Shadow and Bone

Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Prologue-Chapter 3

Reading Check

1. Why were Alina and Mal sent to the orphanage?

2. What do Alina and Mal join after leaving the Orphanage?

3. What is the name of the creatures that inhabit the Fold?

4. What is the name of the Grisha leader?

5. What do the people suspect Alina of being?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What are the Grisha?

2. Why are Mal and Alina reluctant to join the Grisha army?

3. What is the Shadow Fold?

Paired Resource

Worldbuilding

• This article describes how to create a believable world.
• How is this article related to the novel’s themes of Power, Belonging, and Self-Acceptance and The Tensions Between Enlightenment and Superstition?

Chapters 4-7

Reading Check

1. Where does the Darkling send Alina after discovering her powers?

2. Which of the Darkling’s powers gives     him the ability to call forth Alina’s powers?

3. How old is the Darkling?

4. What is the capital of Ravka?

5. Who does the Darkling say created the Fold?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What is the Darkling’s connection to the Fold?

2. What is Genya’s occupation in The Little Palace, and what is the significance?

Paired Resource

“Social Stratification”

• This 11-minute video describes the development of social hierarchy in various cultures.
• The video discusses ideas related to the novel’s themes of Power, Belonging, and Self-Acceptance and The Tension Between Enlightenment and Superstition.
• How does social stratification vary in different societies? How is social hierarchy structured in Shadow and Bone? How does social stratification vary in different societies?           

“Understanding Wealth Inequality”

• This 5-minute video describes wealth inequality and the consequences of wealth inequality.
• This article relates to the themes of Power, Belonging, and Self-Acceptance and Sacrifice, Mercy, and Greed.
• How does the world of Shadow and Bone exhibit signs of wealth inequality?       

Chapters 8-10

Reading Check

1. Whose hut does Alina take her first lesson in?

2. Who is rumored to be sleeping with the King?

3. What does the Apparat give to Alina as a present?

4. What does Alina send to Mal weekly?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What are some of the benefits Alina is able to derive from her new experiences in the Little Palace?

2. Why does Alina withdraw from the other Grisha?

Paired Resource

“The True Historical Events that Inspired Shadow and Bone”

• This article makes a connection between Shadow and Bone and historical events in Russia.
• This article relates to the novel’s themes of Power, Belonging, and Self-Acceptance.
• What connections between history and the novel can you identify in the first 10 chapters?

Chapters 11-13

Reading Check

1. Which Grisha was attracted to Mal earlier in the novel?

2. How does the Darkling intend to make Alina an amplifier?

3. What does Botkin give to Alina after he believes she has earned it?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why does Zoya attack Alina with her Grisha powers when they are sparring?

2. How does Alina react when she realizes Mal is healthy and stationed in the north?

3. Based on her repressed memories, how did Alina evades the Grisha when they initially tested her and how is it connected to her magical ability? 

4. Why has Alina been sick?

Chapters 14-16

Reading Check

1. What was Mal’s unit tracking?

2. Who does Baghra say the Darkling is?

3. How are Baghra and the Darkling connected?     

4. Who finds Alina hiding in the forest and wants to help her escape the Darkling?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why didn’t Mal write back to Alina?

2. When Mal and Alina reunite, why is the exchange tense?     

3. What is the significance of Alina’s decision not to chase Mal?

4. What does Baghra reveal about the Darkling’s plans?

Chapters 17-19

Reading Check

1. If Mal is caught by the soldiers, what punishment will he likely face?    

2. In which celebration do Mal and Alina briefly participate?    

3. What does Alina ask Mal to do if the Darkling catches her?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why has Mal’s character changed since leaving Alina?

2. How does Alina acquire the stag’s amplifier?

Paired Resource

Maslenitsa

• This article describes the celebration of Maslenitsa, or “butter week” in Russia.
• This resource connects to the theme of Power, Belonging, and Self-Acceptance.
• What inspiration might Bardugo have drawn from Maslenitsa?

Chapter 20-Epilogue

Reading Check

1. What does Alina dream of after her encounter with the Darkling?

2. What is Genya wearing when she visits Alina in the camp?

3. Who is ruling in the King’s place?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What does the Darkling instruct Alina to tell the others about where she has been?

2. What is the Darkling’s plan for Mal?

3. What does the Darkling do after crossing the Fold?

4. How is Alina able to take control of her power against the Darkling to spare Mal?

Recommended Next Reads 

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

• This novel is the sequel to Shadow and Bone. It continues the story of Alina and Mal and their efforts to defeat the Darkling and banish the Fold.
• Shared topics include romantic relationships, friendship, and identity.
• Shared themes include Power, Belonging, and Self-Acceptance; Romance and Boundaries Between Self and Love;     and The Tension Between Enlightenment and Superstition.
• Siege and Storm on SuperSummary

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

• This fantasy novel follows the intertwined stories of an enslaved girl and a young soldier as they navigate a brutal empire and fight for freedom. 
• Shared topics include fantasy inspired by cultures, political resistance, and romantic relationships.
• Shared themes include Power, Belonging, and Self-Acceptance and Sacrifice, Mercy, and Greed.
• An Ember in the Ashes on SuperSummary