The Phantom Tollbooth
About
Milo is a boy who seems unhappy in everything he's doing. He gets a special delivery which turns out to be a magical tollbooth. He gets in his little car and decides to try out the phantom tollbooth. He ends up in a strange land with many strange creatures and ends up trying to help them by saving two princesses that have been banished.
Read one section at a time, then discuss the questions to review understanding. These questions are a starting place for conversation, not a complete test of the chapter.
Chapter 1
Comprehension questions
Tell me about Milo.
Page 9 — Wasn’t happy with whatever he was doing
9
What is a tollbooth?
A booth where money is paid to go over a bridge or drive on a road
Chapter 2
Comprehension questions
Tell me about the Lethargians?
Page 24 — Small creatures in the Doldrums. They blended in with whatever color they happened to be next to
24
How did Milo get out of the Doldrums?
Page 31 — He started to think
31
Who helped him get out of the Doldrums?
Page 31 — The watchdog
31
Chapter 3
Comprehension questions
Where are words grown in the land of Dictionopolis?
Page 42 — On trees/ in orchards
42
Chapter 4
Comprehension questions
Where did Milo see the Spelling Bee?
Page 50 — In the marketplace
50
What did the Spelling Bee do with the words he said?
Page 50 — Spelled them
50
Who did the Spelling Bee fight within the marketplace?
Page 56 — The Humbug
56
Chapter 5
Comprehension questions
Why did Milo go to prison?
Page 62 — The policeman jumped to conclusions and thought Milo caused the mess in the marketplace when the Humbug and the Spelling Bee were fighting.
62
Who was a prisoner with Milo?
Page 66 — The Which
66
What kind of witch was she?
Page 67 — She was a Which not a witch, her job was to choose which words were to be used for all occasions
67
Why is the Which in the dungeon?
Page 68 — She stopped giving out words for the people to use so all talk stopped, writing stopped, the market closed down and the king was angry
68
Chapter 6
Comprehension questions
Who are Rhyme and Reason?
Page 75 — Twin girls left on the king’s doorstep
75
How is the Which ever going to be free of the dungeon?
Page 78 — When Rhyme and Reason are freed from their banishment up in the Castle in the Air
78
How do Milo and Tock escape the dungeon?
Page 78 — They pushed the red button and walked out
78
Chapter 7
Comprehension questions
What did the palace of Dictionopolis look like?
Page 80 — a giant book
80
Tell me about King Azaz.
Page 82 — Large man, great stomach, piercing eyes, gray beard down to his waist, silver ring on his little finger, wore a small crown and wore a robe with alphabet letters sewn on
82
During the banquet, why did everyone give a speech about food?
Page 88 — Because they knew they would have to eat their words.
88
Chapter 8
Comprehension questions
How did the king feel about the idea of getting back Rhyme and Reason?
Page 96 — He thought it would be nice to have the back
96
Who did the Humbug and King Azaz think would be fitting to go on the quest to bring back the princesses?
Page 98 — Milo and Tock
98
What was the gift King Azaz gave Milo to help him on his journey to the Castle in the Air?
Page 98 — a small box of all the words the king knows
98
Who else went on the journey to the Castle in the Air with Milo and Tock?
Page 100 — The Humbug
100
Chapter 9
Comprehension questions
Tell me about Alec Bings.
Page 105 — A boy who grows down instead of up, lives in the air, he can see whatever is inside, behind, around, covered by, etc .
105
How was Milo able to float in the air next to Alec?
Page 107 — He thought very hard and tried to see as adult did.
107
Chapter 10
Comprehension questions
What is a symphony orchestra?
Page 119 — A large number of instruments that play music together
119
Who is a conductor of the orchestra?
Page 121 — A person who leads the people playing the instruments
121
What did the symphony orchestra play the evening Milo and Tock watched it with Alec?
Page 121 — No music/ The sunset / each instrument plays a color
121
Chapter 11
Comprehension questions
What happened when Milo decided to not wake Chroma and tried to lead the symphony by himself?
Page 129 — The sun set and rose again 7 times, nothing was the color it should be
129
What gift did Alec give to Milo to help him on his journey?
Page 132 — A telescope
132
What is an old apothecary shop like?
Page 135 — A small store with herbs, natural remedies, potions, and etc
135
What does the Doctor of Dissonance specialize in?
Page 137 — noises
137
Chapter 12
Comprehension questions
Why is the Valley of Sound so horrifying?
Page 145 — Because there is no sound at all/ it is c ompletely silent
145
Why is the Valley of Sound silent?
Page 149 — No one appreciated sound anymore so the Soundkeeper banished sound
149
How did Milo get a sound out of the fortress of sound?
Page 158 — He made the word “but” and closed his mouth trapping it before it came out
158
Chapter 13
Comprehension questions
What did the Soundkeeper give to Milo and his friends to assist them on their journey to saving Rhyme and Reason?
Page 164 — A brown package full of sounds
164
How did the friends get to the Island of Conclusions?
Page 168 — They thought a thought where they had jumped to a conclusion
168
How did the friends get off of the Island of Conclusions?
Page 170 — They had to swim across the Sea of Knowledge
170
Chapter 14
Comprehension questions
What’s a Dodecahedron?
Page 173 — A mathematical shape with 12 faces
173
Where did the people of Digitopolis get their numbers from?
Page 178 — They dug them out of a mine
178
How did the Mathemagician feel about the jewels and gems the miners dug up?
Page 182 — They were a nuisance
182
Chapter 15
Comprehension questions
What is subtraction stew?
Page 185 — Soup in Digitopolis that makes you hungrier the more you eat it
185
What did Milo find out about the longest and smallest number in the world?
Page 190 — There isn’t one
190
Chapter 16
Comprehension questions
What gift did the Mathemagician give Milo to help him on his way?
Page 201 — A magic staff
201
What tasks did the elegant man with no facial features ask the friends to do?
Page 210 — Move sand with tweezers, empty a well and fill another with an eye dropper and a hold dug through the cliff with a needle
210
Chapter 17
Comprehension questions
Who is Terrible Trivium?
Page 213 — A demon of petty tasks and worthless jobs
213
What does insincerity mean?
Page 217 — to be insincere means to not truly mean what is said
217
Chapter 18
Comprehension questions
What broke the spell the friends were under while with the Senses Taker and looking at the circus?
Page 229 — Milo’s package of sounds fell and broke open and laughter came out
229
How did everyone get out of the Castle in the Air when the demons cut the stairway loose and the castle was floating off into space?
Page 236 — They all rode with Tock since “time flies”
236
Chapter 19
Comprehension questions
How did everyone react when Milo brought the princesses back to the land?
Page 248 — They celebrated
248
Chapter 20
Comprehension questions
When Milo got back home, how long had he been gone on his adventure?
Page 254 — One hour
254
Why had the tollbooth disappeared from Milo’s apartment?
Page 255 — It was taken to other boys and girls who also would like to use it
255
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Worksheets
Practice sheets with space to write your answers.
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