Chapter questions
Chapter One: Third
1. One of the first things you may notice about this book is that it is printed in two different fonts. The sans serif font at the beginning of every chapter is in the form of a dialogue between two unidentified speakers, most of whom you will
become familiar with as the book continues. We learn a lot that ender does not know in these sections of the book. What do we learn in this first section?
2. Discuss the significance of ender’s monitor.
3. What does it mean “to submerge himself in someone else’s will” (1)?
4. What do we learn about ender’s siblings in this chapter?
5. What is ender’s actual given name? What are his nicknames (he has two)?
6. Ender thinks, “sometimes lies were more dependable than truth” (2). Explain what
You think he means by this. Do you agree? Why?
7. Examine ender’s encounter with stilson. What are his motives for handling this situation the way he did? What are the unwritten rules of combat that he breaks? Why has he never had to do this before now?
Chapter 2: Peter
1. Are peter’s threats real, a joke, or manipulation? What does he think is his
Greatest talent?
2. List the qualities of this character so far in the novel and then draw a picture of
An animal that represents the character’s qualities below.
Chapter 3: Graff
1. Explain what it means for ender to have been born a “third”. Show the positive and
Negative sides of this nickname.
2. In this chapter, ender explains his assault on stilson. Find the quote that
Supports his “fighting rationale” and record it below:
3. What does it first seem graff has arrived to do? What does he really want?
First it appears graff has come to
_______________________________________________________________.
However, he has really come to
________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________.
4. Graff says that ender must volunteer to go to battle school, and he personally
Tells ender many reasons which might convince ender not to go. What aspects of
Battle school does graff warn ender about?
5. What are ender’s reasons for deciding to go to the battle school?
6. Ender is leaving to learn how to fight a war, yet he takes graff’s hand. Why does
The author include this action?
7. Describe valentine. How does she feel about ender? Why wasn’t she chosen for
Battle school? How does ender feel about her?
Chapter 4: Launch
1. Explain the following quote, “isolate him enough that he remains creativeotherwise
He’ll adopt the system and we’ll lose him” (27).
2. We are also told that “breaking geniuses” makes them better people. Do you see
This as true or false?
3. Explain the following quote: individual human beings are all tools, that the others use to help us all survive” (35).
4. How does graff go about isolating ender?
5. How does the incident with the other cadet mirror the stilson episode? Is it
Acceptable to do despicable things for survival? Why or why not?
Chapter 5: Games
1. Ender works hard to express his feelings in private and not show homesickness in
Front of any other person. Is it healthy for him or not? What are the positive and
Negative sides of showing your feelings?
2. What games are being played in this chapter?
3. Examine ender’s dealings with bernard. How does he do it? Is this an unusual
Solution to his problem?
4. What advice does mick give to ender?
5. “he can never come to believe that anybody will ever help him out, ever. If he once
Thinks there’s an easy way out, he’s wrecked…he can have friends. It’s parents he
Can’t have” (38). Explain the previous quote. Are parents/parent -like figures
Necessary in a child’s development?
6. What are the circumstances for ender’s friendship with Shen?
Chapter 6: The Giant's Drink
1. List 3 things about being in null/zero gravity:
2. How is Alai the "bridge" between Ender and Bernard?
3. How does Ender "win" the Giant's drink game?
4. Think and explain how Ender is having trouble being violent, ex. beating up Stilson, hurting Bernard, killing the Giant, etc.
Chapter 7: Salamander
1. What did alai say to ender? Why is the exchange between alai and ender so
Important?
2. Who does ender meet in this chapter? Briefly describe any characters that seem
Important (can also fill in information about them in the grid on the first page).
3. In speaking with petra, ender silently identifies adults as enemies. How does he
Come to this conclusion?
4. What does ender learn about leadership and tactics from bonzo? How can a person
“lose face”?
5. Find an example of irony between ender and bonzo. Write the quote here.
6. Find an important quote from chapter 7. Write it in the space below and explain why
It is important to annotate. Does it help with plot development, characterization,
Or theme? Or did it spark a question or prediction? (please avoid any literary
Devices for this response.)
Chapter 8: Rat
1. Graff says, “ender wiggin is ten times smarter and stronger than i am” (99). Explain
What this quote means.
2. On pages 106-111, dink discusses childhood and the games being played. Summarize
His thoughts.
3. This chapter opens with a dialogue between graff and anderson. Graff says that
“fairness is a wonderful attribute. It has nothing to do with war”(97). Explain the
Quote.
