70 pages • 2 hours read
Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin
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During Reading
Reading Questions & Paired Texts
Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.
CHAPTERS 1-6
Reading Check
1. Why are names important in the kingdom where Rump lives?
2. What magical creatures help Rump realize that he can turn straw into gold?
3. Whom does Rump see hiding outside his window?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. How does knowing just part of his name affect Rump’s life?
2. Why are the other villagers afraid of Red?
3. According to Red’s grandmother, what will happen before Rump learns his full name?
Paired Resource
- This 4.5-minute read-aloud video of Jacqueline Woodson’s Jane Addams Children’s Book Award-winning picture book encourages young readers to have the courage to connect when they feel different from those around them.
- This resource relates to the themes of The Importance of Courage and The Value of Friendship.
- What lessons does this story offer about The Value of Friendship and The Importance of Courage? Rump worries that his name makes him different from his peers. What advice do you think Woodson would give him?
CHAPTERS 7-12
Reading Check
1. Who warns Rump not to trade the magical gold for food?
2. Before she dies, where does Gran tell Rump to spin gold?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. Why does King Bartholomew come to the Village?
2. What lie does the miller tell the king?
3. What does the king declare before he returns to his castle?
Paired Resource
- This 15-minute TEDx Talk by educator Mamie Morrow shares four strategies for building self-efficacy.
- This resource relates to the themes of Fighting Fate and The Importance of Courage.
- What is self-efficacy, and how can people build it? Rump spends much of this section feeling trapped and helpless. How would building self-efficacy help Rump in his fight against fate?
CHAPTERS 13-17
Reading Check
1. What magical object can break Rump’s curse?
2. Who tends to Rump after his fall from the tower?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. What does the Witch of the Woods give to Rump, and what does he do with this gift?
2. What three bargains does Opal make in exchange for Rump’s spinning?
3. Why is the Kingdom experiencing a shortage of food?
Paired Resource
“Why Friendships Are So Important for Health and Well-Being”
- This medically reviewed article from Everyday Health summarizes research on the benefits of strong friendships.
- This resource relates to the theme of The Value of Friendship.
- What are the physical and psychological benefits of healthy friendships, according to science? Which of these benefits do you see in Rump’s friendship with Red?
CHAPTERS 18-25
Reading Check
1. What creatures in the forest guard magical objects?
2. Who do the Wool Witches turn out to be?
3. What object did the scheming merchant give Rump’s mother, causing her to flee from Yonder?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. What does Rump believe his full name is, and why does he think his mother gave him this name?
2. According to Rump’s aunts, where does magic come from?
3. What does Red’s last message say, and what does Rump decide to do after hearing it?
Paired Resource
- This 15-minute TEDx Talk by author and researcher Cindy Solomon breaks down common myths about fear and gives concrete advice about how to live courageously.
- This resource relates to the theme of The Importance of Courage.
- In this section, what frightens Rump, and when does he show bravery? Based on the TEDx Talk, what advice would you give Rump about fear and courage?
CHAPTER 26-EPILOGUE
Reading Check
1. Before he became a miller, what was Oswald?
2. What does Rump name in the epilogue?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. What does Bork the troll show Rump, and how does it help him understand his destiny?
2. How do Rump and Red escape from the castle?
3. What does Rump do when he returns to Gran’s cottage, and what does this prove?
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- Shared themes include Fighting Fate and The Importance of Courage.
- Shared topics include fairy-tale retellings, destiny, magic, and self-discovery.
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Reading Questions Answer Key
CHAPTERS 1-6
Reading Check
1. A person’s name determines their destiny. (Chapter 1)
2. Pixies (Chapter 6)
3. The miller’s sons (Chapter 6)
Short Answer
1. Because Rump doesn’t know his full name, he cannot grow to his full height. In addition, the other villagers underestimate him and bully him because of his short, unusual name. (Chapter 1)
2. The villagers fear Red because they believe that names decide people’s destinies, and red is considered an evil color. In addition, Red has a fierce temper and strikes those who offend her. (Chapter 1)
3. Red’s grandmother predicts that Rump will cause a great deal of trouble and find his destiny before he learns his full name. (Chapter 4)
CHAPTERS 7-12
Reading Check
Short Answer
1. After a piece of the gold Rump spun reaches the capital, King Bartholomew suspects that the Village is withholding wealth from him and decides to personally oversee an investigation. (Chapter 11)
2. The miller tells the king that his daughter, Opal, spun the straw into gold. (Chapter 12)
3. The king declares that he will reward Opal richly if the miller has told the truth about her ability to spin straw into gold. He threatens to throw her in a dungeon or have her put to death if the miller’s words prove false. (Chapter 12)
CHAPTERS 13-17
Reading Check
1. A stiltskin (Chapter 13)
2. Martha, a cook in the king’s kitchen (Chapter 17)
Short Answer
1. The Witch of the Woods gives Rump a seed, and he plants it with Red. (Chapter 14)
2. The first night in the tower, Opal gives Rump her gold necklace. The second night, she offers him an opal ring that was a gift from her late mother. On the third night, she promises Rump her firstborn child. (Chapters 14-16)
3. King Bartholomew prioritizes hoarding gold for himself over providing for his people. The Kingdom’s crops are suffering from poor weather. In addition, the people have limited ability to trade with other nations for food since the supply of gold in the Mountain has dwindled. (Chapter 17)
CHAPTERS 18-25
Reading Check
1. Trolls (Chapter 20)
2. Rump’s aunts; his mother’s sisters (Chapter 22)
3. A spinning wheel (Chapter 22)
Short Answer
1. Rump believes that his full name is Rumpel, which means “trapped or tangled in magic.” He thinks that his mother gave him this name because she knew that he shared her fate as well as her ability to spin straw into gold. (Chapter 22)
2. Rump’s aunts teach him that magic comes from aspects of nature, such as the sun, water, and clouds. (Chapter 23)
3. Red’s last message warns Rump that the miller is looking for him. As a result, Rump decides to leave Yonder to protect his aunts from the miller’s greed and the king’s wrath. (Chapter 25)
CHAPTER 26-EPILOGUE
Reading Check
1. A merchant (Chapter 27)
2. The Mountain (Epilogue)
Short Answer
1. Bork shows Rump that the tree that grew from the poison apple isn’t poisonous after all. This helps Rump realize that he doesn’t have to be cursed just because his mother was and helps him discover his true name, Rumpelstiltskin. (Chapter 30)
2. Rump sneaks nests of hibernating pixies into the castle by hiding them inside Archie’s basket. When he stomps on the nests, the pixies attack the miller and his sons, and Rump and Red escape amidst the chaos. (Chapter 31)
3. When Rump returns to Gran’s cottage, he spins straw on his mother’s spinning wheel without turning the straw to gold. This proves that the curse is broken. (Chapter 32)
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