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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. How does the waitress in Chapter 9 react to Wednesday's hitting on her?

2. As what does Shadow Moon disguise himself in Chapter 5?

3. According to Wednesday, how did the other old gods escape Mr. Wood and Mr. Stone at the restaurant?

4. Which of the following gods does Shadow drive to the diner in Chapter 6?

5. What classical writer does Shadow read to pass the time in prison?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

6. How does Shadow become acquainted with Lakeside?

7. Why is Shadow put off by Mr. Wednesday?

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

9. How does Mad Sweeney figure into the plot in Chapter 8?

10. How is Audrey Burton's behavior at Laura Moon's funeral surprising to Shadow?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In AMERICAN GODS, death is not necessarily an end. Because the plot deals in the eternal and the divine, characters die and then return to life for various reasons. Write an essay about death in AMERICAN GODS, focusing on three characters who pass back and forth between life and death. How does each character die? Does he or she choose death? If so, why? What brings each character back from death, and are they changed in some way?

Part 1) Laura Moon

Part 2) Wednesday

Part 3) Shadow Moon

Essay Topic 2

The premise of Neil Gaiman's novel is founded on the notion that the gods whose belief systems came to America with immigrant peoples have lived in some human form in America of centuries. As such, Gaiman is tasked with the duty of creating a human character that represents something essential about each god. Write an essay on the personification of the intangible, focusing on three belief systems:

Part 1) Czernobog and his three daughters are a Russian family living in Chicago. What belief system do these four characters represent? What duties do they perform, and how are these duties manifest in a modern America? As modern characters, how have the traditional duties of these gods adapted to a new era?

Part 2) Mr. Nancy is clearly intended to represent the African god Anansi. Describe Mr. Nancy, both his physical appearance and the occupation he has in modern America. How does this coalesce with his role as the African trickster god? When Shadow enters the realm of the gods, how does Mr. Nancy's appearance change to reflect Anansi's true form?

Part 3) Ibis and Jacquel represent two Egyptian gods in the novel. List every aspect of their personalities that links them with this. When Shadow undergoes his passage into death, how do Jacquel and Ibis play an integral role?

Essay Topic 3

The mythos created by Neil Gaiman includes a backstage world, one that exists concurrent with our own. Write an essay about his world, examining its connection to humanity. How does it appear in relation our mortal existence? How do the old gods look in this backstage world? What about human beings? How are they affected by this backstage world? Is the backstage connected in any way with the afterlife?

(see the answer keys)

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