Name:
Section:
1
Chapters 1-2 (pp. 1-15)
Vocabulary
1. Prediction (2)
2. Glint (2)
3. Vengeance (7)
4. Convict (13)
5. Silhouetted (15)
Comprehension Questions
1. Who is talking at the beginning of each chapter? Why is the type in different print?
2. Ender thinks, “Sometimes lies were more dependable than the truth.” Why does he think
this? (2)
3. Ender returns to class and confuses Stilson with Peter. What does this reveal about Ender’s
present state? (4)
4. Although he knows it’s forbidden to strike someone who’s already on the ground, Ender kicks
Stilson. Why? What does that say about Ender’s character? (7)
5. Government observers want to see how Ender will react to his brother, not what his angry
brother will do to him. Why? (9)
6. Does Ender believe Peter when he says the threat to kill him and Valentine was a joke? (12-14)
7. Twice Ender cries. What do these tears say about Ender? (8, 15)
2
Chapters 3-4 (pp. 16-36)
Vocabulary
1. Juvenile (17)
2. Taunted (18)
3. Requisitions (20)
4. Motivation (20)
5. Ambiguous (22)
6. Disorientation (28)
7. Significance (30)
8. Bluntly (35)
Comprehension Questions
1. Graff says it isn’t the fight that earned Ender an invitation to enter Battle School, it was why
he fought as he did. Why is this important? (19-20)
2. Ender’s family dynamics are very complicated. Do his parents want him to stay home or not?
Do his brother and sister want him to go? (21-23)
3. Why does Graff single Ender out and make the other boys dislike him? (27-28, 32, 35)
4. After the boy is hurt, Ender feels terrible. What does this say about his character? (33)
5. Why doesn’t Graff admit to Ender what he tells Anderson: “The kids wrong. I am his friend”?
(36)
3
Chapters 5-6 (pp. 37-65)
Vocabulary
1. Tactical (42)
2. Compassion (43)
3. Mercilessly (46)
4. Martyr (48)
5. Inadequate (48)
6. Contempt (49)
7. Ambitious (49)
8. Sullen (51)
Comprehension Question
1. Think about Ender’s gratitude to Peter (45). Will Peter’s lessons be important to Ender in the
future? Why or why not?
2. Observing is one way that Ender learns the older boy’s holographic game. How does he
convince the boy to play a second game after Ender is defeated in the first game? Use a direct
quote from the text. (47)
3. On an impulse, Ender goes to Alai in the battleroom. Why does Alai’s reaction to Ender make
the difference in the class bonding together? How does Ender’s idea to include Bernard and
Shen help the bonding process? (58-61)
4. Who would you vote for as launch leader? Why do you think Alai was elected? What do you
think is Ender’s reaction? (61-62)
4
Chapter 7 (pp. 66-96)
Vocabulary
1.
Insubstantial (71)
2. Grossly (75)
3. Obscurity (76)
4. Perception (77)
5. Maneuvers (79)
6. Deliberately (82)
7. Efficiency (91)
Comprehension Questions
1.
The author does not use dialogue tags in the discussions between Graff and other military officials.
Rarely does the author let one address the other by name. Yet it’s easy to understand who is speaking.
How does the author accomplish this?
2. Why does Ender feel Alai has given him a sacred gift? What was the “memory of holiness” his mother
gave him and why does it affect him the way it does? (69-70)
3. Ender’s game at the playground turns vicious. Do you think the children/wolves are symbols of the
new army he will join or a fight against the buggers? Explain your answer. (71-73)
4. Why did Ender obey orders in battle and disobey them the next time? (90-92)
5. What is the difference between Bonzo’s “hot” anger and Enders “cold” anger? How do people with
these types of anger behave? (87)
6. Ender doesn’t respect Bonzo’s leadership style. What does he observe that works and doesn’t work?
(77, 86-87, 91)
5
Chapter 8 (Pages 97-119)
Vocabulary
1. Comparative (97)
2. Consequences (98)
3. Methodically (107)
4. Confiscated (109)
5. Ridiculed (113)
6. Haphazardly (113)
7. Entangled (116)
Comprehension Questions
1. Dink tells Ender that a commander has only as much power as his followers give him. Do you
agree or disagree with Dink’s statement? Why or why not?
