75 pages • 2 hours read
Paradise Lost
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During Reading
Reading Questions & Paired Texts
Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.
BOOK 1
Reading Check
1. Where does the first book of Paradise Lost take place?
2. What is the name of the temple of the fallen angels?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. How does Satan plan to continue his war against God?
Paired Resource
- This article from History.com discusses the origins and history of the Devil, primarily through the religion of Christianity.
- This connects to the themes of Individual Freedom and Self-Determination and The Paradox of the Pursuit of Knowledge.
- What is the Devil called in various religions and cultures? How have ideas about the Devil changed over time?
BOOK 2
Reading Check
1. Who does Satan meet as he is leaving Hell?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. How does Beelzebub suggest the fallen angels continue their war against God?
2. How does Satan convince Chaos to give him direction to Earth?
BOOK 3
Reading Check
1. Whom does Milton invoke to help him tell his story?
2. Who volunteers to sacrifice themself to save humanity?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. How does Satan trick Uriel into letting him in through the gates of Paradise?
BOOK 4
Reading Check
1. What is the one thing God has forbidden Adam and Eve to do?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. Why is Satan saddened when he sees Paradise?
2. Why does Satan stop himself from fighting Gabriel?
Paired Resource
“The Tree of Knowledge, Good, and Evil”
- This article by Stephen Greenblatt, the author of The Rise and Fall of Adam and Eve, retells some of the legends surrounding the story of Adam and Eve and the Tree of Knowledge.
- This connects to the themes of Individual Freedom and Self-Determination and The Paradox of the Pursuit of Knowledge.
- What does the Tree of Knowledge represent? Why does God forbid Adam and Eve from eating the fruit of this tree?
BOOK 5
Reading Check
1. Which angel does God send to Adam and Eve to warn them about Satan?
2. Who was the angel who warned God of Satan’s plans?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. What sparked Satan’s revolt, according to Raphael?
BOOK 6
Reading Check
1. Which angel leads God’s army against Satan?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. Why are the rebel angels so disheartened after the first day of their war with God? What is their plan for continuing the war?
BOOK 7
Reading Check
1. What is the intended audience of Milton’s poem?
2. Who tells Adam and Eve the story of creation?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. Why does God create humanity?
Paired Resource
“A Brief History of the Devil”
- In this TED Ed video, Brian A. Pavlac investigates how the Devil became the ultimate antagonist.
- This connects to the themes of Individual Freedom and Self-Determination, The Paradox of the Pursuit of Knowledge, and Having the Humility to Ask for Forgiveness.
- How did Milton’s Paradise Lost inspire future versions of Lucifer?
BOOK 8
Reading Check
1. What does Adam ask God for after he is created?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. Why is Raphael unable to answer all of Adam’s questions about the cosmos?
BOOK 9
Reading Check
1. What form does Satan use to approach Adam and Eve?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. Why is Adam reluctant to let Eve work separately from him?
BOOK 10
Reading Check
1. Who is the first to confront Adam and Eve about their transgression?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. What are Satan’s orders to Sin and Death?
BOOK 11
Reading Check
1. How does God decide to punish Adam and Eve for their transgression?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. How does Michael comfort Adam and Eve when they find out about God’s punishment?
BOOK 12
Reading Check
1. Who is the builder of the ark?
2. What is so problematic about the imperialistic ambitions of Nimrod, the builder of the Tower of Babel?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. Why does Adam suggest that his and Eve’s fall may actually have been a good thing?
Paired Resource
“Are We Born Evil? St. Augustine and ‘Original Sin’”
- This article from Big Think considers the concept of “original sin” and its place in Christian theology.
- This connects to the theme of Individual Freedom and Self-Determination.
- Why do some Christians believe that all humans are born with original sin? How is Paradise Lost connected to this concept?
Recommended Next Reads
Paradise Regained by John Milton
- In this epic sequel to Paradise Lost published in 1671, Satan tries to lure Christ into temptation.
- Shared themes include Individual Freedom and Self-Determination and Having the Humility to Ask for Forgiveness.
- Shared topics include religion and temptation.
- Paradise Regained on SuperSummary
Aeneid by Virgil
- This epic follows the wanderings of the Trojan Aeneas and explores the origins of Rome.
- Shared themes include Individual Freedom and Self-Determination and Having the Humility to Ask for Forgiveness.
- Shared topics include war and fate.
- Aeneid on SuperSummary
Reading Questions Answer Key
BOOK 1
Reading Check
Short Answer
1. Since God defeated Satan and the fallen angels in physical war, Satan plans to continue his war through deception. (Book 1)
BOOK 2
Reading Check
1. Sin and Death (Book 2)
Short Answer
1. Beelzebub suggests that the fallen angels infiltrate the new world created by God by corrupting humankind, thereby gaining a more comfortable space for Hell while hurting God. (Book 2)
2. Satan promises Chaos that if he gets to Earth, he will cause so much disorder there that it will return to Chaos. (Book 2)
BOOK 3
Reading Check
Short Answer
1. Satan disguises himself as a cherub and tells Uriel, the guardian of the gates of Paradise, that he wishes to observe God’s new creation. Uriel is deceived and lets Satan through. (Book 3)
BOOK 4
Reading Check
1. Eat from the Tree of Knowledge (Book 4)
Short Answer
1. Satan is saddened when he sees Paradise because its beauty reminds him of how he and the other devils have fallen and are in Hell. (Book 4)
2. Just before a fight is about to break out between Satan and Gabriel, Satan sees Golden Scales in the sky. The Golden Scales are a sign from God, showing Satan that fighting Gabriel would not bring him victory. (Book 4)
BOOK 5
Reading Check
Short Answer
1. Raphael tells Adam that Satan revolted out of jealousy when God announced that his Son, the Holy Spirit, would rule together with him. (Book 5)
BOOK 6
Reading Check
1. Michael (Book 6)
Short Answer
1. The war with God causes the angels to experience pain for the first time, which leads them to realize the full magnitude of their rebellion. Since rebel angels cannot die, they decide to continue the war by assaulting Heaven with new military machines that they build. (Book 6)
BOOK 7
Reading Check
Short Answer
1. According to Raphael, God created humanity to replenish the ranks of his followers, many of whom he lost in Satan’s rebellion. Before joining his angels, however, humans must first prove themselves worthy. (Book 7)
BOOK 8
Reading Check
1. A companion like him (Book 8)
Short Answer
1. Raphael explains to Adam that God has set certain bounds to what human beings can know, and therefore Adam should not try to know more than he should. (Book 8)
BOOK 9
Reading Check
1. A serpent (Book 9)
Short Answer
1. Adam hesitates to let Eve out of his sight in part because, as a man, he believes that he is supposed to protect her. He is especially protective of her in light of the danger represented by Satan. (Book 9)
BOOK 10
Reading Check
1. The Son (Book 10)
Short Answer
1. After returning from Earth, Satan orders his offspring Sin and Death to cross the bridge between Hell and Earth to wreak havoc among humanity while he returns to Hell. (Book 10)
BOOK 11
Reading Check
1. By expelling them from Paradise (Book 11)
Short Answer
1. Though Adam and Eve are devastated when they learn that they must leave Paradise, Michael comforts them by reminding them that they can live and praise God everywhere. (Book 11)
BOOK 12
Reading Check
Short Answer
1. At the end of Paradise Lost, Adam wonders if his fall may have been a good thing after all, because it will eventually lead to humanity’s salvation. (Book 12)
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