Eragon

Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Prologue-Chapter 16

Reading Check

1. What animal is Eragon hunting at the beginning of the novel?

2. What does Garrow give Roran in addition to money?

3. What does Eragon sleep under after Saphira takes him to the Spine?

4. How much does Brom pay for Snowfire?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why doesn’t Sloan want to buy the stone from Eragon?

2. What started the first dragon war?

3. What is unusual about Garrow’s burns?

4. What reason does Brom give for why he is helping Eragon?

Paired Resource

“What Makes a Good Mentor?”

• This list of qualities of an ideal mentor comes from a UCLA dean’s summary of mentorship research.
• This connects to the theme of The Hero’s Journey.
• What makes a good mentor? What qualities does Brom show that make him a good mentor for Eragon?

Chapters 17-32

Reading Check

1. What does Eragon compare the thundercloud to?

2. What is Angela’s profession?

3. What does Eragon find that alerts him to the Urgals’ presence?

4. What does Brom say Eragon should do if he is in a wizards’ duel?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. How were Riders trained to use magic?

2. What favor does Trevor ask of Brom and Eragon?

3. What is Angela trying to prove?

4. Why is Brom angry with Eragon after the Urgal ambush?

Paired Resource

“Power, Responsibility & Wisdom: Exploring the Issues at the Core of Ethical Decision-Making and Leadership”

• This article from the Journal of Values-Based Leadership discusses the concept of responsibility when wielding power. (Teacher-appropriate; not student-facing)
• This connects to the theme of The Pursuit of Power and may provide ideas, language, and vocabulary for connected discussion.

Chapters 33-48

Reading Check

1. What does Brom pretend to be to get access to the servants’ quarters?

2. What was the name of Brom’s dragon?

3. Who is the master of the Urgals?

4. Who is Murtagh’s father?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why don’t the Ra’zac kill Eragon after they capture him?

2. Why doesn’t Eragon want to continue using Zar’roc?

3. How does Eragon get water from the ground?

4. Why does Arya keep herself in a coma?

Paired Resource

“The Power of Names”

• This article from the New Yorker discusses the power that names and labels have on our perception.
• In Eragon’s world, knowing the true name of something or someone gives one power over it. How does knowing the name of something influence your perception of it? Why do you think Eragon told the Shade that his true name was “death of the shadows”? How does this relate to the themes of The Pursuit of Power or Self-Determination?

Chapters 49-59

Reading Check

1. What is the nickname for the bald men who serve Ajihad?

2. What does Saphira tell Eragon to keep with him in Tronjheim?

3. Whom does Angela think is the biggest threat to the Varden, aside from Galbatorix?

4. Where does the Mourning Sage tell Eragon to go?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What memories does Eragon tell Saphira to conceal from the Varden?

2. How do the humans react when Eragon passes through Tronjheim?

3. Why doesn’t Eragon want to join Du Vrangr Gata?

4. Why did Durza learn how to summon spirits?

Paired Resource

“Invasion of Privacy for Public Good”

• This article discusses situations where it may be necessary to invade someone’s privacy.
• This connects to the theme Self-Determination.
• What are the problems with invading someone’s privacy? Are there any situations when it might be necessary to invade someone’s privacy, and is it still acceptable to do so? Do you think Murtagh should have let the Twins read his mind, or should he have the right to keep his thoughts private?

Recommended Next Reads 

Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

• This series follows Vin, a young street urchin with unique powers, as she becomes part of a group of rebels fighting against an oppressive regime.
• Shared themes include The Hero’s Journey, Self-Determination, and The Pursuit of Power.    
• Shared topics include magic and challenging authority.       
• Mistborn on SuperSummary

Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling

• This series follows the journey of Harry Potter, a young wizard, as he attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and faces the dark wizard Lord Voldemort.
• Shared themes include The Hero’s Journey and The Pursuit of Power.
• Shared topics include magic, the fight against evil, and coming of age.
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone on SuperSummary