City of Ember Question Guide
City of Ember Question Guide
City of Ember Question Guide
A Novel Study
Student Packet
Name:______________ Period:____
VOCABULARY
Vocabulary for The City of Ember
Vocabulary #1 Activities
Place the letter of the definition next to the vocabulary word.
6. vague ____ f. A sudden violent change in the earth’s surface, ruin, disaster
9. egress ____ i. Raise or haul up with the help of a mechanical apparatus, lift
11. vicious ____ k. A path or opening for going out, an exit, door outlet
14. catastrophe ____ n. Sneak, lie in wait, hang about, creep around
Egress: Hoist:
Vocabulary for The City of Ember
Vocabulary #1 Activities
Use the vocabulary words to fill in the blanks in the sentences below.
2. He pulled himself upward, pushed again-he was higher now than Lina had been-
but suddenly his hands slid and he came __________ down. Page 20
3. She __________ recalled the incident of the light pole. Page 112
4. The door of the Gathering Hall opened, and the mayor came out, __________ by
two guards. Page 86
5. Nothing about this __________ is certain. There may be no one left in the city by
then or no safe place for them to come back to." Page 2
6. On the wall, clothes hung from hooks, and more clothes were __________ untidily
on the floor. Page 122
9. ‘It means 'the way out'. It means 'the exit'. The title of this document is
'Instruction for __________'." Pages 170-171
10. Every day a team of people __________ sorted through the trash heaps in search
of anything that might be at all useful. Page 58
12. In Selverton Square, he saw a _________ where the poster with his and Lina's
names on it had been pinned up. Page 227
13. Lina laughed, _________ her up, and danced with her around the shop. Page 23
14. What kind of place can this be, safe from earthly __________? Page 261
Vocabulary for The City of Ember
Vocabulary #2 Activities
Place the letter of the definition next to the vocabulary word.
labyrinth: chasm:
Vocabulary for The City of Ember
Vocabulary #2 Activities
Use the vocabulary words to fill in the blanks in the sentences below.
3. The book came _______________ to the ground after accidentally being pushed
out the window.
6. The deep _______________ tones of the organ bounced off the walls of the
church, filling the building with its sound.
8. If I put the old furniture out at the curb, it won’t be long before ______________
come to take it away.
9. I couldn’t sleep because there was a ______________ party going on in the next
apartment.
10.The boat kept bouncing up and down and side by side as it sailed through the
_______________ waters.
13.After running around in circles, the dog was _______________ in the rope used
to tie him to the tree.
15. After she awoke from surgery, she was speaking _______________. .
Vocabulary for The City of Ember
Vocabulary #3 Activities
Place the letter of the definition next to the vocabulary word.
ignite
Vocabulary for The City of Ember
Vocabulary #3 Activities
Use the vocabulary words to fill in the blanks in the sentences below.
2. The elderly couple was _______________ across the park on a beautiful spring afternoon.
3. My wallet has one _______________ for bills and another for coins.
5. You should wear _______________ boots if you plan a long hike in the woods.
9. Knocking down the vase was an _______________ result of playing ball in the house.
11. The police will make sure that the crowd does not get _______________.
12. Because it was not popular, that car model was _______________.
14. The spark from the campfire _______________ the dry leaves.
Vocabulary for The City of Ember
Vocabulary #4 Activities
Place the letter of the definition next to the vocabulary word.
Catastrophe Refugees
Vocabulary for The City of Ember
Vocabulary #4 Activities
Use the vocabulary words to fill in the blanks in the sentences below.
1. According to the legend, Arthur removed the sword that was _______________ in the stone.
2. Once you _______________ the code, you will be able to read the message.
4. Advertisers use clever _______________ so that you will remember to buy their products.
6. The girl’s skin was _______________ with small red marks from the measles.
7. When the singer failed to appear on stage, the crowd showed their _______________ by clapping and
stomping their feet.
10. The Great Plains of the United States is a huge _______________ of land.
13. The _______________ fled their country, looking for a better life.
14. The students actions were _______________, so they had to talk to the Assistant Principal
Vocabulary for The City of Ember
Vocabulary #5 Activities
Place the letter of the definition next to the vocabulary word.
