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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. Who tends to Shevek while he is aboard the ship?

2. What year is Shevek in when Gvarab dies?

3. How do the professors at the school stop themselves from being distracted?

4. What hits Shevak on the shoulder?

5. What does Palat tell the women at the nursery?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what way is Shevek finding it difficult to adjust to his surroundings?

2. What does Shevek now represent to his world?

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

4. Why do you think the citizens of Anarres do not climb the wall?

5. In what way has Anarres become resemble more a dystopia than utopia?

6. What is the only way Shevek can achieve his mission?

7. How does Vea see Shevek's ideal society?

8. What does the man's hand, shot off at the end of the chapter, symbolize to Shevek?

9. In what way does Efor stoke Shevek's sense of failure?

10. Why does Shevek not see his apparent freedom as a good thing?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

The wall is an important metaphor in the story and means different things at different points.

1) What does the wall that surrounds the Port of Anarres symbolize?

2) What is the significance of the prison walls that surround Kadagv?

3) What is the link between the wall and Shevek's parents?

4) What do you think the overall meaning of the wall is?

Essay Topic 3

A major theme in the book is that different people have different ideas and at one point Shevek has an argument with Vea. How do their opinions differ? Why is it important that they come to a compromise?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 762 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample