82 pages • 2 hours read
Robert BeattySerafina and the Black Cloak
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2015A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Quiz
Reading Check, Multiple Choice & Short Answer Quizzes
Reading Check questions are designed for in-class review on key plot points or for quick verbal or written assessments. Multiple Choice and Short Answer Quizzes create ideal summative assessments, and collectively function to convey a sense of the work’s tone and themes.
Chapters 1-6
Reading Check
1. According to Pa, what is Serafina’s job at Biltmore as denoted by her abbreviated title “C.R.C.”?
2. Why are search parties organized and sent throughout Biltmore?
3. What article of clothing does Serafina find in the subbasement?
Multiple Choice
1. Why does Pa most likely tell Serafina that she is not allowed to help the search parties’ efforts?
A) He is afraid that she will hurt herself.
B) He is afraid that he will lose his job.
C) He is afraid of the Man in the Black Cloak.
D) He is afraid someone will take her from him.
2. What action does Serafina decide to take on the suspicion that the Man in the Black Cloak is at least partially mortal?
A) She goes to the stables to find Braeden.
B) She returns to the subbasement for clues.
C) She visits the porte cochere’s coatroom.
D) She hides in the linens drying machine.
3. Which of these represents the best hint that Serafina might not be wholly human?
A) the way she conducts her job as the C.R.C.
B) what she eats and how she sleeps at night
C) her shyness and embarrassment in talking with upstairs people
D) her knowledge that the cloak is responsible for a terrible crime
Short-Answer Response
Answer each of the following questions in a complete sentence or sentences. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. Even before the carriage stops suddenly on the road, what is one way that Braeden shows that he trusts Serafina?
2. Why couldn’t Pa get help with infant Serafina from caretakers?
3. Before she meets Braeden, what evidence exists that Serafina yearns for the company of someone her own age?
Chapters 7-12
Reading Check
1. Whom does Serafina see taken by the Cloak near the carriage in the woods?
2. After Serafina is lost in the woods, how does she plan to find her way back to Biltmore?
3. What is the angel statue holding?
Multiple Choice
1. What fact can be logically inferred from the carriage scene on the road in the forest?
A) Mr. Crankshod is working for the Man in the Black Cloak.
B) Someone felled two trees to make an easy target.
C) Gidean and Serafina will soon be working together.
D) Nolan seeks to be better friends with Braeden.
2. Which of these is the most likely reason Serafina suspects Mr. Crankshod?
A) He grabs her by the arm and shakes her roughly.
B) He reprimands Nolan about clearing the tree.
C) He yells at Gidean and threatens him with an ax.
D) He disappears from the battle and lies about bandits.
3. Why does Serafina think of herself as a failure on the night after she sleeps in the carriage?
A) She wanted to experience the forest but now feels defeated by it.
B) She wanted to protect Braeden but he was taken back to Biltmore.
C) She wanted to find Clara Brahms but thinks Mr. Vanderbilt will find Clara instead.
D) She wanted to send word of her safety to Pa but could not figure out how.
Short-Answer Response
Answer each of the following questions in a complete sentence or sentences. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. Describe the relationship between Serafina and Gidean as of Braeden’s rescue from the carriage.
2. What is Braeden’s opinion of Pa, and why does Braeden feel the way he does?
3. What is notable about the cemetery epitaphs that contributes to the supernatural atmosphere?
Chapters 13-18
Reading Check
1. What is Pa working to try to repair?
2. How does Serafina know that Braeden’s gift was not originally intended for her?
3. What two skills does Mr. Thorne showcase at the 7 p.m. gathering?
Multiple Choice
1. Why does Serafina most likely defy Pa on the night she returns safely to Biltmore?
A) She cannot think what to do next and believes a prowl about the mansion will help.
B) She wants to find evidence to confirm her suspicion and that means a trip to the basement.
C) She is hungry and knows that Mr. Boseman will never miss a few rolls from the pantry.
D) She feels a connection to Braeden and thinks that he is her only confidante.
2. What feature of Biltmore’s construction leads to additional clues, thanks to Braeden?
A) the ventilation system
B) the secret passages between rooms
C) the subbasement
D) the walkway to the stables
3. Which of these conclusions can be surmised about Mrs. Vanderbilt sending Braeden away?
A) She knows people his age in Asheville who seek to be his friend.
B) She trusts the judgment and guidance of Mr. Bendel.
C) She believes he will be safer away from Biltmore than in it.
D) She promised him a trip to town and wants to fulfill it.
Short-Answer Response
Answer each of the following questions in a complete sentence or sentences. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. How does Braeden react to finding Serafina in the middle of the night?
