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SHORT ANSWER STUDY GUIDE QUESTIONS - The Hobbit

Chapter 8

1. Describe Mirkwood.

2. How did the travelers cross the black water?

3. What happened to Bombur at the black river crossing?

4. What did Bilbo see from the top of the oak tree in Mirkwood?

5. Why did the travelers leave the path?

6. What happened when they entered the ring of light to beg for food?

7. How did Bilbo get separated from the others in Mirkwood?

8. What made Bilbo feel fierce and bold?

9. Identify Sting.

10. How did Bilbo rescue the dwarves from the spiders?

11. Who was missing after the travelers were rescued from the spiders?

12. How did Thorin get separated from the others?

Vocabulary - The Hobbit Chapter 8

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 youthink the underlined words mean.

1. As soon as they had landed he had bent his bow and fitted an arrow in case any hidden

guardian of the boat appeared.

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2. Suddenly on the path ahead appeared some white deer, a hind and fawns as snowy white as

the hart had been dark.

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3. There was nothing now to be done but to tighten the belts round their empty stomachs, and

hoist their empty sacks and packs, and trudge along the track

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4. . . . there were spiders huge and horrible sitting in the branches above him . . . . then in the silence and stillness of the wood he realised that these loathsome creatures were speaking one to another.

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5. The idea came to him to . . . make them curious, excited and angry all at once . . . dancing among the trees he began to sing a song to infuriate them and bring them all after him

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

___ 1. guardian                       A. male deer

___ 2. hart                                B. to make angry; enrage

___ 3. hoist                              C. repulsive; disgusting

___ 4. loathsome                     D. one who guards, protects, or defends

___ 5. infuriate                         E. lift up