Practice Questions for the Magician's Nephew

Magician's Nephew Questions for Battle of the Books

Chapter 1

1.       What is Polly's last name? Plummer

2.       What is the relationship between uncle Andrew and aunt Letty?  They are brother and sister

3.       What part of Mr. Ketterly's face does Digory consider awful?  His eyes.

4.       What beverage had Polly often drunk in her “smuggler's cave”? Ginger beer

5.       Why do Digory and Polly want to explore the house past Digory's by their connected attics? The house had been empty a long time.

6.       In which season does the story begin? Summer

7.       What colour was the wooden tray that held the rings? Red

8.       What did Digory's uncle do first when he noticed the children in his study?  He locked the door

9.       Why did Polly say she had to leave?  It was near dinnertime.

10.   What noise does Polly notice when she gets near the rings?  A humming sound.

Chapter 2

1.       How did Digory react when Polly vanished?  He screamed.

2.       Who was the woman in the faded photograph?  Old Mrs. Le Fay

3.       What kind of blood did Uncle Andrew say his godmother had? Fairy blood.

4.       What was the origin of the box Uncle Andrew had been given?  It was from the lost land of Atlantis.

5.       What was in this mysterious box?  Dust.

6.       What kind of pet had Digory had when he was younger?  A guinea pig.

7.       Why did Uncle Andrew use gloves when handling the rings?  They worked only if you had skin contact with them OR Uncle Andrew did not want to go to the “other worlds”

8.       Where did Digory keep the two green rings? In his right pocket.

9.       Why does Digory hesitate to put on the yellow ring at the last second?  He is worried about his mother.

10.   Why did Uncle Andrew unlock the door to his study?  To show Digory that he could choose to leave Polly in “other world”

Chapter 3

1.       What colour was the light when Digory came up from the pool?  A soft green.

2.       How many pools were there in the wood between the worlds? Dozens

3.       Why were the woods so quiet?  There were no birds or bugs and no wind.

4.       Digory later described the place to be “rich as what”?  Plum cake

5.       Why does it take Digory and Polly so long to make a plan of what to do next?  They don't remember how they got where they are.

6.       Why do they decide to leave the guinea pig in the woods?  It seems happy there OR they are afraid of what Uncle Andrew would do to it.

7.       What did Digory become when he grew up? A professor.

8.       Who would should “change” when they were to change their rings?  Polly

9.       How did Digory mark the pool that would take them back home?  He cut out a long piece of turf (sod) along the edge of the pool.

10.   What colour ring did they need when entering a pool? Green.

Chapter 4

1.       What kind of light was there in Charn?  Dull red

2.       Why did the children decide to be quiet?  They were afraid that noise would make the old buildings collapse.

3.       What were the two huge doors made of? Metal, possibly gold

4.       What was odd about the clothes of the “frozen” people in the room?  They were colourful and had not rotted away.

5.       What were 2 things about the last female figure?  Any 2 of: tall, beautiful, proud, and fierce.

6.       From what did the bell hang? A golden arch.

7.       Why does Digory ring the bell?  He thinks he will go mad wondering what would have happened if he didn't.

8.       How did Digory hurt Polly? He grabbed her wrist

9.       What happened to the sound of the bell?  It got louder instead of softer

10.   When did it all go quiet? After ¼ of the roof caved in.

Chapter 5

1.       What does Polly find irritating about the queen?  She pays attention only to Digory.

2.       Why do the children hold the queen's hands?  She leads them out of the hall before it all breaks up.

3.       Besides the sun, what was in the sky of Charn? One big star

4.       What is the queen's name? Jadis

5.       Who does she blame for the ruin of Charn? Her sister

6.       What happened when Jadis spoke the deplorable word?  All except herself were destroyed.

7.       What is the queen's plan after leaving Charn?  To go to the children's world and rule it.

8.       Why don't the children put on their rings and leave her behind?  They can't reach their rings discretely

9.       What does Jadis mean when she says “Minions”? Slaves or followers who do her bidding

10.   What does Jadis think about magicians?  They must be of royal blood.

Chapter 6

1.       When Polly says, “Let go”, what does she mean?  The queen is pulling her hair.

2.       To what sea creature is Uncle Andrew compared when he is put beside the witch/queen?  A shrimp

3.       What is Digory most afraid of, having the witch in his house?  That she will go into his mother's room and scare her to death.

