Quiz

Use these questions to prepare for the quiz. Be specific and always think about what quotes you can use to back up your ideas.

1. Why do you think that Ashmol decides to search for Pobby and Dingan for real instead of just pretending?

2. What connection does Asmol make between the land covered with seawater and Pobby and Dingan? Why is that important to the story?

 3. What does Ashmol find inside their abandoned mine? Why does he believe that Pobby and Dingan are really there?

4. Why do you think Ashmol promises not to use the opal to get money? Do you agree with this decision? 

5. In the very end of the novel, Ashmol talks about what it’s like to “believe in something which is hard to see. Or to keep looking for something that’s totally hard to find.” Discuss the importance of imagination and dreams in this novel. Why are they so important even if they cannot be seen. Consider what dreams Rex, the father, and Annie, the mother, have in the story. Consider, also, the dream that Ashmol has. How do those "unseen" dreams connect to Kellyanne's belief in Pobby and Dingan?

Please bring in to the quiz one index card with notes and quotes on it. It will be handed in as part of the quiz.

1. Because Ashmol love his family members. He think Kellyanne was dying, so he doesn't want Kellyanne be sad. He think Kellyanne was dying because of her lost her two best imaginary friends. He wanted to find Pobby and Dingan in order to let his sister be happy or become better.

2. Ashmol was not believe Pobby and Dingan were not real. But now Ashmol was searching Pobby and Dingan. That made a big change for him. Also he remember his dad told him "the opal dream". Land covered with seawater showing his mind change. From there Ashmol changed his mind, and he understood his sister's imaginary friends.

3. According to the book, "when I shone my torch on it I could see there was a bit of color there. My heart beat the world record for the pole vault. I brushed the dirt off as best I could and then I licked the Robbie. It was opal. Green. Red. Black. All them together" First he found an Opal in a new tunnel. Then he found Dingan's bellybutton. He came up with a story about what had happened in the abandoned mine that can fit everything, and then he can tells his sister what had happened to her imaginary friends.

4. I think it has two reasons. First, Ashmol has a dream about opal, so he loves Opal he doesn't want use it to get money. Second, he only has one opal, so he wants to use this Opal to do some more important things not just give money. I agree with this decision because money can earn by another way, but Ashmol only has one opal. I think he shouldn't trade Opal easily.

5. Annie's dream is about family. She wants to have a lovely family which is rich,full of happy, every body is healthy. Ashmol's dream is about the opal. These are seem like Kellyanne's belief in Pobby and Dingan. They more want to see them which is hard to see. Ashmol more wants to find Opal he might hard to find it. Annie more want to have a lovely she might hard to see it. The dream and imagination give to you a goal or an objective to work hard on it. So even  they cannot be seen like Pobby and Dingan they still important.

Question

3. First he found an Opal in a new tunnel. Then he found somethings that are very heavy and feels like Pobby and Dingan's bodies. He came up with a story about what had happened in the abandoned mine that had everything fit in perfectly, and he wanted to tell Kellyanne what had happened to her imaginary friends.

Spring break story

This spring break I went back to China. That was my first time went back to China this year, because the spring break is too short my parents always let me stay in America. The reason why my parents let me went back to China is I hadn't seen my parents more than six months, and we were missing each other. So even spring break is not that long they still let me back to China.

After I arrived at home, the biggest problem for me is the jet lag. In the first week, I always weak up at 3am. That made me tired. However I spend a lot of time with my parents because of the jet lag. This break I realized one thing, my parents are getting old. I remember when I was young my father is a hero in my heart, but now this hero become weak and old. I realized I must to work harder in order to let my parents to be delighted. 

Next week my father was teaching me how to drive. Driving car is an interesting thing for me. Every day my father come back home the first thing is teaching me how to drive. One day after dinner my father told me "my son you are growing up, but mom and dad are getting old. You must to learn how to take care yourself and protect yourself." Suddenly I remembered a lot of memories. I understand my parents can not take care of my whole life, and I can not always rely on them. 

