1. In classical mythology a gryphon is a monster that has the head and wings of an eagle, and the body of a lion.

Why is this story called "Gryphon"? It might have been named Gryphon as a portrayal as an odd combination of teacher and myths come into an average, dull classroom. 2. Describe Miss Ferenczi's physical appearance. Why is her appearance important to the story? Her appearance is always different and bizarrely matched. It adds a sense of notknowing to the fourth grade classroom, on top of all her talks that don't make sense compared to known facts. 3. How is Miss Ferenczi different from other teachers? From other substitute teachers? From other people in general? She brings the first thoughts of philosophy, and really challenges to students to try to dechiper fantasy from reality. It makes the both the readers and the characters question her sanity. 4. What is significance of the charrator's comment, in paragraph 11, that the lines of Miss Ferenczi's face remind him of Pinocchio? She reminds him of a story-book character, which starts her off as seeming as mysterious and mythical as the stories she is telling. 5. Is Miss Ferenczi a round or a flat character? Explain. I believe she is a flat character. While we know simple facts about her, that's all we know. We know she likes to tell stories, and that she dresses funny, and that is all we know. She doesn't seem to develop over any time lapses and does what we expect her to do. 6. In what sense is the narrator's mother a foil for Miss Ferenczi? The narrator's mother is the exact opposite of Ferenczi. They are both flat, but the mother is only interested in household chores and daily things, while Ferenczi is entranced by the unknown. 7. Why does the narrator defend Miss Ferenczi, first in his argument with Carl Whiteside and later on the playground? The narrator enjoys learning about things that interest him, rather than things like arithmetic and spelling. It is obvious the narrator is a more loyal character and will

support the substitute whether he believes her or not. 8. Are all of Miss Ferenczi's "substitute facts" lies, or is there some truth in what she says? Is she correct when she says that substitute facts cannot hurt anyone? Not all of them are lies. Some of them are truths, though it is harder to make out because they are all jumbled with magic and myths. She was correct until the end, when the boy she told would die soon because of taro cards and hurt him emotionally. 9. Is Miss Ferenczi a good teacher? Why or why not? She sits with her children at lunch, keeps their attention, and as viewed as a more lovable teacher. But she is also telling things that are obviously untrue, and not completely keeping up with the required material, which could be viewed is bad. She is neither amazing nor horrible.