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Bilbo, Thorin and the Arkenstone | ICSE Class 8

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English LiteratureICSE Class 8 · The Hobbit

Bilbo's Growth and the Arkenstone Decision (The Hobbit, ICSE Class 8)

Updated 17 October 2026 · Fact-checked

In The Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien, 1937) Bilbo Baggins grows from a comfort-loving hobbit into the company's real hero: he wins the riddle game with Gollum, rescues the dwarves from the spiders and the Wood-elves, and finally gives the Arkenstone to the men and elves to prevent war, defying Thorin's greed.

Understand Bilbo's Growth and the Arkenstone Decision

Status. On the Suggested Reading List for Class VIII; recommended, not prescribed. J.R.R. Tolkien published it in 1937. Its subtitle, There and Back Again, describes a journey story in which an ordinary hero leaves home, faces dangers and returns changed. It introduces the ring that becomes central to The Lord of the Rings.

Bilbo at the start. Small, fond of comfort and his meals, with no wish for adventures. Gandalf chooses him as the company's "burglar" and thirteen dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield plan to reclaim their treasure from the dragon Smaug.

Stages of growth.
1. Trolls and goblins: he needs rescuing; lost in the goblin tunnels.
2. Gollum and the ring: alone underground, he finds a ring and wins a riddle game; the ring makes him invisible, and the dwarves begin to respect him.
3. Mirkwood: invisible, he rescues the dwarves from giant spiders and later frees them from the Wood-elves, hiding them in barrels.
4. Smaug: he steals a cup, talks to the dragon and notices a bare patch in his armour. A thrush carries the secret to Bard, who kills Smaug with a black arrow.
5. The Arkenstone: Thorin, gripped by greed, refuses to share the treasure. Bilbo secretly gives the Arkenstone, Thorin's most precious jewel, to the men and elves to bargain for peace. Thorin drives him away.
6. Battle of Five Armies: dwarves, men and elves unite against goblins and wolves. Thorin is mortally wounded and, before dying, makes peace with Bilbo and regrets his greed.

Themes. Growth and hidden courage; greed (Smaug, Thorin); heroism redefined (cleverness, kindness and moral courage, not strength); the cost of war; home.

Short quotation on the chapter page. "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit" (the opening sentence).

Bilbo's Growth and the Arkenstone Decision: key facts

Stages of Bilbo's growth
  • Rescued by Gandalf
  • Riddle game
  • Spiders and Wood-elves
  • Talks to Smaug
  • Arkenstone
From follower to leader.
Greed
  • Smaug hoards
  • Thorin refuses to share
  • Bilbo takes a small share
Bilbo shows the better path.
Themes
  • Hidden courage
  • Greed
  • Heroism redefined
  • Cost of war
  • Home
Real hero is the hobbit.

How to answer Bilbo's Growth and the Arkenstone Decision questions

Use this for character change or theme answers.

  1. 1Describe Bilbo at the start in two traits.
  2. 2Give three trials in order.
  3. 3Explain the Arkenstone decision and Thorin's reaction.
  4. 4State how Bilbo has changed at the end.
  5. 5Link to the theme of hidden courage or greed.

Bilbo's Growth and the Arkenstone Decision in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

A hypothetical shared prize

Suppose a hypothetical team wins a prize and the captain wants to keep it all, while a quiet member secretly offers part of it to a rival school to avoid a quarrel.

How is this like Bilbo and Thorin?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. The captain is greedy like Thorin.
  2. The quiet member acts for peace, like Bilbo.
  3. Peace may cost anger and friendship.

Answer: The quiet member is like Bilbo, risking the captain's anger to prevent a worse conflict.

Memory hook: Peace over treasure.

Tricks to remember Bilbo's Growth and the Arkenstone Decision

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

  • T-G-S-S-A

    Trolls, Gollum, Spiders, Smaug, Arkenstone.

    Use it when: Trials in order.

  • Small hobbit, big heart

    Hidden courage.

    Use it when: Theme.

Bilbo's Growth and the Arkenstone Decision: solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: The riddle game · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

Whom does Bilbo meet in the goblin tunnels?
(a) Smaug (b) Gollum (c) Beorn (d) Bard

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. He finds the ring there.

Answer: (b) Gollum.

Example 2: Who kills Smaug? · 2 marks · Short answerBoard level

Who kills Smaug and how? (2 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Bard (1).
  2. With a black arrow through the weak spot (1).

Answer: Bard, the archer of Lake-town, shoots Smaug through the weak spot in his armour with a black arrow.

