View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. Who is Jeb?

2. About what does Vicki wonder concerning dolphins and being alone?

3. What does John wonder aloud?

4. Why is Vicki's grandfather officiating?

5. What is Vicky's grandfather officiating?

Short Essay Questions

1. What difficult request does Grandfather ask of Vicky and what is her reaction?

2. About whom does Adam ask Vicky?

3. How does Vicky's grandfather deal with the topic of death?

4. What does Vicky ask Norberta and how does she answer?

5. What do Vicky's parents thank her for concerning Grandfather, and what do they encourage her to do?

6. Who is Zachary Gray, and why does Vicky's family not approve of him?

7. What does Vicky compare about Adam and Zachary?

8. Why do Leo and Vicky go back to the emergency room and who does Vicky see?

9. Where does Vicky's family go for a picnic, and what does Vicky think about while they are there?

10. How do the dolphins break Vicky out of the deep hole she was in?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

There are a number of interesting questions raised by "A Ring of Endless Light"--questions that L'Engle most likely 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 L'Engle's agenda. Analyze that idea throughout the book and discuss L'Engle'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 L'Engle and see if/where his life may have influenced his writing.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss one of the following:

1. Define irony in literary terms. Discuss the irony of the situation of how Commander Rodney dies of a heart attack while rescuing a young man who is trying to commit suicide. What other situations contain irony in "A Ring of Endless Light"?

2. Define symbolism in literary terms. Discuss the use and meaning of five symbols you choose to analyze from "A Ring of Endless Light". What do they symbolize? Is the symbolism obvious? Effective? Does the symbolism contribute to the enjoyment of reading?

3. Discuss five literary devices that occur in "A Ring of Endless Light" and how they are used. Are they effective? Do they add or detract from the reading of the book? Why or why not. Some possible techniques: Allusion, connotation, denouement, dialogue, flashback, figurative language, motif, metaphor, narrator, point of view, simile, mood, and puns.

Essay Topic 3

1. What is foreshadowing? What incidences of foreshadowing are in "A Ring of Endless Light"? How does foreshadowing contribute to a book's suspense?

2. Discuss an example of foreshadowing in "A Ring of Endless Light" including why you believe it is foreshadowing. Include examples from the book and your own life to illustrate your answer.

3. How do you think most people react to uncertainty in their lives? Use examples from the text of this story, and your own live to support your opinion.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,117 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample