About
When Harry and his best friends go back for their third year at Hogwarts, an escaped mass murderer is on the loose, and the sinister prison guards of Azkaban have been called in to guard the school. The plot contains profanity.
Read one section at a time, then discuss the questions to review understanding. These questions are a starting place for conversation, not a complete test of the chapter.
Chapter 1
Comprehension questions
Find the simile on page five that the author used to describe how the Dursleys treated Harry now that he’s back home with them again.
“back to being treated like a dog that had rolled in something smelly”
How was Harry spending his birthday?
Page 6 — Doing chores and in his room, making no noise and pretending he doesn’t exist
6
How did Dudley get Harry in trouble?
Page 9 — He taunted him about not getting any cards on his birthday and asked if he had any friends at his school
9
Chapter 2
Comprehension questions
Describe Dobby and the message he gave to Harry.
Page 12 — Small creature with bat-like ears and bulging green eyes the size of tennis balls, a house elf; he warned Harry not to go back to Hogwarts because he’ll be in mortal danger
12
Why did Dobby come to warn him?
Page 16 — Because Harry escaped Lord Voldemort twice, Dobby thinks Harry’s too great and too good to lose
16
What did Uncle Vernon do to punish Harry for ruining his deal and for not telling them that he couldn’t use magic outside of school?
Page 21 — Put bars on his windows, locked him in his room, put food through a cat door, only let him out in the morning and evening for the bathroom, and told Harry he was never going back to school
21
Chapter 3
Comprehension questions
How did Harry become free from his room and the Durleys?
Page 25 — Ron and his older twin brothers came to find out why Harry hadn’t written him all summer and broke him out of his room, ripping the bars from his window with their flying car
25
Why did they think Draco Malfoy could have sent the house elf to Harry?
Page 28 — It wouldn’t surprise them if Draco wanted to stop Harry from going to school
28
What softened Mrs. Weasley’s anger when the boys arrived home with Harry?
Page 34 — George told her the Dursleys were starving Harry
34
How did the boys get rid of the gnomes?
Page 37 — They twirled them in the air to make them dizzy, then threw them over the wall
37
Chapter 4
Comprehension questions
Who was the author of the majority of the books Harry needed to purchase for his school year?
Page 44 — Gilderoy Lockhart
44
Where did Harry land when using the Floo powder and who did he see?
Page 49 — In a wizard’s shop on Knockturn Alley; Draco Malfoy and his father selling illegal items
49
Who did Harry see in Knockturn Alley?
Page 54 — Hagrid
54
Who’s the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts?
Page 60 — Gilderoy Lockhart
60
Chapter 5
Comprehension questions
When Ron and Harry missed the train, how did they get to Hagwarts?
Page 69 — Mr. Weasley’s flying car
69
What attacked the car after the boys crashed?
Page 75 — The tree they hit into
75
What is Ron’s and Harry’s consequence for being seen in the flying car and crashing into the Whomping Willow?
Page 81 — They had to miss the feast and detention
81
How did the other boys treat Ron and Harry after learning about the flying car?
Page 84 — They cheered them on like they’d just won a marathon
84
Chapter 6
Comprehension questions
Explain what type of letter Ron received.
Page 87 — It’s called a Howler and is a punishment letter; when you open it, the messenger is yelling at you and after the message is given, it burns up
87
What did Colin and Harry have in common?
Page 96 — They both came from muggle homes and didn’t know how they could do the odd things they did. Hogwarts sent a letter to them both inviting them to wizardry school
96
What does Professor Lockhart think Harry’s doing when he arrives in a flying car and learns Colin wants a photo with him?
Page 98 — Thinks he’s trying to publicize himself
98
What did Ron and Harry think about Professor Lockhart as he ran out of the room and left the three friends to take care of the pixies?
Page 103 — That he doesn’t know what he’s doing
103
Chapter 7
Comprehension questions
Why was Wood so determined to win the Quidditch Cup this year?
Page 109 — Because they lost it last year since Harry was in the hospital and they were short a player
109
Why did the kids go to Hagrid’s home?
Page 113 — They needed help; because of Ron’s broken wand, he accidentally cast a slug spell on himself
113
Why were Hagrid’s pumpkins so large?
Page 118 — He’d been putting an engorgement spell on them
118
What did Harry hear while in detention with Professor Lockhart and who do you think said it?
Page 120 — “Come…come to me…Let me rip you…Let me tear you…Let me kill you…; listen to your child’s answers
120
Chapter 8
Comprehension questions
Why was Harry in Mr. Filch’s office and what did he read while waiting for Mr. Filch?
Page 126 — He was in trouble for wearing his muddy and dripping wet robes into the building; a letter on Kwikspell to learn magic
126
Why does Hermione avoid the girls’ bathroom on the first floor?
Page 132 — A ghost named Moaning Myrtle haunts one of the toilets, throws tantrums and causes the bathroom to flood
132
What did the kids find as Harry listened to the voice and climbed the stairs?
Page 138 — Writing on the wall that said, “the Chamber of Secrets has been opened, enemies of the heir, beware,” and Mrs. Norris, the cat, looking dead, hanging by its tail
138
Chapter 9
Comprehension questions
After analyzing the cat, what conclusion did Dumbledore come to?
Page 142 — It’s not dead, but is petrified
142
Explain what a Squib is.
