Gregor the Overlander

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. What is the inciting incident that first calls Gregor to adventure in the Underland?

A) His father is discovered as a prisoner of war.

B) Boots falls ill and cannot be revived without a cure.

C) Gregor is named as the warrior in a prophecy.

D) Rats attack Gregor and Boots and nearly kill their friends.

2. Which of the following is NOT a device Collins uses to characterize the Underland as a fantasy world?

A. Anthropomorphized characters

B) Elaborate magic system

C) Distinct syntax and speech patterns

D) Extraordinary, unusual settings

3. Which of the following best identifies a climactic plot twist in the novel?

A) Gregor and Boots discover a new world beneath their laundry room.

B) Gregor must remain in the Underland to fulfill his prophesized destiny.

C) Vikus reveals his alliance with Ripred, who plots against the rat king.

D) Henry betrays his family, people, and fellow questers to ally with the rats.

4. Who subverts expectations or stereotypes in the novel?

A) Gregor, Tick, and Luxa

B) Gregor only

C) Gregor and Ripred

D) Gregor, Tick, and Ripred

5. Which of the following dichotomies recurs to help structure competing philosophies among characters in the novel, communicating the novel’s theme of Strength in Differences?

A) Strength and weakness

B) Courage and cowardice

C) Hope and despair

D) Faith and doubt

6. Why is Gregor initially unhappy to see his father?

A) He harbors feelings of abandonment and resentment for his father’s absence.

B) He realizes he will have to care for his father instead of his father caring for him.

C) He fears the rats have stolen his father’s memories, and he knows his father no longer loves him.

D) He recognizes that the war has warped his father’s mind and now his father is evil.

7. How does Gregor demonstrate that he values Peace in the novel?

A) He negotiates for compromise with the rats.

B) He staunchly advocates pacifism in all conflicts.

C) He mourns for the lives lost during the fighting.

D) He takes an oath renouncing violence for all time.

8. Which of the following is a motif in the novel that represents life?

A) Courage

B) Time

C) Fate

D) Light

9. Which of the following is NOT an example of Gregor recognizing equality, cooperation, and Strength in Differences?

A) He notices the spinners’ sensitivity to sound.

B) He defends the crawlers’ survival abilities.

C) He trusts Ripred despite his reservations.

D) He weeps for Tick’s brave sacrifice at the bridge.

10. What is Gregor’s most significant heroic quality?

A) Strength in battle and ruthlessness in conflict

B) Empathy for others and desire for peace

C) Quickness of mind and ingenuity of innovation

D) Aversion to heights and opposition to war

11. Which character pairing is the strongest example of a character foil in the novel?

A) Luxa and Aurora

B) Henry and Luxa

C) Gregor and Henry

D) Boots and Vikus

12. How does Gregor ultimately triumph over obstacles at the climax of the novel?

A) He uses his knowledge of science to outsmart his enemy.

B) He accepts responsibility for his actions to create compromise.

C) He embraces confidence in himself to bolster his abilities.

D) He overcomes his fear of falling to sacrifice himself for others.

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. In what ways does Gregor undergo a symbolic death and rebirth during the novel’s climax?

2. How does Gregor’s refusal of the sword at the end of the novel demonstrate the lesson he has learned about the value of peace and cooperation?