The Golden Compass
By Philip Pullman
Part One: OXFORD
Chapter 1: “The Decanter of Tokay”
Comprehension Check:
1. Why does Lyra hide in the closet?
2. What is the relationship between Lyra and Lord Asriel?
3. What does the reader learn about daemons so far?
4. Why does Lyra stop Lord Asriel from drinking the decanter of Tokay?
5. What does Lord Asriel pretend happened to the Tokay and why does he do it?
6. What does he tell Lyra to do while she is in the wardrobe?
Digging Deeper: Study and Analysis
1. Sketch Lyra’s personality in a brief paragraph using textual support from this chapter.
2. Describe the atmosphere in the scholar’s room while Lord Asriel gives his presentation on Dust, supporting your answer with relevant words and phrases from the text. How does the narrator create suspense?
3. “Lyra felt a mixture of thoughts contending in her head, and she would have liked nothing better than to share them with her daemon, but she was proud too. Perhaps she should try and clear them up without his help.” (p.9)
What do this quote and others from the first chapter reveal about the relationship between humans and their daemons?
4. What does the reader learn about the world in The Golden Compass? How is it similar and different to ours? What is familiar and strange about it?
5. Read the first chapter of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, entitled “Lucy Looks Into the Wardrobe”, and compare and contrast it with the first chapter of The Golden Compass in paragraph form or in a chart.
Vocabulary Words:
dias mahogany decanter laborious bristle agog languid
austere
Chapter 2: “The Idea of North”
Comprehension Check:
1. What was Lord Asriel’s original pretense for his expedition to the North?
2. What does Lord Asriel show the scholars on the projection screen?
3. What do the scholar’s suspect happened to the wine?
4. What was in the box?
5. Who is Dr. Grumman and what was his expedition for?
6. Who does Iofur Raknison appear to be and what does he want more than anything?
7. Briefly explain the “Barnard-Stokes business.”
Digging Deeper: Study and Analysis
1. Underline some of the vocabulary used to describe the church on p. 27. What image of the church does the narrator present? Is his/her portrayal a positive or negative one?
2. Research the concept “materialism” and briefly summarize its definition in a paragraph in your own words. Conclude by reflecting how the definition might relate to what you know about religion and science so far in this book.
Vocabulary Words:
ludicrous affectation relic providence oblation renegade
theologian postulate abominable heresy usurp
Chapter 3: “Lyra’s Jordon”
Comprehension Check:
1. How does the college make money?
2. How does Lyra spend her days?
3. How does this chapter further reveal Lyra’s character?
4. What extraordinary occurrence keeps happening to children?
5. Describe who kidnapped Tony Markarios.
6. How old are all the kidnapped children?
7. What happened to the bundle of letters the kidnapped children wrote to their parents?
8. What happens to daemons when people become adults?
9. What trick does Lyra play and what happens to her as a result?
10. Who is the surprise guest at dinner?
Digging Deeper: Study and Analysis
1. Why do you think Lyra is painted as a “coarse and greedy little savage (p. 33)”?
2. What foreshadowing is given by the narrator before he/she narrates about the Gobblers?
Vocabulary Words:
dias mahogany decanter laborious bristle agog languid
austere
Chapter 4: “The Alethiometer”
Comprehension Check:
1. What is Lyra’s impression of Mrs. Coulter?
2. What plan does the Master propose for Lyra, and what is her reaction?
3. What does the Master give Lyra, and what instructions does he giver her about it?
4. What does an alethiometer do?
5. Who gave the alethiometer to the college?
6. How does Mrs. Coulter treat Lyra? Give examples.
7. What are some of the symbols on the alethiometer?
8. What do Lyra and her daemon discuss at the end of the chapter regarding the alethiometer?
Digging Deeper: Study and Analysis
1. How is the college’s view of female scholars reminiscent of the Catholic and Christian religions in our world?
2. This chapter mentions “feminine mysteries.” How old do you think Lyra is and where else has the age of children been mentioned? How might these references be linked?
