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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 does Kirvin think the church must have felt now from her perspective in this time?

2. What does Mary realize when Montoya is brought in to the hospital with the virus?

3. What does Dunworthy discover about the lab where the net is?

4. Who is filling in for one of the bell ringers?

5. Who is still incoherent?

Short Essay Questions

1. What about the virus situation in modern times concerns Dunworthy?

2. Why does Father Roche return to where the clerk lies and what does Kirvin ask of him?

3. Why does Kivrin take Agnes to Father Roche and what is the outcome?

4. What does Andrew say when Dunworthy asks him to come work the lab machines? What does it not matter?

5. What does Kivrin talk about with Rosemund and what is her response?

6. Who is the next victim to fall ill and how does Kirvin discover it?

7. Describe the situation of Agnes dying.

8. What is the situation with the steward and digging graves?

9. What does Kivrin say about the rest of the family?

10. What does Kivrin write in her Doomsday Book about various victims?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Setting as far as place and time play critical role in Doomsday Book. Discuss the following:

1. Compare/contrast several aspects of the 2 times where the action takes place--2054 and 1348. Consider things such as cultural norms/expectations, technology, religion and medicine.

2. How do you think Doomsday Book would change if Kivrin actually went to 1320? You need to research England at the time and see if there are any major differences. Consider if the plague were not an issue. What if she accidentally ended up in a racially different area such as the Orient or Africa?

3. What issues that are present in the 2054 time of Doomsday Book present today? What are no longer issues by 2054? Consider such things cultural norms/expectations, technology, religion, and medicine.

Essay Topic 2

Often titles reveal much about one or more aspects of a novel. Discuss the following:

1. What do you think is the purpose of a title? How closely related to a major theme(s) of a book do you think a title should be? Or should it be?

2. How is the phrase "Doomsday Book" relevant to the action of the novel? What sort of emotional/psychological response does the title evoke? Why do you think Willis chose this title (if she does)? If you were perusing the library for a book to read and saw this title, would it pique your interest? Why or why not. Does it seem to be the best title for the book?

3. If you were the writer of The Doomsday Book and your editor says the title must be changed, what would you choose? Why?

Essay Topic 3

In chapter one, Mary Ahrens is watching the preparations for sending a historian named Kivrin to 1320. The policy has been not to send historians to the medieval period because of the danger to the historian. Discuss the following:

1. Speculate as to what types of danger there may be to someone time traveling back to medieval times.

2. Research the cultural milieu of England in the mid-14th century and then analyze to see if your speculations in part 1 are accurate. What else can you add to what you said in part 1?

3. After researching England of the mid-14th century, do you think it was wise of Gilchrist to approve Kivrin's travel to that era (even considering she was to arrive a good 20 years before this huge plague outbreak)? Explain your answer.

(see the answer keys)

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