Comprehension Questions Star Wars: The Force Awakens

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS for

A JUNIOR NOVEL by

Michael Kogge Based on the screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan & J.J. Abrams

Rey: “Is that even possible?”

“I never ask a question until after I’ve done it.”

- Han Solo The Force Awakens p.92

This work was created for educational purposes only as a comprehension companion guide for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, A Junior Novel by Michael Kogge Based on the screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan & J.J. Abrams

This EnglishCaddy™ Document was created by Gregg Robert Salters and is available for free through ENGLISHCADDY PUBLICATIONS Strasbourg, France 2016

Comprehension Questions for Star Wars: The Force Awakens by Michael Kogge by Gregg R. Salters is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. . To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/.

To obtain copies of this document visit www.EnglishCaddy.org/forceawakens.htm

The February 2016 Disney ď‚ž Lucasfilm Press Star Wars: The Force Awakens, A Junior Novel (ISBN: 978-14870488-2) was used as reference in the creation of this comprehension companion and can be purchased at http://books.disney.com or at most major booksellers.

Image Credit: W.R. van Hage

A HE R O’ S J OU R N EY Not so long ago and in our very own galaxy, George Lucas brought forth an adventure that would weave itself into the fabric of popular culture and everyday life. So much so, that today it would be very hard to find someone that has not heard of Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Jabba the Hutt, Chewbacca or Princess Leia. Even iconic lines, like “May the Force be with you.” or “No, I am your father.” are common in the vocabulary of old and young alike.

But why is such a simple film released almost 40 years ago had such a lasting success?

In The Making of Star Wars which aired on September 16, 1977 narrator William Conrad said: “The magic of Star Wars does not lie only in its brilliant special effects. Its power derives from something simpler and rarer – the romantic spirit which moves in it. Before it we are all young again and everything is possible.”

– Richard Schickel, The Making of Star Wars, September 16, 1977, 20th Century Fox Television.

While this is true, there is a lot more behind Star Wars than meets the eye..

Why study Star Wars?

It’s about us. The formula used in creating the original film and more recently The Force Awakens, very closely follows that which Joseph Campbell illustrated in his book The Hero of a Thousand Faces; the Hero’s Journey. The Hero’s Journey is a narrative pattern that has been seen almost consistently in successful story telling since the beginning of the genre.

We begin with the hero in his familiar surroundings, yet haunted with a longing for something more. Through the various events that follow, our hero is transported into a strange and different world where they are tested and must rely on their own abilities to confront, overcome and/or defeat that which threatens the status quo of the hero’s world. In defeat or in victory, our hero becomes a new person. A changed person, affected by the challenges faced and skills gained along the narrative. Never is our hero the same at the end as they were in the beginning. While our hero’s adventures might appear much more dramatic than adventures we would encounter in our very own lives, they really aren’t that far off. Our ability as humans to empathize, only allows us to better relate to the dreams, and challenges of our hero.

Simply leaving the comfort of our beds in the morning only to spend the day solving problems, overcoming challenges and hoping to make things a little better than the day before, is the very spirit of the Hero’s Journey, albeit less glamorous.

In watching our hero we ask ourselves, “What would I do in if I were in their place?” Maybe we would do things the same, maybe differently. Both being valid, we expand our knowledge along with our hero by putting ourselves in their place.

So in examining and studying Luke, Rey, Bilbo, Harry Potter, Katniss Everdeen and others we are actually studying and examining ourselves.

How to proceed: Simply read each chapter in the book for as thorough an understanding as possible (paying special attention to vocabulary, expressions, slang and grammar along the way.) Then once you’ve completed the chapter answer the corresponding questions in the book. Answering the questions should be easy, but if you find questions that are difficult, simply go back to that chapter and reread wherever necessary so that you can easily respond to the question. All answers are in the book and the page numbers at the end of each question.

You may write your responses in this booklet, or you may want to copy them into your own notebook. There are many blank writing journals available for sale ranging from simple to fancy.

The most important!

The most important thing is to enjoy what you read. If you are intrigued by.

