COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS (20)
AND
DISCUSSION or ESSAY QUESTIONS
Synopsis: The sequel to The Maze Runner begins with all of the characters who made it out of the
glade being rescued from the control of the mysterious group that goes by the acronym W.I.C.K.E.D.
After a dinner of pizza and a chance to get a good night’s sleep, one might think that all would be
revealed to the characters. Instead, the Gladers wake up to death, missing companions and an
entirely new nightmare.
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Scorch Trials by James Dashner – Questions – KAE, 2011
The Scorch Trials by James Dashner
Comprehension Questions
1. The morning after the Gladers escape from the Maze, they find that Teresa is missing from her
dorm room. What do they find inside the room instead of Teresa?
a. A boy named Aris
b. A girl named Brenda
c. A sign that says “The Betrayer” d. A raving Crank who asks to be killed.
2. What do each one of the Gladers find on their necks the morning after leaving the Maze?
a. A fungus that seems to be growing on their skin
b. A tattoo that labels them as “Property of WICKED”
c. A metal collar
d. A locket with a picture of their parents inside of them.
3. At the beginning of the story, the Gladers are not fed for three full days. What is the first thing
that Thomas eats at the end of this period?
a. Pizza
b. Apples
c. Vegetables
d. A hamburger
4. What transports the Gladers to the Scorch at the start of Phase 2 of the Trials?
a. A bus
b. A Berg
c. A helicopter
d. A Flat Trans
5. What attacks Winston as the Gladers are journeying through the tunnel?
a. A silver ball of metal
b. Another Griever
c. A saw blade
d. One of the girls from Group B.
6. What do the Gladers try to use to shield themselves from the sun?
a. Umbrellas
b. Hats
c. Bed sheets
d. Papers
7. What does Teresa tell Thomas the first time they meet in the Scorch?
a. That WICKED is good.
b. That Thomas needs to get away from her.
c. That Aris is bad.
d. That they would meet again very soon.
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Scorch Trials by James Dashner – Questions – KAE, 2011
8. How many Gladers are left after the lightning storm?
a. Seven
b. Six
c. Eight
d. Eleven
9. What Crank do the Gladers meet immediately after the lightning storm?
a. Brenda
b. The old man
c. Jorge
d. Harriet
10. According to Brenda, why does the city have an almost endless supply of canned food?
a. Because WICKED does food drops weekly.
b. Because a box similar to the one in from the Glade appears in the middle of the city on a
daily basis.
c. Because there were many manufacturing plants in the city before the flare happened.
d. Because the city’s forefathers had planned carefully for emergencies.
11. What does Thomas do to the Crank that threatens to steal his nose?
a. He plunges a knife into his chest.
b. He shoots him with an arrow.
c. He pushes him into a hole
d. He throws a rock at him.
12. What do the Cranks call the newly invented drug that slows the effects of the Flare?
a. Punch
b. Iced Tea
c. Bliss
d. Ambrosia
13. What sign does Thomas see plastered all around the city?
a. WICKED is GOOD
b. THOMAS, YOU’RE THE REAL LEADER.
c. DON’T TRUST CRANKS
d. GO BACK
14. What is the name of the character that shoots Thomas with a gun in the city?
a. Minho
b. Jorge
c. Long Hair
d. Blondie
15. How does Thomas recover from his gunshot wound?
a. The Gladers take several weeks out of their journey so that Thomas can recover in a tent
they make.
b. WICKED rescues him in a Berg and does surgery
c. His body miraculously heals itself
d. The Gladers find a Crank who was once a doctor to do surgery on his gunshot wound.
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Scorch Trials by James Dashner – Questions – KAE, 2011
16. What do Teresa and the girls of Group B do when they meet the Gladers in the Scorch?
a. They share information about how to get to the mountains.
b. They capture Thomas
c. They steal the Gladers food
d. They take the Gladers weapons
17. How has Group B been crossing through the Scorch?
a. They were transported on a Berg
b. They found a bus with fuel in the city
c. They used a Flat Trans
d. They have been walking through underground tunnels.
