Chasing Vermeer

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

Chapters 1-6

Reading Check

1. Where did Calder’s friend Tommy move with his family?

2. Who is Mr. Watch?

3. What is the name of Tommy’s neighbor who has disappeared?

Short Answer

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

1. What does the mysterious letter writer ask for help with?

2. Describe Calder’s pentominoes.

3. Why is Petra so interested in the letter that her parents are arguing about?

4. As Petra is falling asleep, what does she have a vision of?

Paired Resources

“The Science Behind Coincidence”

• This article by Amy Paturel from Discover magazine discusses scientific theories about the human desire to find meaning in coincidence.
• This resource relates to themes of The Oneness of All Things and Perceiving Patterns.
• What are the main theories about coincidence expressed in this article? Which theories would Fort agree with? What textual evidence supports your answer?

“Why We Should Not Be Impressed by Eerie Coincidences”

• In this Psychology Today article, a psychiatrist explains some of the thinking errors that can cause a belief in synchronicity.
• This resource relates to themes of The Oneness of All Things and Perceiving Patterns.
• What is “synchronicity”? Which characters in Chasing Vermeer believe in synchronicity? What would Dr. Lewis tell them about their belief? Do you think that Balliett wants her readers to believe in synchronicity, or do you think she just includes this idea in her story because it is entertaining? What evidence in the novel supports your answer?

Chapters 7-12

Reading Check

1. What does Petra decide must once have belonged to Mrs. Sharpe?

2. What is the name of the painting in which the woman from Petra’s vision appears?

3. What color does Calder help his father paint their house?

Short Answer

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

1. What does Calder hope to find by studying books about Vermeer?

2. After Calder takes the “V” pentomino from his pocket, what does he confess to Petra?

3. What surprising news do Calder and Petra learn about a Vermeer painting?

4. What does Petra notice about Mrs. Sharpe’s kitchen?

Paired Resources

The Geographer by Johannes Vermeer

• This site, maintained by the Städel Museum, offers a photograph of Vermeer’s painting and associated text, audio, and video resources for understanding the work.
• This resource relates to the theme of Defining Art.
• How does this painting make you feel? What ideas does it make you think of? What details in the painting seem important? Why do you think people consider this painting to be great art? What guesses do you have about why Balliett chose to use this painting in her story? What elements of Chasing Vermeer support your guesses?

“The Milkmaid” by Marilyn Chandler McEntyre

• This accessible ekphrastic poem is based on Vermeer’s painting The Milkmaid. (Teacher guidance may be necessary with some vocabulary and descriptions.)
• This resource relates to the theme of Defining Art.
• What point is McEntyre making about the way Vermeer has depicted the woman in this painting? Does the poet seem to respect Vermeer’s way of painting the woman, or does it bother her in some way? What does this suggest about McEntyre’s ideas about what makes certain pieces of art worthwhile? What ideas do the characters in Chasing Vermeer have about Vermeer’s work? How are they different from or similar to the way McEntyre looks at Vermeer’s art?

Chapters 13-18

Reading Check

1. Who is Old Fred?

2. What is in the package that Calder and Petra bring home from Gracie Hall?

3. What does Petra find in the hedge outside Mrs. Sharpe’s house?

Short Answer

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

1. When Ms. Hussey asks the class what they would do if they received a letter from the art thief, what do Petra and Calder suspect is true?

2. Where does Petra believe the missing painting might be hidden?

3. How does Calder end up locked in the Gracie Hall basement?

4. Where does it turn out that Frog has been all this time?

Paired Resources

“What Is Art For? Alain de Botton’s Animated Guide”

• This 6-minute video from Guardian Culture discusses five purposes that art might serve for individuals and society.
• This resource relates to the theme of Defining Art.
• According to this video, what are five purposes art might serve? Which do you think is most important, and why? Which do you think Ms. Hussey would say is most important? Why? Which do you think the art thief would say is most important? Why?

“Why Study Art of the Past?”

• This 2-minute video from Smarthistory features the thoughts of various instructors about what today’s students gain by studying the art of the past.
• This resource relates to the theme of Defining Art
• According to this video, what are the main benefits of studying art from the past? Which of these reasons do you think the art thief from Chasing Vermeer would agree with? What evidence from the story supports your belief?

Chapters 19-24

Reading Check

1. When they are searching Delia Dell Hall, what does Petra suddenly realize is similar to the shapes in the iron railing?

2. What shapes does Petra have a vision of?

3. When Petra and Calder discuss their birthdays, what number do they decide has some important meaning?

Short Answer

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

1. Why are Petra and Calder frustrated by the amount of wood paneling in Delia Dell Hall?

2. What surprising thing does Petra see when she looks out at the parking lot outside Delia Dell Hall?

3. What does Calder threaten to do if the man in the dark jacket comes any closer to him when he is on the slide?

4. Who is Xavier Glitts, and what is his connection to Tommy?

Recommended Next Reads

Under the Egg by Laura Marx Fitzgerald

• Theodora Tenpenny discovers what may be a hidden Renaissance masterpiece, but to use her discovery to save her financially distressed family, she will need to do some detective work.
• Shared themes include Perceiving Patterns and Defining Art.
• Shared topics include mystery and puzzles, classic art, teamwork, and intergenerational friendship.

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg

• Claudia and Jamie run away to the Metropolitan Museum of art and solve the mystery of how a priceless Michelangelo statue came to be at auction for just $225.
• Shared themes include Perceiving Patterns and Defining Art.
• Shared topics include mystery and puzzles, classic art, teamwork, and intergenerational friendship.
• From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler on SuperSummary