ELA 10.23.24 The Hobbit (Think Questions)

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ELA 10.23.24 The Hobbit (Think Questions)

Last updated about 2 hours ago

3 questions

Untitled Section 1

1

Untitled Section 2

1

Hobbit Summary

9

From Chapter 1: An Unexpected Party
by JRR Tolkien
"Excitable little fellow," said Gandalf, as they sat down again. "Gets funny queer fits, but he is one of the best, one of the best—as fierce as a dragon in a pinch."

If you have ever seen a dragon in a pinch, you will realize that this was only poetical exaggeration applied to any hobbit, even to Old Took's great-granduncle Bullroarer, who was so huge (for a hobbit) that he could ride a horse. He charged the ranks of the goblins of Mount Gram in the Battle of the Green Fields, and knocked their king Golfimbul's head clean off with a wooden club. It sailed a hundred yards through the air and went down a rabbit hole, and in this way the battle was won and the game of Golf invented at the same moment.

In the meanwhile, however, Bullroarer's gentler descendant was reviving in the drawing-room. After a while and a drink he crept nervously to the door of the parlour. This is what he heard, Gloin speaking: "Humph!" (or some snort more or less like that). "Will he do, do you think? It is all very well for Gandalf to talk about this hobbit being fierce, but one shriek like that in a moment of excitement would be enough to wake the dragon and all his relatives, and kill the lot of us. I think it sounded more like fright than excitement! In fact, if it had not been for the sign on the door, I should have been sure we had come to the wrong house. As soon as I clapped eyes on the little fellow bobbing and puffing on the mat, I had my doubts. He looks more like a grocer than a burglar!"

Then Mr. Baggins turned the handle and went in. The Took side had won. He suddenly felt he would go without bed and breakfast to be thought fierce. As for little fellow bobbing on the mat it almost made him really fierce. Many a time afterwards the Baggins part regretted what he did now, and he said to himself: "Bilbo, you were a fool; you walked right in and put your foot in it."

"Pardon me," he said, "if I have overheard words that you were saying. I don't pretend to understand what you are talking about, or your reference to burglars, but I think I am right in believing" (this is what he called being on his dignity) "that you think I am no good. I will show you. I have no signs on my door—it was painted a week ago—, and I am quite sure you have come to the wrong house. As soon as I saw your funny faces on the door-step, I had my doubts. But treat it as the right one. Tell me what you want done, and I will try it, if I have to walk from here to the East of East and fight the wild Were-worms in the Last Desert. I had a great-great-great-granduncle once, Bullroarer Took, and—"

"Yes, yes, but that was long ago," said Gloin. "I was talking about you. And I assure you there is a mark on this door—the usual one in the trade, or used to be. Burglar wants a good job, plenty of Excitement and reasonable Reward, that's how it is usually read. You can say Expert Treasure-hunter instead of Burglar if you like. Some of them do. It's all the same to us. Gandalf told us that there was a man of the sort in these parts looking for a Job at once, and that he had arranged for a meeting here this Wednesday tea-time."

"Of course there is a mark," said Gandalf. "I put it there myself. For very good reasons. You asked me to find the fourteenth man for your expedition, and I chose Mr. Baggins. Just let any one say I chose the wrong man or the wrong house, and you can stop at thirteen and have all the bad luck you like, or go back to digging coal."

He scowled so angrily at Gloin that the dwarf huddled back in his chair; and when Bilbo tried to open his mouth to ask a question, he turned and frowned at him and stuck out his bushy eyebrows, till Bilbo shut his mouth tight with a snap.

"That's right," said Gandalf. "Let's have no more argument. I have chosen Mr. Baggins and that ought to be enough for all of you. If I say he is a Burglar, a Burglar he is, or will be when the time comes. There is a lot more in him than you guess, and a deal more than he has any idea of himself. You may (possibly) all live to thank me yet.

...

"Also," went on Gandalf, "I forgot to mention that with the map went a key, a small and curious key. Here it is!" he said, and handed to Thorin a key with a long barrel and intricate wards, made of silver. "Keep it safe!"