Page 145 — It’s a person born into a wizarding family, but they themselves don’t have any magic powers
145
How did Professor Binns feel about the Chamber of Secrets?
Page 152 — That it’s a myth and that there’s no truth to it
152
What’s Hermione’s idea of getting into Slytherin to question Draco Malfoy?
Page 159 — Use the Polyjuice Potion to change their appearance to look like Draco’s friends
159
Chapter 10
Comprehension questions
What was the problem with the Bludger during the Quidditch match?
Page 168 — Instead of going toward all players, it only went after Harry
168
How did Harry win the game for Gryffindor?
Page 171 — He got the snitch
171
Who made the Bludger focus on Harry during the match and why?
Page 177 — Dobby; so Harry would get hurt and be sent home
177
What happened to Colin Creevey?
Page 179 — He was petrified on his way to visit Harry
179
Chapter 11
Comprehension questions
Why did the students trade talismans, amulets, and other protective devices?
Page 185 — To protect themselves from the creature in the Chamber of Secrets
185
What distraction did Harry cause to help Hermione sneak into Snape’s office?
Page 187 — Lit a firework to land in a cauldron; Snape had to help those that got hurt
187
What did Harry do to stop the snake from attacking Justin?
Page 194 — Told the snake to “leave him alone”
194
What did Harry trip over in the dark passage?
Page 202 — Justin and Nearly Headless Nick who were both petrified
202
Chapter 12
Comprehension questions
Why was Harry happy most people were leaving for the Christmas holiday?
Page 209 — He was tired of people skirting around him in the corridors and from hearing their hissing, pointing, and muttering
209
How were Ron and Harry supposed to get a bit of Crabbe and Goyle, as well as keep them out of the way while they talked Malfoy?
Page 213 — Hermione filled two chocolate cakes with a sleeping potion
213
What did the boys learn when they interrogated Malfoy?
Page 222 — That Malfoy didn’t do it and where his father’s hidden chamber was
222
What happened to Hermione and why couldn’t she go with the boys to the Slytherin common room?
Page 225 — Her potion turned her into a cat
225
Chapter 13
Comprehension questions
Why was Moaning Myrtle so upset when Harry and Ron came into talk to her?
Page 230 — Someone had thrown a book at her
230
What was the book and who did it belong to?
Page 231 — A journal; Tom M. Riddle
231
What was odd about the journal?
Page 239 — There wasn’t any writing in it. When Harry wrote in it, the ink disappeared, but reappeared onto the pages as Tom wrote back to him
239
What did Harry learn after following Tom Riddle in the book?
Page 245 — That Tom turned in Hagrid for opening the Chamber of Secrets 50 years before
245
Chapter 14
Comprehension questions
Why doesn’t Harry want to report the stolen journal?
Page 254 — He didn’t want to expose Hagrid being expelled as a youth
254
Why was Harry more worried about what the voice said this time?
Page 255 — He was worried someone would die
255
Why was the Quidditch cup match cancelled?
Page 257 — Two students had been petrified, one of them being Hermione
257
What message did Dumbledore and Hagrid give the boys before they were accompanied off the school property?
Page 264 — That Hogwarts will help anyone who comes asking for it; to follow the spiders and to feed Fang
264
Chapter 15
Comprehension questions
What made Ernie apologize to Harry?
Page 268 — He realized Harry would never hurt Hermione
268
Where did the spiders lead Harry and Ron?
Into the Forbidden Forest, p,272
What did Harry and Ron find in the forest that had been lost?
Page 274 — Ron’s family’s car
274
What saved Harry, Ron and Fang after Aragog was finished talking to them?
Page 279 — Ron’s car
279
Chapter 16
Comprehension questions
Why did Harry want to speak with Moaning Myrtle?
Page 287 — She might be the child that was killed the first time the Chamber of Secrets was opened
287
What did Harry see in Hermione’s hand?
Page 290 — A paper torn out of an old book about a basilisk
290
Why do you think it was good that Harry and Ron found the paper before going to talk to Moaning Myrtle?
Page 292 — They now knew what the monster was and how to get to it
292
How did Harry get the sink to open?
Page 300 — By saying “open up” in Parseltongue
300
Chapter 17
Comprehension questions
Who did Harry see in the Chamber of Secrets?
Page 307 — Ginny and Tom Riddle who is Lord Voldemort
307
Who opened the Chamber of Secrets and how?
Page 310 — Ginny Weasley; Tom Riddle had her in his power
310
How did Fawkes and the Sorting Hat help Harry defeat the basilisk and Tom?
Page 319 — The phoenix poked out the basilisk’s eyes, the Sorting Hat gave Harry a sword to pierce the basilisk, the phoenix healed Harry with his tears, Fawkes dropped the diary in Harry’s lap and healed Harry
319
How did the children and Lockhart get back up to the bathroom?
Page 325 — They all held onto each other and Fawkes flew/lifted them
325
Chapter 18
Comprehension questions
Why did the phoenix come to help Harry?
Page 332 — He showed loyalty to Dumbledore
332
Why can Harry speak Parseltongue?
Page 333 — Voldemort transferred some of his own power into Harry the night he gave him the scar
333
What did Harry do to show he belongs in the Gryffindor House?
Page 333 — He chose to be there and wielded the sword from Godric Gryffindor
333
How did Harry free Dobby?
Page 338 — Harry put the diary in his sock and gave it to Lucius Malfoy, Malfoy threw the sock and Dobby caught it
338
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