79 pages • 2 hours read
I Am Number Four
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During Reading
Reading Questions & Paired Texts
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 5
Reading Check
1. What is the one weapon that can kill Legacies?
2. What is one of the few possessions that Henri and Four share and have kept since arriving on Earth?
3. The Loric accent is often confused for what human accent?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. Why are the scars on Four’s ankles important?
2. According to Henri, what should be Four’s main focus when they move to Ohio?
Paired Resource
“An Out-There Interview with Pittacus Lore, the Alien Author of ‘I Am Number Four’”
- Pittacus Lore is a pseudonym for authors James Frey and Jobie Hughes, who co-wrote I Am Number Four. This Entertainment Weekly interview with “Pittacus Lore” offers methods and motivations in writing the book.
- Legend suggests that Pittacus Lore is an Elder from Lorien who wants to tell the story of good versus evil in the Loric race’s fight for survival.
- Why do you think the authors chose to convey the persona of “Pittacus Lore” in this interview?
CHAPTERS 6-10
Reading Check
1. What is the life expectancy on Lorien, as Henri describes to Four?
2. What is the name on the tag of the beagle that Four saw at school?
3. With what substance are Four’s and Sam’s lockers unexpectedly filled?
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 main differences between Earth and Lorien?
2. How does the Loric Chest work?
Paired Resource
“High Fantasy vs. Low Fantasy: Your Guide”
- BookRiot distinguishes between “high fantasy” and “low fantasy.”
- With high fantasy, global stakes commonly are involved in the conflict, such as The Triumph of Good Over Evil.
- Using BookRiot’s definition, would you consider I Am Number Four to be “high” or “low” fantasy?
CHAPTERS 11-15
Reading Check
1. Four’s grandfather had one of the rarest Legacies. What was his superpower?
2. How did Sam first hear about the Mogadorians?
3. What excuse does Four give to Mark about why his hands were illuminated during the hayride?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. What happens to Four during the hayride that causes his hands to light up in rage?
2. When Four asks Henri if he regrets sticking by Four’s side for so long, how does Henri reply?
Paired Resource
“Teen Book Club: Pittacus Answers Your Questions”
- Answering from the viewpoint of “Pittacus Lore,” the authors respond to questions from readers.
- Many of the questions deal with the rich history of the Loric and the Mogadorian people, which connect to the theme of The Connection Between Memory and Identity.
- What are some new bits of Loric history revealed in this interview? Do any details change your understanding of the plot or characters?
CHAPTERS 16-20
Reading Check
1. To what city does Henri decide to make a trip for information about They Walk Among Us?
2. Four practices using his newly unlocked Legacy. What is his superpower?
3. What object does Four throw at Henri’s captor’s nose in the skirmish?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. Why does Sam aim a gun at Four? How does Four diffuse the situation?
2. Why is Henri so committed to making sense of what happened in the fall of Lorien? How is his commitment connected to the book’s overarching themes?
CHAPTERS 21-25
Reading Check
1. Four sees shapeshifting animals in one of his dreams. When he wakes up, what does Henri inform him these animals are called?
2. When Henri reads a story in the newspaper about a 16-year-old girl who saved an old man from a pile of heavy rubble, which member of the Garde does he think the girl may be?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. A man describes his visit from the Mogadorians. What are some of their physical attributes? Describe what they look like and their manner of dress.
2. Four asks Henri if it’s possible for a Loric and a human to fall in love. How does Henri respond? How does Four’s relationship with Sarah pose a challenge to his identity?
Paired Resource
“Why Are We So Fascinated by Dystopian Fiction?”
- In this 10-minute video, Imagine Learning discusses the enduring power of dystopian fiction.
- Dystopian stories often connect with the theme of The Triumph of Good Over Evil.
- What elements of dystopian fiction are apparent in I Am Number Four? How is I Am Number Four a “mirror” into the world today?
CHAPTERS 26-30
Reading Check
1. As Four rescues Sarah and flies out of the house, of what superhero does he remind two witnesses?
2. Who shows Henri the YouTube video of Four’s rescue of Sarah, as he leapt from the burning building holding both her and the dogs?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. Why is Four called into Mr. Harris’s office at the end of the school day? How does this moment represent a turning point for Four?
2. As Henri and Four tend to their wounds, Four repeats Henri’s words of advice regarding hope. What is the advice? How does Four’s reciting these words show an evolution in his character?
CHAPTERS 31-34
Reading Check
1. What important discovery does Four make about Bernie Kosar’s identity?
2. Where can Four find everything he needs to know, according to Henri?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. What does Four realize about how the Mogadorian cannon functions? What does this realization foreshadow about what the Mogadorian might do to Earth, if they successfully take control?
2. How does Henri’s death serve as an important step in Four’s hero’s journey?
Recommended Next Reads
The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore
- The sequel to I Am Number Four, this is the second book in a 7-book series about the Legacies and their battle against the Mogadorians.
- Shared themes include The Connection Between Memory and Identity.
