The Hobbit: Chapters 7 – 9 Guided Reading
This reading guide is meant to help you focus on the essential details and to guide your reading thoughts (hence the clever name). This is a portfolio grade, which means it will not show up as a separate skyward grade.
For some of you, this means minimal effort and no real need to complete this guide; for others, it means a chance to redeem yourself and show what you are truly capable of in terms of active reading and analysis.
For those of you using cheat or summary sites, please be sure to add your own personal analysis and inferences into your guided reading—the summary sites will give you the what happens, but you need to think through the what do I know and why is this significant ideas. Unless you find a nice site that gives you that information as well. (in other words: if you are going to take the short cut, take the right short cut—not the one that leads to a dead end!)
Chapter 7: “Queer Lodgings”
1.How does the beginning of chapter 7 remind us that Bilbo is still a weak, unadventurous hobbit?
2. Explain who Beorn is, focusing on his characteristics and his personality.
3. Explain where Beorn went the night that the adventurers were with him. Why?
4. Make a summarization of Beorn’s advice for the journey.
5. Determine the most important advice that Beorn and Gandalf gave the adventurers about
Mirkwood. Explain why you feel this is the most important. Provide evidence from the text.
6. Make an analysis of the reason why Gandalf left the adventurers. Make an inference if it was of much comfort to the dwarves to have the hobbit help them instead of having the wizard with them. Provide evidence from the text.
Chapter 8: “Flies and Spiders”
1. Describe what there was about the forest to fear.
2. After reading the Chapter, in your opinion, was the Mirkwood evil? Interpret what is meant by “evil."
3. Describe 4 dangers of the enchanted river. Summarize how the hobbit was helpful in crossing the river.
4. Make an analysis as to why the dwarves and Bilbo disregard Beorn’s warning and strayed from the path.
5. After Gandalf left, who became the leader of the expedition? Infer if this was a positive or negative for the group.
6. As the adventurers ran into the camp, explain why the elvish-looking fold disappeared.
7. Give an explanation as to how Bilbo became separated from the dwarves. Describe how Bilbo managed to escape
the giant spiders. Was Bilbo of any help to the dwarves?
8. Give a description of each heroic act Bilbo performed.
9. After keeping the ring a secret from the rest, explain why Bilbo finally decides to divulge to the dwarves about the
magic ring. Why do you think he hesitated to tell the dwarves about the ring?
10. Why was Thorin captured by the Wood-elves?
Chapter 9: “Barrels Out of Bond”
1. Explain why the Wood-elves captured the dwarves, but failed to capture Bilbo.
2. Describe how Mr. Baggins got in and out of the closely guarded palace.
3. Provide an explanation for the necessity for Bilbo to continue burgling.
4. Make an analysis as to why Thorin and the dwarves did not tell the king why they were in the wood.
5. Give a detailed description of how Bilbo planned to help his friends escape. How did Bilbo escape?
6. Make an analysis of the importance of magic ring to Bilbo in this part of his adventure?