The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

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

CHAPTERS 1-4

Reading Check

1. Why do the siblings plan to explore the house?

2. What comforts Lucy as she climbs into the wardrobe?

3. Who has plunged Narnia into an endless winter?

Short Answer

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

1. Why do the siblings go to stay in the countryside?

2. How do Peter, Edmund, and Susan react when Lucy first tells them about Narnia?

3. What does the White Witch ask of Edmund?

Paired Resource

“Meet C.S. Lewis”

• This resource from the C. S. Lewis Institute provides background to C. S. Lewis’s life, work, and influences.
• The context for Lewis’s spiritual and religious journey connects to the theme of The Significance of Love, Sacrifice, and Redemption.
• What part of C. S. Lewis’s life might have influenced his work? What historical, literary, or religious influences would he have experienced, and what connections do you see between those influences and what we’ve read so far?

CHAPTERS 5-8

Reading Check

1. What do the children borrow from the wardrobe?

2. What does Mr. Beaver show Lucy to prove his friendship?

3. Who is Aslan?

Short Answer

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

1. Why does the Professor’s reaction to Susan and Peter’s concern about Lucy surprise them?

2. How do all four siblings first end up in the wardrobe?

3. Why does Peter make Lucy the leader when they first arrive in Narnia?

Paired Resource

“The Lion the Witch, and the Wardrobe” (2005)

• Movie trailer for the 2005 adaptation of C. S. Lewis’s novel
• Shared themes include The Journey to Adulthood, The Dangers of Gluttony and Sin, and The Significance of Love, Sacrifice, and Redemption.
• What similarities and differences can you already see in the film trailer between the novel and the movie? Why might directors, writers, and producers make these changes?

CHAPTERS 9-11

Reading Check

1. What kind of animal is Maugrim?

2. Where do Susan, Peter, Lucy, and the Beavers go to meet Aslan?

3. Name a gift that one of the siblings receives from Father Christmas.

Short Answer

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

1. Why is the White Witch initially upset with Edmund?

2. What does Father Christmas’s presence signify?

3. Why does the White Witch’s sledge begin to have difficulty sliding?

CHAPTERS 12-14

Reading Check

1. What is Cair Paravel?

2. What is Peter’s new title after Aslan knights him?

3. What does the witch transform herself and her servant into to avoid capture?

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 children look at Aslan initially?

2. Why does the White Witch decide to kill Edmund?

3. What is the agreement that the White Witch and Aslan come to?

Paired Resource

“The Lion King: C.S. Lewis’ Narnia Isn’t Simply a Christian Allegory”

• This article from Slate unpacks The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe as a Christian allegory and argues that religion is critical to the novel.
• Shared themes include Love, Sacrifice, and Redemption and The Dangers of Gluttony and Sin in its discussion of Christian allegory and religious symbolism.
• What role do you think religion plays in this novel? Do you agree with this article’s argument? Why or why not?

CHAPTERS 15-17

Reading Check

1. What happens to the Stone Table?

2. How does Aslan revive the petrified creatures?

3. Who saves Edmund?

Short Answer

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

1. How is Aslan able to come back to life?

2. What does Edmund do in the battle with the White Witch that makes her defeat possible?

3. How do the children end up returning home?

Paired Resource

“Remember”

• A poem by Joy Harjo touching on memories, history, and beginnings
• Shared themes include The Journey to Adulthood.
• “Remember” on SuperSummary
• How does this poem connect to Peter, Susan, Lucy, and Edmund’s journey? What memories might they mention if they were to hear this poem?

Recommended Next Reads 

Exit West by Mohsin Hamid

• A novel detailing the refugee experience that also incorporates magical realism
• Theme connections include The Significance of Love, Sacrifice, and Redemption.
• Shared topics include magic and fleeing from wartime and violence.
• Exit West on SuperSummary

Prince Caspian by C. S. Lewis

• A novel that follows The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and explores further adventures in Narnia
• Shared themes include The Significance of Love, Sacrifice, and Redemption.
• Prince Caspian on SuperSummary