- In this book, more of the Legacies reveal themselves, including Number Seven, who has been hiding in Spain.
- The Power of Six on SuperSummary
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
- This classic 1962 science fiction/fantasy novel for young readers follows Meg Murry’s journey across the universe to rescue her father from a malignant intergalactic being.
- Shared themes include The Triumph of Good Over Evil.
- Meg struggles with identity issues, much like Four; she also grows close to her mentor Mrs. Whatsit.
- A Wrinkle in Time on SuperSummary
Reading Questions Answer Key
PROLOGUE-CHAPTER 5
Reading Check
Short Answer
1. A scar appears on Four’s right ankle every time one of the nine Legacies is killed; with three dead, there are three scars on Four’s ankle. Since the Legacies can only be killed in the order of their number, when the third scar appears, Four knows he is next. On the left ankle, there is a scar identical to his Loric Pendant. (Chapter 1)
2. Rather than think about himself, Four needs to think about the survival of the Loric race, since they are on the verge of extinction. (Chapter 3)
CHAPTERS 6-10
Reading Check
Short Answer
1. Lorien is a hundred years older than Earth; unlike Earth, its inhabitants discovered how to deal with problems such as pollution and global warming. On Lorien, the inhabitants were able to change their way of life for the good of the entire planet, unlike Earth. (Chapter 7)
2. The Loric Chest is given to each Garde member at birth; its contents are used by their keeper when the Garde member begins to show evidence of their Legacy (special powers). The lock will only open when the Garde member and their keeper are together (although, if Henri dies, Four would be able to open the chest alone), and only after the first Legacy appears. (Chapter 8)
CHAPTERS 11-15
Reading Check
1. Turning invisible at will (Chapter 11)
2. Sam read about the Mogadorians in They Walk Among Us. (Chapter 12)
3. Four says he was wearing costume gloves. (Chapter 14)
Short Answer
1. Mark’s friend Tommy offers Four and his three friends tickets on the wagon just about to leave on the hayride. A few minutes into the ride, the wagon stops in a clearing and lets everyone off. Suddenly, someone attacks Four and drags him away. Four becomes enraged, which ignites his Lumen powers. (Chapter 13)
2. Henri says that he feels no regret at all. Since he has no family left on Lorien, Four essentially is Henri’s life. Four is Henri’s connection to the past; without Four, he has nothing. (Chapter 15)
CHAPTERS 16-20
Reading Check
Short Answer
1. Four confronts Sam at his house to find out why Sam has been avoiding Four at school. Sam retrieves a gun from his drawer and aims it at Four, saying that, based on what he saw in the woods, he suspects Four cannot be human. He demands Four admit what he is. Four manages to convince him that his obsession with aliens has gone a bit too far, which diffuses the situation. (Chapter 16)
2. Henri believes that in order to keep tragedy and destruction from happening again, they need to understand the events of the past. His intention to learn lessons from previous events connects to the book’s theme of The Connection Between Memory and Identity, as well as The Triumph of Good Over Evil. (Chapter 17)
CHAPTERS 21-25
Reading Check
1. Chimæra (Chapter 23)
2. Number Nine (Chapter 24)
Short Answer
1. Mogadorians are pale with black eyes and pointy teeth. They wear sunglasses, long coats, and hats. (Chapter 21)
2. Henri tells Four that humans can love Lorics, but he doesn’t think it is possible to love a human the same way Lorics love each other. Four is torn between his identity as a Garde member with a life-or-death responsibility to his people and his identity as teenager who wants to make friends and fall in love. (Chapter 22)
CHAPTERS 26-30
Reading Check
1. Superman (Chapter 26)
2. Mark James (Chapter 28)
Short Answer
1. Four is called into Mr. Harris’s office because a letter in an envelope addressed to Four was faxed to him, which reads: “ARE YOU NUMBER 4.” The letter is unsigned, but it is clear that Four’s secret identity is known. This moment is a turning point because it may indicate that the Mogadorians are catching up to Henri and him. (Chapter 27)
2. As Henri and Four tend to their wounds, Four repeats that there is “always hope.” This indicates that Four is beginning to truly understand Henri’s teachings and that he is ready to embrace his destiny as the future of Lorien. (Chapter 30)
CHAPTERS 31-34
Reading Check
1. That he is Hadley, the Chimæra from his visions (Chapter 32)
2. In the Loric Chest (Chapter 33)
Short Answer
1. Four realizes that the cannon is powered by using the Earth’s essence; for example, when the soldier points the cannon, the natural life force from the trees gets sucked into the gun. Four realizes that, as the Mogadorians did to Lorien, they will conquer Earth by stealing its resources. (Chapter 31)
2. Henri was a father figure to Four, as well as a mentor; he was the most important figures in Four’s life. Henri’s death represents Four’s loss of innocence and sudden, forced coming-of-age. It pushes Four closer to assuming his destiny as a Loric soldier, and to fight alongside Six for the fate of their people. (Chapter 34)
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