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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. What does Vodalus order Severian to take a mouthful of at the feast?

2. What does Severian find in the water after being attacked in the cave?

3. Where does the green man say Agia is?

4. In the House of Absolute, what turns out to be portals to other dimensions?

5. What does Vodalus tell Severian to throw away?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Barnoch look half dead when Severian first sees him?

2. What does the green man tell Severian about Agia?

3. What reason does the green man give Severian for his being green?

4. Why does Severian begin to feel sick while he is waiting for the feast to begin?

5. Why does Jonas leave Severian and Agia alone while he goes to get the horses?

6. What do the beasts Severian encounters in the cave look like?

7. What does Severian say about the magic fountain that leads the reader to believe it may have been correct about Severian's future?

8. When Severian finds Dr. Talos and the others in the garden at the House of Absolute, what is Dr. Talos doing?

9. In Thecla's letter to Severian, how does she say she escaped?

10. What does Severian remind Vodalus of when he and Jonas are brought before Vodalus?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe compassion as a motif of Shadow & Claw. In what instances do we see compassion in the novel? Who shows compassion? Does compassion seem to be a strange motif given the nature of Severian's profession? Did the author chose to make Severian a compassionate man?

Essay Topic 2

How does the author build a sense of mystery in Shadow & Claw? What purpose does the element of mystery serve? Provide specific examples of mysterious events or statements to support your ideas.

Essay Topic 3

Death is treated with much ceremony and dignity throughout Shadow & Claw. What does this treatment of death reveal about Severian? What does it reveal about the author's own thoughts on death?

(see the answer keys)

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