The Day's Work

1. What specific challenges does Findlayson face when the flood threatens his bridge, and how does he initially try to handle the crisis?

2. Why does Findlayson turn to opium during this crisis, and what does his hallucination about the gods reveal about his mental state?

3. What specific evidence does Rod use to expose Boney as a fraud, and why is this evidence so damaging to Boney's argument?

4. Why do you think the working horses are initially tempted by Boney's message, even though they've found success in their partnerships with humans?

5. Why did the Dimbula's parts blame each other when the storm hit, and what changed by the end of the voyage?

6. What role did the storm play in turning separate ship parts into a unified vessel—why couldn't this happen in calm waters?

7. How does John Chinn gain authority with the Bhils without earning it through his own actions?

8. Why do the Bhils accept vaccination from John when they violently rejected it from other officials?

9. What exactly did Wardrop and his crew accomplish after their ship was destroyed by the gunboat?

10. Why were the crew members willing to follow Wardrop's leadership even though their official chain of command had collapsed?

11. What specific actions did Scott and William take during the famine, and what obstacles did they face?

12. Why did Scott choose not to visit William even though he passed near her camp? What does this reveal about their priorities?

13. What specific tactics did the veteran locomotives use to test .007, and how did he initially respond to their treatment?

14. Why do you think the veteran engines stopped their hazing behavior the moment an emergency arose? What does this reveal about the true purpose of workplace initiation?

15. What specific strategies did The Maltese Cat use to level the playing field against the bigger, stronger Archangels team?