No Signature – Content and Analysis Questions

Chapter 1

1. List three events that Steve remembered about his childhood. What might each of these events foreshadow?

2. What does Steve, the narrator, plan to do in the near future?

3. How did Steve discover where his father lived?

 

Chapter 2

1. How many years has it been since Steve has seen his father? Therefore how old is Steve?

2. In order to visit his father, what obstacles does Steve have to overcome? How does he overcome each obstacle?

3. Why did William Bell capitalize the expression, “Somebody Important”? (p.11)

4. What is Steve’s mom’s occupation

 

Chapter 3

1. In this chapter, what showed that Steve and his father got along in the past?

2. What did the mother say when Wick asked, “where’s dad?’? Why?

3. What proved to the young boy that his father had left him?

4. Explain the statement, “the farther down I went away from the safety of the bedroom, the less control I had over what was happening to me.”

 

Chapter 4

1. Why do you think that the farther didn’t write anything on the postcards? What did he do instead?

2. Why do children assume that when a parent leaves that they have done something wrong?

3. Why did Steve get rid of his bike, lego and postcards?

4. Why do you think that the postcards stop arriving at Steve’s home?

 

Chapter 5

1. How did Steve know that his father had left the apartment? How did he know that his father had ever lived there?

2. Why do you think that the father sent Steve a postcard after ten years? Would you have wanted to hear from your missing parent? Why or why not?

 

Chapter 6

1. Euphemism- a group of words that restates phrases in a kinder manner (died= passed away). Find an example in this chapter.

2. What did Steve tell his mom when she asked him why he went to visit his dad?

3. How did Steve’s mom explain why she threw the postcards away?

4. Explain why Steve can’t forget about his father.

5. How did Steve know that Hawk was joking about “drinking suds” by the beach?

6. Why did Hawk begin weight training when he was younger?

 

 

Chapter 7

1. What did Steve mean on page 33 when he said that he knew how to play the game?

2. Do you think that Mrs. Davis gave Wick an effective punishment? Explain. Why didn’t Wick mind the suspension?

3. Do you agree with the statement on page 34 that states, “it’s a kids job to adapt, to fit himself into a world somebody else made for him”? Explain.

 

Chapter 8

1. What did Steve wish about his mom? Why?

2. Describe the relationship between Steve and his grandparents. How did he describe it on page 37?

3. How did the grandfather make Steve so angry? What was his mom’s explanation for this disagreement?

 

Chapter 9

1. What did Steve’s mom do that shocked him?

2. Where is Steve’s father taking him? Would you have wanted to take this trip? Why or why not?

 

Chapter 10

1. What month does Steve’s journey begin?

2. Why do you think that Steve will not talk to Hawk?

3. What do you think is the source of anger in Hawk?

4. How did Wick explain Hawk’s great wrestling abilities?

 

Chapter 11

1. What does the interior of the father’s van suggest about him? Give examples.

2. For which event did Steve’s father buy tickets? Was Steve excited about the tickets? Why not?

3. Why did Steve need to take a walk by himself?

 

Chapter 12

1. why didn’t Steve enjoy the opera?

2. Why does Steve call his father a wimp? Do you agree with Steve? Explain.

3. How does William Bell create humor in this chapter? Give an example.

 

Chapter 13

1. How did Steve’s parents driving differ? What does this tell the reader?

2. Where did Steve and his dad camp for the night?

3. How did Steve get his nickname?

4. Describe the elementary school that Wick went to when he was younger. Does his school remind you of your elementary school? why?

5. What did Wick mean when he said that he was a “wall crawler”? Why didn’t he fit in with the other students?

6. Can one lesson or event have a large effect on a child? Why?

7. How did Wick and Hawk become friends?

 

Chapter 14

1. Why does Steve tell his dad that his mom doesn’t goes out a lot?

2. Why do you think that his father couldn’t meet his mother’s standards?

3. Why did Steve call Hawk’s house the United Nations? What did Steve like about Hawk’s home?

 

Chapter 15

1. How was Sudbury like “coming into any town”? Did this explanation describe London? Explain.

2. What mistake did the Old Man make?

3. Why did Wick tell his dad that, “his mom made (him) come on this trip”?

4. What did Wick discover about Hawk? How? How did he react to this news? Would you have reacted in the same way? Why or why not?

