NAME: _________________ DATE:

_______________
READING COMPREHENSION ON HARRY POTTER:
THE SORTING HAT

Why being sorted is perhaps not as simple as it seems

As you know, Hogwarts famously divides its students into four
houses. But a student is rarely ever 1) sorted at the drop of,
well, a hat.
Whenever the Sorting Hat sorts a brand new, terrified and
quivering Hogwarts student, it usually bases its decision on a
number of traits seen inside that persons head. You all know the
drill by this point, but just in case: students who are Gryffindors
tend to be brave, Ravenclaws tend to be smart, Hufflepuffs tend to
be kind, and Slytherins tend to be, contrary to popular belief,
cunning and resourceful. But 2) its not necessarily that black
and white
Some Hogwarts students seem to lean towards other
houses
Certain Hogwarts students we meet seem immediately perfect for
their house can you imagine Draco Malfoy in Hufflepuff? Exactly.
Thered be chaos.
1

But then there are people like Hermione, as brave as she is smart,
who must have been picked for Gryffindor over Ravenclaw on a
knifes edge. Its not a surprise to learn that the hat took four
minutes to sort her into one or the other nearly resulting in a
Hatstall; when the Sorting Hat takes over five minutes to sort a
student.
Neville 3) is in a similar boat: 1) although he was picked for
Gryffindor, Neville has often displayed traits of a Hufflepuff
especially with his endless kindness. He even asked the Sorting Hat
to consider him for the house, resulting in another near Hatstall. In
his final year, after being known as meek and forgetful for most of
his time at Hogwarts, The Sorting Hat proved it was right in sorting
Neville into Gryffindor, when he destroys Nagini the snake with the
Sword of Gryffindor itself at the Battle of Hogwarts; possibly the
most Gryffindor thing someone can do.
But a little bit of Hufflepuff tradition always seemed alive in Neville,
especially as he went on to become the Professor of Herbology
succeeding Professor Sprout the former head of Hufflepuff. He
also married a Hufflepuff, Hannah Abbott. So although Neville is
one of the bravest characters in the series, we can always see a little
glimmer of yellow residing inside him.
Even the Sorting Hat can get stumped sometimes
Even holding an impossible, all-encompassing amount of
knowledge doesnt mean 4) the hat can just snap its fingers (if
it had fingers, of course) and instantly know your house. 2) Take the
case of Minerva McGonagall, who took five and a half minutes to be
sorted into Gryffindor over Ravenclaw; a testament to Minervas
equal helpings of bravery and vast intelligence.

If students were sorted when they were older, would they

be in different houses?
3) First year Hogwarts students are usually 11 when they start
school, and thus also get sorted. But Peter Pettigrew, who wasnt
exactly an example of noble valor, was sorted into Gryffindor. As we
know all too well, when Pettigrew got a little older, he became so
invested in the Dark Lord that he betrayed Lily and James Potter
again, not really a sign of bravery. Although the hat is known to
stubbornly reject any suggestion it may have picked wrongly, would
Pettigrew really still have been a Gryffindor so many years later?
A students house will often be the same as other family
members but not always
The Weasleys are notorious for usually turning out to be
Gryffindors, and although the majority of this family of redheads are
certainly very chivalrous, it 5) took a long time for Percy
Weasley to show his true red and gold colours. When Harry
first meets him, he is usually head-deep in a book, which is far more
a trait of Ravenclaw. He is also known as furiously ambitious, which
is much more the work of a Slytherin 4) especially when he
becomes estranged from his family due to his work in the Ministry.
In the end, however, 6) Percys Gryffindor stripes return to
him at the Battle of Hogwarts, hexing the Minister for Magic, Pius
Thicknesse, and promptly resigning. Very Gryffindor.
A students house preference makes a difference
Of course, where youre destined to be is only one part of being
sorted. Harry, for example, is plagued with horror stories about
Slytherin before he even reaches the Hogwarts gates, and
3

desperately asks the hat to consider otherwise. Neville struggled to

believe he deserved to be a Gryffindor, the poor mite.
Eventually, the hat takes into account Harrys suggestion, which
Harry would later go on to tell his son, Albus Severus Potter.
It goes to show that Dumbledore was right: It is our choices, Harry,
that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.
_
A) The extracts in bold are called figures of speech. Explain the
meaning of each one.
1. ______________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
2.______________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
4. ______________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
5. ______________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
6. ______________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
7. ______________________________________________
__________________________________________________
4

__________________________________________________
B) Using a dictionary, write your own glossary with the words in italic
type.

quivering

cunning

former

stubbornly encompassing
chivalrous

glimmer

meek

get stumped

promptly resign struggle

_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
C) Now, rewrite the underlined extracts in order to keep the same
meaning.

1_______________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
2.______________________________________________
5

__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
4. ______________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________

D) Find in the text the type of words below:

3 verbs:
________________________
________________________
________________________
3 adverbs:
________________________
________________________
________________________
3 adjectives:
________________________
________________________
________________________
3 nouns:
________________________
________________________
6

________________________

It goes to show that Dumbledore was right: It is our choices,

Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.
E. Do you agree with the statement above? Why? Why not? Give a
true example to justify your answer.
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________

Reference: https://www.pottermore.com/features/why-being-sorted-isnot-as-simple-as-it-seems