"Indeed I will," said Thorin, and he fastened it upon a fine chain that hung about his neck and under his jacket. "Now things begin to look more hopeful. This news alters them much for the better. So far we have had no clear idea what to do. We thought of going East, as quiet and careful as we could, as far as the Long Lake. After that the trouble would begin—"

"A long time before that, if I know anything about the roads East," interrupted Gandalf.

"We might go from there up along the River Running," went on Thorin taking no notice, "and so to the ruins of Dale—the old town in the valley there, under the shadow of the Mountain. But we none of us liked the idea of the Front Gate. The river runs right out of it through the great cliff at the South of the Mountain, and out of it comes the dragon too—far too often, unless he has changed."

"That would be no good," said the wizard, "not without a mighty Warrior, even a Hero. I tried to find one; but warriors are busy fighting one another in distant lands, and in this neighbourhood heroes are scarce, or simply not to be found. Swords in these parts are mostly blunt, and axes are used for trees, and shields as cradles or dish-covers; and dragons are comfortably far-off (and therefore legendary). That is why I settled on burglary—especially when I remembered the existence of a Side-door. And here is our little Bilbo Baggins, the burglar, the chosen and selected burglar. So now let's get on and make some plans."

"Very well then," said Thorin, "supposing the burglar-expert gives us some ideas or suggestions." He turned with mock-politeness to Bilbo.

"First I should like to know a bit more about things," said he, feeling all confused and a bit shaky inside, but so far still Tookishly determined to go on with things. "I mean about the gold and the dragon, and all that, and how it got there, and who it belongs to, and so on and further."

"Bless me!" said Thorin, "haven't you got a map? and didn't you hear our song? and haven't we been talking about all this for hours?"

"All the same, I should like it all plain and clear," said he obstinately, putting on his business manner (usually reserved for people who tried to borrow money off him), and doing his best to appear wise and prudent and professional and live up to Gandalf's recommendation. "Also I should like to know about risks, out-of-pocket expenses, time required and remuneration, and so forth"—by which he meant: "What am I going to get out of it? and am I going to come back alive?"

...

After all the others had ordered their breakfasts without so much as a please (which annoyed Bilbo very much), they all got up. The hobbit had to find room for them all, and filled all his spare-rooms and made beds on chairs and sofas, before he got them all stowed and went to his own little bed very tired and not altogether happy.

Excerpted from The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

1

Draggable item		Corresponding Item

Scene Description
Several students sit around a table in a library. Their books, digital devices, and notebooks are out on the table. While they talk, other students work quietly in the background. Throughout the video, students step away from the group for one-on-one interviews about their discussion.  

---

Transcript
00 (INTRODUCTION PLAYS) Reading Strategies  

05 CHLOE: The main character of *The Hobbit*?  

06 Well, the hobbit, duh!  

08 But, what's the character of this character?  

11 ISAIAH: Bilbo Baggins is one crazy little guy.  

14 CHLOE: Little? Yes.  

15 But crazy? I don't know if I agree.  

17 ISAIAH: Listen to what Gandalf has to say about him:  

20 "Excitable little fellow," said Gandalf, as they sat down again.  

23 "Gets funny queer fits, but he is one of the best,  

27 one of the best – as fierce as a dragon in a pinch."  

30 ISAIAH: See: "excitable," "fierce," how else would you describe a crazy person?  

35 CHLOE: But fierce means strong, not crazy.  

37 ISAIAH: Ok, hey. I didn't literally mean wacko,  

40 just maybe he's a little too…anxious.  

44 CHLOE: Oh totally anxious, the dwarf Gloin pretty much spells it out right here:  

48 "..one shriek like that in a moment of excitement would be enough to  

51 wake the dragon and all his relatives, and kill the lot of us."  

55 ISAIAH: Shrieking in moments of excitement?  

57 MONICA: Oh Bilbo, you crazy little guy!  

59 CHLOE: Yeah so, by studying the dialogue, by reading what people say about Bilbo,  

04 it's easy to infer that he's excitable and anxious, for sure,  

08 but there's more to him than that.  

10 I mean, there's gotta be right?  

13 I get the dialogue thing, but how else do we get to know characters?  

16 ISAIAH: 'Actions speak louder than words,' my grandma used to say.  

19 Study their actions right?  

20 CHLOE: Good thinking, Grandma! Example?  

23 I've got one right here:  

25 "After a while and a drink he crept nervously to the door of the parlour.  

