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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. Where does the resurrected Laura Moon first appear to Shadow in Chapter 3?

2. How does Shadow get to Cairo?

3. How do the cab driver and Salim switch places at the end of Chapter 7?

4. How long has Shadow Moon been in prison at the beginning of the novel?

5. What god does Wednesday reveal himself to be in the beginning of Chapter 6?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Wednesday explain to Shadow what happened at the restaurant after the summit at Odin's Hall?

2. What new threat does Wednesday discuss with the old gods in Chapter 6?

3. What unexpected incident occurs to Shadow Moon after the funeral in Chapter 2?

4. Describe Shadow Moon's dream in Chapter 3.

5. What is Wednesday's plan to get money from the bank?

6. How does Shadow escape captivity at the end of Chapter 6?

7. What service does the jinn perform for Salim in Chapter 7?

8. What dream does Shadow have on his flight?

9. How does Shadow enter the realm of the gods at the end of Chapter 5?

10. What is the purpose of the checkers game in Chapter 4?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Shadow Moon has two relationships that are juxtaposed in the novel: one with Wednesday and one with Laura Moon. Write an essay about this juxtaposition. Of which relationship is Shadow inherently more wary? Which one does he pursue with more commitment? How does each relationship contain a major betrayal? In the end, is Shadow stronger for his weathering both of these unhealthy relationships?

Essay Topic 2

Neil Gaiman's AMERICAN GODS posits a world in which the gods of all cultures that have crossed the pond to America live among us and with knowledge of each other. Simultaneously, these gods are in competition with new gods comprised of secular aspects of daily life that we as a culture worship. Write an essay laying out the rules by which these gods live. From what do they draw their power? How do they carry on their divine work in the modern era? What do they fear? What do they yearn for? How, in the end, can a god be killed?

Essay Topic 3

The belief systems that Neil Gaiman dramatically explores over the course of his novel existed before the sexual was painted as sinful. As such, many of the modern interactions with gods are of a distinctly sexual nature. Write an essay about sex as a divine act in American Gods, focusing on three instances. Part 1) Bilquis is introduced to the reader as a prostitute in Los Angeles. What odd occurrence happens when she picks up a john in this early passage? What does this occurrence say about the nature of sexuality in that belief system? Should it be feared? Is it a passage to complete immersion into the divine?

Part 2) What is the role of the sexual in the passage involving the jinn? How does his encounter with Slim the salesman end in a religious experience? Do you as a reader consider this experience to be essentially positive or negative? How does sexuality bond this spirit and this man completely and in a transformative way?

Part 3) Describe the one distinctly sexual dream that Shadow has over the course of the novel. Who does it involve? How does Shadow decide to make love to this individual? What occurs in Shadow's waking life that intimates to him that this was more than a mere dream?

(see the answer keys)

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