie and April.
Chapter 10: The Return to Egypt
1. Who do the girls run into while trick-or-treating?
After the incident, no parents want to allow their children to go out trick-or-treating by themselves. So a
few parents agree to take a few children around the neighborhood and watch them as they go trick-or-

treating. They sort of save Halloween because if they weren't there to take the kids around, they would
be sitting in their room instead of going around the neighborhood trick-or-treating

2. Describe Ken and Tobys costumes.

Ken: a hunchback with monster hands, feet
and mask
Toby: box man
3. What does the Egypt gang claim to be the secret omen?
The "secret omen" the children had been waiting for is a shooting star, signalling their ability to return
to Egypt.

Chapter 11: Egypt Invaded

1. What does April declare the Crocodile God demands for sacrifice?
The girls play priestesses and they claim the gods are angry because the children were gone for
so long, and that they demand a terrible sacrifice.
2. What does Marshall mumble under his breath after April tells him not to yell?
3. What do the players decide to use for sacrifices?
Each of the four kids have an idea about what should they sacrifice; finally, they burn some of
their hair and fingernails.
4. What happens at the end of the Ceremony of Sacrifice?
As they near the end of the ceremony, the oracle has an answered question inside of it. They are
puzzled as to who could have donje this and don't realize that Toby played a ruse on them.

Chapter 12: Elizabethan Diplomacy

1. Who enters Egypt uninvited?
The four kids are terrified seeing the monstrous figure entering the yard, and soon they spot
another shape climbing over the board fence. However, they soon realize that they are their
classmates, Toby Alvillar and Ken Kamata dressed up in their Halloween costumes. It is
revealed that this was not the first time when the two boys followed them; they regularly spied
on the "Egyptians", climbing on some discarded boxes to peek over the fence.
2. Why does Elizabeth invite the boys to join their game?
April gets very angry and intends to beat them up, but Melanie and Elizabeth hold her back, as
a fight would only worsen the situation. The two boys laugh at them and wonder if they should
turn them in or not. Finally, the girls offer a compromise: they will let them join in the "Egypt
Game" if they do not tell others about it. The two boys are reluctant at first, but Toby is
interested in the idea, and after a few moments, Ken agrees too.
3. Who does Melanie credit with saving the Egypt game after outsiders discover the games
existence?
4. Why does Melanie think that Elizabeths method is successful?
Chapter 13: Moods and Maybes
1. Why do Melanies parents argue about the kids playing outside?
The parents are still reluctant to let their children outdoors because of the murder case, but they
finally decide to allow them as long as they stay in larger groups.

2. Why is April in a bad mood?

April is nervous and depressed as she got a letter from her mother Dorothea, telling that she
married her manager Nick and moved in with him. She states that there is no room for April,
and plans to send April's remaining things to Casa Rosada.
3. What kind of list does Toby ask the girls to make? What does he plan to do with it?
Toby and Ken do not join in yet, but observe the game with respectful interest. The three girls
do their ceremonies and rituals for them to watch, and the two boys are impressed. April and
Melanie are flattered by their appreciation, but suspect that they will lose interest soon.
Chapter 14: Hieroglyphics
1. What do Toby and Ken bring to Egypt?
The next day, Toby and Ken bring several objects to the storage yard to decorate the "temple",
such as rubber insects, a dagger, an animal skull and a stuffed owl.
2. Who is Thoth?
They name the owl Thoth after the bird-headed god of wisdom and writing.
3. Why does Toby think they should finish the alphabet of hieroglyphics?
The two boys turn out to be good playmates, and they become good friends of the other four
kids. They also finish the hieroglyphic alphabet the girls started to make some months ago, and
use it to write secret private messages. Toby suggests that they should make up Egyptian names
and symbols for themselves
4. What do the players want to purchase with the money they earn?
5. List the players Egyptian names and hieroglyphic symbols.
-April is Bastet, named after a feline goddess. Her symbol is a cat head with earrings
-Elizabeth is Nefertiti, named after a queen. Her symbol is a heart
-Melanie is Aida, named after the main character in Verdi's opera, a princess captive in Egypt.
Her symbol is a bird
-Marshall is Pharaoh Marshamosis. His symbol is the double crown of Egypt
-Toby is Ramose, named after a famous wise man. His symbol is an owl head
-Ken is Horemheb, named after a pharaoh and commander. His symbol is a bloody sword
6. Who is Petey?
Melanie, April, and Elizabeth, with the help of Ken and Toby, come up with a ceremony for
Petey (whose new Egyptian name is Prince Pete-ho-tep). It's decided that Petey had fallen in
battle and was the son of Great Queen Neferbeth. The new ceremony, a procession to the
temple of Anubis, god of the dead, will be called the Ceremony for the Dead.
Chapter 15: The Ceremony for the Dead
1. What happens to Prince Pete-ho-tep?
It is decided that the procession needs to have flowers and palms, and so the kids take a break
to find armloads of slightly wilted flowers, just perfect for the ceremony, behind a local florist's
shop. Toby suggests that part of the ceremony should be to march around the altar sprinkling
ashes over each other's heads. They do so, wailing in mourning for the dead Prince Pete-ho-tep.
2. How are the high priests of Anubis chosen for the ceremony?