29 Then Mr. Baggins turned the handle and went in.  

31 The Took side had won.  

33 He suddenly felt he would go without bed and breakfast to be thought fierce.  

36 As for little fellow bobbing on the mat it almost made him really fierce.  

40 Many a time afterwards the Baggins part regretted what he did now,  

43 and he said to himself: "Bilbo, you were a fool;  

46 you walked right in and put your foot in it."  

48 ISAIAH: See? It says it right at the top: "nervously," Bilbo is nervous.  

53 CHLOE: Yes, but what were his actions?  

55 What did he do?  

56 He turned the handle and went in.  

57 He's being a brave hobbit.  

59 ISAIAH: So, Bilbo's both nervous and brave?  

02 CHLOE: I guess.  

ISAIAH: So, what? Bilbo has a split personality?  

06 CHLOE: Well, when you think about it, it's like the two sides of his family;  

09 the Tooks and the Baggins.  

11 ISAIAH: The "Took side" is the fierce side.  

13 CHLOE: Which means the Baggins side is the little fella bobbing on the mat.  

16 ISAIAH: Like I said, split personality.  

18 So…maybe Bilbo's crazy after all?  

21 MONICA: Isaiah's right.  

22 These two qualities, brave and scared, seem to be really opposite.  

27 CHLOE: You say that like it's a bad thing?  

29 MONICA: Crazy? Uhh, yeah.  

31 CHLOE: I don't know.  

32 Maybe having two sides to his personality will come in handy.  

35 Any character, especially a main character, is gonna be a lot of things,  

38 have a lot of qualities.  

39 But how those qualities relate to the overall story,  

42 that's where things can get interesting.  

44 You guys are assuming that having these two sides to his personality  

47 makes Bilbo weaker,  

49 but maybe it actually makes him stronger.  

ISAIAH: How?  

52 CHLOE: I don't know.  

53 But Gandalf is a wise wizard, he chose Bilbo for a reason.  

56 ISAIAH: Maybe…but maybe Gandalf's wise and foolish;  

01 could be crazy too, like Bilbo!  

CHLOE: Isaiah!  

04 ISAIAH: I'm just messing with you Chlo, look,  

06 we don't know what Bilbo's got ahead of him on this adventure.  

10 Maybe both sides of his personality will become useful.  

13 I kind of said that to make Chloe feel better,  

15 but really I can't imagine how being a coward is gonna help Bilbo out.  

20 Guess I'll find out?  

22 CHLOE: I realized that Bilbo's more complex than he first seemed.  

25 But that's what makes him interesting.  

27 It's weird…I already care what's going to happen to him…  

31 wonder what's going to happen next!

1

CER Response Question
What drives Bilbo Baggins to begin his mission to steal from the dragon?
---
In the same answer box:
Write a claim to answer the question
Write evidence that supports the claim
Write reasoning the explains why your evidence supports your claim
Use the CER Response Rubrics above when crafting your responses.

From Chapter 1: An Unexpected Party
by JRR Tolkien
"Excitable little fellow," said Gandalf, as they sat down again. "Gets funny queer fits, but he is one of the best, one of the best—as fierce as a dragon in a pinch."

If you have ever seen a dragon in a pinch, you will realize that this was only poetical exaggeration applied to any hobbit, even to Old Took's great-granduncle Bullroarer, who was so huge (for a hobbit) that he could ride a horse. He charged the ranks of the goblins of Mount Gram in the Battle of the Green Fields, and knocked their king Golfimbul's head clean off with a wooden club. It sailed a hundred yards through the air and went down a rabbit hole, and in this way the battle was won and the game of Golf invented at the same moment.

In the meanwhile, however, Bullroarer's gentler descendant was reviving in the drawing-room. After a while and a drink he crept nervously to the door of the parlour. This is what he heard, Gloin speaking: "Humph!" (or some snort more or less like that). "Will he do, do you think? It is all very well for Gandalf to talk about this hobbit being fierce, but one shriek like that in a moment of excitement would be enough to wake the dragon and all his relatives, and kill the lot of us. I think it sounded more like fright than excitement! In fact, if it had not been for the sign on the door, I should have been sure we had come to the wrong house. As soon as I clapped eyes on the little fellow bobbing and puffing on the mat, I had my doubts. He looks more like a grocer than a burglar!"