Vocabulary Words:
pious torpid soiree knurled
Chapter 5: “The Cocktail Party”
Comprehension Check:
1. What were Mrs. Coulter and her daemon’s reaction when Lyra mentioned Dust?
2. Who or what are the Gobblers?
3. What did Pantalaimon notice about Mrs. Coulter’s monkey while she was talking to Lyra?
4. Briefly summarize the bits and pieces about the Oblation Board Lyra overhears from guests at the party.
5. What do Lyra and her daemon do at the end of the party and why?
Digging Deeper: Study and Analysis
1. Why do you think Lyra willingly wears fancy dresses and makeup and goes shopping with Mrs. Coulter when we have only known her as tomboyish and unrefined up until this point?
2. What makes Lyra change her mind about Mrs. Coulter?
3. Why is it so strange that Mrs. Coulter should appear without the daemon, considering what you have learned about daemons so far?
Vocabulary Words:
rudiment piecemeal sullen atrocious ragamuffin tantalize
stolid patronize
Chapter 6: “The Throwing Nets”
Comprehension Check:
1. Who pays for Lyra’s coffee and sandwich? What does does Lyra tell him about herself?
2. What happens to Lyra and Pantalaimon when they try to look for shelter in the night? Who saves them?
3. What happens to the dead men’s daemons?
4. Briefly describe the different ghouls and creatures Tony Costa tells Lyra about.
5. What are the Gyptians planning to do at the end of the chapter?
Digging Deeper: Study and Analysis
1. a) What mood is created the through the narrator’s description of London? Support your answer with textual proof.
b) Contrast London with Oxford, using textual examples.
2. What else do we learn about the relationship between humans and their daemons in this chapter when Lyra and Pantalaimon struggle against the men throwing nets? Why do you think it is distressing for Lyra to look at the dying daemons?
3. What impression of the North do we get from this chapter? How has the narrator built suspense regarding the North? What are its mysteries? How much do you think is true and how much is legend?
Vocabulary Words:
scrounge raucous clangorous lemur crucifix swathed
Chapter 7: “John Faa”
Comprehension Check:
1. Why couldn’t the police find Lyra in her hiding spot?
2. What is the rumor circulating amongst the Gyptians about Lyra?
3. Who is John Faa and what does he propose the Gyptians do in his speech?
4. What startling revelation does John Faa make to Lyra about herself? What is her history?
5. What do we learn about the alethiometer from Farder Coram? Briefly explain how the instrument works, according to Farder.
Digging Deeper: Study and Analysis
1. Why do you think Lyra trusts John Faa? Support your answer with textual evidence.
2. Why do you think Bernie might have a daemon the same sex as himself?
3. How does John Faa defend the Master’s attempted poisoning of Lord Asriel? Do you sympathize with the Master?
4. What depiction of the church is perpetuated in this chapter?
Vocabulary Words:
landloper incessant enthralled gosling ambitious inquisition
Chapter 8: “Frustration”
Comprehension Check:
1. How does John Faa plan to rescue the kids?
2. Why do the Gyptians revere Lord Asriel?
3. What does John Faa say he will do to the Gobblers?
4. What is Lyra determined to do at the end of this chapter?
Digging Deeper: Study and Analysis
1. a) What kind of moral character does the book present the gyptians as giving? Are they “good” or “bad” people”? How would you describe them and why?
b) List as many different people groups in the book that you can think of (gyptians, landlopers, the scholars, the Gobblers, etc.) and briefly describe the character of each group, explaining your answers thoroughly.
c) Which people groups does the book represent as “good” and “bad”? Are there any that are in-between? Do you think the book takes sides with any groups?
Vocabulary Words:
urchin interrogate scour incessant divagate rescind
disposition internal
Chapter 9: “The Spies”
Comprehension Check:
1. What is forbidden for humans to do to other people’s daemons?
2. What does Lyra’s reading of the alethiometer accurately predict?
3. What is it unusual for daemons to do?
4. Where did the spies go?
5. How did Benjamin and his daemon die?
6. What does Pantalaimon guess the power behind the alethiometer is?
7. What attacks Pantalaimon when he was flying around as a seagull? Who do they think sent it?
8. What do they do with the mechanical creature?
Digging Deeper: Study and Analysis
1. Chapter 9 discusses the etiquette between humans and other people’s daemons. Consider some of the practical inconveniences of such unwritten rules.
2. How does Lyra feel about the alethiometer’s power? Do you think the magic or power of the alethiometer is good or evil? How does the book depict it?
