English IV
And Then There Were None Vocabulary
Directions: Write the definition for each word.
1. adroitness
2. ascertain
3. brethren
4. capricious
5. cumbrous
6. earnest
7. exonerated
8. farce
9. fraternizing
10. furtive
11. idiosyncrasy
12. impious
13. incongruous
14. indignation
15. inexorable
16. innocuous
17. lassitude
18. maudlin
19. mirthless
20. red herring
Name ________________________
English IV
Name ________________________
And Then There Were None Vocabulary
Directions: Use each word in a sentence that shows you understand the meaning.
1. adroitness
2. ascertain
3. brethren
4. capricious
5. cumbrous
6. earnest
7. exonerated
8. farce
9. fraternizing
10. furtive
11. idiosyncrasy
12. impious
13. incongruous
14. indignation
15. inexorable
16. innocuous
17. lassitude
18. maudlin
19. mirthless
20. red herring
English IV
Name ___________________________
And Then There Were None
Chapter One
Learning Target: Complete the character sketches below to analyze how characters, conflicting
motivations, and character relationships advance the plot.
Directions: Answer each question about the motivation of each character.
1. Justice Wargrave, a retired judge, rides on a train bound for Sticklehaven, where he will board a
boat bound for Indian Island. He holds an invitation from an old friend, Constance Culmington.
What seems to be his motivation for going to the island?
2. Vera Claythorne is also on the train. She is described as young and attractive. She has been
invited to Indian Island by Una Nancy Owen, apparently to take a job as a teacher/caregiver.
Why does she believe that she is lucky to obtain such a position?
3. Across from Vera sits Philip Lombard. He has been invited to Indian Island by a man name Isaac
Morris, whom he has not met, to take on a “mysterious job.” Morris claims that he has selected
Lombard because he is “a good man in a tight spot.” What do you think this means?
4. In another part of the train sits Miss Emily Brent. She is an older woman, described as
“conservative and religious.” Even though she can’t read the name signed on her invitation to
Indian Island, she decides to go anyway. Why do you think she does this?
5. On slower train to Sticklehaven, General MacArthur is also bound for Indian Island. His
invitation to the Island comes as a great relief to him. Why?
6. Dr. Armstrong is driving to meet a boat for Indian Island. He has been summoned to care for the
sick wife of a Mr. Owen. He is an educated and successful man, but he feels lucky to still have a
job as a physician. Why?
7. Tony Marston is described as rich, handsome, and carefree as he passes Dr. Armstrong’s vehicle
at a high rate of speed. We learn nothing more about him in this chapter. What effect does this
have on the way you perceive him as a reader?
8. Mr. Blore, a former police detective, is traveling on yet another train to Indian Island. He carries
with him a list of all the other guests who will be on the Island. How does he react to the old
man who warns him of a coming storm? What does his reaction reveal about his character?
9. Of all the characters you’ve met so far, which one do you like the most, and why?
10. Which character do you think will be perceived in the most positive way by the other characters,
and why?
11. Which character do you think will react to negative circumstances in an emotional, rather than
logical, way? Explain your reasoning.
12. Which character seems to be the most confident? Support your answer using the text.
13. Which character do you think seems the most suspicious? Support your answer using the text.
English IV
Name __________________________________
And Then There Were None
Chapter Two
Learning Target: Infer character motive and compare characters from And Then There Were None.
1. What is unique about the setting of the novel? How does this unique quality affect the way you
think about the novel, or how does it advance the theme?
2. If you had to guess which one character will be the protagonist in this novel, who would you
identify, and why?
3. Does the character you identified above have a character foil in this play? If so, who is it? If not,
what is the conflict the protagonist might need to overcome?
4.
How does the fact that Emily Brent is reading a Bible affect the way you think about her? What
is significant about the passage she is reading?
5. Which character has been dishonest with the others about his identity? Why do you think this
character lies?
6. Which character seems to be dealing with the most significant internal conflict? What do we
know about the conflict?
7. Which character knows one of the other characters on the Island? How does the one character
know the other?
8. What do you anticipate the story is going to be about? What details suggest the novel’s plot to
you?
English IV
Name ________________________
And Then There Were None
Chapters Three and Four
Learning Target: Analyze a text to examine changes in how a character is perceived by the
reader.
1. Which character’s reaction to the accusation against him is most unique? Explain your
answer.
2. Identify one character whom you see differently now from how you saw him or her earlier in
the novel. What has changed your perception?
3. Quote the line of dialogue that you think is most significant so far in the novel. Why do you
think this line is so important?
4. Which character seems most guilty of the crime of which he or she is accused, and why?
5. Which character seems most innocent of the crime of which he or she is accused, and why?
6. List one archetype that is recognizable in the novel, and give another example of this
archetype from literature or film.
English IV
Name ________________________
And Then There Were None
Chapters 5-6
Learning Target: Analyze how a minor character can serve as a foil of a major character.
1. Describe the character Justice Wargrave in these chapters. If you were to identify one
character as a foil for Wargrave, who would it be, and why?
2. How is General MacArthur different from all of the other characters on the Island in
terms of motivation by the end of chapter five? How do you explain his motivation?
3. Describe the character Emily Brent. If you were to identify one character as a foil for
Brent, who would it be, and why?
4. What does Emily Brent claim is the cause of Mrs. Rogers’ death?
5. The title of the record that Rogers plays is “Swan Song.” A swan song is the last
appearance of something, or a farewell song, derived from the belief that a dying swan
sings a distinct song at its death. What literary device is the song title an example of?
Explain your answer.
6. What purpose do the Indian figurines serve in the novel? Explain your answer.
7. Which character would you identify as the protagonist at this point in the novel? Why
did you choose this character?
English IV
Name __________________
And Then There Were None
Chapters 7-8
Learning Target: Apply Reader Response and Archetypal Criticisms to And Then There Were
None
1. Who is your favorite character in the novel so far, and why?
2. Who is your least favorite character in the novel so far, and why?
3. In what way does the setting of the novel comply with murder mystery archetypes?
4. In what was does the setting differ from murder mystery archetypes?
English IV
Name __________________
And Then There Were None
Chapters 9 and 10
Learning Target: Apply Feminist Criticism to And Then There Were None
1. What is your reaction to the female characters in the novel? Choose one female character
and list three adjectives you would use to describe her.
2. Describe the relationship between Vera and Lombard. Cite specific evidence from the
text to support your answer.
3. Which character seems to have the most power at this point in the novel? Who seems to
be in control? Explain your answer.
4. What stereotypical social or political attitudes are evident in the novel?
5. How do money and power come into play when the characters begin to discuss which of
them could be capable of murder? Support your answer with the text.
6. Identify two characters who seem to be in a power struggle, and explain the reason(s) for
the struggle.
7. Select a male character from the novel and list three adjectives you would use to describe
him.
8. Identify one remarkable or unusual characteristic that a character in the novel has. What
effect does the characteristic have on how you perceive the character?
9. Identify one pattern or motif in the novel, and explain its significance.
English IV
Name __________________
And Then There Were None
Chapters 11 and 12
Learning Target: Analyze characters’ motives, interactions, and dialogue.
1. In chapter 11, Vera Claythorne says, “Oh, don’t you understand? Haven’t your read that
idiotic rhyme? What does she mean? What does this quote suggest about her state of
mind at this point in the novel?
2. Based on the interactions between Rogers and the other characters, suggest how Rogers’
role might relate to Marxist criticism.
3. In the beginning of the novel, the first eight characters were presented as confident,
successful, professional people. How has their behavior changed through the events of
the novel? What does this change suggest about them?
4. Based on what you’ve seen so far, how do you predict the relationship between Lombard
and Vera will develop?
5. How is Vera devalued and made to conform to the other characters’ ways of thinking in
these chapters? Do you think their behavior toward her is justified? Explain your answer.
English IV
Name ________________________
And Then There Were None
Chapters 13 and 14
Learning Target: Examine a text for archetypal patterns and elements of suspense.
1. “Chancery” refers to a court in England and Wales that followed a loose set of rules to
avoid the slow pace of change in common law. How does Justice Wargrave’s death fit
the nursery rhyme “Ten Little Indians?”
2. Explain the internal conflict that Vera Claythorne is struggling with, and discuss its
impact on her at this point in the novel.
3. Explain how the circumstances are affecting the relationship between Blore and
Lombard. Use the text to support your answer.
4. Which event do you find more horrific, the scene where seaweed is discovered hanging
in Vera’s shower, or the scene where Justice Wargrave’s body is found? Explain your
reasoning.
5. What theme is emerging as the novel nears its end? Explain your answer.
English IV
Name ________________________
And Then There Were None
Chapters 15 and 16 and Epilogue
Learning Target: Infer the subtext of dialogue in a novel.
1. What does Vera point out about Dr. Armstrong’s death and the nursery rhyme? Is this
realization inconsistent with her character earlier in the novel? Explain your answer.
2. What has happened to the two remaining men and how they view one another?
3. What happens to the relationship between Vera and Lombard immediately following
Blore’s death? What has happened to the two characters?
4. What role does Vera’s conscience play in her death?
5. In your opinion, is Vera’s death believable? Would the novel’s main action have ended
differently if the last character on the island were male? Explain your answer.
6. In the film version of the play, a more romantic relationship develops between Lombard
and Vera. How do you suppose this added element would affect how the story ends?
7. What would you say the theme of the novel is? Explain your answer.
8. What critical perspective do you think would be most useful in analyzing this book?
Explain your answer.