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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 do Shadow, Ibis, and Jacquel do after Jacquel is finished working?

2. How is the sky illuminated as Czernobog, Wednesday, Mr. Nancy,and Shadow approach the Hall at the beginning of Chapter 6?

3. What spirit of England does Essie meet right before she dies?

4. From what vantage point does Wednesday watch the progression of his scam in Chapter 5?

5. What manner of spirit is the cab driver in Chapter 7?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Zorya Polunochnyaya give Shadow Moon in Chapter 4?

2. How does Shadow become acquainted with Lakeside?

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

4. What deal does Shadow strike in his Chapter 9 dream?

5. Describe Shadow's dream in Chapter 8.

6. How does Essie Tregowen make her way to America in Chapter 4?

7. How does Shadow deal with the approach of police on the scam in Chapter 5?

8. How is Odin martyred?

9. How are Mr. Road and Mr. Town introduced in Chapter 9?

10. Describe Mr. Wednesday.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Part of Neil Gaiman's agenda in writing AMERICAN GODS is to illustrate how the traditions of today's popular religions have their roots in the ancient pagan faiths. He does this by craftily presenting these similarities baldly but without author's commentary. Write an essay about two of these examples:

Part 1) Early in the novel, Gaiman tells the story of Vikings who came to America. What traditional story of Odin do they bring with them? What iconography is so central that they reenact it in celebration of the god? To what Christian iconography is this similar? In what way does this create a comparison between Odin and Jesus Christ?

Part 2) Midway through AMERICAN GODS, Shadow and Wednesday go to San Francisco to speak with the goddess Easter. What connection does she draw between her divine traditions and the Christian celebration named for her? How are the two connected? What argument does Wednesday make to Easter regarding her presence in the Christian holiday?

Essay Topic 2

The plot of Gaiman's novel can be viewed as an epic amalgamation of many cultures in the arena of one country. On the other hand, the novel can be viewed as a very personal story about one man's journey out of despair. Write an essay chronicling Shadow Moon's character arc. How is he denied any objective by circumstance at the outset of the story? Why does he join Wednesday's campaign, and over the course of it, why does he choose not to commit suicide? By the end of the novel, has Shadow reached some state of new contentment?

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?

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