Engraged: Abundance:
The City of Ember
Analogies
meddle marched standstill
Read each sentence. Determine the meaning of slowly inheritor insignificant
the bold word. Next look at the analogy below
the sentence. Decide how the first two words gloomily calm proceed
are related. In this exercise the first two words separate rejected pity
will be either antonyms (opposites) or
synonyms (words with similar meanings). Next easygoing rapid push
choose a word from the word box to complete
each analogy. If the first two words are
antonyms you will look in the word box for an
antonym of the bold word. Likewise, if the first
two words are synonyms you will look for a
synonym of the bold word in the word box.
Example: When she grew old, and her time as mayor was up, she explained about the box to her
successor, who also kept the secret carefully, as did the next mayor.
1. As they came to a halt in the middle of the street or stood stock-still in their houses,
afraid to move in their utter blackness, they were reminded of something they preferred
not to think about: that someday the lights of the city might go out and never come back
on.
2. Both the girl and the boy were making urgent wishes.
3. Again his eyes moved back and forth along the rows of students, and again he nodded, as
if someone had confirmed what he'd said.
4. The mayor held out the bag with one hand and put the other behind his back, as if to show
he would not interfere.
5. Besides, she had reached the point where the suspense was giving her a stomach ache.
6. Lina hesitated a moment, then put her hand inside and fingered the bits of paper.
8. A swift underground river ran through the Pipeworks, and every now and then someone
fell into it and was lost.
9. Lina stared miserably down at a letter B someone had scratched into her desktop long
ago.
10. Then he stalked back to his desk and flung himself down.
11. He held up a stern finger as he said this and moved his eyes slowly from one face to the
next.
12. Lina stood on the steps for a moment and gazed across Harken Square, where people
walked briskly, bundled up cozily in their coats and scarves, or talked to one another in
the pools of light beneath the great streetlamps.
1. How did the builders of Ember make sure that the instructions would not be seen for two hundred and
twenty years?
2. How did the builders plan to keep the box safe and secret?
5. Why does the mayor come to the classroom on the last day of school?
6. Why is Lina disappointed when she picks “Pipeworks Laborer” as her job?
9. Why is no one in Ember sure of the hour, day of the week, or year?
11. After the city was built how long would it be before the people could leave?
12. What is the name of the ‘square,’ where the Gathering Hall was located?
15. What did the chief guard suggest as a punishment for Lina?
16. What are the two main problems in the city of Ember?
The City of Ember
1. How does working as a Pipeworks laborer convince Doon that the city is in even worse shape than he
had suspected?
2. Why is Doon’s first look at the generator disappointing to him? From the store?
4. Why does Lina ask Mrs. Murdo to check up on her grandmother during the day?
5. Why does the newly named job of trash sifter cause Lina to worry?
8. Why does Lina have trouble finding Poppy after she wanders away from the store?
11. Why do the people show anger toward the mayor at the town meeting?
12. What makes Lina think that the box from the closet contains something important?
14. Why don’t Captain Fleery and the other Believers worry about the state of the city of Ember?
15. What strategy do most of the people in ember use to cope with the shortages and blackouts?
16. Who did Lina write a letter to about the document she found?
The City of Ember
Chapter 5
Compass Directions: Using the map of
Ember find the following location:
river
greenhouses
school
unknown regions
The information from page 43 will help you. "Doon knew he was standing beneath the north edge
of Ember. In school, you were taught to remember the directions this way: north was the
direction of the river; south was the direction of the greenhouses; east was the direction of the
school; and west was the direction left over, having nothing in particular to mark it."
Using the map of Ember follow the directions in Chapter 5 to track Lina's Path. Begin by finding
Lina's home. Look at the legend and find the symbol that represents Lina's apartment. Circle
Lina's home.
So that afternoon she set out for Night Street. (Which direction is Lina going to go from
her apartment if she is heading for Night Street?)
On Budloe Street, people were standing in long line with their bundles of laundry at the
washing station. (Trace Lina's path from her home to Budloe Street.)
Lina turned up Hafter Street, where the four streetlamps were still out... ((Lina turned up
Hafter Street, so she must be going north.)
But as she went into Otterwill Street, she saw something that made her slow down. A man
was standing on the steps of the Gathering Hall, shouting and howling... (Continue tracing
Lina's trip going north on Hafter towards Otterwill.)
She headed towards Night Street, which ran along Greengate Square. (Which direction will
Lina turn on Otterwill if she is heading towards Night Street?)