For more information visit www.englishcaddy.org/forceawakens.htm

Table of Contents Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Epilogue

2 3 4 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 10 11 13 14 15 16 17 18 18 19 20 21 21

List of Main Characters: Luke Skywalker Leia Organa Han Solo Chewbacca Rey Finn Poe Dameron Kylo Ren BB-8 Maz Canata R2 D2 C3 PO Snoke General Hux

Comprehension Questions for Star Wars: The Force Awakens

By Michael Kogge

Prologue 1. What is said about things that grow old? (p.1)

2. What are the differences in the Old Republic and the Empire? (pp. 1-2) The Old Republic

The Empire

Arts: Free Speech: Jedi Knights: The Senate: Xx: 3. What became of the Empire? (p. 2)

4. What replaced the Empire? (pp. 2-6)

5. What replaced the Rebellion? (pp. 2-3)

Vocabulary: Flourish (p.1)

Foresight (p.1) Plunder (p.2)

2

Comprehension Questions for Star Wars: The Force Awakens

By Michael Kogge

Chapter 1 1. What is the Finalizer’s most powerful asset as a warship? (p.4)

2. What are the improvements made to the stormtrooper armor since the fall of the Empire?

What has remained the same? (p. 5)

3. What are the nicknames of the following characters? (p.6) FN-2187 FN-2003 FN-2199 FN-2000 4. When FN-2187 told everyone to “hit the ground”, where did this take place? (pp. 7-8)

5. Describe the mission Phasma assigns to the new stormtroopers. (pp. 8-9)

6. What is ‘collateral damage’? (p. 9)

7. What is Poe Dameron’s occupation? What are the benefits of his occupation? (p.10)

8. Describe Lor San Tekka. (p. 11)

3

Comprehension Questions for Star Wars: The Force Awakens

By Michael Kogge 9. What was Poe Dameron’s mission? Did he achieve it? (pp. 11-13)

Vocabulary: Chapter 1 To herald (p.4)

Nickname (p.6) To drown out (p.9)

Chapter 2 1. What had FN-2187 noticed about the village? (p.15)

2. Why didn’t Poe take off in his X-wing? (p.16)

3. What happened between Poe and BB-8? (pp.16-17)

Vocabulary: Chapter 2

Nudge (p.15) Craft (p.15)

Chapter 3 1. Why did the inside of FN-2187’s helmet become wet? (p.19)

2. What or who caused the sonic boom? (pp. 19-20)

3. What were Lor San Tekka’s last words? (p.21) 4

Mettle (p.10) Eke (p.11)

Comprehension Questions for Star Wars: The Force Awakens

By Michael Kogge 4. What does the phrase “…hush their cries for good.” imply? (p.23)

Vocabulary: Chapter 3 Hilt (p. 21) Yank (v) (p.22)

Gaze (p.22)

Chapter 4 1. Why does the author refer to an area of the Jakku desert as a graveyard? (p.24)

2. How does Rey get her meals? (p.24)

3. Who is the “blubbery Crolute”? (p.27)

4. For what reason does Rey keep the fighter helmet? (p.29)

5. Describe Rey’s home/shelter. (p.29)

6. How does Rey meet BB-8? (pp.31-32) 5

Comprehension Questions for Star Wars: The Force Awakens

By Michael Kogge

Vocabulary: Chapter 4 Crumble (p.24)

Staff (p.25) Booty (p.27)

Harsh (p.31)

Chapter 5 1. How had the Battle of Tuanul affected FN-2187? (p. 33)

2. What will “not be easy” for FN-2187 if he were to continue as a stormtrooper? (pp. 34-35)

3. Why is Rey exercising in the middle of the night? (pp. 35-36)

4. Why does Rey bring the BB-8 unit to the Niima outpost? (p. 38)

5. How did Kylo Ren discover the current whereabouts of the map? (p. 38)

6. Who is Rey waiting for? (p. 39)

7. What did Unkar Plutt offer 60 portions for? (p. 40) 6

Comprehension Questions for Star Wars: The Force Awakens

By Michael Kogge

8. “…Unkar Plutt… was as honest as a Teedo marauder was polite.” What does this say about Plutt’s character? (p.41)

Vocabulary: Chapter 5 Retch (p. 33)

Expendable (p.35) Thug (p.36)

Downed (adj.) (p.37)

Chapter 6 1. Who is “the pilot” that FN-2187 is breaking out of detention? (pp.42-43)

