9th Grade Homework 'The Death Disk' Answer Key

A Summary of 'The Death Disk'

As Colonel Mayfair and his young wife await the soldiers who are to take him to the Tower of London, their seven year old daughter, Abby, comes to tell them good night. Unaware of the fact that her father is going to a trial where he will be killed, she innocently asks her father to tell her a dreadful story. The young father tells Abby about three colonels who are condemned to die for disobeying the commands of their head officer. The little girl does not understand that the story is about her father. Soldiers appear at the door, and Colonel Mayfair is marched away to the Tower.
The next morning, Mrs. Mayfair is ill, and Abby decides to go to the Tower and find her father. Meanwhile, inside the Tower, the Lord General (Oliver Cromwell) wants the prisoners to draw lots, so that only one of them must die. But the colonels refuse because they feel it would be a sin—suicide—to condemn oneself by drawing the unlucky lot. Cromwell then decides to have a child cast the lots for the men by giving each one a disk of wax, red being the “death disk.” By chance, Abby is selected and brought inside to the Lord General, who does not know who she is. She wins his heart, and he promises to obey her command.
The Lord General instructs Abby to give a disk of wax to each of the men in the next room. When Abby recognizes her father, she gives him the “pretty red one.” Everyone in the room is shocked and dismayed that the unfortunate colonel has been condemned by his own daughter. Abby does not understand, but she commands the Lord General to free her papa. Reminded of his pledge, Cromwell gladly releases Colonel Mayfair to this charming little girl.

Comprehension Questions and Answers

1. For what crime were the three colonels tried? What was the sentence?

The three colonels disobeyed their commands by going beyond the orders. The first sentence was that all three men were to die, but then the Lord General, Oliver Cromwell, changed it so that only one had to die.

2. Why did the colonels refuse to draw lots? How did the Lord General determine to draw lots for them?

The colonels thought that drawing lots was a form of suicide, which was against their Christian beliefs. The Lord General decided to use a child to cast lots for the colonels.

3. Which colonel received the death disk? Why?

Colonel Mayfair, Abby’s father, received the death disk. Abby wanted her father to have the “prettiest disk”—which was the red one, the one that meant death. She gave it to him because she wanted him to have the one she liked the most.

4. What pledge did the Lord General give to little Abby? How did Abby use this pledge to free her father?

He promised Abby that he would do anything that she wanted—he would fulfill any command that Abby gave him. Abby commanded that the Lord General free her father.

5. Was the Lord General’s final decision just? Explain.

Answers may vary. Here are two examples of possible answers:

Yes, his decision was just, because Colonel Mayfair did not have any personal reason to disobey the command, so he didn’t deserve to die.


No, it was not just, because the Lord General went against his rule because of his own individual pledge to a little girl, so it was an abuse of power.