21. Why didn’t the cook kill
Despereaux?
She was happy to see him in the
kitchen rather than one of the
kings men who would catch her
making soup.
p. 229
22. Why didn’t King Phillip
like rodents?
Because his wife died from heart
attack caused by a rat falling in
her soup.
p. 110
44. Who saw the Princess
touch the top of
Despereaux’s head?
Furlough
p.31
45. When Furlough saw Despereaux
standing at the foot of the king and
the princess touching his head, his
whiskers got_____?
As tight as bow strings
p. 31
46. What did Furlough do
when he saw
Despereaux with the
king and princess?
He scurried to tell their dad.
p.32
47. What does Lester think
is the reason for
Despereaux’s
behavior?
His wife’s French blood making
him crazy.
p. 33
48. What did Lester decide
to do about Despereaux
talking to the
Princess??
Call a special meeting of the
mouse council.
p. 35
49. What is the drum of the
council of the mouse
made of?
A thimble with a piece of
leather stretched across the
open end.
p. 35
50. How does Lester play
the drum to call the
mouse council?
One long beat with his tail, two
staccato beats with his paws.
p. 35
51. How did the Princess
describe Despereaux’s
ears?
Like small pieces of velvet.
p.37
52. Why did the King tell
Princess Pea to put
Despereaux down?
He’s a rodent...related to rats.
p.38
53. What was the last,
great, ancient rule of
the mice that
Despereaux broke?
He spoke to a human (the
princess)
p.37
54. What was the first thing
Despereaux said to the
Princess?
Please don’t cry.
p.37
56. How did the king react to
Despereaux speaking to the
princess?
He said rodents shouldn’t
speak to princesses. It would
make the world topsy turvy.
And that rodents know nothing
of honor.
58. How many mice were in
the mouse council?
14: 13 honored mice and one
most very honored head
mouse.
p.41
59. What did the mice sit on
in the mouse council?
a piece of wood balanced on
spools of thread
p.42
60. What was the decision
of the mouse council?
To send Despereaux to the
dungeon.
p.42
61. When the mouse council
voted to send Despereaux to
the dungeon, what did his
father do?
cried
p.44
62. What was Despereaux given the
chance to do by the mouse council?
Deny his sins (talking to the
princess) or admit them and
renounce them so he could go to
the dungeon with a pure heart.
p.44
64. What were the words in
the book that
Despereaux wanted to
read?
Happily ever after.
p.46
65. What does Furlough think
Despereaux is doing to the
paper when he hears him
reading??
Talking to the paper
p.48
66. What did Despereaux
ask Furlough when he
came to take him to the
mouse council?
Do you know what love is?
p.48
67. What three things did
Despereaux do that he had to
confess at the mouse
council?
1) Sit at the foot of the king
2) Let the princess touch him
3) Talk to the princess.
p.55
77. What did they tell Antoinette
would happen to
Despereaux in the
dungeon?
The rats would eat him.
p. 64
78. What was the last thing
Antoinette said to
Despereaux?
Adieu (farewell)
p. 65
79. Who was one of the mice
with black hoods who took
Despereaux to the
dungeon?
His brother, Furlough.
p. 67
80. What was the thread tied to
Despereaux called?
The red thread of death.
p. 71.
81. What two words did
Despereaux keep saying in
the dungeon?
Perfidy and Pea
p.73
82. How did Despereaux help
himself to be brave in the
dungeon?
He started telling a story, starting
with “Once upon a time”....
p. 75
83. What did Gregory the jailer
have that was similar to the
red thread?
A rope around his ankle.
p.76
84. What was the difference
between the red thread of
death and the rope on
Gregory’s ankle?
The rope saved Gregory by
making sure he wouldn’t get lost in
the dungeon.
p. 76
85. What was Gregory holding that
Despereaux was staring at...the
same thing Roscuro was
mesmerized by?
The flame of a match.
p. 76
86. How long has Gregory been
in the dungeon?
For decades, centuries, eons,
eternities.
p. 76
87. Why can rats find their way
around in the dark dungeon?
Because it mirrors their own dark
hearts.
p. 77
88. Why did Despereaux say he
couldn’t die?
He loved the princess and had a
duty to serve her.
p. 77
89. What was the monument to
the foolishness of love in the
dungeon?
