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

Short Answer Questions

1. When Iorek and Lyra reach the village near the Bolvangar, they are met by what?

2. Lyra is able to answer all of the bear king's difficult questions by consulting

3. From her hiding place in the Bolvangar, Lyra hears Mrs. Coulter talk about a new separating machine with a blade made of

4. Lord Asriel tells Lyra that the Magisterium decided that Dust was the result of what?

5. How is Lyra discovered when she is hiding in the Bolvangar listening to the men in the conference room?

Short Essay Questions

1. When Lyra consults her alethiometer under the insistence of John Faa to learn more about the Bolvangar, what details does she reveal?

2. Summarize what Lyra overhears of the conversation about escaped daemons between Mrs. Coulter and the men in the conference room.

3. After Lyra and Roger go to Lord Asriel's residence in the North, what does Roger say to Lyra about the man?

4. Describe the battle that interrupts Lyra, Iorek, and the other bears as they chase after the tracks made by Lord Asriel's sledge.

5. What does Serafina say when Lyra asks her if she loved Farder Coram?

6. Which characters serve as Lyra's motherly and fatherly figures?

7. What is the outcome of the battle between Iorek and Iofur?

8. When Lyra and the Gyptians are attacked by surprise in the North, Lyra is abducted. Who takes her, and where do they go?

9. At the Bolvangar, how does Lyra contact Roger without attracting attention?

10. In what ways is the Bolvangar similar to a school?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Despite the starkness of the story, there are instances where the reader feels a deep sense of warmth and comfort experienced by Lyra. Cite three examples of Lyra---and the reader---feeling safe and secure. Why does Pullman include these scenes in The Golden Compass? How do they benefit or enhance the story?

Essay Topic 2

Philip Pullman creates a world in which humans cannot live without their daemons, who serve as animal spirit guides. This world is also inhabited by armored bears. Explain how the human-animal interactions and relationships enhance the story. Would the effect have been the same if the daemons were people instead of animals? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Compare and contrast Lyra's feelings towards Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter at the start of the story, when she does not yet know they are her parents, and at the conclusion of the book, when she knows they are her parents and has seen what they are capable of. How do her feelings evolve? How do her feelings tear her apart? Despite her mixed feelings, what does Lyra become certain of?

(see the answer keys)

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