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SHORT ANSWER STUDY GUIDE QUESTIONS - The Hobbit

Chapter 1

1. List 10 characteristics of hobbits.

2. Identify (leave room to make additional notes about these characters as you read the book):

Bilbo Baggins

Belladonna Took

Bungo Baggins

Gandalf

Dwalin

Balin

Kili & Fili

Dori

Nori

Ori

Oin

Gloin

Bifur

Bofur

Bombur

Thorin

3. What was unusual about the Tooks?

4. Why did Gandalf visit Bilbo Baggins?

5. Who was Bilbo expecting for tea?

6. What about his uninvited guests irked Bilbo?

7. What effect did the dwarves’ singing have on Bilbo?

8. State Gloin’s opinion of Bilbo Baggins.

9. Gandalf showed the dwarves something that belonged to Thorin’s grandfather.

What was it?

10. Identify Dale.

11. Identify Smaug.

12. What story did Thorin tell Bilbo?

13. How did Gandalf get the map and key?

14. Identify Azog the Goblin

Chapter 1 Part I: Using Prior Knowledge and Contextual Clues

Below are the sentences in which the vocabulary words appear in the text. Read the sentence.

Use any clues you can find in the sentence combined with your prior knowledge, and write what you think the bold words mean in the space provided.

1. He liked visitors, but he liked to know them before they arrived, and he preferred to ask them

himself.

2. . . . while the four dwarves sat around the table, and talked about mines and gold and troubles with the goblins, and the depredations of dragons, and lots of other things which he did not understand

3. “Put on a few gees, there’s a good fellow!’ Gandalf called after him, as the hobbit stumped off to the pantries. “And just bring out the cold chicken and pickles!”

“Seems to know as much about the inside of my larders as I do myself!” thought Mr. Baggins. . . .

4. Then Gandalf’s smoke ring would go green and come back to hover over the wizard’s head. He had quite a cloud of them about him already, and in the dim light it made him look strange and sorcerous.

5,6. We are not together in the house of our friend and fellow conspirator, this most excellent and audacious hobbit–may the hair on his toes never fall out! all praise to his wine and ale!

7. “Five feet high the door and three may walk abreast” say the runes, but Smaug could not creep into a hole that size, not even when he was a young dragon

8. Also I should like to know about the risks, out-of-pocket expenses, time required and

remuneration, and so forth

Vocabulary - The Hobbit Chapter 1

Part II: Determining the Meaning Match the vocabulary words to their dictionary definitions.

___ 1. prefer                           A. daring; bold

___ 2. depredations                  B. in command of magic, spells & witchcraft

___ 3. larders                           C. payment

___ 4. sorcerous                      D. to like better; rather

___ 5. conspirator                    E. pantry or cupboards containing food stores

___ 6. audacious                      F. one who joins in planning or plotting

___ 7. runes                             G. words written in ancient Germanic letters

___ 8. remuneration                  H. acts of preying upon others