Then Mr. Baggins turned the handle and went in. The Took side had won. He suddenly felt he would go without bed and breakfast to be thought fierce. As for little fellow bobbing on the mat it almost made him really fierce. Many a time afterwards the Baggins part regretted what he did now, and he said to himself: "Bilbo, you were a fool; you walked right in and put your foot in it."

"Pardon me," he said, "if I have overheard words that you were saying. I don't pretend to understand what you are talking about, or your reference to burglars, but I think I am right in believing" (this is what he called being on his dignity) "that you think I am no good. I will show you. I have no signs on my door—it was painted a week ago—, and I am quite sure you have come to the wrong house. As soon as I saw your funny faces on the door-step, I had my doubts. But treat it as the right one. Tell me what you want done, and I will try it, if I have to walk from here to the East of East and fight the wild Were-worms in the Last Desert. I had a great-great-great-granduncle once, Bullroarer Took, and—"

"Yes, yes, but that was long ago," said Gloin. "I was talking about you. And I assure you there is a mark on this door—the usual one in the trade, or used to be. Burglar wants a good job, plenty of Excitement and reasonable Reward, that's how it is usually read. You can say Expert Treasure-hunter instead of Burglar if you like. Some of them do. It's all the same to us. Gandalf told us that there was a man of the sort in these parts looking for a Job at once, and that he had arranged for a meeting here this Wednesday tea-time."

"Of course there is a mark," said Gandalf. "I put it there myself. For very good reasons. You asked me to find the fourteenth man for your expedition, and I chose Mr. Baggins. Just let any one say I chose the wrong man or the wrong house, and you can stop at thirteen and have all the bad luck you like, or go back to digging coal."

He scowled so angrily at Gloin that the dwarf huddled back in his chair; and when Bilbo tried to open his mouth to ask a question, he turned and frowned at him and stuck out his bushy eyebrows, till Bilbo shut his mouth tight with a snap.

"That's right," said Gandalf. "Let's have no more argument. I have chosen Mr. Baggins and that ought to be enough for all of you. If I say he is a Burglar, a Burglar he is, or will be when the time comes. There is a lot more in him than you guess, and a deal more than he has any idea of himself. You may (possibly) all live to thank me yet.

...

"Also," went on Gandalf, "I forgot to mention that with the map went a key, a small and curious key. Here it is!" he said, and handed to Thorin a key with a long barrel and intricate wards, made of silver. "Keep it safe!"

"Indeed I will," said Thorin, and he fastened it upon a fine chain that hung about his neck and under his jacket. "Now things begin to look more hopeful. This news alters them much for the better. So far we have had no clear idea what to do. We thought of going East, as quiet and careful as we could, as far as the Long Lake. After that the trouble would begin—"

"A long time before that, if I know anything about the roads East," interrupted Gandalf.

"We might go from there up along the River Running," went on Thorin taking no notice, "and so to the ruins of Dale—the old town in the valley there, under the shadow of the Mountain. But we none of us liked the idea of the Front Gate. The river runs right out of it through the great cliff at the South of the Mountain, and out of it comes the dragon too—far too often, unless he has changed."

"That would be no good," said the wizard, "not without a mighty Warrior, even a Hero. I tried to find one; but warriors are busy fighting one another in distant lands, and in this neighbourhood heroes are scarce, or simply not to be found. Swords in these parts are mostly blunt, and axes are used for trees, and shields as cradles or dish-covers; and dragons are comfortably far-off (and therefore legendary). That is why I settled on burglary—especially when I remembered the existence of a Side-door. And here is our little Bilbo Baggins, the burglar, the chosen and selected burglar. So now let's get on and make some plans."

"Very well then," said Thorin, "supposing the burglar-expert gives us some ideas or suggestions." He turned with mock-politeness to Bilbo.

"First I should like to know a bit more about things," said he, feeling all confused and a bit shaky inside, but so far still Tookishly determined to go on with things. "I mean about the gold and the dragon, and all that, and how it got there, and who it belongs to, and so on and further."

"Bless me!" said Thorin, "haven't you got a map? and didn't you hear our song? and haven't we been talking about all this for hours?"