2. Ender takes Rose’s suicide order and makes the most out of it. What does he do? What does
this say about Ender’s character?
3. Ender does not agree with Dink that the buggers are not real. Why does he think this?
4. Why does Ender’s younger group have an advantage over the older boys in the fight? What
does this say about Ender’s leadership skills?
6
Chapter 9 (pp. 120-153)
Vocabulary
1. Flattery (124)
2. Detected (126)
3. Fundamental (126)
4. Alliances (126)
5. Empathize (127)
6. Prestige (135)
7. Domination (145)
Comprehension Questions
1. How is the Battle School computer more intelligent than the men in charge of the school?
2. What does Peter mean by his statement, “The world is always a democracy in times of flux,
and the man with the best voice will win”(p.131)?
3. Peter says that he doesn’t hate his siblings, but he just has to have control. Valentine feels she
has control over Peter. Ender feels despair because he is not control of his life. Why is control
so important to each of these characters? (131, 133,151)
4. Why does Valentine feel as if she’s “sold” Ender? (153)
7
Chapter 10 (pp. 154-172)
Vocabulary
1. Divisive (167)
2. Improvise (168)
3. Breached (171)
4. Insubstantial (171)
Comprehension Questions
1. Major Anderson and Colonel Graff decide there is a good side to Ender’s early promotion.
Their words include “privacy,” “isolation,” and “loneliness of power.” Do you think these are
good for Ender? Why or why not? (155)
2. Ender wants to be a good commander, yet he makes some choices that he thinks he shouldn’t
have during practice. What does he do right and what does he do wrong? (158-165)
3. Ender reacts with force when Bean questions his honesty. Why? What does this say about
Ender’s character? (166)
4. Is Ender being honest with Alai when he tells him he was not holding anything back during
their practices? Why or why not? (170)
5. Ender thinks he is only what he remembers. What does he mean? (171)
8
Chapter 11 (pp. 173-199)
Vocabulary
1. Potential (175)
2. Tedious (176)
3. Despised (187)
Comprehension Questions
1. What has happened to politics on Earth and who might be responsible? Why? (174)
2. Think about Ender as a leader. Compare the way he talks to his army versus an individual. Do
you believe this is effective? Why or why not? (181)
3. Carn Carby is gracious in defeat, and Ender admires this. He add Carn to his list of human
beings. Who else do you think is on Ender’s list? Pick two choices and support your answer.
(184)
4. Why does Ender ask Bean to train five soldiers? (198)
9
Chapter 12 (pp. 200-226)
Vocabulary
1. Coincidence (204)
2. Assurance (206)
3. Acknowledge (219)
4. Facilities (225)
Comprehension Questions
1. Why does Graff think Ender must believe there will never be any help for him? What does
this say about Graff’s character? (202)
2. Dragon Army has fought every day for more than four weeks. How is the army reacting to this
constant stress? (203-204)
3. Ender realizes that Bonzo wants others to know he is in control. What does this say about
Bonzo’s charater? (210)
4. Ender sees Bean as both a man and a child. What evidence does the author give to portray
this? (220)
5. Why does Ender believe he fought dishonorably against Bonzo? (209-212, 222)
10
Chapter 13 (pp. 227-254)
Vocabulary
1. Pacific (228)
2. Correspondence (229)
3. Hostile (229)
4. Diplomatically (229)
Comprehension Questions
1. Why does Graff recommend the identities of Locke and Demosthenes not be revealed? (227229)
2. Why does Valentine sometimes feel ashamed of what she’s writing? (229)
3. Valentine wonders if it’s possible to assume another identity and not become that person. Do
you think it’s possible? Why or why not? (231)
4. Compare and contrast the personalities of Valentine and Ender. What holds them together?
(234-241)
5. Why does Valentine believe jealousy is what has made the Wiggin children feel different from
each other? (236)
6. Why does Ender hate himself? (238)
7. Why does Ender want Peter to love him? (242)
11
Chapter 14 (pp. 255-304)
Vocabulary
1. Feinting (275)
2. Vigorous (278)
3. Installations (280)
4. Morale (284)
Comprehension Questions
1.