After a cat kills Elizabeth's parakeet, the children invent and perform a ceremony for the dead.
Toby and Ken take up the role of high priests of Anubis, Elizabeth is the Queen Mother whose
son has died, and Melanie, April and Marshall are the mourning populace.
3. How long does Toby think the mummification ceremony might take?
4. Who is the chief mourner?
5. Why do the players become less cautious?
6. What knowledge does one very small Egyptian keep to himself?
Chapter 16: The Oracle of Thoth
1. What gets the players interested in the topic of oracles?
After Mrs. Granger, the sixth-grade teacher at Wilson School mentions something about an
oracle, Toby gets interested and asks her to explain more. The kids consult some books in the
library, then decide to include an Egyptian Oracle in their play.
2. Who comes up with the idea of using Thoth as the oracle?
The one who come up with the idea of using Thoth as the oracle was Toby.
3. Who asks the first question?
They draw straws, and Ken wins the right to ask the oracle a question first. He writes it on a
paper, and after Toby performs a very impressive ceremony for the oracle, he leaves it in the
beak of the owl. The Egyptians leave the yard at once so that no one can sneak a look at the
question.
4. Why does Ken think the rest of the players are crazy?
Chapter 17: The Oracle Speaks
1. Who performs the ceremony of Returning to the Oracle for the Answer?
They have a person put a question in and see if they want to answer it tomorrow. They wait a
day and see if it was answered. The first question was answered, so they believe in the oracle.
2. What does Ken ask the oracle?
Ken ask to the oracle:
Will I be a big league star today?
3. Who do the Egyptians argue about the oracles answer?
Chapter 18: Where is Security?
1. What does Marshall leave in Egypt?
After the kids return home, Marshall notices that he lost Security, his plush octopus. He
believes he left it in "Egypt", however, it is late and it's raining, so they cannot return to the
storage yard right then. Marshall is very sad. The next day, the rain has stopped by the time the
six children enter the storage yard in the afternoon. However, they cannot find Security
anywhere.
2. What does April ask the oracle?
4. How do the Egyptians react to the oracles answer?

They react not in a very good way because they were thinking about stop playing the awful
game.
4. What does Marshall ask the oracle?
The question is answered again, in the same handwriting as yesterday. After considerable
discussion and debate, Marshall says he wants to ask the oracle where they can find Security.
The other children -- especially Toby -- try to talk him out of it. Reluctantly, Melanie writes the
question, and they perform the ceremony for the oracle, then go home, feeling unnerved and
unsettled.
5. Who is most worried about Marshalls question to the oracle?
The most worried about Marshall`s question to the oracle was Toby.
Chapter 19: Confession and Confusion
1. Why does Toby call April at home?
2. Why does Toby fake injury?
3. What does Toby confess to April and Melanie?
At school, Toby confesses to April and Melanie that it was him writing the Oracle's answers.
During the ceremony, he commanded the Egyptians to prostrate themselves, and while they
were bowing he took a peek at the question.
4. How does the oracle answer Marshalls questions?
April has the idea of telling Marshall that Security went to visit some relatives in Los Angeles,
and in the afternoon when they return to "Egypt", she performs the ceremony. However, she is
surprised to see that there is an answer written on the paper, this time in gracefully oldfashioned, flowing script: Look under the throne of Set. Security is there.
5. Why was everyone surprised by the oracles response to Marshalls question?
Everyone was surprised because they know none of them wrote the answer. They get frightened
and think of abandoning the game for good, as it is getting too spooky.
Chapter 20: Fear Strikes
1. Who wants to ask the oracle another question?
2. Why are Marshall and April alone in the Rosss apartment?
One evening, there is a concert at the university, and Mr. and Mrs. Ross decide to attend. They
take Melanie with them, but leave Marshall at home, and ask April to babysit him.
3. Why do Marshall and April go to Egypt alone?
April plays games and reads aloud for Marshall, then starts doing her homework. She notices
that her math book is missing, and suspects that it remained in the storage yard when they
visited it in the afternoon. She fears that her school record will be ruined for not doing her
homework, so she plans a short visit to "Egypt" to recover the book. Marshall decided to follow
her, even if April tries her best to dissuade him.
4. What happens to April after she climbs through the board in the fence?
5. What does April wonder about Marshalls behavior as she is being attacked?
6. Who finally calls for help?