18. What is the one thing that marks the “Safe Haven” when both teams finally get to it?
a. A rusty sign
b. A flag with the word WICKED printed on it.
c. An orange ribbon tied to a stick in the ground
d. The words “Safe Haven” embedded in a concrete pad.
19. What do the Gladers and the girls of Group B use to shelter in when the final lightning storm
comes?
a. The pods that housed the monsters
b. The tower that emerges from the sand at the Safe Haven
c. They open the tents they’ve been carrying
d. They find a cave near the Safe Haven
20. What does David, the man that meets the Gladers and Group B in the cargo hold of the Berg?
a. That Phase 3 of the Trials will start immediately.
b. That the Trials are complete
c. That they will be returned to the Maze
d. That they will be returned to the city in the middle of the Scorch.
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Scorch Trials by James Dashner – Questions – KAE, 2011
The Scorch Trials by James Dashner
Comprehension Questions ANSWER KEY
1. The morning after the Gladers escape from the Maze, they find that Teresa is missing from her
dorm room. What do they find inside the room instead of Teresa?
a. A boy named Aris -- ANSWER
b. A girl named Brenda
c. A sign that says “The Betrayer” d. A raving Crank who asks to be killed.
2. What do each one of the Gladers find on their necks the morning after leaving the Maze?
a. A fungus that seems to be growing on their skin
b. A tattoo that labels them as “Property of WICKED” – ANSWER
c. A metal collar
d. A locket with a picture of their parents inside of them.
3. At the beginning of the story, the Gladers are not fed for three full days. What is the first thing
that Thomas eats at the end of this period?
a. Pizza
b. Apples -- ANSWER
c. Vegetables
d. A hamburger
4. What transports the Gladers to the Scorch at the start of Phase 2 of the Trials?
a. A bus
b. A Berg
c. A helicopter
d. A Flat Trans -- ANSWER
5. What attacks Winston as the Gladers are journeying through the tunnel?
a. A silver ball of metal -- ANSWER
b. Another Griever
c. A saw blade
d. One of the girls from Group B.
6. What do the Gladers try to use to shield themselves from the sun?
a. Umbrellas
b. Hats
c. Bed sheets -- ANSWER
d. Papers
7. What does Teresa tell Thomas the first time they meet in the Scorch?
a. That WICKED is good.
b. That Thomas needs to get away from her. -- ANSWER
c. That Aris is bad.
d. That they would meet again very soon.
8. How many Gladers are left after the lightning storm?
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Scorch Trials by James Dashner – Questions – KAE, 2011
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
6
a. Seven
b. Six
c. Eight
d. Eleven -- ANSWER
What Crank do the Gladers meet immediately after the lightning storm?
a. Brenda
b. The old man
c. Jorge -- ANSWER
d. Harriet
According to Brenda, why does the city have an almost endless supply of canned food?
a. Because WICKED does food drops weekly.
b. Because a box similar to the one in from the Glade appears in the middle of the city on a
daily basis.
c. Because there were many manufacturing plants in the city before the flare happened.
-- ANSWER
d. Because the city’s forefathers had planned carefully for emergencies.
What does Thomas do to the Crank that threatens to steal his nose?
a. He plunges a knife into his chest. -- ANSWER
b. He shoots him with an arrow.
c. He pushes him into a hole
d. He throws a rock at him.
