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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 are Agnes and Rosemund?

2. What does Finch tell Dunworthy about the closet tech to Oxford?

3. What does a medic ask of Dunworthy's group?

4. What garners Imeyne's suspicions?

5. What explanation does Colin give for being in the quarantine area?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Ms. Montoya doing as Kivrin is preparing for her trip, and how is this related to Kivrin?

2. What explanation for who she is does Kivrin plan to give and what does she end up saying?

3. Why is Kivrin having trouble understanding the people in the house and how does the situation improve?

4. Why is Kivrin going to be able to go to the drop place, but what happens that she does not get there?

5. What is the policy about sending historians to the medieval period and how is the department getting around the policy?

6. What does Badri believe and how does Dunworthy calm Badri's fears?

7. Who does Dunworthy try to communicate with again and what does he realize through talking with the man?

8. What is Kivrin trying to do in chapter 6 but having a hard time with?

9. What does Kivrin think in the confusion generated by her high fever?

10. What does Kivrin's interpreter do and does she expect to need it?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the following:

1. What do you think are the characteristics of a successful novel?

2. Analyze and discuss Doomsday Book based upon the criteria you decide upon in #1 and judge if Doomsday Book is a successful novel. Explain your rationale with specific examples.

3. Do you think the fact that Doomsday Book falls within the science fiction genre changes the criteria upon which its success should be judged? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

Many readers of a book such as Doomsday Book place themselves in the position of someone like Kivrin, wondering about what their response would be in a similar situation. Discuss the following:

1. Do you think one of the values of literature is to serve as a reflection of oneself? Why or why not?

2. Socrates said "Know thyself." How can reading a book such as the Doomsday Book help a reader to know him/herself? Do you find yourself reflecting on your own character and abilities when reading Doomsday Book? Why or why not?

3. Choose one specific incident to discuss and compare Kivrin's response to how you think you would respond.

Essay Topic 3

Kivrin has begun to realize that many things that had been taken as fact aren't true at all. She notes that the weave of her clothing is too fine, unlike what's worn by everyone else in the household. The language is also much different than what she's been taught. She'll find many other discrepancies over the coming days, but it's noteworthy that the careful research does come to her aid in many situations. Discuss the following:

1. What do you think can account for the discrepancy between Kivrin's experiences and recorded history?

2. Who writes history? Are historical records in "real" life always accurate, mostly accurate, or slightly accurate? How can we know how accurate an historical record is?

3. What are some reasons history has been inadvertently recorded inaccurately? What are some reasons history has been recorded inaccurately intentionally?

4. Do you think it is ever justified to record an event inaccurately? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,221 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample