Plot & Events
What is the significance of the Reaping in District 12?
Two tributes are selected by lottery to compete in the Hunger Games, and Katniss volunteers to take her sister Prim's place when Prim's name is drawn
What does Katniss's decision to volunteer as tribute reveal about her character
She is willing to sacrifice herself to protect her younger sister; she is selfless and brave
What type of conflict does Katniss face when she must decide whether to trust Peeta or protect herself?
What is: Man vs. Self (internal conflict)?
What does the mockingjay pin symbolize in the story?
Hope, rebellion, and defiance against the Capitol (as seen in Rue's song and the mockingjays' connection to resistance)?
What hunting skills does Katniss rely on to survive in the arena?
Finding water sources, hunting game (rabbits, birds), identifying edible plants, and using her bow and arrow expertise?
What does Peeta do at the Cornucopia at the start of the Games that surprises Katniss?
He signals to Katniss not to go for supplies at the Cornucopia, warning her away from danger?
Why does Peeta tell the Careers about Katniss's hunting skills after initially hiding them
He doesn't tell them; Katniss realizes Peeta has kept her archery skills secret from the Careers to protect he
Which external conflict best describes Katniss's struggle against the tracker jackers?
What is: Man vs. Nature?
What does Rue represent for Katniss?
Innocence, family (she reminds Katniss of Prim), and a reminder of what the Capitol is destroying through the Games?
How does Katniss use her knowledge of the woods to gain an advantage over the Careers?
She knows how to move quietly, find shelter in trees, and survive without the supplies the Careers depend on?
How does Katniss obtain the bow and arrows that become her most powerful weapon?
She retrieves them from Glimmer's body after the tracker jacker attack and Glimmer's death?
How does Katniss's relationship with Rue develop, and what does it reveal about her?
Katniss forms a genuine alliance with Rue, seeing Prim in her; it reveals Katniss's capacity for compassion and her desire to protect the vulnerable
How does the Capitol's control over the Games represent a Man vs. Society conflict?
The Games are designed to control the districts and punish them for a past uprising; tributes must fight against an unjust system?
How does fire function as a symbol throughout The Hunger Games?
Fire represents both destruction (the Capitol's punishment and control) and hope (Katniss's nickname "the girl on fire," the spark of rebellion)
What strategy does Katniss and Rue use to destroy the Careers' food supplies?
Rue sets fires to distract the Careers while Katniss destroys the pyramid of supplies by shooting an arrow at hanging apples to trigger the booby-trapped land mines?
What rule change does Claudius Templesmith announce that gives Katniss and Peeta hope?
Two tributes can win the Games if they are from the same district?
What internal conflict does Katniss struggle with throughout the Games regarding Peeta?
She constantly questions whether Peeta's actions are genuine or strategic; she struggles between trusting him and protecting herself
What conflict does Katniss face when she discovers Rue has been killed by the boy from District 1?
Man vs. Man (she kills the boy in revenge) and Man vs. Self (she must process her grief and guilt)?
What do the tracker jacker berries symbolize in Katniss's journey?
Distrust and uncertainty; just as Katniss cannot trust the berries (questioning whether they are poisonous), she cannot trust those around her, including Peeta?
How does Katniss keep Peeta alive when he is injured with blood poisoning?
She camouflages a cave to hide him, searches for medicine at the Cornucopia, and uses sponsors' gifts (food and medicine) to nurse him back to health?
How does Katniss end the Games and secure victory for both herself and Peeta?
She threatens to eat poisonous nightlock berries with Peeta, forcing the Gamemakers to declare them both winners rather than have no victor
After the Games end, why does Katniss continue to manipulate Peeta by holding his hand and kissing him?
She uses it as a survival tactic; the Capitol is watching her closely, and she must maintain the "star-crossed lovers" narrative to survive politically
Which conflict is most central to the entire Games and Katniss's journey?
Man vs. Society; Katniss ultimately rebels against the Capitol's control through her defiant act with the nightlock berries
What does Katniss's act of wreathing Rue with flowers and giving her the three-finger salute represent?
Respect, defiance of the Capitol's dehumanization, and Katniss's refusal to let the Capitol erase Rue's humanity or significance?
What does Katniss's final survival strategy—threatening double suicide with the nightlock berries—reveal about survival in Panem?
True survival requires not just physical strength but psychological strategy and the willingness to challenge the system itself; Katniss survives by refusing to play by the Capitol's rules?