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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. When does the original Hall burn down?

2. Who is Thomas Vass?

3. What are the villagers celebrating in the summer of 1937?

4. Where does Thorfinn see peat smoke rising from on what he thinks is a deserted Norday?

5. When does the Bishop Usher set the date of Creation?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why are all the doors gone from the island homes when Thorfinn returns to Norday after many years absence?

2. Who is Sophie?

3. What is happening to both the laird's house and the minister's manse in chapter 5?

4. What kind of food does Mara the seal wife like to eat?

5. How does Mara react when a seal is captured and killed by the fishermen?

6. Why did Sophie come back to Norday Island in the end?

7. In chapter five one of the previous minister uses the title of the book when referring to fossils. What does he mean?

8. What does Thomas Vass think about the arrival of work crews and machinery on Norday Island during the war?

9. What does Thorfinn take with him when he is liberated from the German war camp?

10. How does Thorfinn see Sophie that very first time?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The social order of Norday Island is strictly regulated. Thorfinn is cast, from birth, to be a crofter, as his father was before him. Write an essay on why such a system of pre-ordained roles is important for the continuation of any culture. Is Thorfinn simply a rare oddity who can't fulfill his role or is he symbolic of the "modern man" who longs to find himself outside the bounds of tradition and culture? What is the role of tradition in a small interdependent world such as Norday?

Essay Topic 2

How would you describe the writing style of this book? Historical fiction? Poetry? Lyrical fiction? Is it a combination of several styles? Describe the style and find examples in the book of this style.

Essay Topic 3

In the tight knit community of Norday, each person plays a pre-ordained role which is vital in some way to the health of the entire community. Write an essay describing the role of the laird in Orkney culture, both in time past and in present day (1930s) Norday. What role did the laird play and why is the present laird, although much less powerless, still important? What is his function in terms of the culture? Or does he have one any longer?

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This section contains 922 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample