The Hobbit, Chapter 1: An Unexpected Party quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. Which dwarf is the first to arrive at Bilbo's door on Wednesday?

   • Balin
   • Gloin
   • Thorin
   • Correct answer: Dwalin

   Bilbo expects Gandalf, but Dwalin, with a blue beard tucked into a golden belt, is the first dwarf through the door.

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2. 2

   Question 2. How does Gandalf respond when Bilbo first says "Good Morning!" to him?

   • He says that wizards never greet anybody before the sun is high
   • Correct answer: He asks Bilbo which of several meanings the greeting carries
   • He wishes Bilbo a good morning back and then sits down to smoke
   • He ignores the greeting entirely and asks Bilbo for some breakfast

   Gandalf teasingly asks whether Bilbo wishes him a good morning, means it is a good morning, feels good, or thinks it is a morning to be good on.

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3. 3

   Question 3. Which instrument does Thorin play when the dwarves make music?

   • Correct answer: A beautiful golden harp
   • A little wooden fiddle
   • A long silver flute
   • A drum from the hall

   Dwalin and Balin bring in Thorin's golden harp wrapped in a green cloth, and when he strikes it the music begins.

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4. 4

   Question 4. Why does Bilbo blush while watching Thorin's and Gandalf's smoke-rings?

   • He is embarrassed that his own pipe has gone out in front of them
   • He thinks the dwarves are laughing at his small and crowded parlour
   • Correct answer: He remembers how proud he had been of his own smoke-rings
   • He worries that all the smoke will stain his clean ceiling

   Their rings fly wherever they are told, and Bilbo blushes to think how proud he had been of his own smoke-rings the morning before.

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5. 5

   Question 5. How does Gandalf describe Bilbo to the dwarves after the hobbit's shriek?

   • As a poor choice he regrets making for them
   • As a timid hobbit who should be sent home to bed
   • Correct answer: As one of the best, as fierce as a dragon in a pinch
   • As a clever thief who has robbed many dragons

   Gandalf calls him an excitable little fellow but one of the best, and the narrator jokes that this is only poetical exaggeration.

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6. 6

   Question 6. Why can Smaug not use the secret door shown on Thror's map?

   • It lies on the far side of the Long Lake, out of his reach
   • Correct answer: It is far too small for a dragon of his size to creep through
   • The dwarves sealed it shut long ago with a powerful spell
   • It opens only for a dwarf of Thror's line who carries the key

   The runes say the door is five feet high, and Gandalf says Smaug could not creep into a hole that size even as a young dragon.

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7. 7

   Question 7. According to Gandalf, how did Thorin's grandfather Thror die?

   • He died as a prisoner in the dungeons of the Necromancer
   • He was burned by Smaug while defending the Front Gate
   • He drowned in the River Running while fleeing toward Dale
   • Correct answer: He was killed in the mines of Moria by Azog the Goblin

   Gandalf reminds Thorin that Thror was killed in the mines of Moria by Azog the Goblin; it was Thrain who became the Necromancer's prisoner.

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8. 8

   Question 8. When Bilbo asks about risks, expenses and remuneration, what does he really want to know?

   • Correct answer: What he will get out of it and whether he will come back alive
   • Whether the dwarves will let him bring his own pipe and tobacco
   • How many days the journey will keep him away from home
   • Whether Gandalf will travel with them all the way to the end

   The narrator translates Bilbo's business talk into two plain questions: what is in it for him, and will he survive?

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9. 9

   Question 9. Which of these events actually happen in Chapter 1?

   • Gandalf bangs on the door with his staff and knocks out the secret mark he made.

     Happened

     Gandalf bangs on the door with his stick, and the narrator says he also knocked out the secret mark he had put there the morning before.

   • Thorin is the first dwarf to arrive and introduces the others to Bilbo.

     Didn't happen

     Dwalin is the first dwarf to arrive; Thorin comes last, with Gandalf, who is the one who introduces him along with Bifur, Bofur and Bombur.

   • Bilbo sees a flame leap up in the wood beyond The Water and thinks of dragons.

     Happened

     While the dwarves sing, Bilbo sees a flame leap up in the wood beyond The Water and thinks of plundering dragons setting his quiet Hill on fire.

   • Gandalf tells Thorin the dwarves should first take revenge on the Necromancer.

     Didn't happen

     It is Thorin who says they must give a thought to the Necromancer, and Gandalf calls that absurd, since the Necromancer is far beyond the powers of all the dwarves.

   • Thorin hangs the key on a chain that he wears around his neck.

     Happened

     Thorin fastens the silver key upon a fine chain that hangs about his neck and under his jacket.

   • Bilbo locks his door and refuses to let the last group of dwarves inside.

     Didn't happen

     Bilbo pulls the door open with a jerk, and the last four dwarves fall in on top of one another, with Gandalf behind them.

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10. 10

    Question 10. What does 'depredations' mean in the phrase 'the depredations of dragons'?

    • Rare and very costly jewels
    • Correct answer: Acts of attacking and robbing
    • Long and peaceful winter sleeps
    • Old songs, tales and legends

    Depredations are acts of plunder and destruction, which is exactly what the dwarves fear from dragons.

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11. 11

    Question 11. What does 'obstinately' mean in 'said he obstinately, putting on his business manner'?

    • Correct answer: Stubbornly, refusing to give way
    • Sleepily and slowly, with a yawn
    • Quietly and shyly, almost in a whisper
    • Cheerfully and loudly, with a laugh

    Bilbo stubbornly insists on hearing everything plain and clear, even after Thorin says it has all been explained.

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12. 12

    Question 12. What does 'estimable' mean when Thorin speaks of 'the estimable Mr. Baggins'?

    • Easy to count or measure
    • Hard to please or satisfy
    • Fond of food and drink
    • Correct answer: Worthy of great respect

    Estimable means deserving respect; Thorin's grand compliment is part of his long-winded, formal style.

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