Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Chapters 1-4

Reading Check

1. What kind of shop does Sophie’s family run?

2. Who is the woman who comes into the shop and changes Sophie’s appearance?

3. What job does Sophie tell Howl she has come to the castle to do?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What surprise does Sophie receive when she goes into the back room of Cesari’s with Lettie?

2. Why does Martha think that Fanny is exploiting Sophie?

3. What bargain does Calcifer propose to Sophie?

4. When Howl returns to the castle, where does Sophie realize she has seen him before?

Paired Resource

“Why the Myth That Birth Order Shapes Personality Just Won’t Die”

• This article from The Swaddle reviews research into the myth that birth order meaningfully impacts personality, behavior, and life outcomes.
• This resource relates to the theme of Identity.
• How is our own society’s mistaken belief that birth order affects who we become similar to and different from Sophie’s society’s beliefs about birth order? How do Martha and Lettie choose to defy the “destinies” determined by their birth order? What does this suggest about whether Sophie is really doomed to fail?