"All the same, I should like it all plain and clear," said he obstinately, putting on his business manner (usually reserved for people who tried to borrow money off him), and doing his best to appear wise and prudent and professional and live up to Gandalf's recommendation. "Also I should like to know about risks, out-of-pocket expenses, time required and remuneration, and so forth"—by which he meant: "What am I going to get out of it? and am I going to come back alive?"

...

After all the others had ordered their breakfasts without so much as a please (which annoyed Bilbo very much), they all got up. The hobbit had to find room for them all, and filled all his spare-rooms and made beds on chairs and sofas, before he got them all stowed and went to his own little bed very tired and not altogether happy.

Excerpted from The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Directions:
Match each line of dialogue with its speaker.

Draggable item		Corresponding Item
“You may (possibly) all live to thank me yet.”		Bilbo Baggins
“In fact, if it had not been for the sign on the door, I should have been sure we had come to the wrong house.”		Gandalf
“Haven’t you got a map? and didn’t you hear our song? and haven’t we been talking about all this for hours?”		Gloin
“Also I should like to know about risks, out of pocket expenses, time required and remuneration, and so forth”		Thorin

Scene Description
Several students sit around a table in a library. Their books, digital devices, and notebooks are out on the table. While they talk, other students work quietly in the background. Throughout the video, students step away from the group for one-on-one interviews about their discussion.  

---

Transcript
00 (INTRODUCTION PLAYS) Reading Strategies  

05 CHLOE: The main character of *The Hobbit*?  

06 Well, the hobbit, duh!  

08 But, what's the character of this character?  

11 ISAIAH: Bilbo Baggins is one crazy little guy.  

14 CHLOE: Little? Yes.  

15 But crazy? I don't know if I agree.  

17 ISAIAH: Listen to what Gandalf has to say about him:  

20 "Excitable little fellow," said Gandalf, as they sat down again.  

23 "Gets funny queer fits, but he is one of the best,  

27 one of the best – as fierce as a dragon in a pinch."  

30 ISAIAH: See: "excitable," "fierce," how else would you describe a crazy person?  

35 CHLOE: But fierce means strong, not crazy.  

37 ISAIAH: Ok, hey. I didn't literally mean wacko,  

40 just maybe he's a little too…anxious.  

44 CHLOE: Oh totally anxious, the dwarf Gloin pretty much spells it out right here:  

48 "..one shriek like that in a moment of excitement would be enough to  

51 wake the dragon and all his relatives, and kill the lot of us."  

55 ISAIAH: Shrieking in moments of excitement?  

57 MONICA: Oh Bilbo, you crazy little guy!  

59 CHLOE: Yeah so, by studying the dialogue, by reading what people say about Bilbo,  

04 it's easy to infer that he's excitable and anxious, for sure,  

08 but there's more to him than that.  

10 I mean, there's gotta be right?  

13 I get the dialogue thing, but how else do we get to know characters?  

16 ISAIAH: 'Actions speak louder than words,' my grandma used to say.  

19 Study their actions right?  

20 CHLOE: Good thinking, Grandma! Example?  

23 I've got one right here:  

25 "After a while and a drink he crept nervously to the door of the parlour.  

29 Then Mr. Baggins turned the handle and went in.  

31 The Took side had won.  

33 He suddenly felt he would go without bed and breakfast to be thought fierce.  

36 As for little fellow bobbing on the mat it almost made him really fierce.  

40 Many a time afterwards the Baggins part regretted what he did now,  

43 and he said to himself: "Bilbo, you were a fool;  

46 you walked right in and put your foot in it."  

48 ISAIAH: See? It says it right at the top: "nervously," Bilbo is nervous.  

53 CHLOE: Yes, but what were his actions?  

55 What did he do?  

56 He turned the handle and went in.  

57 He's being a brave hobbit.  

59 ISAIAH: So, Bilbo's both nervous and brave?  

02 CHLOE: I guess.  

ISAIAH: So, what? Bilbo has a split personality?  

06 CHLOE: Well, when you think about it, it's like the two sides of his family;  

09 the Tooks and the Baggins.  