Pobby and Dingan

Pobby and Dingan are two special people, because they are two imaginary friends. They were created by Kellyanne. Our narrator Ashmol does not believe they are real people. However because of these two imaginary friends the story become interesting. Pobby is a boy and dingan is a girl. They are both older than Kellyanne. Pobby is a male who has a wood lag. Dingan is a girl who is beautiful and tall. Dingan has a long blonde hair. She also has a beautiful opal. Base on the book, lollipops are the most favorite food in Pobby's and Dingan's life. Because they are the imaginary friends of Kellyanme, even though they could play with Kellyanne, but due to her hatred brother, Ashmol, these two kids are afraid of Ashmol because every time when they are playing with Kellyanne, he would always appear and disturb them. 

Vocabulary

claim:

1. “Find anything today?” Mum asked one night when she’d got back from her job on the checkout at Khan’s and me and Dad were relaxing after a hard afternoon’s work out at the claim.

2. Noun

3. A demand for work should be done.

wobbling

1. The noise of a car drove into our ears and a four-wheel-drive police jeep came wobbling down the creamy red track that leads to our claim. It pulled over by our old Millard caravan and out came two policemen.

2. Verb

3. A sound of move or shake unsteadily.

startled

1. My dad turned around, startled. He was totally off his guard.

2. Verb

3. A surprise thing make someone slightly.

figment

1.kicked the air in the head to show Kellyanne that Pobby was a figment of her imaginings.

2. noun

3. A fake thing which thing create by imaginary

rummaged

1. He rummaged through piles of rocks.

2. Verb

3. Search something from a lot of you careless things

ute

1. Kellyanne glared at me through tears the way she did the time I slammed the door of the ute in Dingan’s face or the time

2. Noun

3. A vehicle to travel over rough around.

crackpot

1.Lightning Ridge was full of flaming crackpots as far as I could see.

2. Noun

3. Strange people which have strange and crazy idea.

Mello Yello

1.“Pobby and Dingan aren’t dead,” I said, hiding my anger in a swig from my can of Mello Yello.

2. Noun

3. A kind of drink

mates

1.“I still say Kellyanne could do with some real-live mates,” went on my dad,

2. Noun

3. Friends

opal

1.Tomorrow we’ll be on opal, son, and we’ll be bloody millionaires!

2. Noun

3.a kind of precious stone

fairdinkum

1.“Fairdinkum?” His excitement always caught ahold of me. I

2. Adj.

3. Honest and good

imaginary

1.Now, I was as much a rockhound as the next kid, but I wasn’t crazy enough to talk to imaginary friends, I’ll tell you that for nothing.

2. Adj.

3. Things created in mind or story not in real life

grub

1.She said they were quieter and better behaved than me and deserved the grub.

2. Noun

3. The food

fossilized

1.a fossilized mammoth tooth with sun-flash in it.

2. Adj.

3. Become a fossil.

mammoth

1.a fossilized mammoth tooth with sun-flash in it.

2. Noun

3. A huge animal like elephants with long hair.

In class writing (Pobby and Dingan)

In the world, some groups of people have their imaginary friends when they were young. Also in the book pobby and dingan, the narratter Ashmol's sister, Kellyanne has two imaginary friends. Their name are Pobby and Dingan. I think they are not real people, because Ashmol never see them once. Also there is a evidence from the book shows Ashmol do not believe pobby and dingan are real, "'Pobby and Dingan aren’t dead,' I said, hiding my anger in a swig from my can of Mello Yello. 'They never existed. Things that never existed can’t be dead. Right?" Also Pobby and Dingan never answer or talk in the book, either. The most confusing thing for me is why the whole family believe Pobby and Dingan are real people. However I still think Pobby and Dingan are just imaginary people not real people who lives in the real world.

Improvements

I correct many grammar mistakes and do not use same sentence to repeat the thesis. The most biggest part is the grammar mistakes. When I go back to read my essay again I realize I have lot of sentences not work or not make sense. Also the Ms. Swift gave lot helps, too. She gave me many helpful suggestions to help me improve my essay. Base on her suggestions my essay change a lot and become better than first draft.