4. The face in the mirror represents a personal crisis for ender. Whose face is it?
Why does he see this face in particular? 5. List three differences between rat and salamander.
a.
b.
c.
Chapter 9: Locke and Demosthenes
1. !Why did the wiggin family move to the country? Is it working?
2. There is a real battle, internally and unspoken, between peter and valentine. Who
Is manipulating whom? Who really has the power? What is their “scheme”?
3. Why does graff approach valentine?
4. Why choose these two aliases for the political forum? Why are they appropriate
For each person?
Chapter 10: Dragon
1. !You may have noticed that ender is never allowed to become too comfortable
Before his life is shaken up. Is graff dealing with inner turmoil about it? How do
We know? Why does it do it anyway?
2. Ender is given dragon army. What is the significance of this? How old is he now?
3. How is the relationship between ender and bean like the relationship between
Graff and ender?
4. List the internal and external conflicts ender has encountered in this chapter
A. Internal:
B. External:
5. What is ender’s vow at the end of the chapter? Was ender’s reaction a mistake by
The battle school, or was it the reaction they wanted?
Chapter 11: Veni Vedi Vici
1. !Once again, we learn things from the opening dialogue:
A. What are they planning to do to ender’s army?
B. What is graff worried about?
C. What is the political situation back on earth?
2. “my eagerness to sacrifice little children in order to save mankind is wearing
Thin” ( 174). Explain the significance.
3. List the main differences between ender’s strategies and those of the other teams.
A.
B.
C.
D.
4. Why does ender decide to start exploring the old videos? What does he learn from
Them? From whom does he learn strategy? What literary device is this an example
Of?
5. Describe the battle against salamander army. What is so unusual? What does ender
Say about it? (quote needed)
6. What is the relationship between ender and bean? It’s interesting that the last
Part of this chapter is from bean’s point of view. How does bean see ender?
7. Explain the quote: “yes. That’s the worst that could happen. I can’t lose any games.
Because if i lose any—“ (198).
8. Do you believe the game means anything? Ender doesn’t, but do you? Does it have a
True purpose?
9. “veni vidi vici” is the title of the chapter. Why is this appropriate?
Chapter 12: Bonzo
1. In many ways, this chapter is like chapter one. How?
2. How does ender “control” the situation in the washroom?
3. As ender’s training continues, the people in charge of the battle school make some
Serious changes in how the battles are organized and run. What are the major
Changes in this chapter?
4. How surprised were you to learn what actually happened to bonzo? How much more
Surprised were you to learn about stilson? Why did they keep this knowledge from
Ender?
Chapter 13 Group Activity
Directions: in your group, respond to each question on a separate sheet of
Paper. Make sure everyone’s name is on the sheet because this will be
Collected for a grade.
1) chapter 13 is fittingly called “valentine”. Take a look at page 245, and discuss the
Comparison between valentine and earth. Remember back to the fairyland game:
Who did val represent? Why does ender spend 3 months on earth before heading
To command school?
2) as valentine and ender are out on brandt lake, a wasp lands on the raft. How do
They each react differently to the insect? What does it reveal about their
Personality? How might peter have reacted?
3) ender fears the buggers like he has always feared peter. He declares that peter is
An “undefeated champion” (242). How does valentine respond to convince ender
To fight the buggers?
4) what is the only thing ender wants from peter?
5) how do the buggers communicate? What did the i.f. build in response to the
Buggers’ communication skill?
6) who is starting the third invasion? (kind of fitting it is called “third”, no?) Why?
How long before the war begins? Who is the commander of the fleet?
7) why are they fighting the buggers? **do you believe this is a valid reason to
Destroy and decimate a race?
For number 8, only explain the moral dilemma of the specific theme assigned
To your group. Please respond on your sheet of paper. Also be prepared to
Share your final remarks with the class.
8) ender has been lead to believe, as graff explains it to val, “humanity is on the
Cusp” and he is the only hope to save the world (233). It is because of this type of
Urgency that ender is fighting for his life, literally. However, ender is fighting his
Conscience against moral dilemmas. We are going to examine each dilemma ender
Faces specifically in chapter 13. Each of these dilemmas becomes a major theme
Throughout the novel. What does orson scott card want us to believe about each
Of these dilemmas?