A pile of spoons, kettles, and soup bowls. The
king threw them all down in the dungeon so he
wouldn’t have to look at them.
p. 80
90. Why was Gregory willing to
save Despereaux?
Despereaux would tell him a story.
And stories are light in the darkness.
p. 84
92. Is Roscuro older or younger
than Despereaux?
Older. He was bornb several years
before Despereaux.
p.85
93. What did Roscuro find when
he was young, and what did
he do with it?
A rope, and he chewed it
p. 85
94. What did Gregory want
Roscuro to do?
Apologize for chewing his rope.
p.86
95. When Roscuro wouldn’t
apologize for chewing the
rope, what did Gregory do?
Burned his whiskers with the flame
from the match and then threw him
back into the darkness.
p. 86
98. To Botticelli Remorso, what
is the meaning of life?
Torturing prisoners and making
them suffer
p.87
99. What did Botticelli do while
he talked?
Swung a heart-shaped locket on a
rope to hypnotize
p. 87
100. How did Botticelli tell
Roscuro to torture
prisoners?
Convince them you’re their friend.
Get them to confess their sins.
Promise forgiveness. Then deny
them what they want most.
p. 88
101. Why does Botticelli know
that more prisoners will
come to the dungeon?
Because there is evil in the world.
p. 90
102. Why did Botticelli want to
hypnotize Roscuro?
So he would act like a rat--
obsessed with suffering rather
than light.
p. 88
103. What did the prisoner bring
with him into the dungeon?
A red cloth
p. 92
104. Why didn’t Roscuro look
away when light entered the
dungeon?
He thought the light would enter
him and fill him.
p. 92
105. Why didn’t Botticelli want
Roscuro to go upstairs?
Rats don’t go upstairs..only mice.
p. 95
107. What did Botticelli tell
Roscuro to do to the new
prisoner?
Take his red cloth
p. 98
108. Why was the man in prison?
For stealing 6 cows -- 2 Jerseys
and 4 Guernseys
p. p. 99
109. What was the prisoner’s first
crime?
Trading his daughter for a red
tablecloth, a hen, and a handful of
cigarettes.
p. 99
110. When his daughter was
crying for him, what did the
prisoner do?
He just kept walking and didn’t
look back.
p. 99
111. Why does the prisoner want
to keep the red cloth?
It’s warm and he likes the color. It
reminds him of what he did wrong.
p. 101
112. What was happening when
Roscuro first stepped from
the dungeon into the castle?
Despereaux was being born.
p. 103
113. When Roscuro went into the
banquet hall, who did he
see?
King Phillip, Queen Rosemary, Princess Pea,
20 noble people, a juggler, 4 minstrels, and all
the kings men
p. 103
118. What did the Queen more
than anything except the
King and Princess Pea?
soup
p.110
119. What kind of soup did
Roscuro fall into?
chicken, watercress, and garlic
p.110
120. What did the Queen say and
do when she saw Roscuro in
her soup?
She said, “There is a rat in my soup”.
Then she had a heart attack and
died.
p. 111
121. What did Roscuro see when
he looked back as he ran
out of the banquet hall?
The princess’s eyes filled with
disgust and anger
p. 111
122. What happened to Roscuro
when Princess Pea looked
at him with anger and
disgust?
His heart was broken
p. 111
123. What did Roscuro wear as a
crown?
The Queen’s royal soupspoon
p. 114
124. Since the queen died while
eating soup, what did the
king do?
He outlawed soup and everything
involved in making and eating it.
He also ordered every rat to be
killed.
p. 117
125. What did Roscuro do with
the scrap of red tablecloth?
He made it into a robe like a king’s
robe.
p. 118
126. What did Miggery Sow’s
ears look like?
Pieces of cauliflower from being
hit.
p. 120
127. How did Miggery Sow get to
the castle?
She came on a wagon with the
king’s soldier.
p. 120
128. Who was Miggery Sow
named after?
Her dad’s prize winning pig.
p. 125
129. How old was Miggery Sow
when her mom died?
6
p. 125
130. No one cared what Miggery
Sow....
wanted.
p. 126
132. Why did the man buy
Miggery Sow?