 

Chapter 16

1. Where did Wick find his Old Man when he woke up in the morning? Why was Jack there?

2. What do you think that the father did that he was forced to leave his home?

 

Chapter 17

1. How long has Wick been on his journey with his Old Man?

2. Did Wick know how to drive? Find proof to support your answer.

3. Where did his father take him? why?

4. How can someone explain something to you and make you, “feel like a loser”?

5. Does Wick like Sharon? Why?

 

Chapter 18

1. What was Jack’s secret?

2. Why did the father create the carving called Father’s Pride? Where did he get this image?

3. How did coach Leonard help Wick win his match? Why was this an example of a good coaching technique? 

 

Chapter 19

1. Why did Wick feel dazed at the beginning of this chapter?

2. Why does Steve enjoy wrestling?

3. What favor did Sharon ask of Wick? Why?

4. Why do you think that all of Jack’s belongings are in his van?

 

Chapter 20

1. What had Jack kept of Steve’s? Why?

2. Why was Steve angry with himself?

  

Chapter 21

1. What reason did Wick give his dad for leaving the art exhibit?

2. Why didn’t Jack send letters to Steve? How did Wick feel about his father’s ‘problem’?

 

Chapter 22

1. Why didn’t Wick’s grandparents like Jack?

2. Why did Jack’s marriage fall apart? Do you think that their marriage fell apart for a valid reason? Explain.

3. How did Steve’s mom discover that Jack was illiterate?

4. Why didn’t Jack fight for custody of his son?

 

Chapter 23

1. “Loneliness is the worst feeling in the world.” Who else did Wick realize was lonely? Why was he lonely?

2. Why did Wick compare himself to his father?

3. Why did Hawk hang up the phone on Wick?

 

Chapter 24

1. How did Jack and Sharon meet?

2. Why wouldn’t Jack go back to school now? Why is going back to school harder when you are an adult? Do you think all adults should have a high school diploma? Why or why not?

3. How did Sharon discover that Jack was illiterate?

 

Chapter 25

1. Do you think that children should fail in elementary school? Explain. Did it help Jack to be pushed along?

2. Why did Jack fight a lot in school?

3. If a person is illiterate does it mean that he/she is “stupid”? Explain.

4. How would your life be different if you were illiterate?

5. Is the literacy test that students take in grade 10 an effective and necessary test? Explain.

 

Chapter 26

1. How many days has Wick been with his dad?

2. What was Jack excited about in this chapter? Why did he feel like he had landed on Mars?

 

Chapter 27

1. How does Steve prepare for a wrestling match? How do you prepare for a game or event?

2. Why is Steve not able to psyche himself up for his latest match?

3. What was Jack’s reaction to Steve’s match?

 

Chapter 28

1. Why didn’t Jack sell his sculpture for $10 000? Do you think he should have sold it? Explain.

2. What happened to Hawk?

 

Chapter 29

1. How does Wick know that Hawk’s car crash was not an accident? Why did Hawk try to take his own life?

2. How does Jack describe his drinking problem?

3. What did Steve decide at the end of this chapter? Would you have made this same choice? Why or why not?

 

Chapter 30

1. Why did Steve tell the nurse that he was Hawk’s cousin?

2. Why couldn’t Steve talk to Mrs. Richardson?

 

Chapter 31

1. What did Wick mean when he said, “the agony he felt inside was worse than the pain of his wounds”?

2. Why did Wick have to force himself to touch Hawk on the shoulder?

3. Why did Hawk pretend that he was asleep? Why was Steve glad that Hawk had faked being asleep?

 

Chapter 32

1. Why do people pretend that, “a big part of (them) is not there”? What had Wick been, “taught to kill”? Who taught him this? Why?

2. Why don’t boys often cry? Why can’t boys hug one another but girls do hug each other?

What other “gender rules” has society created? Do you agree with these rules? Explain.

1. Do you think that everyone holds secrets inside of them? Why?

 

Chapter 33

1. Why might the author have chosen the two commercials to have appeared on the television while Hawk and Wick were talking? Describe the two commercials.

2. Why did Hawk believe that he should be called Half-Man?

3. Why would it be hard for Steve to be Hawk’s friend?

 

Chapter 34

1. How did Steve’s mom react to the news about Hawk?

2. Why does Steve say that being sorry is meaningless? Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?

3. Why would Steve’s mom be upset about Steve getting along with his dad?

4. Do you think that Steve has matured on his journey? Find proof to support your answer.

 

Chapter 35

1. Who was Hawk trying to get revenge on? Why

2. What was Hawk going to do instead of wrestle next year? Why?

 

Chapter 36

1. Jack took Steve to two places in this chapter. Where did Jack take Steve?

2. How does William Bell create humour in this chapter? Find an example.

3. Why does Steve feel connected to this opera?

4. Did the novel have an effective conclusion? Explain. What might have been a more realistic ending to the story? Why?