The Hunger Games Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1 Comprehension Questions

1. Describe the narrator. What is her family situation?

2. Describe District 12 and the Seam.

3. What happened to “father”?

4. Why don’t most people have weapons like Katniss’s bow? 5. Who is Gale?

6. What is the Hob?

7. How does the reaping system work?

8. Is the reaping system fair?

9. What is a tesserae?

10. What are the Hunger Games?

Chapter 2 Comprehension Questions

1. What is the protocol for volunteering?

2. What does silence at the reaping mean?

3. What does three middle fingers to the mouth and then held out mean?

4. Who is the male tribute and how does Katniss know him? What is ironic about his selection?

5. What is Katniss’s mother’s mental state? How has it affected Katniss?

6. What was the significance of the dandelion?

Chapter 3 Comprehension Questions

1. What happens after the anthem?

2. What instructions does Katniss give her family?

3. What type of competitors will she face?

4. Gale states to Katniss that the Hunger Games are “just hunting.” What does he mean and does Katniss agree? Do you agree?

5. Why is Katniss so concerned about her appearance, first on the stage and then in front of the reporters?

6. Where is the Capitol located? Where is District 12 located?

7. What is a mockingjay bird? Why does it make Katniss think of her father?

8. Describe Effie’s reaction to Katniss and Peeta’s table manners.

9. How are District 12’s actions at the reaping described by the TV commentators?

10. What role will Haymitch play at the Hunger Games?

Chapter 4 Comprehension Questions

1. Why does Katniss perceive Peeta’s kindness as a threat?

2. Why did Katniss put up a “wall” between her and her mother?

3. Why does Katniss detest Haymitch?

4. What deal does Haymitch make with the Tributes?

5. What are Haymitch’s first words of advice?

Chapter 5 Comprehension Questions

1. How does Katniss describe the Capitol accent? In the “real world,” what do we think of people who talk like that?

2. What happened to Katniss at the Remake Center? Consider the meaning and “real world” connections of the following quotes: “You almost look like a human being now.” & Katniss describes the stylists as “dyed, stenciled, and surgically altered.”

3. Why do new comers like Cinna get assigned District 12?

4. Compare and contrast the hunter/gatherer lifestyle of Katniss in District 12 with that of the people in the Capitol.

5. Describe the traditional District 12 costumes and how this year is different.

6. How does the crowd react to the Tributes? 7. Describe the interaction between Peeta and Katniss.

Chapter 6 Comprehension Questions

1. Why is Effie Trinket still with Peeta and Katniss?

2. How does Katniss feel about Effie’s description about the “barbarism of your district” (p. 74)?

3. Describe Katniss’s quarters.

4. What is an Avox? What penalty is levied on them?

5. What does Haymitch think of Peeta and Katniss holding hands?

6. How is Katniss in Peeta’s debt again?

7. How did Katniss know the Avox? Compare and contrast the incident with the red head girl with the Hunger Games.

Chapter 7 Comprehension Questions

1. What does Katniss think of the “twins” act?

2. Why would meeting the other Tributes make Katniss sick to her stomach?

3. What is Peeta’s assessment of Katniss’s skill with a bow? How does Katniss react?

4. What do you think Peeta means by “she has no idea the effect she can have” (p. 91)? 5. What advice does Haymitch share with Peeta and Katniss?

6. What does Haymitch demand of the District 12 Tributes in public?

7. What is Katniss’s initial assessment of how she stands versus the other Tributes?

8. What skills do they learn in training?

9. Who are the Gamemakers? How did Katniss’s private session go?

10. Who is their “shadow”?

Chapter 8 Comprehension Questions

1. What does Katniss believe will be the consequences of her actions in her private audition with the Gamemakers?

2. What is the significance of the score given to each tribute? What is Peeta and Katniss’s score?

3. How did Katniss meet Gale? How did they become a team?

4. What role does Gale serve for Katniss? How does that compare/contrast with Peeta? 5. What change in plans does Haymitch announce to Katniss?