2. Who was FN-2187 telling to keep calm? (p.44)

3. Who is “the trooper” that Poe is talking to? (p.45)

4. How did Poe derive “the trooper’s” name? (pp. 47-48)

5. Who wants to go back to Jakku and why? (pp.48-49)

6. Why didn’t Poe tell Finn to press the seat ejector button? (p.50)

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Comprehension Questions for Star Wars: The Force Awakens

By Michael Kogge 7. What were the results of the transaction between Plutt and Rey? (pp. 50-51)

Vocabulary: Chapter 6 Duty (p.42) Getaway (p.45)

Trigger (p.45) Tether (p.46) Jumble (p.49) Gotta (p.49)

Fetch (p.50) Bellowed (p.51)

Chapter 7 1. What did Finn find at the wreckage of the TIE fighter? (p.53)

2. True or False. Finn’s stormtrooper training taught him to survive in the desert. (p.54) 3. What did Rey do to gain BB-8’s trust? (pp.54-55)

4. What do Kylo and Hux disagree upon? (Maybe more than one thing.) (pp. 56-57)

5. What happened to the thugs that assaulted Rey? (p. 58)

6. What does Finn tell Rey? (p. 61) 7. Why did Rey and Finn take the Corellian freighter and not the quadjumper? (pp. 62-63)

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Comprehension Questions for Star Wars: The Force Awakens

By Michael Kogge

Vocabulary: Chapter 7 Unbuckle (p.52) Frown (p.55)

Trough (p.57) Wares (p.59) Beloved (p.62)

Clunker (p.63) Shockwave (p.62)

Chapter 8 1. Where is Finn positioned on the freighter? (p.65)

2. Where does Rey seek cover while being chased by the TIE fighters? (p.67)

3. How did Rey learn to pilot a space vessel? (p.68)

4. Describe Kylo Ren’s behavior when he heard the news about the droid. What does this tell us about his character? (p.70)

5. What action(s) did Poe take that allowed him to survive the crash of the TIE fighter? (p. 71)

Vocabulary: Chapter 8 Skim (p.66)

Steer (p.66) To take cover (p.66)

Chapter 9 1. What does Finn confess to BB-8? (p.74) 9

Windswept (p.77)

Comprehension Questions for Star Wars: The Force Awakens

By Michael Kogge

2. What is Finn and Rey’s plan to escape the First Order stormtroopers? (p76)

3. Who were these “stormtroopers”? (p.77)

4. Who stole the Millennium Falcon from Han Solo? (p.79)

Vocabulary: Chapter 9

Moot (p.75) Fond (p.77)

“To give up the ghost” (p.77) Scant (p.79)

Overhear (p.74)

Chapter 10 1. Rey and Finn each know different reputations of Han Solo? (p.80) What is Rey’s perception of Han Solo and the Millennium Falcon?

What is Finn’s perception of Han Solo and the Millennium Falcon?

2. What is Han Solo’s plan in dealing with the Guavian Death Gang? (p.82)

3. How much money does Han Solo owe both the Guavian Death Gang and Kanjiklub? (p. 84)

4. What is the greater meaning of Rey’s exclamation: “Uh-oh!” (pp. 86-87) 10

Comprehension Questions for Star Wars: The Force Awakens

By Michael Kogge

5. How was Finn saved from the Rathtar? (p.89)

6. Without using a dictionary, what meaning can you derive from the word “moof-milker”? (p.93)(See also p.81)

Vocabulary: Chapter 10 Nary (p.83)

Goon (p.83) Peek (p.86) Shriek (p.88)

Wield (p.90) Marksmanship (p.91) Coax (p.92)

Chapter 11 1. What is the problem with the star map carried by BB-8? (p.96)

2. According to Han what caused Luke to “walk away from everything”? (p.96)

3. Finn & Rey both thought what about the Jedi knights before being convinced otherwise by Han? (pp.96-97)

4. Which two of these words are closest to each other in meaning?

Gaped (p.96)

Stunned (p.96)

Peered (p.97) 11

Comprehension Questions for Star Wars: The Force Awakens

By Michael Kogge 5. Describe Snoke. (p.97)

6. What is the relationship between Kylo Ren and Snoke? (pp.98-99)

7. What does Snoke tell Kylo the real reason for the fall of the Empire was? (p.99)

8. Which two of these words are the closest to each other in meaning?

Gaze (p.100)

Stare (p.100)

Awe (p. 100)

9. What does Han offer Rey? (Maybe more than one thing.) (p.100)

10. According to Han, what does Rey do too much? (p.102)

Vocabulary: Chapter 11 Wail (p.94)

Albeit (p.95) Stunned (p.96) Gaunt (p.97)

12

Spit (p.99)

Comprehension Questions for Star Wars: The Force Awakens

By Michael Kogge

Chapter 12 1. Use one word to describe the scene and characters in Maz Kanata’s “watering hole”.

2. To what or whom is Maz referring when she says “a certain mooch”? (pp.104-105)

3. What is a Blarina and for what are they known? (pp.105-106)

4. What adjectives does Maz use when describing Unkar Plutt? (p.107) (3)

5. Whom did Poe save Naka’s speeder from? (pp.107-109)

6. Why won’t Maz agree to take BB-8 to the Resistance? (p.110)

7. How will Finn get to the Outer Rim? (p.111)

8. When Rey says “…to look out only for number one.”, who is number one? (p.112)

9. We learn a lot about Finn in this chapter. What does he reveal to Rey about his identity and why did he lie to her about who he was? (p.113)

13

Comprehension Questions for Star Wars: The Force Awakens

By Michael Kogge 10. List three things that Kylo was angry about. (p.114)

11. What do we learn about Kylo’s lineage? (p.114) (Mother, Father, Grandfather, Uncle, etc.)

Vocabulary: Chapter 12 Watering hole (p.103) Rowdy (p.104)

Throng (p.104) Mishmash (p.105) Sob story (p.107)

Crammed (p.109) Chide (p.112)

Chapter 13 1. Rey’s Force Vision (pp.116-118) Based on what you know about the Star Wars saga and using the contextual clues in the text which characters can you identify in Rey’s vision?

2. What does Maz tell Rey about what she was waiting for on Jakku? (p.118)

3. What is the First Order’s intended target of the “beam” from Starkiller base, and what is special about that target? (pp.119-121)

14

Vocabulary: Chapter 13

Swathed (p.116) Gaggle (p.119)

Rumble (p.121)

Chapter 14 1. Had Rey seen the cloaked figure in the metal mask before? If so, where and when? (p.123)

2. How did the masked figure stop Rey’s blaster fire? (p.124)

3. What is erroneous about Kylo Ren’s statement to Rey: “You shot first.”? What is Kylo trying to do here? (p.125)

4. What does Kylo discover about Rey’s feelings toward Finn? (p.125)

5. Who saved Finn and Han? (p.127)

6. Why did Finn yell “No, no, no, Rey, Rey!”? (p.128)

7. How does Maz now see Finn’s eyes? What do you suppose caused this change? (p.129)

8. How did the Resistance know to attack Takodana? (p.130)

Comprehension Questions for Star Wars: The Force Awakens

By Michael Kogge 9. “I saw him,” Han said. “He was here.” Who was talking about? (p.130)

Vocabulary: Chapter 14 Fulfill (p.122)

Burrow (p.125) Purse (v) (p.125)

Stride (p.130)

Chapter 15 1. Where do Poe and Finn reunite? (p.131)

2. What did Finn request of Poe? (You will need to infer this from the text.) (p.132)

3. What does Rey observe about Kylo when she sees his face for the first time? (p.134)

4. How did Rey prevent Kylo from obtaining the information about the star map held by BB8? (pp.135-136))

5. What reason did Han Solo give to Leia for staying away from her? (p.137)

16

Comprehension Questions for Star Wars: The Force Awakens

By Michael Kogge 6. Many times it is what’s not said that is the most important. During her interaction with Han, does Leia ever specifically say that she wants to bring Kylo to the light side of the Force? (p.138) What can you infer from this?

