Chapter 1

Question 1

How famous have Bilbo’s adventures in fighting Smaug made him across the Shire?

Answer 1

Extremely; he is the most famous person there.

Question 2

How many years have passed since Bilbo’s adventures in fighting Smaug?

Answer 2

About 60

Question 3

How is Gandalf introduced?

Answer 3

By producing a spectacular display of fireworks.

Question 4

What is the crowd’s reaction to Bilbo’s disappearance unlike in the movie?

Answer 4

While in the movie, they reacted with shock and horror, in the book, they assumed he enlisted Gandalf’s help in this trick and, unamused, they muttered to each other.

Question 5

What did Bilbo use in order to turn himself invisible?

Answer 5

His ring.

Question 6

What did Bilbo promise to do with the Ring?

Answer 6

Leave it to Frodo.

Question 7

What is Bilbo’s reaction upon Gandalf coaxing him to give the Ring to Frodo?

Answer 7

He becomes incredibly agitated, lashing out at Gandalf. He then apologizes to him and then finally acknowledges that not having the Ring will bring him a sense of relief.

Question 8

Who does Bilbo leave with?

Answer 8

Three unnamed Dwarves

Question 9

What does Gandalf warn Frodo to do with the ring?

Answer 9

To keep it secret and keep it safe.

Question 10

How does Frodo’s personality differ from that shown in the movie?

Answer 10

He is much less sociable, saying nothing at the party, and none of his friends are mentioned. Mary and Pippin do none of the hijinks shown in the movie.

Question 11

Why is the setting of the Shire perfect for the opening to an adventure?

Answer 11

Tolkien created Hobbits with the intention of having them resemble initial readers of the book. They are characterized as comfortable, yet suspicious of the fantastical nature of their own world.

Question 12

More importantly, what specifically did Tolkien base the Shire off of?

Answer 12

The rural, idyllic English countryside where he grew up.

Question 13

What does Tolkien emphasize about the Shire, over and over?

Answer 13

While it is initially charming, it is by no means a paradise. It is stifling, sheltering its inhabitants and preventing them from exploring the world.

Question 14

What is Frodo’s opinion of the Shire?

Answer 14

It is beautiful, but he grows tired of how repetitive it is and how petty the individuals who live there tend to be.

Question 15

How has Bilbo’s personality changed from the time he finished his adventure with fighting Smaug?

Answer 15

He has become reclusive, eccentric, and unstable, especially when it comes to dealing with the Ring.

Question 16

What is remarkable about Bilbo’s body?

Answer 16

He has not physically aged at all, and, contrary to what the movie presents, looks exactly the way he did the day he first put on the Ring.

Question 17

What prevents Bilbo from dying at the average age for a Hobbit?

Answer 17

The Ring.

Question 18

Why does Bilbo desire to have a vacation once he parts with the Ring?

Answer 18

He knows that once he removes the ring, he will begin to die soon. When he dies, he wants to be away from the Shire.

Question 19

Who has Bilbo told about the Ring for the sixty years he was in possession of it?

Answer 19

Only Gandalf.

Question 20

What is Frodo’s reaction to the Ring?

Answer 20

He is unsettled by it, and is unsure of what to do with it, relying on Gandalf’s guidance entirely.