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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 is the final island Ged and Vetch visit?

2. Why does Ged have to stop chasing the shadow?

3. What is Yarrow desperate to know?

4. Where does the woman say Ged is?

5. To what part of Iffish does Ged go?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what way does Ged show he is still not mature enough to defeat the Shadow?

2. How is the couple's refusal to leave the island comparative to Ged's need to move on?

3. Why is it important that the reader does not know the victor of the fight until Vetch asks him?

4. What is significant about the reintroduction of Vetch?

5. How is it important to the story that Ged's mother died during his early childhood?

6. Why is it significant Ged goes back to see his original teacher?

7. Why does Pechvarry act so negatively towards Ged?

8. Why do you think chasing the shadow takes away some of its power?

9. Has Ged completed a full circle of his life?

10. What does Ged learn from his confrontation with Skiorh?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What do you think would have happened to Ged if the shadow had defeated him? Does Le Guin hint at what this alternative life would be like?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the importance of ancient traditions in the novel. Do you think tradition holds Ged and the younger characters back? How does it affect the tone of the novel? Does it represent a split between the younger and older generations?

Essay Topic 3

The Wizard of Earthsea is a fantasy novel with many of the conventions you would associate with the fantasy genre.

1) Discuss what you already know about the fantasy genre. What do you think are the conventions of a fantasy book in terms of structure, characters and themes?

2) What kind of fantasy book is Wizard of Earthsea? What conventions does it use from the genre? Does it take anything from any other genre? Does Le Guin subvert any of the fantasy genres conventions?

(see the answer keys)

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