The Hobbit, Chapter 12: Inside Information quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. When Bilbo agrees to go into the tunnel first, he quotes his father: 'third time pays for all.' What does he mean?

   • Correct answer: A third risk may make up for the two before; he won't refuse
   • He expects the dwarves to pay him three times the usual fee
   • He believes the third tunnel they try will reach the treasure
   • He thinks bad luck always comes in threes on any journey

   Bilbo says he has already got the dwarves out of two messes, so he is owed a reward, but he will not refuse this third task.

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2. 2

   Question 2. What does Smaug do right after he discovers that the cup is missing?

   • He crawls up the secret tunnel after the thief
   • He counts the whole hoard to see what else is gone
   • Correct answer: He bursts out of the Front Gate to hunt the whole mountain
   • He pretends to sleep and waits for the thief's return

   After thrusting his head at the little hole in vain, he rushes out through the Front Gate and settles on the mountain-top, hunting the thief.

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3. 3

   Question 3. On Bilbo's second visit, how does Smaug know a visitor is there even though Bilbo wears the ring?

   • He hears the dwarves whispering at the tunnel's top
   • Correct answer: He can smell him, feel his air and hear his breath
   • He sees the ring glinting in the red light of his eyes
   • The old thrush flies down to warn him a thief is near

   Smaug says, 'I smell you and I feel your air,' and adds that he hears Bilbo's breath; Bilbo had forgotten, or never heard, about dragons' sense of smell.

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4. 4

   Question 4. What leads Smaug to suspect that the men of the lake are behind the theft?

   • A boat from Lake-town he spots tied up down by the river
   • The smell of fish and lake water on the stolen cup's rim
   • A bow and arrows left behind by the men on the doorstep
   • Correct answer: His riddle name Barrel-rider, plus the ponies and camps

   Smaug pieces together Bilbo's riddles, the ponies and the camps; Bilbo later wishes he had never said Barrel-rider.

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5. 5

   Question 5. Why do the dwarves at first put off shutting the secret door?

   • Thorin wants to keep watch on the valley for elves
   • Correct answer: No one knows if it can be opened again from inside
   • The door is too heavy to move without their ponies
   • They are waiting for Bombur and Bofur to climb up

   Shutting it seemed desperate, since the only other way out led through the dragon's lair, and indeed no keyhole is left on the inside.

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6. 6

   Question 6. According to Thorin, why should Bilbo leave the old thrush alone?

   • It is Gandalf's messenger and will carry word of them to him
   • It belongs to Beorn, who sent it to keep watch over the company
   • Correct answer: It may be one of an ancient breed whose speech Dale's Men knew
   • It may be a spy of the dragon's, and harming it would anger him

   Thorin says the thrushes are good and friendly; the Men of Dale knew their language and used them as messengers.

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7. 7

   Question 7. Where is Smaug heading at the very end of the chapter?

   • Correct answer: South towards the Running River, seeking his vengeance
   • North to the Grey Mountains to gather other dragons
   • East along the mountain to find the dwarves' camp
   • Down into his hall to sleep and guard the hoard

   Believing the Lake-men helped the thief, he vows they will remember who is the real King under the Mountain and flies south.

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8. 8

   Question 8. What does Bilbo's choice to keep walking toward the snoring in the tunnel show about courage?

   • Courage comes easily once you have a magic ring
   • Courage means fighting enemies openly in battle
   • Courage matters only when friends are watching
   • Correct answer: Courage means a private choice to go on despite fear

   The narrator says going on was the bravest thing he ever did; he fought the real battle alone in the tunnel, before seeing the danger.

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9. 9

   Question 9. Which of these events actually happen in Chapter 12?

   • Balin picks Bilbo up and carries him out into the open air after the first trip.

     Happened

     Balin was overjoyed to see the hobbit again, and he picked Bilbo up and carried him out into the open air.

   • Smaug wakes while Bilbo is beside the hoard and chases him up the tunnel the first time.

     Didn't happen

     The dragon did not wake while Bilbo was in the hall; he only stirred a wing and changed his snoring, and he woke later and missed the cup.

   • Bilbo tells Smaug his real name so as not to anger him with a refusal.

     Didn't happen

     Bilbo never gave his proper name; he talked in riddles instead, which avoids both telling his name and angering the dragon with a flat refusal.

   • Thorin kicks away the stone that has been wedging the door open.

     Happened

     When Bilbo begged them to shut the door, Thorin got up and kicked away the stone that wedged it, and the door closed with a snap.

   • Fili and Kili eagerly volunteer to go all the way down with Bilbo.

     Didn't happen

     Fili and Kili looked uncomfortable and stood on one leg; only old Balin offered to come inside and perhaps a bit of the way.

   • The dwarves doctor Bilbo's scorches after his second visit.

     Happened

     When Bilbo fell in a faint on the doorstep, the dwarves revived him and doctored his scorches as well as they could.

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10. 10

    Question 10. What does 'grievous' mean as used in: 'he was in grievous danger of coming under the dragon-spell'?

    • Sad and tearful
    • Hidden or secret
    • Slight and only passing
    • Correct answer: Very serious or severe

    Grievous means very serious; Bilbo is close to revealing himself under the spell of Smaug's talk.

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11. 11

    Question 11. What does 'antiquated' mean as used in: 'Your information is antiquated'?

    • Rude and insulting
    • Correct answer: Out of date
    • Exactly correct
    • Secret and hidden

    Antiquated means old-fashioned or out of date; Smaug claims the old idea that dragons are soft underneath does not apply to him.

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12. 12

    Question 12. What does 'wily' mean as used in: 'He had a wicked and a wily heart'?

    • Kind but rather foolish
    • Proud but honest
    • Correct answer: Crafty and cunning
    • Slow and sleepy

    Wily means clever at tricking others; Smaug's guesses about the dwarves' plans are not far out.

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