4.       What had the witch ordered Uncle Andrew to get for her?  Transportation fit for royalty

5.       What did Uncle Andrew do after leaving his study?  He went to his bedroom to have a drink.

6.       Where did Uncle Andrew get the flower for his buttonhole?  From a vase in his room

7.       Why did he look in the mirror?  To see how he looked in his best clothes.

8.       How much money did Uncle Andrew want to borrow from his sister?  5 pounds

9.       What was Aunt Letty mending near the window?  A mattress

10.   How long had Uncle Andrew and Aunt Letty lived in the same house? 30 years.

Chapter 7

1.       Where did Aunt Letty think the witch had come from? The circus.

2.       What is the word used in the story for a horse and cart? A hansom

3.       What was the housemaid's name? Sarah

4.       What was Digory's plan to get rid of the witch?  Touch her when he put on his yellow ring to take her to the woods between the worlds.

5.       Where was he watching for Uncle Andrew and the witch's return?  At the bow window in the dining room.

6.       How did Polly's mother understand her wet shoes and socks?  She thought Polly and Digory had been puddle jumping in a park without permission.

7.       What kind of fruit had someone brought for Digory's mother? Grapes

8.       What did the hansom crash into? A lamp post

9.       What was Jadis using the long knife for?  To cut the horse free from the wreck of the hansom

10.   What is special about Strawberry?  His father was an officer's horse in the Cavalry.

Chapter 8

1.       Who did the witch hit with the iron bar of the lamppost?  A police man

2.       What body part of the witch did Digory finally grab hold of?  Her ankle or heel

3.       What was Strawberry doing at the pool?  Having a drink of water

4.       Who knew that the pool they entered was an empty world?  The witch.

5.       What did the cab driver sing?  A hymn (about the harvest)

6.       What happened to the sky while the unknown voice was singing?  It filled with stars and planets

7.       What happened when you saw the singer?  You forgot everything else.

8.       What would Uncle Andrew have done to the lion?  He would have shot it

9.       How did Digory stop the queen from grabbing his rings?  He threatened to leave without them

10.   Why did the Cabby say “'Old your noise everyone”? He wanted to hear more of the lion's song

Chapter 9

1.       Who does Uncle Andrew claim the witch had robbed in London?  A jeweler

2.       How did Uncle Andrew pay for lunch?  He pawned his watch and chain.

3.       What happened when the witch threw the iron bar at the Lion's head?  It glanced off and fell in the grass.  It didn't appear to affect him at all.

4.       Where did the witch hide? Among the trees

5.       What happened to the bar of the lamppost?  A new lamp post grew out of the ground where it had fallen

6.       What is one of Uncle Andrew's plans to exploit this new world? Make a health resort OR “grow” metal manufactured goods OR a park to go hunting in