Vocabulary: Chapter 15 Patterns (p.131)

Seethe (p.133) Plague (v) (p.135)

Huff (p.137) Sugarcoat (p.137)

Chapter 16 1. Whose fault is it that the First Order does not have possession of the droid (BB-8)? Why? (pp.139-140)

2. What are the differences between the Empire’s Death Star and First Order’s Starkiller Base? (pp.141-142)

3. What is the major obstacle the Resistance faces in successfully attacking Starkiller base? (pp.142-143)

4. What is proposed to overcome this problem? (p.143)

5. What is Leia’s request of her husband? (p.145) 17

Comprehension Questions for Star Wars: The Force Awakens

By Michael Kogge

Vocabulary: Chapter 16 Bow (v.) (p.140)

Snuff (v.) (p.140) Devolve (p.142)

Chapter 17 1. How did Rey escape the interrogation bench? (pp.146-147)

2. How did the Falcon get through the shields of Starkiller base? (pp.149-150)

3. What did Kylo do in the interrogation room when he saw Rey was no longer there? (p.150)

Vocabulary: Chapter 17 No matter (p.146)

Will (n.) (p.147) Pull up (p.149)

Slash (p.150)

Chapter 18 1. In your opinion, how well does Han understand the Force? (p.152)

2. What do you think is implied by the fact that Rey can sense people approaching? (p.152)

18

Comprehension Questions for Star Wars: The Force Awakens

By Michael Kogge 3. How do Han, Finn and Chewie disable the shields of Starkiller base? (pp.154-155)

Vocabulary: Chapter 18 Ache (p.151)

Overlook (p.152) Walkway (p.153)

Grip (p.153) Techs (p.155)

Chapter 19 1. What happened to Rey’s original plan to escape Starkiller base? (p.158)

2. Sarcasm. Why does Han say: “I’ll bring the cake.”? (p.159)

3. What happened to Poe’s squadrons? (pp.160-161)

4. How do Rey, Finn, Han and Chewie plan to help Poe and the remaining X-wings? (pp.161162)

5. What does Finn remark about the rippling currents of dark energy? (p.163)

6. Instead of destroying the containment facility, what do Chewie and Han decide to do with the detonators? (pp.163-164)

19

Comprehension Questions for Star Wars: The Force Awakens

By Michael Kogge 7. What are your thoughts or feelings about Han Solo’s final confrontation with his son? (pp.166-167)

Vocabulary: Chapter 19 Squadron (p.157) Roger (radio term) (p.157)

Prowess (p.158) Pry (p.158) Seeker (p.160) Gloomy (p.161)

Aloft (p.162) Lurk (p.163) Withdraw (p.163) Billow (p.165)

Chapter 20 1. From where did the deafening howl emanate? (p.168)

2. What excuse did Chewie have for using his claws? (pp.169-170)

3. What is the irony concerning Han’s surname? (p.170)

4. Even though he lost the last melee, what was Finn’s advantage over Kylo? (pp.172-173)

5. Where was Rey getting her power to rival Kylo during their light saber fight? (p.174)

6. What does Kylo do instead of killing Rey when he had the chance? (p.176)

20

Comprehension Questions for Star Wars: The Force Awakens

By Michael Kogge 7. What does Rey do instead of killing Kylo when she had the chance? (pp.176-177)

Vocabulary: Chapter 20 Claw(s) (p.169) Barrenness (p.170)

Grumble (p.171) Limp (adj.) (p.172) Commed (p.175)

Breach (p.175)

Chapter 21 1. How did Leia learn about Han’s death? (p.179)

2. Why is it still important for the Resistance to find Luke Skywalker? (p.181)

3. How is the puzzle concerning the star map solved? (pp.181-182)

4. What is Finn’s condition as Rey gets ready to leave? (p.183)

5. What does Leia reassure Rey about? (p.184)

Vocabulary: Chapter 21

Weep (p.179) Stray (p.181)

Pod (p.183)

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Comprehension Questions for Star Wars: The Force Awakens

By Michael Kogge

Epilogue 1. Over time, what happened to the presence of the Force in the in universe? (p.186)

Vocabulary: Epilogue

Carved (p.185)

22

Feat (p.186)

Good job!

You have successfully completed all of the questions.

The Star Wars saga is one of the best known stories in pop culture, and most of us were exposed at a young age. We can’t avoid connecting with the story and its characters. So on this page talk about the first time you saw one of the Star Wars films and who is your favorite character in the saga? Why?