Example 3: Mirkwood · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level

Explain how Bilbo helps the dwarves in Mirkwood. (4 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Giant spiders catch the dwarves (1).
  2. Bilbo, invisible, rescues them (1).
  3. Wood-elves imprison them (1).
  4. Bilbo frees them and hides them in barrels (1).

Answer: Giant spiders catch the dwarves, and Bilbo, made invisible by the ring, rescues them. Then the Wood-elves imprison them, and Bilbo uses the ring to free them and smuggle them out in barrels floated down the river to Lake-town.

Example 4: Thorin's greed · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level

Describe how Thorin changes once he reaches the treasure. (4 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. He becomes stubborn and greedy (1).
  2. Refuses to share (1).
  3. Almost causes a war (1).
  4. Regrets before he dies (1).

Answer: Once he reaches the treasure Thorin becomes stubborn and greedy and refuses to share it with the men and elves, nearly causing a war. Wounded in the Battle of Five Armies, he makes peace with Bilbo and regrets his greed.

Example 5: Was Bilbo right? · 4 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

Was Bilbo right to give the Arkenstone away secretly? Give two reasons. (4 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. A clear view (1).
  2. Reason: to prevent war (1).
  3. Reason or objection: it betrays Thorin's trust (1).
  4. Conclusion (1).

Answer: I think he was right in aim, though not in method. He hoped to bargain for peace and prevent a war over treasure. Yet taking the jewel secretly betrayed Thorin's trust and angered him. The novel shows that Bilbo values peace above gold, and the final reconciliation supports him.

Where students lose marks in Bilbo's Growth and the Arkenstone Decision

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

  • Mistake: Calling Thorin a villain only

    He is also brave.

    Wrong working

    Thorin is simply evil.

    Right working

    Thorin is brave but becomes greedy.

    Do this: Show both.

    Usually costs: 1 to 2 marks

  • Mistake: Wrong order of trials

    Order matters.

    Wrong working

    Spiders before the riddle game.

    Right working

    Riddle game first, then spiders.

    Do this: Learn the sequence.

    Usually costs: 1 mark

  • Mistake: Forgetting home

    The structure is there and back again.

    Wrong working

    Ending at the mountain.

    Right working

    Ending at home.

    Do this: Mention the return.

    Usually costs: 1 mark

Exam tips

  • Give three trials in order to show change.
  • Mention the ring and the Arkenstone.
  • Take a stand in opinion questions.
  • Use only the opening line as a quotation.

Practice questions on Bilbo's Growth and the Arkenstone Decision

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

  1. Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

    What does the ring do?
    (a) Makes the wearer invisible (b) Makes the wearer strong (c) Opens doors (d) Shows treasure

    Hint

    It helps Bilbo escape.

    Answer

    (a) Makes the wearer invisible.

  2. Q2 · 2 marks · Short answerBoard level

    What is Bilbo's role in the company? (2 marks)

    Hint

    Burglar.

    Answer

    Gandalf chooses Bilbo as the company's "burglar", to help reclaim the treasure.

  3. Q3 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    What does Bilbo learn about Smaug on his visit? (3 marks)

    Hint

    Armour.

    Answer

    He notices a bare patch in Smaug's jewelled armour, a weak spot. A thrush overhears and carries the secret to Bard.

  4. Q4 · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level

    How does Bilbo change from the start to the end? (4 marks)

    Hint

    Beginning, trials, end.

    Answer

    At first he is timid and loves comfort. Through the riddle game, the rescues in Mirkwood and the talk with Smaug he gains courage and wit. At the end he stands up to Thorin and returns home with a small share of treasure, a changed hobbit.

  5. Q5 · 4 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

    The novel redefines heroism. Explain with Bilbo and Bard. (4 marks)

    Hint

    Strength versus wisdom.

    Answer

    The traditional hero kills the dragon, and Bard does. But the real hero is Bilbo, whose heroism lies in cleverness, kindness and moral courage, shown when he gives away the Arkenstone for peace. Heroism is therefore not only strength.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

  1. 1.Who wrote The Hobbit?Show answer

    J.R.R. Tolkien.

  2. 2.Year of publication?Show answer

    1937.

  3. 3.What is the subtitle?Show answer

    There and Back Again.

  4. 4.Who is the dragon?Show answer

    Smaug.

  5. 5.What is the Arkenstone?Show answer

    Thorin's most precious jewel.

  6. 6.Who kills Smaug?Show answer

    Bard.

Bilbo's Growth and the Arkenstone Decision: frequently asked questions

Is it prescribed?

No, suggested reading.

Is it connected to The Lord of the Rings?

It is set in the same imagined world and introduces the ring.

What is the structure?

A journey out and back.