Crispin Reading Guide
Answer the following questions on separate, lined paper.
Pre-reading
1. What do you already know about the life of a serf on a feudal manor?
2. What do you already know about the role of the church in medieval life?
Part one: chapters 1-15 (Due date
)
1. Was Asta respected in the village? Give two details from the text to support your answer.
2. Who is John Aycliffe? What is his job?
3. What does Aycliffe demand of Asta’s son?
4. Who does Asta’s son see in the forest? What happens?
5. Create a chart like the one below, and fill it in with details we learn in chapter 3 about the
setting and main character in Crispin. You need at least three details in each column.
Setting
Main character
6. What does Asta’s son see when he tries to return to the village?
7. What “two things” do serfs get from their lords in exchange for their service?
8. What is Asta’s son accused of doing?
9. Why do Matthew and Luke speak in such low voices?
10. What is a wolf’s head?
11. What is Father Quinel’s advice to Asta’s son?
12. What does Crispin learn about his mother? Why would that have been kept a secret?
13. What do you think of Crispin so far? Give at least two adjectives to describe him, each
supported with evidence from the book.
14. What does Crispin see that makes him want to stay alive?
15. What is unusual about the village Crispin comes upon? What does he realize happened to the
people of the village?
Part two: chapters 16-30 (Due date
)
For each response, cite the page/s where you got the information to support your answer.
1.
Using the information in Chapter 16, describe Bear. Use at least one quote from the text. Be
sure to cite properly.
2. Explain why Crispin has to serve Bear.
3. What does Bear do to earn money and food?
4. What are the two natures of Bear?
5. Bear does not want to be called “sir.” Why do you think this is true?
6. What did Bear do before he became a mummer?
7. What does Crispin learn about Lord Furnival in Chapter 22?
8. What does Crispin begin to realize about Bear in Chapters 22 and 23? Give two examples to
support your answer.
9. Why do you think Aycliffe is trying to find and capture Crispin? Give two examples to
support your thinking. (Chapter 25)
10. Why is it significant that Crispin’s mother could read?
11. What does Crispin make Bear promise?
Part three: chapters 31 – 44 (Due date
)
1. Why do people move aside and stare at Bear when he walks by them?
2. What makes Crispin want to swoon?
3. What is the Green Man tavern like? Provide a quote from the book, using proper citation.
4. What important person has died? When?
5. What does Crispin observe about Lady Furnival?
6. Why can’t Crispin follow the walls of the city?
7.
Why do the soldiers close the gates?
8. What does Crispin do when Bear finds him?
9. Who comes to the inn to see Bear?
10. What does John Ball talk with Bear about? Why does he want England to change?
11.Why does the Widow Daventry give Crispin a job in the kitchen?
What were some of his tasks?
12. On page 223, Bear says to Crispin, “Crispin, for one so unwilling to see the world when we first
met, perhaps you notice too much now.” What does Bear mean by this?
13. How does Crispin know that the one-eyed man is after Bear?
Part four: chapters 45-end (Due date
)
1. Where is Bear taken? Why?
2. What is Widow Daventry’s advice to Crispin? Do you agree with her?
3. What is written on the cross of lead?
4. Why didn’t Bear tell Crispin what the cross said?
5. What does Crispin mean on p. 252 when he says that Bear “was a thousandfold more a faithful
father to me”?
6. When Aycliffe confronts Crispin, what agreement do the two make?
7. What happens at the city gates?
8. What happens to the cross of lead in the end? Is this the right thing, in your opinion? Explain.
9. How does Crispin feel at the end of the book, and why? Use a quote from the text to support
your answer.
10. How did Crispin change throughout the book?