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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who is Arby?

2. Why does Nat run out of the bear pit?

3. What play is Shakespeare thinking of writing?

4. What does Nat find comforting even in the heat of an argument?

5. What does Nat hear as he is going to practice on his first day?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Nat make things good between himself and Roper?

2. Where do the apprentices go after classes?

3. What happens to Nat at the beginning of the first day of rehearsals on the stage at Globe?

4. How is Nat different from the other apprentices and to what do the apprentices attribute the differences?

5. How were the boys chosen for the Company of Boys?

6. What does Nat recite for his speaking class and who congratulates him after the recitation?

7. How does Nat increase his acting skills, in particular playing the character of Puck?

8. How does Nat feel about being in the late 16th century and how does Roper make it even worse?

9. Where does Nat move in Chapter 10 and who shows him around?

10. What amazes Nat about London when he is on his way to the Globe?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

There are a number of interesting questions raised by "King of Shadows". Questions that Cooper might want readers to consider and think through carefully. Discuss the following:

1. What does the term "author agenda" mean?

2. Name one idea/concept you think may have been a part of the Cooper's agenda (for example Nat's father's suicide). Analyze that idea throughout the book and discuss Cooper's probable agenda concerning that idea.

2. Do you think writers who have an agenda for writing should point it out in a preface?

3. How often do you think fiction is written with a clear agenda in mind by the author?

4. Research the life of Cooper and see if/where her life may have influenced her writing.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the following:

1. What do you think are the characteristics of a successful novel?

2. Analyze and discuss "King of Shadows" based upon the criteria you decide upon in #1 and judge if "King of Shadows" is a successful novel.

3. Do you think the fact that "King of Shadows" is a teen novel changes the criteria upon which its success should be judged? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

Oftentimes, a book is more of a character-driven plot rather than action driven, and oftentimes the other way. Some books seem to balance the two. Discuss the following:

1. What do you think it means to say that a plot is character driven? Action driven?

2. How do you think a plot differs if it is character driven versus action driven?

3. Which type of plot do you find more interesting? Why?

4. Do you think it is possible to have a plot where action and character development share equal time? Why or why not.

5. What type of plot do you think the King of Shadows is? Explain your response.

(see the answer keys)

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