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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. Who does Father Gomez talk to in Cittagazze?

2. Who does Will say he wants to find while he is there?

3. What is Mary Malone building a machine to help her do?

4. What do the ghost children say is something that no one ever forgets?

5. Who does Iorek say that he will side with in the coming war?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Will explain is the difference in him having to take care of his mother and someone else taking care of her?

2. What does Lee Scorseby and John Parry instruct Will to do in order to save Lyra?

3. Describe the scene where Brother Louis comes to take away Mrs. Coulter's necklace.

4. How does Asriel describe the cloud mountain seen in chapter twenty-eight?

5. What connection does Mary make between the worlds and the events that all began to happen three hundred years ago as described in chapter twenty-seven?

6. Describe the meeting between Mary and the Mulefa in Chapter 7.

7. What are Will and Lyra's reaction when they first see what it was that the ghasts were attacking?

8. In Chapter 20 what does Mary explain is happening that is causing the seed pods to dwindle in number?

9. What does Mary think will happen if the Dust is gone as described in Chapter 34?

10. Describe the scene in Chapter 21 when Lyra has to leave Pantalaimon behind on the shore.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

1) Why did Tialys and the Lady decide not to talk about the fact that they were dying?

2) In what way was death portrayed in the book? Did it change the perception of death to have it suddenly arrive as a person that is kind?

3) What did Will mean when he said if he killed the frog they would be taking it with them?

Essay Topic 2

There is a lot of reference to the Bible in the story.

1) Why did the author choose to focus on the bible as a basis for his story line?

2) How does it change the story to have it based on the Bible theme? How would it have been different if there had been no mention of Eve, God or Enoch?

3) Does the book seem to aim the reader at an anti-God feeling? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

Mary realized that the alethiometer and the Subtle Knife were created at the same point in time. What connection do the alethiometer and the knife have? Why was it important to know that they had been created at the same time? Are they complimentary to one other, or in opposition? Explain your reasoning.

(see the answer keys)

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