To cook and clean for him
p. 128
133. What happened to Miggery
Sow from being hit in the
ears so much?
She lost her hearing and couldn’t
understand a lot of things people
said.
p. 129
134. What did Miggery Sow see
on her 7th birthday?
What did Miggery Sow see
on her 7th birthday?
King Phillip, Queen Rosemary,
and Princess Pea riding on a white
horse.
p. 131
135. When Princess Pea saw
Miggery Sow, what did she
do?
She waved.
p. 131
136. When Miggery Sow saw the
princess going by, what did
she start to feel?
hope
p.133
137. What did Miggery Sow hope
for?
To be a princess and wear a
crown.
p.136
138. What did “Uncle” do when
Miggery Sow said she
wanted to be a princess?
He made fun of her. He put a
kettle on his head and danced
around saying it was a crown
p. 136
139. Why did the soldiers come
to “Uncle’s” house?
To get the spoons, kettle, and
bowls because soup was
outlawed.
p. 139
140. What did the soldier tell
“uncle” they should eat
instead of soup?
Cake with a fork.
p.140
141. Why did the soldier take
Miggery Sow?
It’s illegal to own another hman in
the Kingdom of Dor.
p. 140
142. What was the name of the
kingdom in the Tale of
Despereaux?
The Kingdom of Dor
p.140
153. Describe Mig after lived in
the castle for a while.
plump (chubby), lazy, not smart.
p. 152
154. What were the different jobs
Mig tried in the castle?
lady in waiting, seamstress,
chambermaid, cook’s helper
p.153
155. What did Mig do wrong as a
lady in waiting?
She was caught trying on the
gown of a visiting duchess
p.152
156. What did Mig do wrong as a
seamstress?
She sewed the cloak of a riding
master to her own frock and
ruined both.
p. 152
157. What did Mig do wrong as a
chambermaid?
She was sent to clean a room, but
spent the whole time looking
around.
p. 152
158. What did Mig do wrong as a
cook’s helper?
Dropped egg shells in the cake batter,
scrubbed the floor with cooking oil
instead of cleanser, sneezed into the
king’s pork chops
p.153
159. What job did Louise give Mig
since she messed up so
much?
Take Gregory the jailer his
noonday meal.
p. 153
160. Why wasn’t Mig afraid of the
dungeon?
She couldn’t smell or hear well.
p. 158
161. What made Roscuro come
to Mig?
The song she was singing about
wanting to be a princess.
p. 158
162. What did Mig call Gregory
the jailer?
Mr. Deep Downs
p.159
163. Why did Mig think Gregory
was ferocious?
He ate even the bones of the
chicken.
p. 160
164. What did Gregory say into
the napkin after he sneezed
into it?
“Back to the world of light”
p.164
165. Why was Mig able to hear
Roscuro speak?
The pitch of his voice was perfect
for her to hear.
p.166
166. When Mig met Roscuro,
how was he dressed?
The queen’s soupspoon on his
head and a piece of the red cloth
around him. p. 166
167. What did Roscuro do to
Gregory?
He chewed his rope, so he ended
up getting lost and dying.
p.169
168. How did Despereaux get out
of the dungeon?
He was hidden in the napkin on
the tray that Mig brought up
169. What happened when the
cook lifted up the napkin
from the tray?
Despereaux fellinto a cup of oil.
p. 171
170. What did Mig do to
Despereaux?
She told him to run, then she cut
off his tail instead of killing him. p.
178
171. Where did Despereaux hide
and sleep in the kitchen?
On a sack of flour in the pantry. p.
180
172. What did Mig take into the
Princess’s room?
Roscuro, a candle, and the kitchen
knife she used to cut off
Despereaux’s tail.
p. 184
173. Why didn’t Mig want to hurt
the Princess?
She wanted the princess to be her
lady in waiting.
p. 185
174. What was Roscuro’s real
plan?
To leave the princess in the
dungeon forever.
p.187
175. Why does the Queen give
the princess a taste of soup
in her dream?
So she will remember her.
p. 187
176. What did the Princess feel
when she saw Roscuro?
rage
p.190
177. Who buttoned the Princess’s
gown buttons on the back?
Roscuro - because Mig wouldn’t
put down the knife
p.194
178. What did King Phillip dream
about?
