| Name: ______________________________ | Date: ______________ |
Instructions
- Read Chapter 1 of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone before completing the activities.
- Use details from the chapter to support your answers.
- Explain your ideas clearly, especially when analysing characters and language.
- Do not copy long passages from the book.
Example: How does the opening description of the Dursleys create an impression of them?
Answer: It presents them as ordinary, respectable, and proud of being normal, but the exaggerated description also makes them seem narrow-minded and amusing.
Part 1: Chapter Check
Answer each question in one or two complete sentences.
1. What is unusual about the Dursleys' attitude toward anything strange or mysterious? |
2. What kinds of unusual events are reported across Britain at the beginning of the chapter? |
3. Why is Professor McGonagall watching the Dursleys' house? |
4. What does Dumbledore explain about Harry's parents? |
5. Why does the chapter end with Harry being left on the doorstep? |
Part 2: Character Clues
Choose the option that best explains what each detail reveals.
6. What does Mr Dursley's pride in being 'perfectly normal' mainly suggest?
| ○ A. He is curious about magic | ○ B. He values conformity and appearances |
| ○ C. He wants to help unusual people | ○ D. He secretly studies wizardry |
7. What does Mrs Dursley's interest in gossip about neighbours reveal?
| ○ A. She is observant but concerned with other people's lives | ○ B. She is brave in dangerous situations |
| ○ C. She understands the magical world | ○ D. She dislikes social conversation |
8. Why is McGonagall's ability to change from a cat important to her character?
| ○ A. It shows she is playful and careless | ○ B. It shows she is magical, watchful, and capable |
| ○ C. It proves she dislikes Dumbledore | ○ D. It shows she wants to frighten Harry |
9. What does Dumbledore's calm manner suggest when he discusses danger?
| ○ A. He does not understand the situation | ○ B. He is confident and thoughtful under pressure |
| ○ C. He is secretly afraid of Hagrid | ○ D. He wants to avoid responsibility |
10. How is Hagrid presented when he arrives with Harry?
| ○ A. As a threatening villain | ○ B. As a caring but unconventional protector |
| ○ C. As an ordinary neighbour | ○ D. As someone who has forgotten Harry |
Part 3: Language Lens
Decide whether each statement about the chapter's language is true or false.
11. The repeated emphasis on the Dursleys being normal creates irony because the reader knows that the magical world exists. True / False
12. The opening focus on an ordinary suburban family immediately reveals every important fact about Harry's magical identity. True / False
13. Descriptions of unusual clothing and behaviour help show the conflict between the ordinary and magical worlds. True / False
14. The narrator's humorous tone makes the Dursleys' prejudices seem completely admirable. True / False
15. Withholding Harry's name until later helps create curiosity about the baby and his importance. True / False
Part 4: People and Purposes
Match each character or group with the role they perform in Chapter 1.
| 16. | Mr Dursley | __________ | A. Represents pride in ordinary status and social respectability |
| 17. | Mrs Dursley | __________ | B. Observes the Dursleys and questions whether Harry should be placed with them |
| 18. | Professor McGonagall | __________ | C. Brings Harry safely to his new home |
| 19. | Dumbledore | __________ | D. Organises Harry's protection and explains the wider danger |
| 20. | Hagrid | __________ | E. Connects the Dursley household to gossip and family secrecy |
Part 5: Think Deeper (optional challenge)
Write a developed answer using a quotation or precise reference to the chapter.
21. How does Rowling make the ordinary world seem both comic and unsettling in this chapter? |
22. Why might the chapter begin with the Dursleys instead of Harry? |
23. How does the contrast between McGonagall and the Dursleys help introduce the novel's conflict? |
24. What impression of Voldemort is created even though he does not appear directly? |
Answer Key
| 1. | They strongly dislike anything unusual and pretend that strange events do not exist. |
| 2. | People see owls behaving strangely, shooting stars appear, and oddly dressed strangers are seen celebrating. |
| 3. | She is waiting for Hagrid to bring baby Harry there so he can be left with the Dursleys. |
| 4. | He explains that they were killed by Voldemort, while Harry survived the attack with only a scar. |
| 5. | The wizarding world must keep him hidden and safe, so Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Hagrid leave him with his surviving relatives. |
| 6. | B (He values conformity and appearances) |
| 7. | A (She is observant but concerned with other people's lives) |
| 8. | B (It shows she is magical, watchful, and capable) |
| 9. | B (He is confident and thoughtful under pressure) |
| 10. | B (As a caring but unconventional protector) |
| 11. | True |
| 12. | False |
| 13. | True |
| 14. | False |
| 15. | True |
| 16. | A (Represents pride in ordinary status and social respectability) |
| 17. | E (Connects the Dursley household to gossip and family secrecy) |
| 18. | B (Observes the Dursleys and questions whether Harry should be placed with them) |
| 19. | D (Organises Harry's protection and explains the wider danger) |
| 20. | C (Brings Harry safely to his new home) |
| 21. | She uses exaggerated descriptions of the Dursleys' normality for comedy, while the strange events they ignore create unease because the reader knows that something powerful is approaching. |
| 22. | Beginning with the Dursleys establishes the ordinary world before revealing magic. It also makes Harry's arrival more dramatic because he is placed in a household that rejects everything unusual. |
| 23. | McGonagall understands that magic and danger are real, while the Dursleys deny anything unusual. Their opposing viewpoints introduce the conflict between the magical world and the restrictive ordinary world. |
| 24. | He seems extremely powerful and terrifying because respected wizards celebrate his defeat, people are still afraid to say his name, and his attack has left Harry permanently marked. |