11 ISAIAH: The "Took side" is the fierce side.  

13 CHLOE: Which means the Baggins side is the little fella bobbing on the mat.  

16 ISAIAH: Like I said, split personality.  

18 So…maybe Bilbo's crazy after all?  

21 MONICA: Isaiah's right.  

22 These two qualities, brave and scared, seem to be really opposite.  

27 CHLOE: You say that like it's a bad thing?  

29 MONICA: Crazy? Uhh, yeah.  

31 CHLOE: I don't know.  

32 Maybe having two sides to his personality will come in handy.  

35 Any character, especially a main character, is gonna be a lot of things,  

38 have a lot of qualities.  

39 But how those qualities relate to the overall story,  

42 that's where things can get interesting.  

44 You guys are assuming that having these two sides to his personality  

47 makes Bilbo weaker,  

49 but maybe it actually makes him stronger.  

ISAIAH: How?  

52 CHLOE: I don't know.  

53 But Gandalf is a wise wizard, he chose Bilbo for a reason.  

56 ISAIAH: Maybe…but maybe Gandalf's wise and foolish;  

01 could be crazy too, like Bilbo!  

CHLOE: Isaiah!  

04 ISAIAH: I'm just messing with you Chlo, look,  

06 we don't know what Bilbo's got ahead of him on this adventure.  

10 Maybe both sides of his personality will become useful.  

13 I kind of said that to make Chloe feel better,  

15 but really I can't imagine how being a coward is gonna help Bilbo out.  

20 Guess I'll find out?  

22 CHLOE: I realized that Bilbo's more complex than he first seemed.  

25 But that's what makes him interesting.  

27 It's weird…I already care what's going to happen to him…  

31 wonder what's going to happen next!

Directions
Create a CER Response with claim evidence and reasoning by dragging and dropping what the students in the video were talking about
Question:
How would you describe Bilbo Baggins's character?
ANSWER#1
CLAIM:  ___________________________________________ 
EVIDENCE: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 
REASONING: ____________________________________________________________________________ 
ANSWER#2
CLAIM: _____________________________________________ 
EVIDENCE: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 
REASONING: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 
ANSWER#3
CLAIM: ___________________________________     
EVIDENCE: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
REASONING: _______________________________________________________________________ 

Other Answer Choices:

These two qualities, brave and scared, seem to be really opposite.

Listen to what Gandalf has to say about him, "Excitable little fellow," said Gandalf, as they sat down again. "Gets funny queer fits, but he is one of the best, one of the best – as fierce as a dragon in a pinch." (Tolkien)

Shrieking in moments of excitement?...it's easy to infer that he's excitable and anxious, for sure,

See: "excitable," "fierce," how else would you describe a crazy person?

Bilbo has a split personality.

Oh totally anxious, the dwarf Gloin pretty much spells it out right here, "..one shriek like that in a moment of excitement would be enough to wake the dragon and all his relatives, and kill the lot of us." (Tolkien)

Maybe (Bilbo Baggins') a little anxious.

"After a while and a drink he crept nervously to the door of the parlour.Then Mr. Baggins turned the handle and went in. The Took side had won. He suddenly felt he would go without bed and breakfast to be thought fierce. As for little fellow bobbing on the mat it almost made him really fierce. Many a time afterwards the Baggins part regretted what he did now, and he said to himself: "Bilbo, you were a fool; you walked right in and put your foot in it." (Tolkien)

Bilbo Baggins is one crazy little guy.

All Claims, Evidence, and Reasoning will be graded on this rubric:

**CER Response Rubric**
Claim (3 pt)
The Claim answers the question.(1pt)
The Claim uses important words from the question (including the subject). (1pt)
The Claim is a complete sentence (with a capital letter at the beginning and a period at the end). (1pt)
Evidence (3pt)
There is a Lead-in that introduces the quote (usually by saying, The author writes,) (1pt)
The Evidence is a word-for-word quote from the text (with "quotation marks" around it) (1pt)
There is an Author's Citation which contains the last name of the author (in (Parenthesis)) (1pt)
Reasoning (3pt)
Reasoning explains how or why the evidence supports the claim. (3pts)

From Chapter 1: An Unexpected Party
by JRR Tolkien
"Excitable little fellow," said Gandalf, as they sat down again. "Gets funny queer fits, but he is one of the best, one of the best—as fierce as a dragon in a pinch."

