Captain Underpants: The First Epic Manga Comprehension Questions & Reading Journal
Captain Underpants: The First Epic Manga has 20 chapters · Grades 3–5
Book 1 of the Captain Underpants series
Free, no sign-up. Customise to reword questions or add your reader’s name.
Inside the journal: 20 chapter pages, one question each · 3 example answers · a cover for your reader’s name
Open-ended Thought-provoking questions for any chapter book.
What is the most important event in the chapter you just read? Explain how it affects the story.See all 20 questions ↓
A printable reading journal for Captain Underpants: The First Epic Manga: one question per chapter, with example answers.
Buy the book on Amazon ↗ (affiliate link)
Captain Underpants: The First Epic Manga questions by chapter
We don’t know this book well enough to ask about its story, so these are open-ended prompts that get a reader thinking about the chapter they just finished: what happened, who changed, what they would do. One question per chapter, across all 20 chapters, and every one is editable before you print. The example answers under 3 of the chapters are the ones printed at the front of the booklet.
-
Chapter 1
What is the most important event in the chapter you just read? Explain how it affects the story.
-
Chapter 2
How does the setting shape what happens in this chapter? Use a detail about the place or time.
-
Chapter 3
Which choice tells you the most about a character in this chapter? Explain what you learned from that choice.
-
Chapter 4
If you could ask one character a question after this chapter, what would you ask, and why?
Example answer: I would ask, "What do you wish other people understood about you?" I chose this question because actions do not always tell me everything a person is thinking. The answer could help me understand the character's reasons for making choices. I would compare that answer with what the character says and does in the story.
-
Chapter 5
Based on a clue in this chapter, what do you predict will happen next? Explain your thinking.
-
Chapter 6
Choose an interesting word or phrase from this chapter. What do you think it means, and which nearby words help you understand it?
-
Chapter 7
What problem or challenge gets your attention in this chapter? Explain why it matters to someone in the story.
-
Chapter 8
Which part of this chapter did you enjoy most or least? Explain what made you react that way.
-
Chapter 9
What feeling does a character show in this chapter? Describe a detail that helps you recognize that feeling.
-
Chapter 10
What might this chapter teach readers about how people should treat one another? Support your idea with something you read.
-
Chapter 11
What did you do to check your understanding while reading this chapter? Explain how that reading strategy helped you.
Example answer: I paused and tried to retell the chapter in my own words. I asked myself who was involved, what happened, and why it mattered. If I could not explain a connection, I went back and reread that part. This helped me focus on how events fit together instead of just remembering separate details.
-
Chapter 12
How are two characters alike or different in this chapter? Compare their words, actions, or feelings.
-
Chapter 13
Which detail in this chapter might become important later? Explain why you noticed it.
-
Chapter 14
What advice would you give a character at this point in the story? Explain why your advice could help.
-
Chapter 15
Find a word or phrase that helps you picture a person, place, or action. What picture does it create in your mind?
Example answer: I would choose a phrase that gives me a clear picture rather than just naming something. I would explain which words help me imagine its color, size, sound, or movement. Then I would describe the picture in my own words. I would also explain whether the phrase makes the scene feel peaceful, exciting, funny, or frightening.
-
Chapter 16
How does this chapter connect to an earlier part of the story? Explain what the connection helps you understand.
-
Chapter 17
Would you rather spend time in this chapter's setting or watch its events from a safe distance? Explain your choice using a detail from the chapter.
-
Chapter 18
What idea about life seems important in this chapter? Explain how a character's experience helps show that idea.
-
Chapter 19
How might the story change if a character made a different choice in this chapter? Describe one possible result.
-
Chapter 20
Why do you think the author ended this chapter at this particular moment? Explain how the stopping point affects your interest in reading more.
Discussion questions for after Captain Underpants: The First Epic Manga
Bigger questions for when the book is finished, each printed on its own ruled page at the end of the booklet.
- Choose a main character and explain how that character changes—or stays the same—from the beginning to the end of the book. Discuss important choices and experiences from different parts of the story, and explain why they matter.
- What do you think this book is really about beyond the events of its plot? Explain an important message or idea, using examples from the beginning, middle, and end. Then describe who might enjoy this book and why.
More in Captain Underpants
All 2 →
More by Dav Pilkey
All 5 →
Similar books for grades 3–5
How to use this Captain Underpants: The First Epic Manga reading journal
At home, as a discussion guide
After each chapter your reader writes a few lines on that chapter’s question. Read the answer together at bedtime: it shows what they understood and gives you something real to talk about, without a quiz.
In class, as a novel study
Print a class set (booklets fold from plain letter paper) and use one question per chapter as the reading-response or literature-circle prompt. The example answers at the front show what a full answer looks like.
Homeschool
One booklet covers the whole book, 20 chapters, so it doubles as the reading log for Captain Underpants: The First Epic Manga. Reword any question before printing to match your reader.
Printing
The booklet PDF prints on ordinary 8.5 × 11 paper: print double-sided (flip on the short edge) at 100%, fold the stack in half and staple on the fold. There is also a one-page-per-sheet PDF and A5 binder pages.
Where the questions come from
Thought-provoking questions for any chapter book. We don’t know this book well enough to ask about its story, so these are open-ended prompts that get a reader thinking about the chapter they just finished: what happened, who changed, what they would do. The questions were drafted with AI from what is known about the book and checked before publishing; every one is editable before you print.
Browse: 3rd grade books · 4th grade books · 5th grade books · All books by Dav Pilkey