Two blocks beyond, she came to a store that had no sign in its window. (Since Lina is
going two blocks beyond Night Street she must have followed it to the end of Night Street.
Trace this with your pencil.)
Lina recognized him. He was the one who'd given her the message for the mayor on her
very first day of work. His name was Hooper-no, Looper, that was it. (Find Looper's Shop
and trace the next stage of Lina's journey.)
She turned to go, and that was when she saw that the baby was no longer in the store.
She darted into the street and looked in both directions.
Maybe down toward Greengate Square, where there were more people walking around.
She began to run.
Then suddenly her hand touched empty air. This would be Dedlock Street.
Lina ran toward Greengate Square... (Lina leaves Looper's Shop and heads towards
Greengate Square. Which way is she going on Dedlock Street?)
On the Bee Street side of the square stood a few people....Lina ran up to them and asked
her question. (Find Bee Street. Trace the shortest path from Dedlock to Bee Street.)
and through the door came someone leading Poppy by the hand. Who was with Poppy?
City of Ember Map
The City of Ember
Chapter 7 A Message Full of Holes
Coding
Can you solve these puzzles? Hyphens (dashes) are used to give the location of missing letters.
(Example: w-rd - word) Asterisks (stars) mean that any number of unknown letters belong in the
missing space. (*zzle - puzzle)
_____________________________________________________________________
2. Gra*y found the m*ng b-x.
_____________________________________________________________________
3. Doon is wo*g in the Pip*ks.
_____________________________________________________________________
4. P-ppy wan*d off du*g the bl*out.
_____________________________________________________________________
5. D*n fou-d P*y.
_____________________________________________________________________
6. Li-a l*es being a m*er.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
The City of Ember
5. Why are Lina and Doon disappointed during their after-hours visit to the Pipeworks?
6. Why does Granny call Lina into her room in the middle of the night?
7. In what ways does Mrs. Murdo show she is “somewhere between a friend and a relative” to Lina?
8. How has life in Ember changed since the seven-minute power outage?
9. Why does Lizzie try to avoid Lina when they see one another on the street
10. Why does Lina refuse to accept Lizzie’s offer of more food in the future?
12. Why did Lina think the piece of paper came from the Builders?
13. According to the mayor what was the worst possible thing people could do?
Chapters 8 -9
Determining Fact and Opinion - Some of the following sentences are statements of fact. Some are
statements of opinion. In the blank before each sentence, write the letter F if that sentence is a statement of
fact. Write O if that sentence is a statement of opinion.
Example:
1. Once you got good at using your wrenches and brushes and tubes of glue, it wasn't
___________ hard.
4. His sudden motion made the creature fall off his arm to the ground, and Doon felt a
___________ crunch beneath his foot.
6. The walls of both rooms were lined with shelves, and on most of the shelves were
___________ hundreds of packets of pages.
7. Sometimes you could find useful things just by choosing randomly from the shelves.
___________
8. To Lina, this sounded far less interesting than an undiscovered city, but she didn't
___________ say so.
11. It was cold down in the tunnel, a cold that she felt all the way through, cold flesh,
___________ cold blood, cold bones.
12. Lina thought it would be grand to stand before all of Ember, announcing their
___________ discovery.
The City of Ember
1. What does Doon discover when he opens the door to the locked room in Tunnel 351?
2. Why is it getting harder for people in Ember to put the problem of failing electricity out of their minds?
3. How does Doon’s information about the store room relate to Looper?
6. In what ways does Clary give Lina new hope about the instructions?
7. Why does Doon have trouble sleeping after spending the evening with Lina?
8. How do Doon and Lina discover movable lights to guide them on their path?
10. Why does Doon put off telling his father about the way out of Ember?
11. Why does Nammy Proggs direct the guards to the trash heaps?
15. Who does Doon and Lina write a letter to, to tell her about the Builder’s letter?
17. When did Lina and Doon plan to tell everyone in the city about what they found?
19. What did they find in the unlocked room while they used the candle as a light?
20. Who did Doon find in the pipeworks room and what was around him?
The City of Ember
Chapter 12 A Dreadful Discovery
Chapter 13 Deciphering the Message
Cause and Effect:
To determine a cause, ask "What is the reason?" To determine an effect, ask "What is the result?"