A. Empathy (page 238; 250; 253-254)
B. Loss of innocence (pages 239-240; 251-252)
C. Power (pages 239-240; 245)
D. Survival (page 241)
E. Love (page 242; 243; 245)
Chapter 14: Ender’s Teacher
1. How is eros different than battle school?
A. Ender’s training?
B. His social activities?
C. Opportunities for comradeship?
2. How did they manage to keep mazer rackham around for 70 years so he could be
Ender’s teacher? What did it cost him?
3. What things did humanity learn from the buggers?
4. How did rackham win the second war?
5. Why would buggers not see killing individuals the same way humans would?
6. What is dr. Device?
7. After ender and his squad have been thoroughly trained, rackham tells him that
He will be their enemy in the simulations from now on. What is the truth of this?
8. What are some of the signs that the constant pressure is wearing on ender and his
Squad leaders?
9. “but as their trust in ender as a commander grew, their friendship…gradually
Disappeared…ender was their teacher and commander, as distant from them as
Mazer was from him” (282). Why must ender be isolated from his friends? What
Dangers could arise from having “friendship” with those you must lead?
10. Were you surprised to learn the truth behind enders’ mock battles? Graff
Explains the training strategy on page 298.
11. Is genocide, or in the case of ender’s game where an entire alien race is annihilated,
Xenocide, ever justified? Was the xenocide of the buggers inevitable? Why?
12. What happens to earth as soon as the bugger war is over? Were peter and valentine
Right? Why is ender potentially in danger?
13. The kids finally get to express their opinions at the end of this chapter. What do
They think will happen to them?
Chapter 15: Speaker For the Dead
1. This chapter begins with another dialogue, only this time it’s presented as a
Regular narrative. Why has the style changed? What important changes are about
To take place on earth?
2. Valentine said, “nobody controls his own life, ender. The best you can do is choose
To fill the roles given to you by good people, by people who love you” (313). After
What has happened in ender’s life, what would he think of this statement?
3. Ender listens to the evidence about the deaths of stilson and bonzo. What is
Ender’s opinion about the deaths?
4. Why did valentine make sure that ender could never return to earth?
5. What is ironic about valentine’s statement about peter saving millions of lives?
6. What knowledge did ender gain that enabled him to write “the hive queen”? Give
Specific details.
7. Why does ender publish the book using the pseudonym “speaker for the dead” and
Not his own name?
1. One of the first things you may notice about this book is that it is printed in two different fonts. The sans serif font at the beginning of every chapter is in the form of a dialogue between two unidentified speakers, most of whom you will
become familiar with as the book continues. We learn a lot that ender does not know in these sections of the book. What do we learn in this first section?
2. Discuss the significance of ender’s monitor.
3. What does it mean “to submerge himself in someone else’s will” (1)?
4. What do we learn about ender’s siblings in this chapter?
5. What is ender’s actual given name? What are his nicknames (he has two)?
6. Ender thinks, “sometimes lies were more dependable than truth” (2). Explain what
You think he means by this. Do you agree? Why?
7. Examine ender’s encounter with stilson. What are his motives for handling this situation the way he did? What are the unwritten rules of combat that he breaks? Why has he never had to do this before now?
Chapter 2: Peter
1. Are peter’s threats real, a joke, or manipulation? What does he think is his
Greatest talent?
2. List the qualities of this character so far in the novel and then draw a picture of
An animal that represents the character’s qualities below.
Chapter 3: Graff
1. Explain what it means for ender to have been born a “third”. Show the positive and
Negative sides of this nickname.
2. In this chapter, ender explains his assault on stilson. Find the quote that
Supports his “fighting rationale” and record it below:
3. What does it first seem graff has arrived to do? What does he really want?
First it appears graff has come to
_______________________________________________________________.
However, he has really come to
________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________.
4. Graff says that ender must volunteer to go to battle school, and he personally
Tells ender many reasons which might convince ender not to go. What aspects of
Battle school does graff warn ender about?
5. What are ender’s reasons for deciding to go to the battle school?
6. Ender is leaving to learn how to fight a war, yet he takes graff’s hand. Why does
The author include this action?
7. Describe valentine. How does she feel about ender? Why wasn’t she chosen for
Battle school? How does ender feel about her?
Chapter 4: Launch
1. Explain the following quote, “isolate him enough that he remains creativeotherwise
He’ll adopt the system and we’ll lose him” (27).
2. We are also told that “breaking geniuses” makes them better people. Do you see
This as true or false?
