128 pages 4 hours read

Jostein Gaarder

Sophie's World

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1991

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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.

Chapters 1-5

Reading Check

1. Where is Sophie’s paradise?

2. What branch of philosophy was popular in ancient Greece?

3. What does Sophie use to help realize the theories of Democritus?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What is the importance of humanity’s capacity for wonder?

2. Why is it necessary to study past philosophers’ ideas, even those that have since been disproven?

Paired Resource

Wonder” by Sarah Arvio

  • This poem explores the beauty of wonderment and asking questions we may never get the answers to.
  • This poem connects to the What It Means to Be a Philosopher theme by exploring the most fundamental aspect of philosophy.
  • Predict the types of questions you predict Sophie will start to wonder about as she develops the mindset of a philosopher.

Chapters 6-10

Reading Check

1. Who is Knox’s messenger?

2. What does Knox gift to Sophie?

3. Where does Sophie see the girl in the mirror wink with both eyes?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.