The Boy Who Left Home to Learn Fear — Questions and answers

Read the full story

What did the father in 'The Boy Who Left Home to Learn Fear' remember about the sexton who worked at the church?

Choices

  1. The sexton was always telling ghost stories by the fire.
  2. The sexton had two sons, one clever and one fearless.
  3. The sexton knew how to ring the church bell at midnight.
  4. The sexton was said to know how to frighten anyone in the world. ✓

Answer: The sexton was said to know how to frighten anyone in the world.

From page 1

In 'The Boy Who Left Home to Learn Fear', what did the boy do when he found a silent white shape blocking the stairs in the church tower?

Choices

  1. The boy asked the shape to help him ring the church bell.
  2. The boy was mortified and gave the shape fifty gold coins.
  3. The boy gave the shape a shove and it tumbled down several steps. ✓
  4. The boy ran away from the shape and bolted into the night.

Answer: The boy gave the shape a shove and it tumbled down several steps.

From page 2

In 'The Boy Who Left Home to Learn Fear', what did the boy do with the seven men hanging from the gallows at the lonely crossroads?

Choices

  1. The boy built a small fire to keep warm and waited for midnight.
  2. The boy untied them one by one and set them by the fire to warm. ✓
  3. The boy said if they would not take care of themselves he would hang them back up.
  4. The boy walked on, still waiting to feel afraid of the seven men.

Answer: The boy untied them one by one and set them by the fire to warm.

From page 3

In 'The Boy Who Left Home to Learn Fear', what did the king promise to anyone who could survive three nights in the old haunted castle?

Choices

  1. The king promised his own daughter in marriage and the whole treasure besides. ✓
  2. The king promised to give them a good fire and a turner's lathe.
  3. The king promised that he would teach them to shudder and be afraid.
  4. The king promised a quiet night at an inn in the town.

Answer: The king promised his own daughter in marriage and the whole treasure besides.

From page 4

In 'The Boy Who Left Home to Learn Fear', what three things did the boy ask to be carried into the haunted castle with him?

Choices

  1. The boy asked for a silent white shape, a church bell, and fifty gold coins.
  2. The boy asked for seven men, a gallows, and a small fire.
  3. The boy asked for a king, a princess, and a throne.
  4. The boy asked for a good fire, a turner's lathe, and a cutting-board with a sharp knife. ✓

Answer: The boy asked for a good fire, a turner's lathe, and a cutting-board with a sharp knife.

From page 5

In 'The Boy Who Left Home to Learn Fear', what happened when the boy lay down on a strange bed against the wall in the castle?

Choices

  1. The bed at once began rolling and flying wildly around the whole room by itself. ✓
  2. Great black dogs dragging heavy iron chains snarled and crowded around the bed.
  3. Two enormous black cats crept out from under the bed and asked to warm themselves.
  4. The bed was full of dust and cobwebs, and he slept soundly until morning.

Answer: The bed at once began rolling and flying wildly around the whole room by itself.

From page 6

In 'The Boy Who Left Home to Learn Fear', what did the boy do when half of a dead man came tumbling down the chimney in the castle?

Choices

  1. The boy complained that he hadn't learned fear yet, even after seeing the dead man.
  2. The boy said he wanted the other half too, and then fitted the two halves together by the fire. ✓
  3. The boy built his fire again in the long gallery upstairs and settled in to wait.
  4. The boy played a game of ninepins cheerfully with the strange, glowing shape.

Answer: The boy said he wanted the other half too, and then fitted the two halves together by the fire.

From page 7

In 'The Boy Who Left Home to Learn Fear', what did the boy do with the man he found inside the coffin in the banqueting room?

Choices

  1. The boy watched the man stir, open his eyes, and lunge at him, gripping him tightly.
  2. The boy carried the man to the fire to warm him up properly, rubbing his hands and feet.
  3. The boy wrestled the man firmly back into the coffin, hammered the lid shut, and had it carried to the river. ✓
  4. The boy said, "Go find your rest somewhere else, for you'll get none here."

Answer: The boy wrestled the man firmly back into the coffin, hammered the lid shut, and had it carried to the river.

From page 8

In 'The Boy Who Left Home to Learn Fear', what did the old man with the long white beard show the boy in the castle's deepest cellar?

Choices

  1. The old man showed the boy how to fight for his life on the stone floor.
  2. The old man showed the boy the long curse on the castle lifting at last.
  3. The old man showed the boy the fire's ordinary, quiet warmth.
  4. The old man showed the boy three great chests full of gold and silver. ✓

Answer: The old man showed the boy three great chests full of gold and silver.

From page 9

How did the boy finally learn to shudder?

Choices

  1. His new wife had a servant pour a bucket of cold water full of little fish over him in his bed. ✓
  2. He sighed that he had never once learned to shudder, even after his wedding.
  3. He married the princess and was happier than he had ever been.
  4. The king came himself and found the boy sitting cheerfully by his fire, alive and well.

Answer: His new wife had a servant pour a bucket of cold water full of little fish over him in his bed.

From page 10