7.       What did Digory want to ask the lion? If there was something here that could help his mother.

8.       How did the animals arrive in this world?  They came up out of the ground

9.       How did the lion choose certain beasts to become talking beasts?  He touched his nose to theirs.

10.   What is unusual about the lion's eyes?  They never blink.

Chapter 10

1.       What colour does the cabby want to be stricken when Strawberry first speaks? Pink

2.       Which creature was the first joke? The jackdaw

3.       When Aslan mentions “an evil” in Narnia, what do the animals think he said? A neevil

4.       What did the rabbit think the humans were at first? A large lettuce

5.       What does Strawberry remember about the ground in London? No grass, only hard stones

6.       What does Strawberry call humans? Two leggers

7.       Among which flowers was Uncle Andrew hiding? Rhododendrons

8.       When Aslan sang, what did Uncle Andrew hear it as? Roaring

9.       What kind of race could Uncle Andrew have won when fleeing from the animals?  A 100 yard race at school

10.   What question does the Bulldog ask Uncle Andrew? “Are you animal, vegetable, or mineral?”

Chapter 11

1.       What did Uncle Andrew call the Bulldog?  Good doggie.

2.       What fell out of Uncle Andrew's pocket? Coins

3.       Why do the animals dig a hole for Uncle Andrew?  They think he is a tree that needs planting.

4.       Digory is called “son of ______” by Aslan? Adam

5.       What did Digory say about Polly's role in bringing the witch to Narnia?  It wasn't her fault.

6.       Where had the Cabman and his wife grown up?  In the country (i.e. not city)

7.       What was on the hands of the Cabman's wife? Soap suds

8.       What does Aslan declare the Cabman and his wife to become?  The first king and queen of Narnia.

9.       How does the cabman say “education”?  Eddycation

10.   What other country will the descendents of King Frank and Queen Helen rule over? Archenland

Chapter 12

1.       What did Digory see in Aslan's eyes?  Large tears.

2.       How could Digory right his wrong?  Get a seed for a tree that would protect Narnia from the witch.

3.       What is the boundary of Narnia the children should watch for? A waterfall.

4.       What does Strawberry's name change to when he becomes a winged horse? Fledge

5.       Why does Polly not like history?  To her it is all battles and dates

6.       What do Polly and Digory eat for supper when they take a rest with Fledge?  Toffees from Polly's pocket.

7.       What do they do with the 9^th toffee?  They plant it in the ground.

8.       Where were they to find the apple for Aslan? From a garden on a hill

9.       How do they keep warm at night? Under Fledge's wings

10.   What disturbs them when they are trying to fall asleep? A sound and suspicion that something is nearby

Chapter 13

1.       What do the toffee fruits taste like? Soft and juicy

2.       Besides green, what colour are the leaves of the trees inside the wall? Blue and silver

3.       How many lines of poetry are written on the garden's gates? 4

4.       Which pocket did Digory put the apple in? His breast pocket

5.       What kind of creature was at the top of the tree?  A colourful bird.

6.       What does the witch call the fruit? Apple of life OR Apple of youth

7.       How did the witch get in and out of the garden?  She climbed over the wall.

8.       What does the witch tell Digory to do with the apple?  Bring it to his mother OR eat it himself.

9.       What was the witch's fatal mistake in speaking with Digory?  Suggesting he leave without Polly

10.   What direction did Fledge fly to return to Narnia?  East

Chapter 14

1.       What was the two-word blessing Aslan gave Digory after receiving the apple from him?  Well done

2.       What had the donkey collected to feed Mr. Ketterly?  Thistles

3.       What name did the creatures give to their pet human? Brandy

4.       How was Mr. Ketterly brought before Aslan? He was carried by the elephant's trunk

5.       How did gold “grow” in Narnia?  From the coins that fell out of Uncle Andrew's pocket

6.       Who made the crowns for King Frank and Queen Helen?  The dwarves

7.       What direction from Narnia was the witch living?  North

8.       What about the silver apple tree will keep the witch away from Narnia?  Its smell

9.       Who does Aslan call “Daughter of Eve”? Polly

10.   Why did Aslan give Digory one of the silver apples?  So he could take it to heal his mother

Chapter 15

1.       What happened to the pool that had taken them to Charn, when Aslan takes them to the woods again?  It was just a grassy hollow now.

2.       What was Aslan's command about the rings?  Gather and bury them all.

3.       When they returned to their own world, why does Digory say “Great Scott”?  He realizes no time has passed in London since they left it.

4.       Where did Uncle Andrew go after staying in his bedroom a long time?  The bathroom

5.       What effect did the apple have on the room when Digory took it out of his pocket?  It made everything else seem pale compared to its brightness.

6.       How did Digory feed the apple to his mother?  He peeled and cut it up

7.       What was Digory's mother's first name? Mabel

8.       From where did Digory's father return when his mother was well? India

9.       What part of Narnia was called Lantern Waste?  The forested area around the lamp post

10.   What was built out of the wood from the Narnian tree?  A wardrobe.