What do the Cranks call the newly invented drug that slows the effects of the Flare?
a. Punch
b. Iced Tea
c. Bliss – ANSWER
d. Ambrosia
What sign does Thomas see plastered all around the city?
a. WICKED is GOOD
b. THOMAS, YOU’RE THE REAL LEADER. -- ANSWER
c. DON’T TRUST CRANKS
d. GO BACK
What is the name of the character that shoots Thomas with a gun in the city?
a. Minho
b. Jorge
c. Long Hair
d. Blondie – ANSWER
How does Thomas recover from his gunshot wound?
a. The Gladers take several weeks out of their journey so that Thomas can recover in a tent
they make.
b. WICKED rescues him in a Berg and does surgery – ANSWER
c. His body miraculously heals itself
d. The Gladers find a Crank who was once a doctor to do surgery on his gunshot wound.
Scorch Trials by James Dashner – Questions – KAE, 2011
16. What do Teresa and the girls of Group B do when they meet the Gladers in the Scorch?
a. They share information about how to get to the mountains.
b. They capture Thomas -- ANSWER
c. They steal the Gladers food
d. They take the Gladers weapons
17. How has Group B been crossing through the Scorch?
a. They were transported on a Berg
b. They found a bus with fuel in the city
c. They used a Flat Trans
d. They have been walking through underground tunnels. -- ANSWER
18. What is the one thing that marks the “Safe Haven” when both teams finally get to it?
a. A rusty sign
b. A flag with the word WICKED printed on it.
c. An orange ribbon tied to a stick in the ground – ANSWER
d. The words “Safe Haven” embedded in a concrete pad.
19. What do the Gladers and the girls of Group B use to shelter in when the final lightning storm
comes?
a. The pods that housed the monsters -- ANSWER
b. The tower that emerges from the sand at the Safe Haven
c. They open the tents they’ve been carrying
d. They find a cave near the Safe Haven
20. What does David, the man that meets the Gladers and Group B in the cargo hold of the Berg?
a. That Phase 3 of the Trials will start immediately.
b. That the Trials are complete -- ANSWER
c. That they will be returned to the Maze
d. That they will be returned to the city in the middle of the Scorch.
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Scorch Trials by James Dashner – Questions – KAE, 2011
The Scorch Trials by James Dashner
Essay and Discussion Questions
1. W.I.C.K.E.D. stands for World in Chaos / Killzone Experiment Department. Talk about what you
think this acronym means.
2. Are things scarier in the dark? The characters in the The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials are
kept in the dark about what is happening to the world and what is going to be happening to
them. Does this make the story more frightening? Is it frustrating to the reader to have so little
revealed or does it heighten your interest to read further?
3. “As long as no Grievers suddenly show up, we’ll be good.” “Careful what you buggin’ wish for. Maybe they’ll send something worse.” The obstacles that stand in the way of the Gladers path in
The Scorch Trials include balls of molten metal that drip onto the heads of people walking
through a cave and an entire city filled with Cranks at various stages of insanity. Are the
obstacles more challenging in this story than The Maze Runner or not as challenging?
4. There are many times when the Gladers and Thomas choose to share information with other
characters rather than keeping secrets to themselves. These moments include sharing with
Jorge and Brenda and Group B’s Harriet and Sonya. Think on some of these moments. What
purpose does sharing information serve for the Gladers and what is their result?
5. At the beginning of the story, Teresa is labeled as “The Betrayer.” At the end of the story we learn that Teresa has chosen to betray Thomas under the instructions of W.I.C.K.E.D. What is
Thomas’ reaction to this betrayal? Can you understand his reaction?
6. The author leaves many clues that indicate that the characters are caught up in a scientific
experiment. Think of the use of the words “variables” and “patterns” and “hypothesis” Using
what you know about the scientific method, give your theory about the reason behind the The
Scorch Trials.
7. “And yet it’s not really an experiment as much as it is… constructing a blueprint. Stimulating the
killzone and collecting the resultant patterns.” The man from W.I.C.K.E.D. who the Gladers call Rat Man offers this as an explanation. What do you imagine the word “killzone” can mean? 8. What predictions can you make about the final book in the trilogy, The Death Cure? What
revelations do you think will be made in this tale?
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Scorch Trials by James Dashner – Questions – KAE, 2011