Ender practices with the simulator for a year before he is given squadron leaders to command. Why is
he given this time to practice? (259-260)
2. When Mazer is ready to walk out of Ender’s room, Ender attacks him. Why? What does this say about
Ender’s character? Is this what the I.F. is looking for? (264)
3. Mazer tells Ender that humans have the advantage of having a person who is capable of making
decisions inside their warships. Do you think this eliminates the importance of a commander? Why or
why not? (271)
4. Why does Ender have nightmares? (282-283)
5. On the day of the final exam, Ender is not locked in his room. He is free, but he goes to the simulation
room anyway. Why did the adults let him free on the final day? (289)
6. Ender doesn’t tell his squadron leaders about the final exam. The adults don’t tell ender the truth
about the final exam. Why not? (291, 298)
7. Why does Ender have a physical and emotional break down after the bugger war? (293, 296-301)
8. What will happen to the children now? Make a logical prediction.
12
Chapter 15 (pp. 305-324)
Vocabulary
1. Prosecution (305)
2. Anticipated (320)
Comprehension Questions
1. The final chapter starts with a conversation between Graff and Anderson, but it is not in bold
print like the beginnings of the other chapters. Why? (304-308)
2. Why does it not occur to people that Ender could be as good at peace as he was at war? (309)
3. Why does Ender go to the new colony? What does this say about Ender’s character? (314)
4. What type of government replaced Ender as governor? What is Ender’s new position? Will he
be good at it? Why or why not? (315)
5. What does the “Speaker for the Dead” do after a person dies? (322-323)
6. Will Ender find a place for the bugger Queen to live in peace? Explain your prediction.
13
Reading Activities
Chapters 3-4 Activities
• Language arts: Make a list of figurative language from the novel and tell what it is an example
of. Example- “the giant fingers of gravity” = personification (10 examples, can use any
chapters in text)
• Language arts: Pretend you are Peter or Valentine and write a letter to Ender on the day that
he is taken to Battle school. (1 page, friendly-letter format)
Chapters 5-6 Activity Choices:
• Language arts: Draw a detailed and colorful picture of what you believe Ender’s Free Play
game looks like.
• Science: Read about gravity and make a chart of the gravity fields in outer space and on each
planet in the solar system.
Chapter 7 Activity
• Math: Construct an imaginary efficiency chart (pp.91-92) for four characters using shooting,
elimination, and disabled records. Calculate the percentages and include them on the chart.
Chapter 8 Activities
• Science: Research null gravity. How does it differ from the gravity of the different planets in
the solar system? (See Mrs. Peters for a guide to complete this activity).
• Language arts: Pretend you are Ender and write a letter home to Valentine. What questions
would you ask her? What would you tell her about your new life? Would you tell her that she
is the reason you went to Battle School? (1 page, friendly letter format)
Chapter 9 Activities
• Research: Find statistics on the number of authors who use or have used a pseudonym in their
writing. Discuss the effectiveness of this literary tool. (1 page, works cited, evidence in text)
• Art: Make a detailed illustration of how you think Locke and Demosthenes would look if they
were real people. (Must be detailed, in color, no pencil marks.)
Chapter 10 Activity
• Language arts: Pretend you are Ender. Write an evaluation of Bean’s success as a soldier. (1
page, correct tone, format as an evaluation).
Chapter 11 Activity
• Research: Research the origin of the chapter title. Write a brief research report discussing the
information you found and how it relates to the novel (3/4 page, works cited, direct quotes)
Chapter 13 Activity
• Art: Make a collage of Valentine, depicting her conflicting emotions while she is talking to
Ender at the lake house. Write a summary that describes and explains your artwork. (1/2
page summary, colorful and creative collage)
Chapter 14 Activities
• Language arts: Write a press release about the final battle. (1 page, correct format and tone)
• Science: Study a map of the universe. Determine where you think Eros would be on the map
and label it next to the name of the galaxy. Explain your reasoning. (1/2 page explain, map)
Chapter 15 Activity
• Language arts: Write a speech for a deceased person that you would deliver as a “Speaker for
the Dead.” (1 page)
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