Match the causes and effects below. Write the number of the cause in front of its effect.
Cause Effect
1. The key was left in the lock. _________ Lizzie and Looper have extra supplies.
3. Looper works in the storerooms. _________ Lina and Poppy moved in with Mrs.
Murdo.
4. Doon told Lina that the mayor _________ Doon discovered a storage room full of
was stealing from the people of crates and boxes, sacks and bundles and
Ember. packages.
5. There had been five blackouts in _________ Lina and Doon went to the guards.
a row during the week.
6. Doon kept thinking about all that _________ Lina learned the title of the document
Lina had told him about the was "Instructions for Egress."
document.
7. Doon traced his exploration of the _________ Protestors paced back and forth carrying
Pipeworks in his mind to help him signs at Harken Square.
get to sleep.
8. Mayor Cole promised the people of _________ Lina had more messages to carry than
Ember that he had solutions for ever.
the power outages.
9. Clary went to Lina's room at Mrs. _________ Doon was unable to sleep and woke up
Murdo's home to see the his father.
document.
10. People were afraid to come out of _________ Doon remembered the rocks with writing
their homes. that bordered the river.
The City of Ember
1. Why didn’t Lina set her escape plan in motion immediately upon devising it
with Doon?
3. How does Lina know that Doon is on his way to the river?
7. Why did Doon light candles and brought them along on the boat?
12.How did Lina’s lapse of memory create a problem for the citizens of Ember?
13.Why do the children think that their arrival has been expected?
14.What amazes the children most when they observe the landscape beyond
the tunnel?
16.Why did the builders tell the first residents of Ember to bring no books or
photographs and say nothing ever again about their former world?
17.What do Lina and Doon conclude as they observe Ember from the Cliff?
18. Why do Lina and Doon drop their message to Clary down to Ember?
The City of Ember
Chapters 16 & 17
Classifying Words
In each group of words below, one word does not belong with the others. Read all four words in
each group. Decide which word doesn't belong and cross it out.
Example:
Mayor does not belong because he is a single person. The rest are plural.
Study the two different meanings of each word in the boxes. Then read the sentences. Complete
each sentence by writing one word from the selection in the boxes. You will use each word twice.
A narrow Aa usually
piece of wooden
wood coated implement To move
on one end Relatively having a through
with a hard, blade at one water by
compound naturally To move end or means of
One that is
that ignites formed back and sometimes repeated
exactly like match rock paddle
when mineral or forth or from at both short strokes
another
scratched petrified side to side ends, used of the limbs
against a matter; without an
rough or stone oarlock to
chemically propel a
treated canoe or
surface small boat
Having a
Being below horizontal A tone of A brief
Confined by Determined;
the correct flat surface definite note informal bound
bonds; tied resolved
pitch without a pitch letter
slope
The part of
Idiom -
a body of
black as Any shape
liquid or gas A flow of To become
To plunge pitch that is
pitch that has a current electric lodged or wedge
headlong (meaning triangular in
continuous charge jammed.
total cross section
onward
darkness)
movement
1. He touched the ________________ to the candle, and the light grew steadier.
2. In the complete darkness the boat started to ________________ , rock, and roll.
3. And then at last the __________________ slowed, and the boat stopped thrashing about
so wildly.
4. All the boats were an exact ________________ of each other.
5. Doon found a ________________ rock to set out the food he had brought with him for
the journey.
6. The seats in the boat were ________________ -shaped.
7. Lina and Doon had planned to announce their discovery at the Singing after the
last __________________ was sung.
8. When the candles blew out Lina, Doon, and Poppy were in the ________________
darkness.
9. Doon was amazed that he had a light that didn't need the electric __________________
created by the generator.
10. Lina said, "We are ________________ to find the way out soon."
11. The boat began to pitch and ________________ with the current.
12. They found places to __________________ all three candles into the frame of the boat,
so they could keep their hands free.
13. Using a __________________ to poke against the walls, Doon guided the boat around the
edge of the pool.
14. His voice sounded __________________ in this closed-in place.
15. The packet was wrapped in slippery, greenish material and __________________ up with
a strap.
16. Poppy stuck her hands into the water and started to __________________ .
17. They sat on the __________________ for a while, eating the food Doon had brought.
18. Lina reached in her pocket and pulled out the __________________ she had written.