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