Tomorrow, When The War Began | Chapter 7 Questions

1. Which people in the group are starting to stand out as leaders, is this surprising? Why/why not?

I don't think it is surprising at all, leaders emerge in a time of crisis and they are needed to fuel whatever comes at them and whatever they will need to do.

2. Do you think that taking Kevin’s dog Flip to Corrie's house was a mistake? Explain your thoughts.

I think the emotional connection between the two and the pity towards other's loss' led to this decision. The emotional distress of everyone allowed them to pity Kevin to take Flip.

3. What does Lee mean when he says ‘we might have to make some ugly choices?’

He means that they would either have to leave Flip or kill him. I believe Lee intended to mean the former, however.

OR THEY'RE GONNA KILL FLIP.

4. How is Ellie’s image of Kevin changing in this chapter? Is the decision to split into smaller groups a wise one? Give reasons

We see Kevin become more of an emotional figure as he realises the distress of the situation. When Corrie came to her house and began to cry, we see Kevin hold her and not say a word. This is an extremely different character compared to what he appeared as beforehand. The same form of emotions is expressed earlier when he asks to bring his dog Flip along with him. It is mentioned in the story as 'He couldn't bear to leave her alone again after what she'd been through.'

5. Why is it that Ellie’s group decides to act ‘illogically’ and survey the Showgrounds together?

They don't want to be separated, the 'logical' solution deliberated between them would have been to separate and enter individually. This solution would have led to only one of them being caught in a worse for a worse situation, however, Corrie objects to this. Instead, she calls it 'too logical' and asks that if they should go down they should all go down together.

6. Why does the idea of a female soldier surprise Ellie?

I can't quite pin down what about the soldier being female surprised Ellie. Although it is likely that is simply that female soldiers are uncommon.

7. If your parents were captured in a situation like this, would they have been ‘sensible’, or would there have been violence?

Through further discussion with my parents, they have deliberated that from within the camp they would have stuck to sensibility, for fear of their lives. However, I did not understand that the question asked for the viewpoint of the others instead, I thought it would have been from the viewpoint of Ellie or Homer's parents, in the situation they would've been in if myself had been in the position of Ellie, for instance.

8. How is Ellie ‘transformed’ once she steps out from behind a tree near the Showgrounds?

She finds confidence through the realisation of the situation,

'Up until then. everything had been unreal, like a night-stalking game at a school camp.'

And shortly later this was said 'At that moment I stopped being an innocent rural teenager and started becoming someone else, a more complicated and capable person, a force to be reckoned with even, not just a polite obedient kid.'

Throughout the chapter we see her change into a leader figure, something direly needed for the rebellion that will likely continue from the seven of them.

9. Ellie and Kevin’s quick-thinking allowed them to turn a ride-on lawnmower into a bomb. Was this moral behaviour? Did they do the right thing, or should they have surrendered themselves?

They did it in fear for their lives, whether the soldiers are Australian or not, surrendering themselves would likely have led to either their deaths, imprisonment or likely even worse.

10. Predict what you think has happened to Lee and Robyn.

I think they may have discovered the eighth character that these questions have mentioned previously.