3. Why do you think Lyra seems so drawn to the alethiometer?
Vocabulary Words:
concoct tantalize grossest etiquette prohibit distill despondency estuary
Part One: BOLVANGAR
Chapter 10: “The Consul and the Bear”
Comprehension Check:
1. Who do the gyptians plan to seek help from? What is different about them?
2. Why do the witches hold an obligation to the gyptians?
3. What does Farder Foram learn from Dr. Lanselius? Who does he recommend Coram hire to help him in his venture?
4. What is the prophecy regarding Lyra Dr. Lanselius reveals?
5. What condition does Iorek Byrnison require for contracting out his services?
Digging Deeper: Study and Analysis
1. Dr. Lanselius reveals a prophecy about Lyra. Where else have we heard prophecies about Lyra?
2. What tension between Lyra and her daemon do we learn about in this chapter? What happens to daemons when their human counterpart grows up? What do these revelations tell us about human-daemon relationships?
3. Why does Lyra think “it was good to pretend” she couldn’t read the alethiometer?
4. According to Dr. Lanselius, the alethiometer is an instrument of astrology. Why might this be a reason for Lyra to keep her possession of the alethiometer a secret? Consider what we know about the powers that be in Lyra’s world.
5. How does the scene with Dr. Lanselius show two sides of Lyra?
Vocabulary Words:
ponderous cordial intercision renegade malevolent irony
Chapter 11: “Armor”
Comprehension Check:
1. Describe what Lyra sees while standing on the deck.
2. Who pays a visit to the ship, and what information does he impart?
3. How does Kaisa describe the Oblation Board’s station at Bolvangar?
4. How does Kaisa explain Dust and the idea of other worlds?
5. What does Lord Asriel intend to do with Dust, according to Kaisa?
6. Where is Lord Asriel imprisoned?
7. How did Iorek get his armor back?
8. What does Pantalaimon think was following them in the sledges as they headed north?
Digging Deeper: Study and Analysis
1. a) How is Lyra’s first experience of the Aurora a religious one? Support your answer with textual proof.
b) Why do you think the Church would want to squash any knowledge or information about or access to the Aurora?
2. Why do you think Lee Scoresby invites the gyptians to play cards? Why would he do this?
3. Iorek Byrnison says that daemons are people’s souls. Why do you think people’s souls take the form of animals in this book?
Vocabulary Words:
evanescent trance interpenetrate
Chapter 12: “The Lost Boy”
Comprehension Check:
1. What does the Alethiometer tell Lyra about how Bolvangar is being guarded?
2. What does the Alethiometer tell Lyra about the village?
3. Why did the Gyptians trust Iorek with Lyra?
4. What does Lyra see in the sky as she is riding Iorek?
5. How do the villagers feel about the ghost child?
6. Pan acted strangely when Lyra tried to open the door of the hut. When was the only other time he’d been like this?
7. What is it that the Oblation Board is doing to children?
Digging Deeper: Study and Analysis
1. The scene where Lyra discovers the boy without his daemon is a traumatic one
for her. Using textual evidence, describe and explain in a paragraph how the narrator effectively depicts the trauma of this scene. Consider the diction, sentence structure and the sequence of events and any foreshadowing leading up to the scene in the fish hut.
Vocabulary Words:
stunted immense gesticulate rigorous
Chapter 13: “Fencing”
Comprehension Check:
1. What is the severed boy’s name?
2. What does “the great taboo” prevent Pan from doing?
3. What happened to the boy while Lyra was sleeping? Why did it happen?
4. What happened to the fish the boy was clutching? Why was Lyra angry about it?
5. How does Lyra make up for the boy’s lost fish?
6. What does Lyra have Iorek make for her?
7. Why was Iorek exiled from Svalbard?
8. What information does Lee reveal about Stanislaus’ relationship with the Tartars?
Digging Deeper: Study and Analysis
1. Why do you think Lyra felt compassion more than revulsion for Tony Markarios?
2. Why did Lyra put a gold coin in Tony’s mouth?
3. Lee believes that Stanislaus would not have been scalped by the Tartars. What new light does this information shed on Lord Asriel’s presentation to the scholar’s in the Retiring Room at Jordan College?
Vocabulary Words:
impulse piteous mutilate revulsion inert chide
cremate despoil pyre pedantic
Chapter 14: “Bolvangar Lights”