3. Explain the following quote: individual human beings are all tools, that the others use to help us all survive” (35).
4. How does graff go about isolating ender?
5. How does the incident with the other cadet mirror the stilson episode? Is it
Acceptable to do despicable things for survival? Why or why not?
Chapter 5: Games
1. Ender works hard to express his feelings in private and not show homesickness in
Front of any other person. Is it healthy for him or not? What are the positive and
Negative sides of showing your feelings?
2. What games are being played in this chapter?
3. Examine ender’s dealings with bernard. How does he do it? Is this an unusual
Solution to his problem?
4. What advice does mick give to ender?
5. “he can never come to believe that anybody will ever help him out, ever. If he once
Thinks there’s an easy way out, he’s wrecked…he can have friends. It’s parents he
Can’t have” (38). Explain the previous quote. Are parents/parent -like figures
Necessary in a child’s development?
6. What are the circumstances for ender’s friendship with Shen?
Chapter 6: The Giant's Drink
1. List 3 things about being in null/zero gravity:
2. How is Alai the "bridge" between Ender and Bernard?
3. How does Ender "win" the Giant's drink game?
4. Think and explain how Ender is having trouble being violent, ex. beating up Stilson, hurting Bernard, killing the Giant, etc.
Chapter 7: Salamander
1. What did alai say to ender? Why is the exchange between alai and ender so
Important?
2. Who does ender meet in this chapter? Briefly describe any characters that seem
Important (can also fill in information about them in the grid on the first page).
3. In speaking with petra, ender silently identifies adults as enemies. How does he
Come to this conclusion?
4. What does ender learn about leadership and tactics from bonzo? How can a person
“lose face”?
5. Find an example of irony between ender and bonzo. Write the quote here.
6. Find an important quote from chapter 7. Write it in the space below and explain why
It is important to annotate. Does it help with plot development, characterization,
Or theme? Or did it spark a question or prediction? (please avoid any literary
Devices for this response.)
Chapter 8: Rat
1. Graff says, “ender wiggin is ten times smarter and stronger than i am” (99). Explain
What this quote means.
2. On pages 106-111, dink discusses childhood and the games being played. Summarize
His thoughts.
3. This chapter opens with a dialogue between graff and anderson. Graff says that
“fairness is a wonderful attribute. It has nothing to do with war”(97). Explain the
Quote.
4. The face in the mirror represents a personal crisis for ender. Whose face is it?
Why does he see this face in particular? 5. List three differences between rat and salamander.
a.
b.
c.
Chapter 9: Locke and Demosthenes
1. !Why did the wiggin family move to the country? Is it working?
2. There is a real battle, internally and unspoken, between peter and valentine. Who
Is manipulating whom? Who really has the power? What is their “scheme”?
3. Why does graff approach valentine?
4. Why choose these two aliases for the political forum? Why are they appropriate
For each person?
Chapter 10: Dragon
1. !You may have noticed that ender is never allowed to become too comfortable
Before his life is shaken up. Is graff dealing with inner turmoil about it? How do
We know? Why does it do it anyway?
2. Ender is given dragon army. What is the significance of this? How old is he now?
3. How is the relationship between ender and bean like the relationship between
Graff and ender?
4. List the internal and external conflicts ender has encountered in this chapter
A. Internal:
B. External:
5. What is ender’s vow at the end of the chapter? Was ender’s reaction a mistake by
The battle school, or was it the reaction they wanted?
Chapter 11: Veni Vedi Vici
1. !Once again, we learn things from the opening dialogue:
A. What are they planning to do to ender’s army?
B. What is graff worried about?
C. What is the political situation back on earth?
2. “my eagerness to sacrifice little children in order to save mankind is wearing
Thin” ( 174). Explain the significance.
3. List the main differences between ender’s strategies and those of the other teams.
A.
B.
C.
D.
4. Why does ender decide to start exploring the old videos? What does he learn from
Them? From whom does he learn strategy? What literary device is this an example
Of?
5. Describe the battle against salamander army. What is so unusual? What does ender
Say about it? (quote needed)
6. What is the relationship between ender and bean? It’s interesting that the last
Part of this chapter is from bean’s point of view. How does bean see ender?
7. Explain the quote: “yes. That’s the worst that could happen. I can’t lose any games.
Because if i lose any—“ (198).
8. Do you believe the game means anything? Ender doesn’t, but do you? Does it have a
True purpose?
9. “veni vidi vici” is the title of the chapter. Why is this appropriate?
