The Tale of Despereaux

Multiple Choice and Long Answer Questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. What best explains why Despereaux is described as an unlikely hero?

A) He is very small for his age and disliked by his peers.

B) He does not have the strength and courage he needs.

C) His family has very little faith in his capabilities.

D) He lacks the knowledge to carry out a rescue.

2. What is the catalyst for Roscuro’s resentment toward Princess Pea?

A) His mistreatment by the other rats

B) The lack of sunlight in the rat’s den

C) The king’s hatred of the rat community

D) His inadvertent involvement in the queen’s death

3. The author describes the king as “unintelligent,” but what clues provide the reader with this knowledge prior to that admission?

A) The king outlaws soup after the queen dies while eating it.

B) The king sings silly songs to Princess Pea before she goes to bed.

C) The king refers to Despereaux as a bug, while he is clearly a mouse.

D) The king will not listen to Despereaux because he is similar to a rat.

4. What motivates Despereaux to defend Princess Pea?

A) His friendship with her

B) His willingness to be brave

C) His romantic attachment to her

D) His respect for the king

5. Who serves as a foil—or the opposite—of Despereaux’s character?

A) Mig

B) Roscuro

C) Princess Pea

D) The king

6. What makes Mig particularly vulnerable to Roscuro’s manipulation?

A) Her strong desire and lack of intelligence

B) The cook’s verbal abuse and dismissal of her wants

C) Her difficulty hearing and understanding him

D) The abandonment of her father

7. What does thread represent in the novel?

A) A bridge

B) Hope

C) A guide

D) Unwinding of fate

8. What best describes the strategies of the rats that live in the dungeon?

A) They are wholly unaware of what is happening in the castle.

B) They are clever and compassionate.

C) They do not have the skills to carry out a kidnapping.

D) They pretend to be friendly for the sake of torture.

9. Why is light an important motif in Despereaux’s story?

A) It describes all that is good in the world.

B) It is what the characters see before they die.

C) It helps the characters make good choices.

D) It represents the characters’ desires.

10. What is soup symbolic of in the novel?

A) Compassion

B) Desire

C) Love

D) Loss

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. Many of the characters have ridiculous dreams they act on to achieve their goals. Were any of the characters able to achieve their ridiculous dreams? What statement might DiCamillo be making about fairy tales?

2. How does the novel explore nonconformity? Is nonconformity a good or a bad thing in the novel?