Chapter 9 Comprehension Questions

1. Describe Katniss’s conflicted emotions about Peeta.

2. What is Effie working with Katniss on? What is Haymitch working with Katniss on?

3. What is the point of the interview? Why is Katniss having so much trouble with it?

4. What understanding does Katniss reach with the red headed avox?

5. What is Katniss’s costume for the interview?

6. How are age and appearance norms different in the Capitol?

7. How does Katniss’s interview go?

8. What bombshell does Peeta drop in his interview?

Chapter 10 Comprehension Questions

1. What effect has Peeta’s comments had on the crowd?

2. How did the plan develop? What is Haymitch’s perspective?

3. What is the condition of Peeta’s hands?

4. Why do the games start at 10 am?

5. What is Haymitch’s final arena advice?

6. Why is it important to Peeta that he “dies himself”? What is meant by “purity of self” (p. 141-142)?

7. Who is Titus? How did cannibalism play with the audience of the Capitol (p. 143)?

8. What happened to the arenas after the Games?

Chapter 11 Comprehension Questions

1. What is the Cornucopia?

2. What does Katniss see in the Cornucopia that she feels is meant for her?

3. Describe the opening moments of the Games. 4. How many died the first day and how many are left? 5. What woke Katniss up the first night? What happened to the tribute responsible for waking Katniss up?

Chapter 12 Comprehension Questions

1. What is Peeta’s physical condition? Describe Katniss’s feelings for him at this moment. 2. Why has Peeta been kept alive by the Career Tributes?

3. Why/How is Katniss playing the cameras?

4. What thought angers Katniss (p. 167)?

5. Where does Katniss find water?

6. How does the chapter conclude?

Chapter 13 Comprehension Questions

1. Whom does Katniss believe to have started the fire?

2. What is the new twist in the game?

3. What is ironic about Katniss’s injury?

4. What is the state of Katniss’s gear?

5. What does Katniss realize from the top of the tree? What surprising thing does she do?

6. Describe the night’s encounter with the Career Tributes.

7. Who is in the tree with Katniss?

Chapter 14 Comprehension Questions

1. What is different about the wasps found in the Hunger Games?

2. What was the first gift from Katniss’s sponsors by way of Haymitch?

3. How does Katniss disperse the Career Tributes? What was the result? What item does she acquire?

4. What is happening to Katniss? What does she realize before she blacks out?

Chapter 15 Comprehension Questions

1. What state is Katniss in when the poison works its way out of her system?

2. How do the weapons give Katniss an entirely new perspective on the Games?

3. What is the new alliance? Why does Katniss want to form this alliance?

4. Why are citizens not allowed to eat crops in District 11?

5. Why does Katniss think that her conversation with Rue will be blocked?

6. How many nights did Katniss miss? How many Tributes are left?

7. What has happened to Peeta?

8. What do you think Katniss’s plan is?

Chapter 16 Comprehension Questions

1. What is the level of trust between Katniss and Rue?

2. Why is food such an important key? What advantage does Katniss and Rue have?

3. What has happened to Peeta?

4. What has “Foxface” done? What did she avoid?

5. How does Katniss destroy the supplies?

Chapter 17 Comprehension Questions

1. What are the effects of the explosion?

2. What happened to the boy from District 3? How many Tributes are left?

3. Why doesn’t Katniss want to make and ally of “Foxface”?

Chapter 18 Comprehension Questions

1. Whom does Katniss blame for Rue’s death?

2. Why does Katniss decorate Rue’s body with wild flowers?

3. Has Katniss’s opinion of killing changed?

4. Where has the sponsor’s gift come from? Why?

5. What does Katniss realize about her “first kill” (p. 243)?

6. What new rule is announced to the Tributes?

Chapter 19 Comprehension Questions

1. What does Katniss perceive as the consequence of not allying with Peeta?

2. What does Katniss realize about Peeta’s actions so far in the Games?

3. Who are the only others to benefit from the Games rule change?

4. What are Peeta’s injuries? How has he kept alive?

5. What “first” does Katniss have?

6. What message is Haymitch trying to send via the sponsor’s gift of broth?

Chapter 20 Comprehension Questions

1. What is the status of Peeta’s leg wound?

2. Why does Katniss change the story of how she acquired Prim’s goat?

3. How can a goat change your life in District 12?

4. What was Claudius Templesmith’s message? What is there in addition to the feast to facilitate the Tributes’ attendance?

