BookBright
ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSThomas wakes up in a dark metal box with no memory of who he is, where he came from, or how he got there. When the box opens, he finds himself in the Glade, a self-sustaining compound surrounded by enormous stone walls. Around fifty boys live there, all with the same wiped memory, and all trapped inside a massive, shifting maze they have been trying to solve for two years. The Runners sprint through the maze each day making maps, while the rest keep the Glade running, and every night the walls seal shut to keep out the Grievers, horrifying creatures that are part animal and part machine. Thomas barely has time to find his footing before a girl arrives in the box, the first girl ever, clutching a note that says she is the last one ever, and something about Thomas seems to unsettle everyone around him in ways nobody can yet explain.
Free Battle of the Books questions for The Maze Runner
SPOILERSEvery one of these has the same answer, and that is the point. In a real battle the question is read aloud with a dozen other books in play, and students have a few seconds to place it. Here is what a battle might ask about The Maze Runner. Use them as a quiz, a trivia round, or BOTB practice.
Where in the book they come from
- Early in the book
In what book is the only girl ever sent up found unconscious, clutching a note saying she is the last?
✓ Answer
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
A day after Thomas arrives, the alarm sounds again and the boys pull up a comatose girl holding a note reading She's the last one. Ever. Her arrival shatters two years of routine and points straight at Thomas.
- First half
In what book does a boy tie an unconscious friend to ivy vines to hoist him up a wall?
✓ Answer
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
To hide from the Grievers, Thomas rigs ivy vines and pushes the limp Alby up the stone wall inch by inch. It is an exhausting, desperate plan that shows just how far Thomas will go to save someone.
- First half
In what book does a boy shove a rival and pin him with a boot during a tense council meeting?
✓ Answer
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
When Gally threatens to break his neck at the Gathering, Minho laughs, shoves a palm into Gally's face, and pins him flat with a boot on his back. The humiliating takedown leaves Gally seething and vowing revenge.
- Second half
In what book does a younger boy admit through a cell window that he used to cry every night?
✓ Answer
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Chuck brings Thomas lunch through the cell window and confesses he cried himself to sleep until Thomas arrived. Thomas promises he will get Chuck back home to his family, a promise that drives him for the rest of the story.
- Second half
In what book do two boys throw stones off a cliff until one suddenly winks out of existence in midair?
✓ Answer
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Thomas and Minho test the air past the Cliff by tossing rocks in a grid. When one vanishes, they realize an invisible hole only a few feet square hides there, the way the monsters come and go.
- Near the end
In what book does a boy whisper "I did it on purpose" as a serum spreads through him?
✓ Answer
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
After getting stung, Thomas is carried back inside and injected with the Grief Serum. Before passing out, he reassures the furious Newt that he chose this fate to recover the answers they need.
