The Dark is Rising

by Susan Cooper

Grades 6-7; Genre - Fantasy; GRL X; AR pts: 13.0

On the Midwinter Day that is his eleventh birthday, Will Stanton discovers a special gift — that he is destined to seek the six magical Signs of Light. He is the last of the Old Ones, immortals dedicated to keeping the world from domination by the forces of evil, the Dark. And for the twelve days of Christmas, while the Dark is rising, life for Will is full of wonder, terror, and delight.

Comprehension Questions

Part One

Chapter 1

1. Describe the Walker. A hunched over
   little old man that Will saw scuttle behind a tree p.8
2. What birthday present did Mr. Dawson give Will
   and what were his instructions? An iron ring quartered with a cross; to
   always have it with him and to put it on his belt loop; to keep it safe and not
   talk about it; he’ll want to have it after the snow comes p.9
3. What happened to the radio when Will went close
   to it? It would go crazy with static and erupt into high pitched screeches
   p.14
4. What had Will found amongst the snow piled in
   his room? A rook feather p.23

Chapter 2

1. What did Will hear and see when he first awoke
   on his birthday? Music; the country around his home had turned to a forest
   p.24
2. Describe the man Will saw getting his horse shod.
   his horse was black as midnight, he had red brownish hair, bright blue eyes
   with a different accent than Will’s, tall, wore a long black cloak, he knew
   Will’s name and that it was his 11^th birthday, p.29
3. Why didn’t Will ride the white mare? He felt
   like he needed to find the Walker alone p.33
4. Why was Will in danger and what saved him? He
   had left the road through Hunter’s Comb and the Rider was going to attack him;
   the white stallion p.37

Chapter 3

1. What was inside the two huge wooden doors? A
   castle with a woman and man inside waiting for Will p.40
2. What’s the gift Will possesses? The power of
   the Old Ones; magic p.45
3. What’s Will’s quest? To find and guard the 6
   great signs of Light made by the Old Ones p.51
4. When would Will see Merriman again? After
   Will has gotten the sign from the Walker p.66

Chapter 4

1. What happens to the iron attached to Will’s belt
   when there’s evil close by? It turns so cold it burns p.70
2. How many children are in Will’s family? 9
   p.72
3. What did Maggie want from Will? The sign he’d
   just gotten from the Walker p.79
4. Who saved Will and stopped Maggie from taking
   the signs? Merriman Lyon p.81

Part 2

Chapter 5

1. What did Old George give to Will’s family and
   why? A bunch of holly with berries; he told Will to put it over a window or
   door and it will protect him from the Dark p.93
2. Why didn’t Farmer Dawson carve a “W” for Will? Names
   are a power the Dark could use against him, so he carved a circle with the
   cross instead p.97
3. Who was acting as Miss Greythorne’s butler? Merriman
   p.103
4. Where did Merriman take Will after the others in
   the room were caught in time? To the hillside with the big wooden doors
   p.107

Chapter 6

1. Why do the Old Ones use Rowan for the wood of
   the third sign? The Dark doesn’t like it p.114
2. When can Will receive the third sign? After
   he’s finished with his Learning p.115
3. What’s Hawkin’s and Merriman’s relationship? Merriman
   took Hawkin in as a boy when his parents died and made him his foster son and
   liege; Merriman is his lord and trusts him greatly p.119
4. What language is the Book of Gramarye written in
   and what language do Will and Merriman converse in? the Old Speech p.123

Chapter 7

1. Name three things Will learned as he read the Book
   of Gramarye? He learned of the sky, water and wind; spells for all of those;
   the history of the Old Ones p.125
2. How did Will feel after learning from the book? Weighed
   down and melancholy p.130
3. Why was Hawkin going to be betray Merriman and
   the Old Ones? Maggie told him that Merriman doesn’t love him, that Merriman
   used Hawkin and put him in danger, and would have let him die p.137
4. How did Will protect Merriman, Paul, and
   himself from the Rider and Maggie? He threw up a wall of resistance around
   them and yelled their names out loud p.146

Chapter 8

1. Why did Stephen send Will’s present to him for
   his birthday and Christmas present combined? An old man who named himself as
   an Old One told him to p.156
2. Who came to visit unexpectedly on Christmas
   morning? The Black Rider p.160
3. How did Will defeat the dark after the Christmas
   service in the church? He held up the three signs p.176
4. What ceremony did Merriman take Will to see? The
   Lady coming back to life p.190

Part 3

Chapter 9

1. Why was the town gathering at the Manor? Supplies
   were going to be dropped on the Manor property and it looked like the storm was
   going to get worse that night, so everyone gathered for safety, comfort and
   food p.200
2. Why didn’t Will’s father want to go to the Manor
   when Merriman first mentioned it? He thought they were safe as they were in
   their own home; he didn’t want to crowd the Manor and take their supplies p.203
3. Who did Will see when he stared at the fire and
   what did she tell him? The Lady; that he needed to break the power of the
   cold with the Sign of Fire p.211
4. Who’s the Walker? Hawkin, Merriman’s liege
   p.221

Chapter 10

1. Did Hawkin turn from the Dark and turn to the
   Light? no p.224
2. Why is the Dark able to come into the Manor? The
   Walker had invited it in p.226
3. How was Will able to get the Sign of Fire? The
   Doctor gave the Walker a sedative and made him sleep which stopped the Dark’s
   way into the home. The Old Ones grabbed the candles lit by the Walker with the
   power of the Dark and put them into the candle holder in the great hall with
   the Lady. The blue fire of the Dark turned vermillion red and Will’s fire from
   his candle then turned into a flower in the shape of the quartered sign p.230
4. How had the Dark injured Will’s mother? The
   large clap of thunder they all heard startled his mom at the top of the stairs
   and made her fall down, falling unconscious p.235

Chapter 11

1. How did Will get separated from Paul when they
   were looking for Mary? The rooks flew close around them and drove them away
   from each other p.237
2. What were Merriman and Farmer Dawson doing at
   the Manor while Old George and Will were out in the storm? keeping everyone
   busy at the Manor so Will and George could work p.243
3. How did Will travel in the storm to his place of
   testing? The white horse p.247
4. How did Will save Mary from the Dark forever? He
   didn’t give the signs that he had obtained to the Black Rider and then
   retrieved the 6^th sign, so he had all of the signs p.261

Chapter 12

1. Where did the white mare take Merriman and Will
   and why? The Great Park; the horse was needed for the Hunt p.266
2. How did the ship come out of the ground that
   held the dead king and made the head of the Hunter? The stag head that Will
   got from his brother for his birthday and Christmas p.268
3. Who did Herne call when he sounded like a hunting
   horn? A pack of ghostly white hounds with red eyes and ears p.271
4. What did Herne hunt? The Dark p.274

Chapter 13

1. Why was Will anxious to go home? He thought
   of his family dealing with the floods p.280
2. Who did the little procession of boys carry to
   the smithy on a bier? The Lady p.283
3. What did the Lady put around Will’s neck? The
   necklace made with all the signs p.285
4. What gifts did Miss Greythorne give to Will and
   Paul? A small hunting horn and the old flute p.292