1. How important are minor characters, such as Isabella, Jeremy, Owl, or the Frisby children? What do they add to the story?

2. Settings—such as the woods, Owl's tree, Thorn Valley, or the NIMH laboratory—are used in the novel to represent a conflict, character, or theme. Explain how specific settings achieve this.

3. Jenner and Nicodemus present two different views of life for the rat colony.

What are those views? How does each view demonstrate what each has learned from NIMH? How useful is each view?

4. Mr. Frisby used to say, " 'All doors are hard to unlock until you have the key.' All right. She [Mrs. Frisby] must try to find the key. But where? Whom to ask?" What "key" does she and other characters use to solve their problems?

5. Mrs. Frisby is first recognized by Owl, Mr...