Study Guide for Demon Copperhead & Comprehension Test

Demon Copperhead
by Barbara Kingsolver
About_
This study guide accompanies Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, following its narrator through foster
care, football, addiction, loss, and recovery in rural Virginia. Each section pairs factual recall questions with deeper
critical-thinking prompts to build comprehension chapter by chapter. A crossword puzzle reinforces key characters
and settings, while a character focus activity encourages students to analyze Demon’s growth. In total, this study
guide contains 65 questions across 5 chapter sections (50 Factual + 15 Critical), 1 Crossword Puzzle (12 clues), and
1 Character Focus Activity.
What’s Included_
This study guide features 5 sets of 10 Factual Questions with an answer key (50 total), 5 sets of 3 Critical Analysis
Questions (15 total), 1 Crossword Puzzle (12 clues), and 1 Character Focus Activity (8 traits + evidence prompt +
critical thinking question).
Target Grades_
Grades 10-12
Teacher Note_
This guide is designed to save you prep time while giving students structured tools to track plot, character growth,
and theme across a complex, emotionally weighty novel. The mix of factual and critical questions builds both
comprehension and empathy, helping students engage thoughtfully with difficult topics like addiction and loss. We
hope it supports rich classroom discussion!