If you have ever seen a dragon in a pinch, you will realize that this was only poetical exaggeration applied to any hobbit, even to Old Took's great-granduncle Bullroarer, who was so huge (for a hobbit) that he could ride a horse. He charged the ranks of the goblins of Mount Gram in the Battle of the Green Fields, and knocked their king Golfimbul's head clean off with a wooden club. It sailed a hundred yards through the air and went down a rabbit hole, and in this way the battle was won and the game of Golf invented at the same moment.

In the meanwhile, however, Bullroarer's gentler descendant was reviving in the drawing-room. After a while and a drink he crept nervously to the door of the parlour. This is what he heard, Gloin speaking: "Humph!" (or some snort more or less like that). "Will he do, do you think? It is all very well for Gandalf to talk about this hobbit being fierce, but one shriek like that in a moment of excitement would be enough to wake the dragon and all his relatives, and kill the lot of us. I think it sounded more like fright than excitement! In fact, if it had not been for the sign on the door, I should have been sure we had come to the wrong house. As soon as I clapped eyes on the little fellow bobbing and puffing on the mat, I had my doubts. He looks more like a grocer than a burglar!"

Then Mr. Baggins turned the handle and went in. The Took side had won. He suddenly felt he would go without bed and breakfast to be thought fierce. As for little fellow bobbing on the mat it almost made him really fierce. Many a time afterwards the Baggins part regretted what he did now, and he said to himself: "Bilbo, you were a fool; you walked right in and put your foot in it."

"Pardon me," he said, "if I have overheard words that you were saying. I don't pretend to understand what you are talking about, or your reference to burglars, but I think I am right in believing" (this is what he called being on his dignity) "that you think I am no good. I will show you. I have no signs on my door—it was painted a week ago—, and I am quite sure you have come to the wrong house. As soon as I saw your funny faces on the door-step, I had my doubts. But treat it as the right one. Tell me what you want done, and I will try it, if I have to walk from here to the East of East and fight the wild Were-worms in the Last Desert. I had a great-great-great-granduncle once, Bullroarer Took, and—"

"Yes, yes, but that was long ago," said Gloin. "I was talking about you. And I assure you there is a mark on this door—the usual one in the trade, or used to be. Burglar wants a good job, plenty of Excitement and reasonable Reward, that's how it is usually read. You can say Expert Treasure-hunter instead of Burglar if you like. Some of them do. It's all the same to us. Gandalf told us that there was a man of the sort in these parts looking for a Job at once, and that he had arranged for a meeting here this Wednesday tea-time."

"Of course there is a mark," said Gandalf. "I put it there myself. For very good reasons. You asked me to find the fourteenth man for your expedition, and I chose Mr. Baggins. Just let any one say I chose the wrong man or the wrong house, and you can stop at thirteen and have all the bad luck you like, or go back to digging coal."

He scowled so angrily at Gloin that the dwarf huddled back in his chair; and when Bilbo tried to open his mouth to ask a question, he turned and frowned at him and stuck out his bushy eyebrows, till Bilbo shut his mouth tight with a snap.

"That's right," said Gandalf. "Let's have no more argument. I have chosen Mr. Baggins and that ought to be enough for all of you. If I say he is a Burglar, a Burglar he is, or will be when the time comes. There is a lot more in him than you guess, and a deal more than he has any idea of himself. You may (possibly) all live to thank me yet.

...

"Also," went on Gandalf, "I forgot to mention that with the map went a key, a small and curious key. Here it is!" he said, and handed to Thorin a key with a long barrel and intricate wards, made of silver. "Keep it safe!"

"Indeed I will," said Thorin, and he fastened it upon a fine chain that hung about his neck and under his jacket. "Now things begin to look more hopeful. This news alters them much for the better. So far we have had no clear idea what to do. We thought of going East, as quiet and careful as we could, as far as the Long Lake. After that the trouble would begin—"

"A long time before that, if I know anything about the roads East," interrupted Gandalf.

"We might go from there up along the River Running," went on Thorin taking no notice, "and so to the ruins of Dale—the old town in the valley there, under the shadow of the Mountain. But we none of us liked the idea of the Front Gate. The river runs right out of it through the great cliff at the South of the Mountain, and out of it comes the dragon too—far too often, unless he has changed."

