The Alchemist

Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key plot points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Proloque-Part 1

Reading Check

1. Whose story does the alchemist read during the caravan trip?

2. What is Santiago’s occupation?

3. What did Santiago’s family want him to be?

4. Why does Melchizedek give Santiago Urim and Thummim?

5. What must Santiago balance with his Personal Legend, lest he become too selfish?

6. Where does the old woman tell Santiago he will find a great treasure?

7. What happens when Santiago hires a man to help him cross the Saharan desert?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why does Santiago’s father likely give him three Spanish gold coins?

2. According to The Alchemist, what is the “world’s greatest lie”?

3. What is a Personal Legend?

Paired Resource

“The Ruined Man Who Became Rich Again Through a Dream”

• A tale from The Thousand and One Nights
• Shares a similar lesson with The Alchemist
• Why might Coelho have chosen to expand this folktale into The Alchemist?

“The Myth of Narcissus and Echo” retold by Iseult Gillespie

• A five-minute TED-Ed video recounting the myth of Narcissus
• How does this myth differ from the story of Narcissus in the Prologue? Why might Coelho have changed the story?

Part 2, Section 1

Reading Check

1. How long would it take Santiago to make enough money to get to Egypt if he stayed in the crystal store?

2. What language does Santiago learn while working with the merchant at the crystal store?

3. Who does the merchant remind Santiago of?

4. What object is the Englishman pursuing?

5.  Who is the rider with the falcon on his shoulder?

6. What happened to the camel driver's homeland?

7. What makes the caravan speed up their pace?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What makes the merchant feel sympathetic with Santiago’s desire to travel?

2. Why does the merchant begin to sell tea?

3. Why does Santiago go to the well each day?

4. What does Santiago see in his vision when a hawk attacks another hawk?

Paired Resource

“O Small Sad Ecstasy of Love”

• A poem by Canadian poet Anne Carson (1950- )
• Which character might most relate to the speaker of this poem? Also, what could this tell readers about the relationship between Fatima and Santiago?

Part 2, Section 2-Epilogue

Reading Check

1. For what animal does the alchemist swap Santiago’s camel?

2. What creature does Santiago trap in the desert?

3. What does the alchemist warn will test Santiago when he reaches the pyramids?

4. What does Santiago place within the treasure chest?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What role does Santiago believe the alchemist will play in his life?

2. What task does the alchemist assign Santiago in the desert?

3. What does Santiago teach the wind?

Paired Resource

“How Paulo Coelho’s ‘The Alchemist’ Reminds Us That Patience Is a Virtue”

• Article discussing how long it took The Alchemist to become a popular novel
• How does the knowledge that this book was not an instant success add to the reader’s understanding of its lessons?

Recommended Next Reads

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

• A book centering on life lessons as a man contends with his own mortality
• Connects to the theme of Fear and Loneliness
• Tuesdays with Morrie on SuperSummary

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

• A novel that describes a journey of survival
• A work of magical realism with elements of fantasy
• Life of Pi on SuperSummary