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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. Which god negotiates the return of Wednesday's body in Chapter 14?

2. In what form does the search engine appear in Chapter 12?

3. How does Sam Black Crow respond to Shadow's story about the war between the gods?

4. In what southern state is Rock City located?

5. Why is Agasu's arm cut off?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why have children been disappearing for years in Lakewood?

2. Describe Shadow's interaction with Zorya Polunochnyaya in Chapter 16?

3. What is backstage?

4. How does Czernobog take his prize from Shadow in Chapter 20?

5. What connection forms between Wututu and Agasu when they are taken to America?

6. How do Sam Black Crow and Shadow connect in Chapter 13?

7. Why does Easter not want to join Wednesday's campaign, and how does he convince he to?

8. What does Shadow experience on the tree on the second day of the vigil?

9. How does Shadow's journey in Chapter 16 end?

10. What is Loki and Wednesday's plan for the battle?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the character of Shadow Moon, Neil Gaiman has created a protagonist that, perhaps for selfish reasons, represents absolute loyalty. He demonstrates this through his commitment to Wednesday's campaign. Write an essay about this commitment, in three parts:

Part 1) Early in the novel, Shadow goes to extreme lengths to bring Czernobog on board with Wednesday. What agreement does he make with the fearsome god? How does this seem completely foolhardy? How, in the end, is Shadow rewarded for his commitment to others?

Part 2) When Ibis and Jacquel deliver news that Wednesday had been killed, does Shadow hesitate in agreeing to sacrifice himself to resurrect the god? Write a paragraph about his choice, focusing on the entreaties made by others for him to reconsider? What does he have to gain from this decision, and what does he have to lose?

Part 3) Write a summation paragraph examining Shadow's state of mind when he meets Shadow. What does he have to live for? Does he ever consider ending his own life? In what respect would death be a relief to him, and do you believe this affects the decisions he makes regarding Wednesday's war campaign?

Essay Topic 2

In many respects, the main character of Neil Gaiman's novel is America. In his understanding, the "melting pot" is a profoundly spiritual place because it has embraced so many different spirits. Write an essay on the topic of the novel as a treatise celebrating America's spiritual past. What faiths does the narrative encompass? What value does it assign each? Is one more important than the others? Do you think that Gaiman, a Brit, presents a largely positive or negative picture of America in AMERICAN GODS? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Neil Gaiman's novel is not a historical document, but he does provide the occasional, fictionalized explanation of historical events. Write an essay examining three examples of raw historical information. How does Gaiman use a fiction writer's syntax to make these bits of information more palatable? What is their tone? What character does each historical digression follow? What, in the end, is the reader left feeling about the introduction of a given set of beliefs to America?

Part 1) The introduction of peoples across the ice bridge.

Part 2) The introduction of British indentured servants to America.

Part 3) The arrival of African slaves to America.

(see the answer keys)

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