That his wife was a bird with green
and gold feathers that called his
name.
p. 194
179. What was the dark and the
light in the princess’s heart?
Dark - hatred for the rat
Light - empathy - caring of others’
feelings.
p. 197
181. Why did the mouse council
think Despereaux was a
ghost?
He was covered in flour and still
wearing the red thread around his
neck
p.206
182. What did Lester do when he
saw Despereaux?
He told him he was sorry and that
he had destroyed the drum. He
asked for his forgiveness.
p.207
183. Why did Despereaux forgive
his dad?
To save his own heart--to stop it
from breaking in two.
p.207
184. What did the Mouse Council
do after Despereaux left?
Voted that they had NOT seen
what they had seen. Voted that
the visit did NOT occur.
p.208
185. Why did Lester cry?
Because he had been forgiven.
p.208
186. How did Despereaux have
the flour off his fur?
The king’s tears fell on him
p.212
187. Why didn’t the king trust
Despereaux?
He said they had already
searched the dungeon. Also
because Despereaux is a rodent
and, therefore, a liar.
p.213
188. Why was the suit of armor
empty?
It was waiting for Despereaux
(symbolically) to fill it
p.213
189. Who did the king hire to help
find Princess Pea? Who did
he trust?
Fortunetellers and a magician
p.213
190. Who did Despereaux go to
for help?
The Threadmaster with celery
breath.
p. 217
191. What is a quest?
An important but impossible task
p.217
192. What is Despereaux’s plan
to save the Princess?
Use the red thread to help them
find their way back out of the
dungeon.
p.218
193. What is the Threadmaster’s
name?
Hovis
p. 218
194. What did Hovis give
Despereaux?
The spool of red thread and a
needle to use like a sword.
p.219
195. Why did Hovis bite the red
thread off Despereaux’s
neck
Because he was going into the
dungeon because he wanted
to...not because he had to. .
p. 220
196. How many flights of stairs
did Despereaux have to roll
the spool of thread down?
three
p.222
197. How much did Despereaux
weigh?
2 ounces....1/2 of a normal mouse
p.220
198. What was the cook doing in
the kitchen when
Despereaux had to sneak
through?
Making soup
p.223
199. What did Despereaux hide
behind in the kitchen when
the cook heard him?
The spool of thread
p.227
200. Why was the cook happy to
see a mouse in her kitchen?
Because it wasn’t someone
catching her making soup.
p. 227
201. How did Despereaux feel
when the cook laughed at
him?
It hurt his feelings
p.228
202. When the spool of thread
rolled away from
Despereaux, where did it
land?
At the paw of Botticelli Remorso
p. 237.
203. What did Botticelli Remorso
smell?
soup, tears, flour, oil, and mouse
blood
p. 238
204. How did Botticelli try to trick
Despereaux?
He tried to hypnotize him with his
locket and to convince him to lead him
to the princess.
p. 242
205. What did Roscuro do with
Mig and the Princess?
He put them in a secret hidden chamber and
made them change clothes.
p.252
206. What did the princess ask
Mig that no one had ever
asked her?
What do you want?
p.253
214. What did Pea have to do to
save her own heart?
Forgive Roscuro.
p. 263
215. What did Princess Pea
promise to Roscuro if he
would lead them out of the
dungeon?
soup
p.263
216. How did Roscuro bring light
into another life?
He told Princess Pea about the
prisoner with the red tablecloth
and she got him released.
p. 266
217. What happened to Mig at
the end?
Her father treated her like a
princess for the rest of his days.
p. 266
218. How did Despereaux live
happily ever after?
He and Princess Pea were friends
and had many adventures
p.266
219. Who was at the party at the
end of the story eating
soup?
King Phillip, Princess Pea, a serving girl with a
crown on her head (Mig), a rat with a spoon
his head (Roscuro), and Desperaux in the
place of honor.
p. 267
220. Who were looking at the
banquet at the end of the
Tale of Despereaux?
Antoinette, Lester, Furlough, and
Hovis.
p. 268
221. Who did the author, Kate
DiCamilo, want you (the
reader) to think of her as?
A mouse telling you a story like Despereaux told
to Gregory, to save you and herself from
darkness. Because stories are light.
p.270
