The Hunger Games, Chapter 1 quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. What gift does Prim leave on the table for Katniss on reaping day?

   • Correct answer: A small goat cheese wrapped in basil leaves
   • A ribbon for tying back her long braid
   • A note begging her to stay out of the woods today
   • A cup of milk from her goat, Lady

   Prim leaves a perfect little goat cheese wrapped in basil leaves under a wooden bowl, and Katniss and Gale later share it with their bread.

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2. 2

   Question 2. Why do most Peacekeepers turn a blind eye to the few people who hunt in the woods?

   • They are paid by the mayor to leave the Seam alone
   • They believe the fence keeps every hunter inside
   • They are afraid of the predators that live past the fence
   • Correct answer: They are hungry for fresh meat and buy it themselves

   Katniss says the Peacekeepers are as hungry for fresh meat as anybody, which makes them among the hunters' best customers.

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3. 3

   Question 3. Why could Katniss's father never sell the bows he made?

   • Bows were worth too little to pay for the weeks of work they took
   • Only Peacekeepers were allowed to own any kind of weapon
   • Correct answer: Arming the Seam could get him executed for inciting a rebellion
   • He needed every one of them to teach Katniss how to hunt

   Officials would have seen bows in the Seam as arming the district, a crime he would have been publicly executed for.

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4. 4

   Question 4. Why does Katniss say she feels jealous when girls at school whisper about Gale?

   • She secretly hopes to marry him herself someday
   • Correct answer: Good hunting partners are hard to find
   • She thinks those girls are spreading lies about him
   • She wants the girls to notice her the same way

   Katniss insists the jealousy is not romantic: she would hate to lose a hunting partner, because good ones are hard to find.

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5. 5

   Question 5. Which of these events happen during Katniss and Gale's morning before the reaping?

   • Katniss slips under a loose stretch of the fence to reach the woods.

     Happened

     Katniss flattens out on her belly and slides under a two-foot stretch of the fence that has been loose for years.

   • Greasy Sae refuses to trade with them because it is reaping day.

     Didn't happen

     Greasy Sae does trade with them, taking half the greens in exchange for a couple of chunks of paraffin.

   • Katniss and Gale sell half their strawberries at the mayor's back door.

     Happened

     They sell half the strawberries at the mayor's back door, because he is fond of them and can afford their price.

   • A Peacekeeper stops Gale on the way back from the woods.

     Didn't happen

     No Peacekeeper stops them; Katniss and Gale walk back toward the Seam in silence.

   • Madge wishes Katniss good luck as she pays for the berries.

     Happened

     Madge puts the money for the berries in Katniss's hand and says, "Good luck, Katniss."

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6. 6

   Question 6. What on Madge's reaping dress catches Gale's eye just before he snaps at her?

   • A blue sash like the one Katniss's mother once wore
   • Correct answer: A circular gold pin worth bread for a family for months
   • A silver badge marking her as the mayor's daughter
   • A lace collar in the latest style from the Capitol

   Gale notices a small, circular pin of real gold that could keep a family in bread for months, a sign of how little Madge has to fear.

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7. 7

   Question 7. Why is Prim about as safe as anyone can be at her first reaping?

   • The officials draw only the names of the oldest children first
   • Her mother paid the officials a fee to keep her name out of the ball
   • Children from merchant families are excused from their first year
   • Correct answer: Her name is entered only once because Katniss forbade her tesserae

   Prim is entered just once, the minimum, because Katniss would not let her take out any tesserae.

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8. 8

   Question 8. Why does Mayor Undersee look distressed when Haymitch staggers onto the stage?

   • Haymitch has threatened to tell the Capitol about the hunters
   • Effie Trinket has said she will leave the stage in protest
   • Correct answer: The reaping is televised, so District 12 is now a laughingstock
   • Haymitch has interrupted him in the middle of reading the rules

   Because the reaping is broadcast across Panem, a drunk victor makes the district look ridiculous, and the mayor knows it.

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9. 9

   Question 9. Which of these events happen at home and in the square before the girl's name is read?

   • Katniss's mother braids Katniss's hair up on her head.

     Happened

     Her mother towel-dries Katniss's hair and braids it up on her head.

   • The family eats the bakery bread and strawberries before leaving for the square.

     Didn't happen

     The family saves the strawberries and bakery bread for the evening and eats rough bread made from the tessera grain instead.

   • Mayor Undersee reads the history of Panem from the podium.

     Happened

     At two o'clock the mayor steps up to the podium and tells the history of Panem.

   • Effie Trinket draws a name from the boys' ball first.

     Didn't happen

     Effie Trinket says "Ladies first!" and draws from the girls' ball.

   • Haymitch Abernathy staggers onto the stage drunk.

     Happened

     Haymitch, drunk and hollering, staggers onto the stage and falls into the third chair.

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10. 10

    Question 10. What does 'verve' mean as used in: "I finish with equal verve" (after Katniss completes Gale's mocking imitation of the Capitol slogan)?

    • Correct answer: Energy and enthusiasm
    • Quiet sadness
    • A mocking Capitol accent
    • Careless hurry

    Verve means lively energy; Katniss matches Gale's exaggerated cheer as they mock the Capitol slogan.

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11. 11

    Question 11. What does 'preposterous' mean as used in: "The idea is so preposterous."?

    • Correct answer: Absurd and unreasonable
    • Sudden and unexpected
    • Clever but risky
    • Dangerous and illegal

    Preposterous means absurd; to Katniss, running away and abandoning their families makes no sense at all.

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12. 12

    Question 12. What does 'obliterated' mean as used in: "Twelve were defeated, the thirteenth obliterated"?

    • Left without a leader
    • Correct answer: Destroyed completely
    • Cut off from trade
    • Forced to surrender

    Obliterated means wiped out entirely; the Capitol did not just defeat District 13 but destroyed it.

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