"That would be no good," said the wizard, "not without a mighty Warrior, even a Hero. I tried to find one; but warriors are busy fighting one another in distant lands, and in this neighbourhood heroes are scarce, or simply not to be found. Swords in these parts are mostly blunt, and axes are used for trees, and shields as cradles or dish-covers; and dragons are comfortably far-off (and therefore legendary). That is why I settled on burglary—especially when I remembered the existence of a Side-door. And here is our little Bilbo Baggins, the burglar, the chosen and selected burglar. So now let's get on and make some plans."

"Very well then," said Thorin, "supposing the burglar-expert gives us some ideas or suggestions." He turned with mock-politeness to Bilbo.

"First I should like to know a bit more about things," said he, feeling all confused and a bit shaky inside, but so far still Tookishly determined to go on with things. "I mean about the gold and the dragon, and all that, and how it got there, and who it belongs to, and so on and further."

"Bless me!" said Thorin, "haven't you got a map? and didn't you hear our song? and haven't we been talking about all this for hours?"

"All the same, I should like it all plain and clear," said he obstinately, putting on his business manner (usually reserved for people who tried to borrow money off him), and doing his best to appear wise and prudent and professional and live up to Gandalf's recommendation. "Also I should like to know about risks, out-of-pocket expenses, time required and remuneration, and so forth"—by which he meant: "What am I going to get out of it? and am I going to come back alive?"

...

After all the others had ordered their breakfasts without so much as a please (which annoyed Bilbo very much), they all got up. The hobbit had to find room for them all, and filled all his spare-rooms and made beds on chairs and sofas, before he got them all stowed and went to his own little bed very tired and not altogether happy.

Excerpted from The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

CER Response Question
What drives Bilbo Baggins to begin his mission to steal from the dragon?
---
In the same answer box:
Write a claim to answer the  question
Write evidence that supports the claim
Write reasoning the explains why your evidence supports your claim
Use the CER Response Rubrics above when crafting your responses.

Directions:
Match each line of dialogue with its speaker.

“You may (possibly) all live to thank me yet.”

Bilbo Baggins

“In fact, if it had not been for the sign on the door, I should have been sure we had come to the wrong house.”

Gandalf

“Haven’t you got a map? and didn’t you hear our song? and haven’t we been talking about all this for hours?”

Gloin

“Also I should like to know about risks, out of pocket expenses, time required and remuneration, and so forth”

Thorin

Directions
Create a CER Response with claim evidence and reasoning by dragging and dropping what the students in the video were talking about
Question:
How would you describe Bilbo Baggins's character?
ANSWER#1
CLAIM:  ___________________________________________ 
EVIDENCE: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 
REASONING: ____________________________________________________________________________ 
ANSWER#2
CLAIM: _____________________________________________ 
EVIDENCE: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 
REASONING: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 
ANSWER#3
CLAIM: ___________________________________     
EVIDENCE: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
REASONING: _______________________________________________________________________ 

These two qualities, brave and scared, seem to be really opposite.

Listen to what Gandalf has to say about him, "Excitable little fellow," said Gandalf, as they sat down again. "Gets funny queer fits, but he is one of the best, one of the best – as fierce as a dragon in a pinch." (Tolkien)

Shrieking in moments of excitement?...it's easy to infer that he's excitable and anxious, for sure,

See: "excitable," "fierce," how else would you describe a crazy person?

Oh totally anxious, the dwarf Gloin pretty much spells it out right here, "..one shriek like that in a moment of excitement would be enough to wake the dragon and all his relatives, and kill the lot of us." (Tolkien)

Maybe (Bilbo Baggins') a little anxious.

Bilbo Baggins is one crazy little guy.

ELA 10.23.24 The Hobbit (Think Questions)

ELA 10.23.24 The Hobbit (Think Questions)

Hobbit Summary

From Chapter 1: An Unexpected Party

by JRR Tolkien

Hobbit Summary

From Chapter 1: An Unexpected Party

by JRR Tolkien

From Chapter 1: An Unexpected Party

by JRR Tolkien

Directions:Match each line of dialogue with its speaker.

From Chapter 1: An Unexpected Party

by JRR Tolkien

Directions:
Match each line of dialogue with its speaker.