chrysalids q
The Chrysalids
By John Wyndham
Chapter one—A Dream and the Definition (pages 5-14)
Glossary
a.) germinate: to begin to develop
b.) dungarees: heavy cotton pants or overalls usually made of blue denim
c.) cleft: a fissure or crack
d.) precepts: orders or rules meant to guide one’s conduct
e.) rote: fixed routine; repetition of forms or phrases often without attention to meaning
f.) cold-poulticed: a poultice is usually a soft mixture made with herbs and organic material, usually heated, spread on a cloth and applied to a sore or an injury; here it is a cold mixture
Questions
1. List the main characters introduced to the reader in the first chapter. Provide a brief description of each character.
2. Why did Mary caution David not to tell his dream to anyone? (page 5)
3. Briefly describe David’s Dream. How is it different from the narrator’s world? How does it help establish the setting of the book?
4. Who was Sophie, and what was her secret?
5. Why did Sophie’s mother try to keep this deformity a secret?
6. What connection between education and experience does David make? Why does it upset him? Refer to pages 10-14.
7. What special ability do we learn that David has, and what are the circumstances under which the reader learns this? Why does this fact allow David to especially appreciate his promise?
Chapter two—Watch Thou For the Mutant (pages 15-23)
Glossary
a.) Nicholson’s Repentances: repentance means a turning from the evil life of disobedience to God to the path His will ordains; sorrow for one’s sins together with dedication of oneself to the abandonment of unworthy purposes and values. Here, it is a fictitious reference to some person who had written a book of repentances. The have become a source book of sin to warn the people of Labrador and guide their morality.
b.) mutant: an individual or animal in which there is a significant or basic physical alteration, hence a freak
c.) leeward: the side away from the wind; a
By John Wyndham
Chapter one—A Dream and the Definition (pages 5-14)
Glossary
a.) germinate: to begin to develop
b.) dungarees: heavy cotton pants or overalls usually made of blue denim
c.) cleft: a fissure or crack
d.) precepts: orders or rules meant to guide one’s conduct
e.) rote: fixed routine; repetition of forms or phrases often without attention to meaning
f.) cold-poulticed: a poultice is usually a soft mixture made with herbs and organic material, usually heated, spread on a cloth and applied to a sore or an injury; here it is a cold mixture
Questions
1. List the main characters introduced to the reader in the first chapter. Provide a brief description of each character.
2. Why did Mary caution David not to tell his dream to anyone? (page 5)
3. Briefly describe David’s Dream. How is it different from the narrator’s world? How does it help establish the setting of the book?
4. Who was Sophie, and what was her secret?
5. Why did Sophie’s mother try to keep this deformity a secret?
6. What connection between education and experience does David make? Why does it upset him? Refer to pages 10-14.
7. What special ability do we learn that David has, and what are the circumstances under which the reader learns this? Why does this fact allow David to especially appreciate his promise?
Chapter two—Watch Thou For the Mutant (pages 15-23)
Glossary
a.) Nicholson’s Repentances: repentance means a turning from the evil life of disobedience to God to the path His will ordains; sorrow for one’s sins together with dedication of oneself to the abandonment of unworthy purposes and values. Here, it is a fictitious reference to some person who had written a book of repentances. The have become a source book of sin to warn the people of Labrador and guide their morality.
b.) mutant: an individual or animal in which there is a significant or basic physical alteration, hence a freak
c.) leeward: the side away from the wind; a