Concept Vocab
Suppose that you are taking a walk in the woods. Which of the following would most likely be an obstacle to your movement? Base your answer on the meaning of obstacle.
WHAT IS: a boulder across the path
Which word best describes Milo at the beginning of The Phantom Tollbooth, Act I?
What is BORED
In the Word Market during Act I of The Phantom Tollbooth, Merchant 4 declares that “‘A’ is one of our bestsellers” but that “the ‘X’ . . . Tastes like a trunkful of stale air.” What is the most likely reason the “A” sells better than the “X”?
WHAT IS:
A’s are used in many more words than X’s are.
What can the dialogue in a play help the audience understand?
WHAT IS: character THINKS, FEELS, & DOES
What are puns, and how are they used in The Phantom Tollbooth?
WHAT IS:
They are plays on words that create a humorous mood, or emotional quality.
If you and a friend make a compromise, what is most likely to happen? Base your answer on the meaning of compromise.
WHAT IS: You get part of what you want, and he gets part of what he wants.
What is it illegal to do in the Doldrums, according to Act I of The Phantom Tollbooth?
What is THINK & LAUGH
What important lesson does Milo learn through his experience with the Terrible Terivium?
What is:
He learns to question what people tell him and not believe everything people say
Read this passage from Act I of The Phantom Tollbooth.
Spelling Bee. A very pretty speech . . . s-p-e-e-c-h. Now, why don’t you go away? I was just advising the lad of the importance of proper spelling.
How does the passage most clearly develop Spelling Bee’s character?
WHAT IS:
It shows that he is rather bossy and impatient.
Read this passage from Act II of The Phantom Tollbooth.
Milo. Well . . . can you show me the biggest number there is?
Mathemagician. Why, I’d be delighted. [Opening a closet door.] We keep it right here. It took four miners to dig it out. [He shows them a huge “3” twice as high as the Mathemagician.]
Which of the following best explains the pun in this passage?
WHAT IS: Biggest in biggest number has multiple meanings.
What does the gardener most likely mean when she says, “I surmise that a rabbit has eaten the lettuce”? Base your answer on the meaning of surmise.
WHAT IS: The gardener used clues to guess that a rabbit has eaten the lettuce.
In The Phantom Tollbooth, Act II, why does the Mathemagician call his pencil a “magic staff”?
WHAT IS: It can be used to solve problems.
In The Phantom Tollbooth, Act II, the Terrible Trivium makes the following statement to Milo.
If you spend all your time doing only the easy and useless jobs, you’ll never have time to worry about the important ones which are so difficult.
What does his speech most clearly imply or suggest about human beings?
WHAT IS:
People sometimes avoid difficult tasks by doing easy ones instead.
In the script of a play, stage directions describe how actors are to speak and move. What else do stage directions do?
WHAT IS:
give instructions about sound, lighting, and scenery
What Type of Mood would Phantom Tollbooth be considered
What is:
humorous, silly, lighthearted
Which of the following best shows the meaning of the word malicious?
WHAT IS: Callie told a lie about the new boy to make him look foolish.
In Act I of The Phantom Tollbooth, why does Azaz give Milo a box of letters of the alphabet?
WHAT IS: so that Milo can make words to help overcome obstacles
Read these lines from Act I of The Phantom Tollbooth.
Reason: Words and numbers are of equal value, for in the cloak of knowledge, one is the warp and the other is the woof.
Rhyme: It is no more important to count the sands than it is to name the stars.
What do these lines suggest most clearly about Rhyme and Reason?
WHAT IS:
They are sensible and are able to agree about things.
Read this passage from Act II of The Phantom Tollbooth.
Insincerity. [Stamping his foot.] Well, all right for you! Most people listen to what I say, but if that’s the way you feel, then I’ll just go home. [Exits in a huff.]
How do the stage directions in this passage most clearly develop Insincerity’s character?
WHAT IS: They show that Insincerity gets offended and angry easily.
Authors use this four-letter word to describe the overall feeling or atmosphere a reader gets from a text, like "cheerful" or "spooky."
What is mood?
What would be the most likely outcome of a student turning in homework based on a misapprehension of the assignment?
WHAT IS: The homework would be incorrect or inaccurate.
What is true about both King Azaz and the Mathemagician at the end of
The Phantom Tollbooth, Act II?
WHAT IS: They both want Rhyme and Reason to reign again.
Milo meets demons in Act II of The Phantom Tollbooth. What do the demons and Milo’s encounter with them most likely represent? 2 ANSWERS
WHAT IS:
attitudes that waste time and weaken self-confidence
the struggles of young people to learn and better themselves
In indirect characterization, authors reveal a lot about a person's personality through this—the exact spoken words exchanged between characters.
What is dialogue?
While mood is how the reader feels, this four-letter word is the author's attitude toward the subject—whether they are being serious, sarcastic, or playful.
What is tone?