2. Why might Braeden be so opposed to the idea of Mr. Thorne as a suspect?
3. What is one example of a plot complication and one example of a plot discovery between Serafina’s return to Biltmore with Pa and Mrs. Vanderbilt coming to fetch Braeden from outside?
Chapters 19-24
Reading Check
1. In what location does Serafina plan to defeat the Man in the Black Cloak?
2. How do Braeden’s aunt and uncle plan to keep him safe the morning after the gathering?
3. What does Serafina do to take on the appearance of a guest at Biltmore?
Multiple Choice
1. When Serafina gets the idea for her plan to defeat the Man in the Black Cloak, what do her surroundings most likely symbolize?
A) A dangerous place can be both useful and beautiful if one respects it.
B) Home is a place in which one can relax and let down his or her guard.
C) Upstairs is the territory of the wealthy guests; downstairs is for servants.
D) Fires, candles, and electric lights represent new idea and cleverness.
2. What evidence, in Serafina’s observation, proves that Mr. Thorne is the suspect she pursues?
A) when he arrives late to the gathering
B) where he goes once darkness falls
C) what he holds when alone in the room
D) how he whispers to a stranger in the corner
3. Which idea offers the most likely reason Serafina leaves the lioness’s den?
A) She is worried the mountain lion will find her and attack her.
B) She cannot understand why she feels a kinship to the mountain lion.
C) She wants to leave the mountain lion in peace and plans to ensure its safety.
D) She is angry and confused by the influence the cloak has over the mountain lion.
Short-Answer Response
Answer each of the following questions in a complete sentence or sentences. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. What does Serafina fail to notice as she carries out her elaborate plan to defeat the Man in the Black Cloak?
2. How does the mountain lion react to finding Serafina in her den?
3. What kind of power is Serafina seeking when she puts on the Cloak?
Chapters 25-31
Reading Check
1. What prompts Serafina to tear the cloak from her shoulders?
2. Who helps to defeat Mr. Thorne?
3. Which victim of the cloak does Serafina see first after the cloak is destroyed?
Multiple Choice
1. Which idea represents the most likely way the cloak operates?
A) The cloak requires long periods of rest between taking new victims.
B) The cloak requires the souls of young people to avoid decomposing.
C) The cloak forces one of its consumed victims to wear it if necessary.
D) The cloak takes advantage of someone suffering unhappiness or confusion.
2. What is the strongest clue that the woman with yellow eyes is a changer?
A) She easily wraps Nolan’s coat around her.
B) She goes into the den of the mountain lion.
C) She is more disoriented than the other victims.
D) She has a lean and muscular body.
3. Which action best demonstrates both Serafina’s cleverness and her concern for family?
A) She tells Mr. Vanderbilt to keep others away from the cemetery.
B) She wants Pa to take a rest from working on the dynamo.
C) She claims a thorn scraped her neck somewhere in the woods.
D) She hugs Nolan and tells him she is glad to see him.
Short-Answer Response
Answer each of the following questions in a complete sentence or sentences. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. How is Leandra’s experience in the cloak different from the experience of its other victims?
2. How is the relationship between Serafina and Gidean different at the end of the novel compared to the beginning or middle?