The night alley is forbidding, and April is nervous. They enter the storage yard and find the
book in the shed. When they leave, a man grabs her from behind. Someone cries for help, and
people arrive to rescue April.
7. What happens to Aprils attacker?
The attacker escapes.
Chapter 21: The Hero
1. Where do Marshall and April go after leaving Egypt?
April and Marshall are taken to the police station where inspector Grant questions them about
the attacker.
2. Who is Inspector Grant?
The inspector Grant was the one in the police station who ask April and Marshall about the
attacker.
3. How does Marshall describe the man who grabs April?
April says she did not see him, but Marshall reveals that it was a robust man with orange hair
and spotted skin, and they identify him as Mr. Schmitt's cousin.
4. Who does Marshall identify as the man who called for help?
The police brings in the Professor for questioning as well, first suspecting him of the attack, but
Marshall says it was not him. The Professor was, in fact, who cried for help when April was
captured, thus saving her.
5. What does April call Caroline for the first time?
Caroline arrives to take the children home. April also calls Caroline "grandma" for the first
time.
6. Who is the man who commits the crimes?
The man who commits the crime was the one that the police captures, Mr. Schmitt's cousin and
they sent him away to a mental hospital.
7. How does Marshalls participation in the capture change his behavior?
The newspapers present the case in detail, and Marshall is regarded as a hero for identifying the
criminal.
Chapter 22: Gains and Losses
1. What happens to the land of Egypt after April is attacked?
The loose board in the fence of the storage yard behind A-Z Antiques is boarded up, so the
children cannot visit "Egypt" anymore. They mourn its loss, realizing only then how much fun
it had been.
2. What is the Professors real name?
Christmas vacation arrives, and April decides to visit The Professor, or Dr. Huddleston, as
people are beginning to call him.
3. Who begins working at the Professors store?
4. What objects does the Professor show to April?
5. To who did the items the Professor showed to April once belong?

6. How does April respond to Dorotheas letter?

April receives a letter from her mother, inviting her to a holiday in Palm Springs, but she
refuses to go.
Chapter 23: Christmas Keys
1. Who asks to see the Egypt gang on Christmas Eve?
2. What reason does the Professor give for wanting to meet with the group?
3. What is the Professors former profession?
Dr. Huddleston tells the six "Egyptians" the story of his life. He was a professor teaching
anthropology, and traveled a lot with his wife to research native tribes and to try to improve
their living conditions.
4. How did A-Z store get started?
The A-Z store was Anne`s idea in beginning. Her plan was to make it an outlet for some of the
native handicrafts from areas where they had worked. It was on their last visit home together
that she bought the building and made the first arrangments.
5. What information does the Professor give about the oracle?
He reveals that he frequently watched the six children playing in the storage yard to see that
nothing was damaged or no fires were started, and he confesses that it was him writing the
Oracle's last message.
6. What does the Professor give each member of the Egypt gang?
As the loose board was fixed and the children cannot get back to "Egypt" from the alley, Dr.
Huddleston gives them keys to the padlock so they could enter the storage yard through the
door. This is his Christmas present to the six kids.
7. Why does April feel sad after the children receive their keys?
8. What question does April pose to Melanie at the end of the novel?
April ask to Melanie at the end of the story:
What do you know about Gypsies?