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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 Josh discover in the barn where he takes Mule?

2. Why does Hugh not want to help the injured boy?

3. Where does Friend search for the glass ring?

4. What has happened to Swan when Josh finds her next to Mule in the morning?

5. How much time does Roland give the American Allegiance to provide the Army of Excellence with supplies?

Short Essay Questions

1. How has the Army of Excellence evolved since the events of Book One?

2. How is Swan's group welcomed to Mary's Rest?

3. What is Sister's mission, and what signs guide her on the way?

4. How does Swan defeat Friend in the end?

5. How do Sister and Swan recover the glass ring?

6. Explain the interaction Swan has with the Moodys' apple tree.

7. What happens to Sister's group when they become lost in the forest on the way to Mary's Rest?

8. What is Sister's old mantra, and how does it help her on her way to Mary's Rest?

9. What is revealed when Swan's mask falls off?

10. How does touching the glass ring for the first time change Swan?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Forgiveness is an essential component of the plot from the beginning of the novel through to the very end. It is a critical element of the goodness that Swan shares with the world and allows her to change people, to heal communities, and to triumph effortlessly over evil.

1) Explain how Swan demonstrates her capacity for forgiveness throughout the novel, citing specific examples.

2) Discuss the way that other characters perceive the act of forgiveness. What does Sister believe about forgiveness? How is her belief denied or confirmed in the plot?

3) What impact does forgiveness have on Friend? How does Swan use this, without exerting any effort, to defeat Friend at every encounter?

Essay Topic 2

In the post-blast setting, trust is extended rarely, but its effects are sometimes profoundly important. Due to the lawlessness and brutality of the world around them, few survivors can trust one another, but they must learn to do so in order to survive. Groups like Macklin's army are built around fear and discipline, but groups like Sister's and Swan's, or even the survivor settlements like Homewood and Mary's Rest, are all founded on trust.

1) Discuss the difficulties that people have in trusting each other in this setting. Why is lack of trust a reasonable reaction?

2) Explain some examples of how trust develops between individuals and within groups. Describe some of the benefits that the survivors gain by trusting each other.

3) Describe at least one example of when trust failed to develop, and all parties involved suffered as a result.

4) Explain how trust drives the story forward at various points.

5) Explain why trust is still slow to develop and difficult to maintain, despite its benefits.

Essay Topic 3

After the nuclear blasts, people try to recover and form new communities. The people in these settlements are often just at the brink of survival and are extremely wary of losing their precarious position. The communities are small and poor. Their suffering is still widespread.

1) Discuss how settlements and communities form in the time after the blasts. What resources cause communities to gather at particular points?

2) Explain the economies and social arrangements in post-blast communities.

3) Use specific examples from the book to explain ways in which residents of these communities deal with outsiders and potential threats.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 957 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample