View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. When Mrs. Coulter asks Lyra where she learned about Dust, the girl lies, saying that she

2. In the darker image that Lord Asriel shows the group seated in the Retiring Room, the man in the foreground is bathed in bright light that appears to be emitted from where?

3. When Lyra refuses Mrs. Coulter's request and insists on wearing the banned item to the cocktail party, what happens to her daemon?

4. Mrs. Coulter claims she has been to the North several times as a member of the

5. Farder explains that one thing that makes witches unique is their

Short Essay Questions

1. When Pan swims with dolphins, what does Lyra's new friend, Jerry the seaman, tell her about daemons finally settling?

2. What does Lyra learn about eating liver when she dines with Mrs. Coulter at the Royal Arctic Institute?

3. Lyra feels at home with the Gyptians and begins talking like them, but Ma tells her she is not Gyptian. Summarize the dialogue Lyra and Ma have on this matter.

4. While Lyra and Roger explore underground passages at Jordan College, they enter a crypt. What do they find there?

5. As Lyra rides with the Gyptians on a narrow boat captained by Ma Costa, what does Tony Costa say about the missing children?

6. How does Lord Asriel convey power, one of the book's central themes?

7. Describe what can be seen in the darker reproductions of the slides Lord Asriel shows the Scholars in the Retiring Room.

8. In her hiding place in the Retiring Room, Lyra eventually falls asleep. What does Lord Asriel talk about with Lyra after he wakes her up?

9. Describe Lyra's attempts to read the alethiometer in Chapter 9, particularly regarding Mr. de Ruyter, head of espionage.

10. Lord Asriel is describing to a group of Scholars the expedition he just took to the North. What were the goals of that expedition?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

1. Analyze the author's choice of an Arctic setting to magnify the severity of what is being done to the children and their daemons.

2. Compare and contrast Lyra's real world with what she glimpses in the portals to other dimensions.

Essay Topic 2

Analyze how the war games Lyra plays with Roger and the other children early in the story prepare her for the challenges she later faces in real battle. Cite examples.

Essay Topic 3

The author uses the alethiometer to reveal information to the reader without having to switch back and forth between other points of view. Explain how his decision to "see" through Lyra's golden compass enables Pullman to write a smoother, clearer narrative.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,149 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample