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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 does Shadow do on the tree to steel himself at the beginning of Chapter 15?

2. What bad news about herself does Laura tell Shadow in Chapter 15?

3. How does Hinzelmann say he became a god?

4. What god do Wednesday and Shadow meet in San Francisco?

5. How many days will it take for Shadow to bring Wednesday back to life through a self-sacrifice?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do Mr. Nancy and Shadow do in Chapter 19?

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

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

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

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

6. What transformation does Laura Moon undergo in Chapter 17?

7. What major plot development does Shadow witness from his jail television in Chapter 13?

8. How does Laura Moon kill Mr. World in Chapter 18?

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

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

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

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

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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