Chapter 12: Bonzo
1. In many ways, this chapter is like chapter one. How?
2. How does ender “control” the situation in the washroom?
3. As ender’s training continues, the people in charge of the battle school make some
Serious changes in how the battles are organized and run. What are the major
Changes in this chapter?
4. How surprised were you to learn what actually happened to bonzo? How much more
Surprised were you to learn about stilson? Why did they keep this knowledge from
Ender?
Chapter 13 Group Activity
Directions: in your group, respond to each question on a separate sheet of
Paper. Make sure everyone’s name is on the sheet because this will be
Collected for a grade.
1) chapter 13 is fittingly called “valentine”. Take a look at page 245, and discuss the
Comparison between valentine and earth. Remember back to the fairyland game:
Who did val represent? Why does ender spend 3 months on earth before heading
To command school?
2) as valentine and ender are out on brandt lake, a wasp lands on the raft. How do
They each react differently to the insect? What does it reveal about their
Personality? How might peter have reacted?
3) ender fears the buggers like he has always feared peter. He declares that peter is
An “undefeated champion” (242). How does valentine respond to convince ender
To fight the buggers?
4) what is the only thing ender wants from peter?
5) how do the buggers communicate? What did the i.f. build in response to the
Buggers’ communication skill?
6) who is starting the third invasion? (kind of fitting it is called “third”, no?) Why?
How long before the war begins? Who is the commander of the fleet?
7) why are they fighting the buggers? **do you believe this is a valid reason to
Destroy and decimate a race?
For number 8, only explain the moral dilemma of the specific theme assigned
To your group. Please respond on your sheet of paper. Also be prepared to
Share your final remarks with the class.
8) ender has been lead to believe, as graff explains it to val, “humanity is on the
Cusp” and he is the only hope to save the world (233). It is because of this type of
Urgency that ender is fighting for his life, literally. However, ender is fighting his
Conscience against moral dilemmas. We are going to examine each dilemma ender
Faces specifically in chapter 13. Each of these dilemmas becomes a major theme
Throughout the novel. What does orson scott card want us to believe about each
Of these dilemmas?
A. Empathy (page 238; 250; 253-254)
B. Loss of innocence (pages 239-240; 251-252)
C. Power (pages 239-240; 245)
D. Survival (page 241)
E. Love (page 242; 243; 245)
Chapter 14: Ender’s Teacher
1. How is eros different than battle school?
A. Ender’s training?
B. His social activities?
C. Opportunities for comradeship?
2. How did they manage to keep mazer rackham around for 70 years so he could be
Ender’s teacher? What did it cost him?
3. What things did humanity learn from the buggers?
4. How did rackham win the second war?
5. Why would buggers not see killing individuals the same way humans would?
6. What is dr. Device?
7. After ender and his squad have been thoroughly trained, rackham tells him that
He will be their enemy in the simulations from now on. What is the truth of this?
8. What are some of the signs that the constant pressure is wearing on ender and his
Squad leaders?
9. “but as their trust in ender as a commander grew, their friendship…gradually
Disappeared…ender was their teacher and commander, as distant from them as
Mazer was from him” (282). Why must ender be isolated from his friends? What
Dangers could arise from having “friendship” with those you must lead?
10. Were you surprised to learn the truth behind enders’ mock battles? Graff
Explains the training strategy on page 298.
11. Is genocide, or in the case of ender’s game where an entire alien race is annihilated,
Xenocide, ever justified? Was the xenocide of the buggers inevitable? Why?
12. What happens to earth as soon as the bugger war is over? Were peter and valentine
Right? Why is ender potentially in danger?
13. The kids finally get to express their opinions at the end of this chapter. What do
They think will happen to them?
Chapter 15: Speaker For the Dead
1. This chapter begins with another dialogue, only this time it’s presented as a
Regular narrative. Why has the style changed? What important changes are about
To take place on earth?
2. Valentine said, “nobody controls his own life, ender. The best you can do is choose
To fill the roles given to you by good people, by people who love you” (313). After
What has happened in ender’s life, what would he think of this statement?
3. Ender listens to the evidence about the deaths of stilson and bonzo. What is
Ender’s opinion about the deaths?
4. Why did valentine make sure that ender could never return to earth?
5. What is ironic about valentine’s statement about peter saving millions of lives?
6. What knowledge did ender gain that enabled him to write “the hive queen”? Give
Specific details.
7. Why does ender publish the book using the pseudonym “speaker for the dead” and
Not his own name?