Setting/Worldbuilding
What is the name of the place where Thomas wakes up?
The Glade
Who is the first boy Thomas meets who befriends him?
Chuck
What is Thomas’s first memory when he wakes up?
He remembers his name.
Name one major theme introduced in chapters 1–11.
Memory & identity; fear & survival; order vs. chaos
What point of view are these chapters told from?
Third-person limited focusing on Thomas.
To emit a loud, sharp ringing sound
tinged
Describe one feature of the Maze walls.
They are massive stone walls, hundreds of feet high, covered in ivy, and have giant doors that open into corridors.
Who is the Glade leader when Thomas arrives?
Alby
What happens during "First Day" for a Newbie?
They receive a tour, are told basic rules, assigned a Greenbean, and are expected to settle in quickly; they may be teased but must adapt.
How does memory loss affect identity for Thomas?
Memory loss forces Thomas to form identity from present choices and relationships, causing confusion about past self vs present actions.
Identify one example of foreshadowing in the early chapters.
The description of the Maze’s moving walls and the severity of The Changing foreshadow later danger and tragedies like Ben’s attack and later Griever events.
Looking exhausted or unwell
haggard
Explain what the Box is and when it comes.
The Box is the elevator-like metal container that delivers new arrivals and supplies; it comes with the alarm and normally arrives on schedule — once a month for Newbies, weekly for supplies.
Describe Minho’s role and why he is important.
Minho is the Keeper of the Runners — he leads the Maze runners who map the Maze and are the fastest, so he’s essential for exploration and survival.
Summarize what Thomas sees in the Med-Jack's room that disturbs him.
He sees Ben in a twisted, sick state after The Changing - greenish veins, bruises, and suffering that shows The Changing's horror.
Explain how rules (like “no one enters the Maze except Runners”) create order and limit action.
Rules keep people alive by limiting dangerous behavior, but they also prevent experimentation and stop people from solving the Maze together, creating tension between safety and progress.
Give an example of a vivid sensory detail Dashner uses and explain its effect.
Example: smell of burned oil in the Box; effect: creates nausea and disorientation that mirrors Thomas’s confusion and sets a tense mood.
Impossible to understand
Baffling
Name two purposes of the Glade’s sections (e.g., Gardens, Blood House).
Gardens grow crops for food; Blood House raises and slaughters animals; Homestead is living quarters; Deadheads are the forest/graveyard area.
Explain Alby’s attitude toward newcomers and why.
Alby is stern and protective; he warns newcomers to learn rules quickly because the Gladers must survive, and newcomers could threaten the community.
What unusual delivery appears in the Box that shocks everyone?
A girl - the first to arrive - and a note saying "She's the last one. Ever."
How might the Maze represent institutions that restrict freedom?
The Maze can symbolize systems that provide apparent safety while controlling people; WICKED’s experiments justify harm “for the greater good,” showing how institutions can manipulate individuals under the guise of protection.
Explain the meaning of the phrase “The Changing” and how it advances mood.
“The Changing” refers to the violent, transforming recovery some Gladers experience after a Griever sting; it advances a mood of dread and unpredictability and raises stakes for survival.
Trance
Explain what the Grievers are and why they increase fear in the Glade.
Grievers are biomechanical creatures that prowl the Maze at night; they injure, sting, and cause “The Changing,” making them a mortal threat that enforces the rule of staying inside at night.
Compare Thomas and Gally’s reactions to change and explain how each affects the group.
Thomas is curious and risk-taking, pushing others toward questioning the Maze; Gally is suspicious and defensive, resisting change and stirring fear and conflict among Gladers.
Describe the sequence of events that leads to Ben’s banishment.
Ben attacks Thomas after a previous Changing; the Gladers restrain him, decide he’s dangerous, put a collar on him attached to a pole, and force him out the East Door, banishing him to the Maze where walls close.
Analyze how fear functions as both protection and a barrier to solving problems in the Glade (use evidence from the chapters).
Fear protects the Gladers from reckless Maze exploration (keeping them indoors at night), but it also prevents questioning of rules and slows attempts to change or discover the truth — e.g., Gally’s fear-driven authority blocks Thomas’s curiosity and the group’s willingness to try risky solutions.
Analyze Dashner’s use of short, choppy sentences in action scenes — how does that affect pacing and reader experience?
Short sentences speed up the scene, create urgency and breathless tension, help readers feel the protagonist’s panic, and make action sequences more immediate and vivid.
Characterized by a pleasant, gentle rising and falling
Lilting