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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 is the wall for?

2. What are Shevek and his friends most interested in about Urras?

3. Why does Dr. Kimoe throw Shevek's pajamas in the trash?

4. To whom does Mitis send Shedek's paper?

5. How long is the journey to Urras?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Kvetur's imprisonment symbolize?

2. In what way do Shevek and Takver deal differently with the drought?

3. In what way does Shevek re-evaluate his purpose on Urras?

4. How does Shevek's trip to the retail district of Nio Esseia poke holes in his belief that Urrasti society is all-providing?

5. How does Shevek react when Rulag tells him she is proud of him?

6. For what is Shevek really fighting?

7. Why is it important the Hainishman leaves his ship to look around Anarres?

8. How does the note in Shevek finds in his pocket change his view on Urras?

9. What line doe Shevek draw between the Urrasti and Anarresti pasts?

10. How does Sabul prove Tirin's theory correct?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is an anarchist society? What do you think it would be like to live in one?

Essay Topic 2

Shevek writes two papers in the novel.

1) Principles of Simultanely

2) General Temporal Theory

Describe each paper and discuss how Shevek's ideas have matured through the novel.

Essay Topic 3

Le Guin often talks negatively about Urras and its materialism. How true do you think Le Guin's negative representation of materialism is? What kind of society does materialism create?

(see the answer keys)

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