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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 logbook written in a "spidery hand" (117) describe the writings that the biologist attributes to the Crawler?

2. What line from a song keeps coming to the biologist?

3. What does the biologist discover on the psychologist's arm and shoulder in 04: Immersion?

4. What is carved into one of the tables in the lighthouse?

5. What is unique about the item the biologist sees in the canal?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the biologist see when she looks to the ground below the lighthouse?

2. What does the biologist discover about the black boxes?

3. What is one thing that the biologist and psychologist argue about while they are on the beach?

4. How does the psychologist respond when the biologist asks for more information about the border crossing?

5. What does the biologist learn about the moaning noise on her way back to basecamp in 04: Immersion?

6. What does the biologist discover in the lower levels of the lighthouse?

7. What does the biologist do after the psychologist dies?

8. What is strange about the vegetation in the abandoned village in 03:Immolation?

9. What sort of responses does the biologist gives to the psychologist during their sessions?

10. What does the biologist describe as her best field assignment?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Vandermeer uses strong sensory details throughout the text. He is especially prone to using vivid color descriptions. Write an essay analyzing Vandermeer's use of color in the text. Describe when it appears and analyze its impact on the tone of the novel and the development of the characters.

Essay Topic 2

Though the novel mostly takes place within Area X, the biologist offers occasional descriptions of the outside world from which she came. Write an essay analyzing the biologist's descriptions of the outside world to determine what she believes of the world outside and how these beliefs connect to the themes of the novel.

Essay Topic 3

This novel is an example of Science Fiction. Can Science Fiction be "good literature"? Write an essay answering the questions: What qualifies something as "good literature" and does this novel fall into that category?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 720 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample