Station Eleven

Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key plot points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Part 1, Chapters 1-6

Reading Check

1. What happens to actor Arthur Leander as he is performing as King Lear?

2. What does Hua warn Jeevan to watch out for?

Short Answer

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

1. What happens as a result of the Georgia Flu outbreak?

2. What do the other actors' reflections on Arthur’s life reveal about his past?

3. What is Arthur’s first wife’s reaction to the news of his death?

Paired Resource

“King Lear Full Plot Summary in Under 6 Minutes”

• This 5-minute video provides a plot overview of Shakespeare’s play King Lear.
• What is King Lear about? Why do you think the author drew from King Lear in her novel? How is King Lear connected to the themes of this book, specifically The Relationship Between Art and Life and Determinism and Personal Responsibility?

Part 2, Chapters 7-12

Reading Check

1. What is the name of the theatrical group Kirsten travels with?

2. What comic book series did Arthur gift to Kirsten?

3. What is the first volume of the series called?

Short Answer

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

1. What is revealed about Kirsten’s friend Charlie as the Symphony visits St. Deborah by the Water?

2. How do the people in St. Deborah by the Water feel about the prophet?

Paired Resource

“Why Should You Read A Midsummer Night’s Dream?”

• This 5-minute video describes the plot of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
• What is the basic plot of A Midsummer Night’s Dream? What lesson can be learned from the play? What connections can be drawn between the plot of Shakespeare’s play and the novel? How is A Midsummer Night’s Dream related to the novel’s themes, specifically The Relationship Between Art and Life and Determinism and Personal Responsibility?

Part 3, Chapters 13-18

Reading Check

1. Who wrote Dr. Eleven?

2. What is Station Eleven?

3. Where do Arthur’s son Tyler and his ex-wife Elizabeth live?

Short Answer

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

1. Why does Arthur find Miranda appealing?

2. Why do Miranda and Arthur decide to divorce?

Part 4, Chapters 19-26

Reading Check

1. Who do the Symphony members find stowed away in one of the carriages?

2. Where did the prophet originate, according to the scarred man?

3. What is Clark concerned about the publication of?

Short Answer

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

1. What are Kirsten’s thoughts on the changing world, and what does it reveal about her past?

2. What begins to happen to members of the Symphony as they travel toward Severn City?

Paired Resource

Predicting the Collapse of Society

• This article describes expert opinions on events that precipitate societal collapse. (Subscription may be needed for viewing.)
• What is Tainter’s theory regarding the potential for societal collapse? What, in Tainter’s opinion, are the signs of societal collapse? How do the signs of societal collapse fit into the novel’s Determinism and Personal Responsibility theme?

Collapse

• This 7-minute video describes the probability of societal collapse, how it happens, and the global impact of societal collapse.
• What are the global consequences of societal collapse? How do these consequences compare with the novel’s Determinism and Personal Responsibility theme?

Part 5, Chapters 27-37

Reading Check

1. What plans does Arthur reveal to Jeevan?

2. What happens to Frank before Jeevan leaves his apartment?

3. What does Jeevan want to avoid while traveling across Canada?

Short Answer

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

1. What does Jeevan do after Arthur’s death?

2. What does Kirsten reveal about her life after Arthur’s death and how she felt when society collapsed?

Paired Resource

History of Collapsed Civilizations

• This 9-minute video describes the mysterious disappearance of several civilizations.
• What civilizations faced collapse in ancient history? What are some of the theories as to why these civilizations collapsed? How can the ideas presented in this video relate to the novel’s theme of Loss, Memory, and Nostalgia?

Part 6, Chapters 38-41

Reading Check

1. Where does Arthur’s funeral take place?

2. Where does Miranda go after waking with a fever in Malaysia?

Short Answer

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

1. What is Arthur’s relationship with Kirsten like

2. Why is Clark fortunate on his flight back to Toronto?

Part 7, Chapters 42-47

Reading Check

1. Where is Clark stuck after arriving in Severn City?

2. What does Clark develop to commemorate the culture before the collapse of society?

3. Who do Tyler and Elizabeth leave with when they move on from Clark’s community?

Short Answer

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

1. What happens to the community of people in Severn City?

2. How do Clark, Tyler, and Elizabeth cope with the collapse of society?

Part 8, Chapters 48-52

Reading Check

1. Why does Sidney ask the Symphony to change their route?

2. What does Dr. Eleven do after the death of his mentor?

3. What discovery is made in the airport’s control tower?

Short Answer

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

1. What is revealed about the missing members of the Symphony?

2. What is Kirsten’s reason for killing two men?

3. What unusual experience did Charlie and Kirsten share while ransacking a house?

Part 9, Chapters 53-55

Reading Check

1. Where has Arthur decided to move after his performance in King Lear?

2. What does Arthur remember as he is dying?

Short Answer

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

1. After staying at the airport, where does the Symphony decide to go next?

2. How do Kirsten and the prophet acquire a copy of “Station Eleven”?

Recommended Next Reads 

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

• This novel is about a man who lives in a post-apocalyptic world after a virus has turned the rest of humanity into vampires.
• Shared topics include survival, pandemics, and the collapse of civilization.
• Shared themes include Loss, Memory, and Nostalgia and Determinism and Personal Responsibility.
• I Am Legend on SuperSummary

The Dog Stars by Peter Heller

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• Shared topics include isolation, the collapse of civilization, and pandemics.
• Shared themes include Loss, Memory, and Nostalgia and Determinism and Personal Responsibility.
• The Dog Stars on SuperSummary