Comprehension Questions- Magic Tree House Merlin Missions #12 Eve of the Emperor Penguin

 Eve of the Emperor Penguin

By Mary Pope Osborne

Grades 2-4; Genre - Fiction with Fantastical Elements; GRL N; AR pts: 2.0

Jack and Annie visit Antarctica looking for the fourth secret of happiness to help Merlin feel better.  They get to meet some magical penguins and one even volunteers to go back to Merlin with Jack and Annie.

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

  1. What kind of face did Jack keep doing for the camera?  goofy/ funny  p. 3
  2. When did Jack finally give Annie a real smile?  When he saw the light flash from the tree house.  P. 4
  3. How many more secrets do Jack and Annie need to find to help Merlin?  One  p. 6
  4. Where are Jack and Annie going to go to find the last secret?  Antarctica  p. 7

Chapter 2

  1. Why do Jack and Annie have goggles and face masks along with their coats and gloves?  It’s very cold and windy  p.11
  2. What type of penguins do Jack and Annie meet?  Emperor  p. 16
  3. Why did the petrel dive for the penguins?  To get it for food  p. 18
  4. How do Jack and Annie save the little penguin from the petrel?  Jack threw his arms around the penguin, Annie chased it away  p. 19

Chapter 3

  1. What time period do Jack and Annie travel to?  Their time  p. 22
  2. How did Jack and Annie hide they were kids to the researchers?  Kept their goggles and masks on, talked in deep voices  p. 24
  3. When Nancy was asking the people on the bus why they were visiting the Antarctic, what did Jack and say?  Journalist for Frog Creek Times and photographer  p. 29
  4. Where was the bus taking Jack and Annie?  A volcano  p. 24

Chapter 4

  1. After Jack and Annie got off the bus, what did they ride to get to the volcano?  Helicopter  p. 34
  2. Why was Jack worried about looking down into the lava from the helicopter?  The rhyme says they need to fall down, he was worried they would fall into the lava  p. 40
  3. What did Nancy say everyone was going to use to get to the top of the volcano?  Snowmobiles  p. 41
  4. What is altitude sickness?  Not enough oxygen at high altitudes can make you sick.  P. 42

Chapter 5

  1. Where did the water come from that Jack and Annie drank?  The glacier  p. 45
  2. Why was Jack worried about driving a snowmobile up the volcano?  he’d never driven one before  p. 44
  3. What are lava bombs?  Lava that spits from the crater  p. 46
  4. How did Nancy feel when she saw that Jack and Annie were kids?  Panic, stressed, surprised  p. 49

Chapter 6

  1. Who did Nancy call to come back up and get Jack and Annie?  Pete the helicopter pilot  p. 52
  2. Where did Annie go while they waited for Pete to come and get them?  Outside to take more pictures  p. 54
  3. What were the five words Jack said to the wand? SAVE ANNIE, MERLIN, AND ME  p. 60
  4. What happened to Jack and Annie when they used the Wand of Dianthus? They fell down the crack into the darkness p. 61

Chapter 7

  1. After Jack and Annie fell down into the darkness, what were they floating on?  Ice in water  p. 63
  2. Where did the iceberg take them?  The Cave of the Ancient Crown  p. 65
  3. What were the penguins doing in the cave?  Dancing  p. 67
  4. Why did the baby penguin want to go with Jack and Annie?  To help bring joy and happiness to Merlin.  P. 70

Chapter 8

  1. Where did Jack hide the baby penguin?  In his coat  p. 76
  2. How did the scientists treat Jack and Annie?   Like little kids  p. 79
  3. What did Jack do to cover up Penny’s peeps?  Cough  p. 78
  4. What did Nancy do when Annie told her the real story of why they were in Antarctica?  Laughed/ didn’t believe them  p. 84

Chapter 9

  1. Why did Jack and Annie go to Camelot?   To tell Merlin the four secrets of happiness.  P. 87
  2. How did Merlin look when Jack and Annie first saw him?   hardly alive  p. 90
  3. What did Merlin do when Penny walked up to him and peeped?  Laughed and picked her up  p. 94
  4. What did Merlin want to show Penny in the orchard?  The rising moon  p. 96

Chapter 10

  1. What is the fourth secret to happiness?  Taking care of someone who needs you  p. 99
  2. Why did Annie want to take a picture of Morgan, Teddy and Kathleen?  They’re like her family  p. 100
  3. How did Teddy feel about the camera?  Didn’t know what it was.  Had never seen one before.  P. 100
  4. What happened to the pictures Annie took on their adventure?  Not on the camera  p. 102