3. What are two likely reasons Mrs. Vanderbilt accepts and welcomes Serafina?
Quizzes – Answer Key
Chapters 1-6
Reading Check
1. Chief Rat Catcher (Chapter 1)
2. to find the missing Clara Brahms (to find the girl in the yellow dress) (Chapter 5)
3. a black glove with bloodstains and fragments of skin inside (Chapter 3)
Multiple Choice
1. D. Pa admits they live in the basement out of sight because authorities tried once to question him about Serafina. (Chapter 4)
2. C. Serafina thinks the man would have to keep his cloak somewhere in the day if he is indeed mortal. (Chapter 5)
3. A. In her job catching rats, Serafina displays lightning-quick reflexes, excellent agility, and the abilities to see in the dark and hear minute sounds. (Chapter 1)
Short Answer
1. He goes along with her shoeshine girl cover story; he shares information about the missing Anastasia Rostonova. (Chapter 6)
2. Nuns and local women thought Serafina was “devil’s spawn”; or, they thought she would not survive. (Chapter 4)
3. She follows guests and “plays” hide and seek with the children; she wanders Biltmore at night watching some guests sleep; she borrows books to preoccupy herself. (Chapters 1, 3, 6)
Chapters 7-12
Reading Check
1. Nolan, the young driver (Chapter 7)
2. following the waterways to the river that runs past Biltmore (Chapter 12)
3. a real sword that is sharp (Chapter 10)
Multiple Choice
1. B. (Chapters 7-8)
2. D. Mr. Crankshod is guilty of each of these actions, but lying about bandits and his unexplained disappearance just as the Man in the Black Cloak attack makes Serafina suspect him of being the Man in the Black Cloak. (Chapter 9)
3. A. The forest’s dangers and tricks leave Serafina feeling defeated (blackbirds, graveyard, lioness, steep hillside, rain). (Chapter 12)
Short Answer
1. Serafina senses that she and Gidean both want to protect Braeden from danger, but do not understand each other’s methods (she wants to enter the woods to search danger out whereas Gidean wants to stay put and stand guard). (Chapter 7)
2. Braeden likes and respects Serafina’s Pa; Pa once helped make Braeden’s saddle more comfortable for his horse. (Chapter 8)
3. The epitaphs indicate that bodies buried there do not always “sleep” soundly; in other words, corpses rise from the dead like zombies. (Chapter 10)
Chapters 13-18
Reading Check
1. the dynamo that supplies electricity to Biltmore (Chapter 13)
2. In the day and a half since they met, Braeden would not have had time to procure a dress. (Chapter 14)
3. He plays piano and tells stories. (Chapter 16)
Multiple Choice
1. D. Serafina misses Braeden and believes he will be the only one who can understand; she thinks they are friends now, thanks to their shared experiences and concerns. (Chapter 13)
2. A. (Chapter 15)
3. C. Mrs. Vanderbilt is happy to send Braeden to Asheville, thinking he will be safer. (Chapter 18)
Short Answer
1. He is eager to see her and says he was concerned about her throughout the day. (Chapter 14)
2. Answers may include that Mr. Thorne is a well-respected guest of Braeden’s uncle; Mr. Thorne is a “riches to rags back to riches” story. He is very kind to Braeden and invited him riding; he saved Gidean and volunteered to get Braeden’s horses home from the woods. (Chapters 17-18)
3. Responses for complications may include Mr. Rostonov’s reaction to Mr. Thorne, the pastor’s son disappearing; Braeden being sent away with Mr. Thorne; and Braeden and Serafina disagreeing about suspects. Discoveries may include learning the Russian words’ definitions, finding the ventilation passageways, seeing the catamount artwork, overhearing Mr. Vanderbilt’s invitation to Mr. Thorne for cognac and cigars. (Chapters 13-18)
Chapters 19-24
Reading Check
1. send him to Asheville accompanied by Mr. Thorne (Chapter 19)
2. puts on the dress Braeden gave her (Chapter 20)
3. the clearing near the old cemetery (Chapter 21)
Multiple Choice
1. A. She walks into the forest. (Chapter 19)
2. C. He is holding the Black Cloak. (Chapter 20)
3. B. (Chapter 23)
Short Answer
1. It is snowing and the Man in the Black Cloak knows immediately where she is hiding because he can see her tracks. (Chapter 23)
2. At first, she stalks close and intends to attack. Then she notices Serafina’s eyes and smell. She recognizes in Serafina the infant she left years before. She nudges Serafina and allows Serafina to rub her head. (Chapter 22)
3. Serafina is tired of being confused by the traumatic news and events of the last few days; she wants knowledge and answers. (Chapter 24)
Chapters 25-31
Reading Check
1. She sees the sad, scared victims imprisoned within it. (Chapter 25)
2. Gidean and the mountain lioness (Leandra) (Chapter 26)
3. Clara Brahms (Chapter 27)
Multiple Choice
1. D. Mr. Thorne was at a low point in his life of sadness, depression, and drinking when the cloak convinced him to put it on; Serafina is confused and befuddled after her encounter with the mountain lion. Both are prime candidates for the Cloak to tempt with power and knowledge. (Chapter 25)
2. B. All are true of Leandra, but entering the den with confidence and concern for her “babies” is the most revealing that she is the lioness. (Chapter 28)
3. A. Serafina cleverly gets Mr. Vanderbilt to agree to make the cemetery and surrounding woods off limits to guests—not because of danger but because she wants no one to disturb her mother and sibling-cubs. (Chapter 31)
Short Answer
4. As a changer, only half of her soul was imprisoned; consequently, she understands what happened to her whereas the others are far more confused. (Chapter 29)
5. Gidean shows more protectiveness of Serafina and partnership with her, seen when he attacks Mr. Thorne and when he stands beside Serafina at the edge of the woods. (Chapters 27, 31)
6. Answers might include that Mrs. Vanderbilt does not want rats at Biltmore or that she is happy Braeden made a friend. (Chapter 31)
