Comprehension Questions- Deltora Quest #3 City of the Rats

 City of the Rats

By Emily Rodda

Grades 3-5; Genre - Fantasy; GRL S; AR pts: 4.0

Lief, Barda and Jasmine are on their next quest to find the third gem that will help restore Del from the evil Shadow Lord.  They must enter the City of the Rats, but on their way they find a city where the corrupt leaders serve the Shadow Lord. 

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

  1. What city must Lief, Barda and Jasmine travel to next to find the third gem?  City of the Rats   p. 
  2. Why didn’t Jasmine know what a shop was?  She’d never been to a shop before.  P.
  3. Who followed the companions as they traveled to Tom’s shop?  Wolves   p.
  4. How many wolves were following them?  11   p.

Chapter 2

  1. How did the wolves capture the companions?  A trap/ a net  p.
  2. Who were the wolves?  Thaegan’s children   p.
  3. What were Thaegan’s children going to do to the companions?  Eat them   p.
  4. Why did Lief and Barda distract the creatures that trapped them in the net?  So Filli had time to chew the net and free them   p.
  5. How many creatures were left when the companions were able to escape the net?  1  p.

Chapter 3

  1. What symbol was next to Tom’s name on his sign?  Lightning bolt   p.
  2. What happened to Barda’s hand when he tried to pick up the lantern in Tom’s shop?  It stuck to the lantern  p.
  3. How did being in Tom’s shop make Jasmine feel?  Uncomfortable   p.
  4. Where did Jasmine wait as Tom showed Barda and Lief around the shop?  Outside  p.

Chapter 4

  1. What sign did the stranger draw in the dust in Tom’s shop?  Secret sign of resistance to the Shadow Lord  p.
  2. What did Tom do with his prices when someone showed him that sign?  Lowered them   p.
  3. What was the free gift Tom gave to the companions at the shop?  A container that said Water Eaters   p.
  4. Why didn’t the gold in Jasmine’s pockets mean anything to her?  she’d never had use for it before   p.

Chapter 5

  1. Where did Jasmine get the gold she had collected?  From the Grey Guards    p.
  2. What creatures did Tom sell to the companions?  Muddlets   p.
  3. Tell me about muddlets?  Three legs, swift, hard of hearing, strong   p.
  4. Which path did Tom advise the companions to take when they got to a fork in the road?  Left   p.

Chapter 6

  1. Why did the companions choose to go on the right path even though Tom advised them to go on the left?  The right path is the Broad River and City of the Rats is on the Broad River   p.
  2. Where did the muddlets bolt and take the companions after they turned right?  To a city  p.
  3. What was the city called?  Noradz   p.
  4. What color were the leaders of the city dressed in?  red  p.

Chapter 7

  1. How many leaders of Noradz are there?  Nine  p.
  2. Why didn’t Reece let the companions go?  The food has already been blessed and has to be eaten within an hour  p.
  3. Why were the Ra-Kacharz going to punish the girl who was serving the companions?  She dropped food on the ground   p.
  4. How did the people react in Noradz when they saw Filli?  Horrified   p.

Chapter 8

  1. Why did Lief throw the death card into the fire?  He knew the Ra-Kacharz leader Reece had two death cards so by burning one it made everyone think he picked the life card   p.
  2. Where did the Ra-Kacharz take the companions even though they were to live?  Dungeons   p.
  3. Who came to check on the companions in the dungeon?   Tira   p.
  4. Why was Tira scared to help free the companions?  She’s going against her leaders   p.

Chapter 9

  1. Why were the cooks up at night preparing food?  To get ready for the next day/ only some of the food they make is eaten by the people of the city   p.
  2. Why do the Ra-Kacharz inspect the food?  To make sure it is clean and doesn’t have diseases   p.
  3. Where does the food go when the Ra-Kacharz have inspected and disapprove of it?  In a bin, down a hole   p.
  4. What did Tira say happened to the people who went down the hole and tried to escape the city?  Die   p.

Chapter 10

  1. Who knocked out Reece as he was pushing the companions toward the hole with his whip?  Tira  p.
  2. After fighting the Ra-Kacharz, how many leaders were left in the city?  Three   p.
  3. Why did the companions decide to where the red clothing of the Ra-Kacharz?  The leaders go into the hold so the clothing may be what protects them   p.
  4. What mark did the companions find on the Ra-Kacharz they defeated?  Mark of the Shadow Lord  p.

Chapter 11

  1. What killed Reece in the tunnel?  Poison/ fungus   p.
  2. As the companions neared the end of the tunnel, who did they see outside?  The other three Ra-Kacharz leaders   p.
  3. What were the Ra-Kacharz doing outside the tunnel?  Loading the bins of food from the city into a cart   p.
  4. How did the companions escape the tunnel and city without anyone seeing them?  Climbed onto the cart under the straw   p.

Chapter 12

  1. Where did the Grey Guards and Ra-Kacharz take the cart full of the bins of food?  To Tom’s shop  p.
  2. Where were the Grey Guards taking the food that had been prepared by the people of Noradz?  Del  p.
  3. How did Tom treat the Grey Guards and Ra-Kacharz?  Like friends  p.
  4. Whose side is Tom on?  Both sides/ he doesn’t take sides, but helps everyone   p.

Chapter 13

  1. How did the Water Eaters help the companions get across the Broad River?  Crystals that soak up the water  p.
  2. How was Jasmine feeling as the companions tread toward the City of the Rats?  Sickly, weak  p.
  3. What did the companions use to start the fire on the plain?  The fire making beads from Tom  p.
  4. What did the companions see coming from the city like a wave?  Rats   p.

Chapter 14

  1. Where did the companions run to escape the wave of rats?  The river   p.
  2. When were the companions finally able to climb out of the river without fear of being attacked by the rats?  At dawn   p.
  3. Why did the companions put on the Ra-Kacharz clothing after climbing out of the river?  The clothing was dry and the rats didn’t eat them  p.

Chapter15

  1. As the companions traveled through the City of the Rats, what did they use to light their way?  The light pipe from Tom   p.
  2. Who was calling Lief as the companions moved through the city?  Reeah  p.
  3. Why did the goblet look familiar to Lief?  It’s the same goblet the people of Noradz use   p.

Chapter 16

  1. Who is Reeah?  A giant snake   p.
  2. Why did the snake not attack Lief?  He was wearing the belt with the ruby that would protect him from snake venom  p.
  3. What power does the gem have that Reeah is holding?  Power to tell the future  p.
  4. Where did the people go that left the City of the Rats?  Noradz   p.

Chapter 17

  1. How was the city and rats destroyed?  Fire   p.
  2. Why did Filli scare the people of Noradz?  He looks like a rat  p.
  3. Why can’t the companions go back now and help the city, Noradz?  They need to finish their quest and stop the Shadow Lord first   p.
  4. What did Lief see when he held the opal? The future   p.