5. What is in the newest parachute? What is Peeta’s reaction when he realizes what it is?

Chapter 21 Comprehension Questions

1. What is Katniss’s prediction as she readies herself?

2. How are the Gamemakers affecting the Games?

3. What does a feast in the Games mean for District 12?

4. What are Katniss’s thoughts on Gale?

5. What is on the table of the Cornucopia? Who is first to the table?

6. Who saves Katniss from Clove? Why?

7. What was in the District 12 backpack?

Chapter 22 Comprehension Questions

1. What is the physical condition of Peeta and Katniss?

2. Why have the Gamemakers sent the thunderstorm?

3. What is Katniss’s opinion of Thresh?

4. What does Katniss say in a moment of weakness?

5. Where is Thresh?

6. What does Katniss realize about Peeta, both practically and emotionally?

7. What are the origins of Peeta’s crush on Katniss?

8. What was the tangible benefit of their conversation in the cave?

Chapter 23 Comprehension Questions

1. Initially, why do Katniss and Peeta ration the food from the sponsors?

2. What is Haymitch going through in the control room?

3. How do they suppose that Haymitch won the Games?

4. What could be the roots of Haymitch’s drinking? What does this mean for Katniss?

5. Which Tribute has died during the thunderstorm?

6. What thoughts does Katniss have for the future?

7. What unforeseen problems does the partnership of Katniss and Peeta cause?

8. Who dies at the conclusion of this chapter? Whom does Katniss think killed the Tribute?

Chapter 24 Comprehension Questions

1. How did “Foxface” die?

2. What does Katniss think of Cato’s state of mind? How does she have a better understanding of him than she thought?

3. How have the Gamemakers changed the Game? Why?

4. What is Cato wearing? Why is he running?

Chapter 25 Comprehension Questions

1. What is chasing after the final three Tributes?

2. What about the dogs makes Katniss especially uneasy?

3. What does Cato say to Katniss that makes her pause?

4. How is Cato knocked off the Cornucopia?

5. Why is Cato kept alive by the dogs? How does he die? How does Katniss feel about this?

6. Why do the Games not end immediately after Cato’s death?

7. What is Katniss’s plan? What happens next? Why do you suppose the Games end this way?

Chapter 26 Comprehension Questions

1. What does Katniss realize as she watches the doctors operate on Peeta?

2. Why is everyone keeping their distance from Katniss?

3. Where is Katniss taken when they enter the training center?

4. Why is there a delay between the Games and the presentation of the victor?

5. Who is missing from the team reunion? Why?

6. How does Katniss react to the prep team?

7. What did the Gamemakers want to do to Katniss? What was the compromise?

8. How has Cinna presented Katniss?

9. What new dangers face Katniss in the Capitol?

10. What is the significance of the following statement: “But the Hunger Games are their weapon and you are not supposed to be able to defeat it” (p358)?

Chapter 27 Comprehension Questions

1. What was the reason for Cinna’s choice of dress for Katniss?

2. Describe the reunion of Peeta and Katniss.

3. Who will watch the highlights show?

4. What power do the people who select the highlights possess?

5. What was omitted from the highlights?

6. What is Katniss’s best survival moment of the night?

7. Who is the instigator to be punished? Why?

8. What has happened to Peeta’s leg?

9. What is the significance of the berries moment?

10. When will Peeta and Katniss see Portia and Cinna again?

11. On the train, what is the significance of Katniss washing off her makeup and changing her hair and clothes?

12. What do the pink and white flowers given by Peeta remind Katniss of?

13. What does Peeta realize about Katniss’s actions during the Hunger Games (p. 372-374)?