88 pages 2 hours read

Erik Larson

Isaac's Storm

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1999

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Reading Questions & Paired Texts

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

Prologue-Part 1

Reading Check

1. When did the historic hurricane hit Galveston?

2. Where is Isaac Monroe originally from?

3. What essential device does Evangelista Torricelli invent that later helps predict hurricanes?

Short Answer

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

1. Why is Galveston referred to as “the New York of the gulf”?

2. What important observation regarding the nature of hurricanes does William Redfield make while in Connecticut?

3. Why did the city of Galveston forestall the decision to construct a seawall?

Paired Resource

Galveston & Texas History Center

This resource provides primary source documents including photographs, manuscripts, oral histories, maps, death records, and a story map of the events of the 1900 hurricane that devastated Galveston, Texas.

  • This information connects to the theme of American Hubris at the Turn of the Century.
  • After exploring this resource, what is something you learned that points back to the theme of American Hubris at the Turn of the Century?

The Great Storm

This resource provides information on the storm, the aftermath, and the rebuild, including the building of the Galveston Seawall.