The City School

Academic Year 2020-21

Class 8
Subject: English
Topic: Literature
Worksheet # WK03-D

Student’s Name: ___________________ Date: ___________

Learning Objectives:
Upon completion of this worksheet, you will be able to:
 Gather information about the novel from ‘’Front Matter.’’
 skim for gist and overall impression.
 Make predictions about the plot using context clues
 recognise the difference between author, narrator and character

Have you ever read the Front Matter of a book for an introduction to the book? Do you
know what the front matter of a book contains?

The front matter of a book consists of its very first pages: the title page, copyright page,
table of contents, etc. There may also be a preface by the author, or a foreword by someone
familiar with their work.

Though many readers skip right over it, the front matter contains some pretty important
information about the book's author and publisher. And for those who DO read it, the front
matter forms their first impression, so make sure you get it right!

The Front Matter includes the following:

Title page — the full title and author's name as they appear on the cover.

Frontispiece — a decorative illustration or photo that appears on the page next to the title
page. Typically goes on the left.

Accolades — quotes from esteemed reviewers and publications in praise of the book. This
praise often appear on the back cover as well.
Copyright page — also called a “colophon,” this includes technical information about
copyrights, edition dates, typefaces, ISBN, as well as your publisher and printer. Usually
appears on the reverse of the title page.

Dedication page — a page where the author names the person or people to whom they
dedicate their book, and why. This typically comes after the copyright page.

Table of contents — a list of chapter headings and the page numbers where they begin. The
table of contents (abbreviated ToC) should list all major sections that follow it, both body
and back matter.

Epigraph — a quote or excerpt that indicates the book's subject matter. This can be taken
from another book, a poem, a song, or almost any source. It usually comes immediately
before the first chapter.

Preface — an introduction written by the author that relates how the book came into being,
or provides context for the current edition.

Foreword — an introduction written by another person, usually a friend, family member, or

scholar of the author's work.
Task 1: Now that you’re familiar with the content in the front matter of a book, read the
front matter of The Hobbit and answer the following questions.
1. Write a summary of the information that you gathered about the novel from the
front matter.
2. What does the front matter tell you about what will and what will not be in this
novel?
3. What does the front matter tell you about the novel's plot and themes?
4. What information did you gather about the author, narrator and character from the
front matter of The Hobbit?