Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch

Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Prologue-Chapter 1

Reading Check

1. Where does Crowley think the Almighty should put the Tree of Knowledge if he really doesn’t want Adam and Eve to eat from the tree?

2. What does Aziraphale give Adam and Eve when they leave the garden?

3. What is the Earth’s astrological sign?

4. Where are the demons Hastur and Ligur waiting for Crowley?

5. What is the Chattering Order of Saint Beryl?

6. How old is Anathema Device when she first appears in the story?

7. What caused the computer at Newton Pulsifer’s school to “choke fatally”?

8. What is young Warlock about to receive as a pet?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why does Aziraphale give the flaming sword to Adam and Eve?

2. Why does Crowley think the Almighty ought to have put the tree somewhere out of reach?

3. How does the Antichrist end up with the Youngs instead of the American Cultural Attaché?

4. Why do Crowley and Aziraphale send agents to influence young Warlock?

Paired Resource

“The Screwtape Letters”

• This video is a stage performance of The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis, with small updates to reference television and the internet. Students might watch the entire 40-minute performance; the excerpt from 4:40-10:03 might serve as a shorter option.
• This content relates to the theme of The Hypocrisy of Organized Religion.
• How is Wormwood’s satirical commentary similar to or different from Crowley’s attitude toward good and evil?

“Letter From John Cleese”

• Both authors of Good Omens are British, and the story contains frequent satirical jabs at the United States. (This letter was not actually written by actor John Cleese. It originated with Alan Baxter of Rochester, UK, in November 2000 in response to the debate surrounding the 2000 election in which the Supreme Court halted the vote recount in Florida.)
• This content relates to the theme of Cultural Differences Between England and the United States.
• What might be gleaned from the satirical letter above? Can the idea be summarized in one or two sentences? Satire is sometimes too complex to be easily summarized, but what conclusions can be drawn by evaluating the tone and style of the writing? How might these conclusions apply to the style and tone of Good Omens?

Chapters 2-3

Reading Check

1. Why do most books on witchcraft say that witches work naked?

2. What is happening as Aziraphale and Crowley arrive at the former convent of the Chattering Order?

3. What is the event that caused Anathema to lose the book of Agnes Nutter’s prophecies?

4. What is War’s (Carmine Zuigiber’s) current job when she receives the sword?

5. What do the villagers call Adam and his friends?

6. What almost prevents Dog from crossing Anathema’s threshold?

7. What is a theodolite used for?

8. What is left behind in the reactor chamber after all the uranium disappears?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why does the hellhound turn into a small dog?

2. Why, according to Aziraphale, does Heaven currently favor guns?

3. Why don’t engineers say “That’s weird”?

Paired Resource

“Nature Vs. Nurture”

• This article from Psychology Today discusses the meaning of Nature Versus Nurture (also known as genetic determinism versus environment).
• This content relates to the theme of Nature Versus Nurture.
• How does free will fit into either nature or nurture? Do angels and demons—Aziraphale and Crowley in particular—have free will?

“Advice to Youth”

• Mark Twain delivers satirical advice to young people concerning good moral conduct.
• This content relates to the theme of The Rights and Limitations of Free Will.
• What underlying point is the author making about morality? How is the essay related to the theme of Free Will?

Chapters 4-6

Reading Check

1. Which of the Four Horsemen does Raven Sable represent?

2. What is the continent that rises from the sea?

3. Where do The Them believe that good people go when they die?

4. What is the bayonet in the Witchfinder’s artillery o’ light?

5. According to Wensleydale, what comes up out of the center of the Earth where it’s all hot?

6. Who accuses Newton Pulsifer of being a dominant species under the influence of consumerism?

7. Where does Crowley trap Hastur?

8. Who, or what, is the Metatron?

9. Whose face winks at Adam in the smoke?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What is ironic about Raven Sable’s genetically modified MEALS^TM food?

2. Why isn’t Witchfinder Sergeant Shadwell interested in Atlantis rising?

3. Why does Adam think God should stop telling people that everything will be sorted out after they’re dead?

Recommended Next Reads

Lamb by Christopher Moore

• Biff is devoted to his best friend, Josh, who happens to be the son of God.
• This text addresses the shared themes of The Hypocrisy of Organized Religion and The Rights and Limitations of Free Will.

The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis

• Senior Demon of Hell, Screwtape, writes letters of advice to his nephew, Wormwood, concerning the best way to tempt human beings to sin.
• Connected themes include The Hypocrisy of Organized Religion and The Cosmos as a Massive Bureaucracy.
• The Screwtape Letters on SuperSummary