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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What do the older members of the community notice that 
they think "pushes back the darkness" a little?
(a) The sudden arrival of visitors.
(b) The birth of children.
(c) The progress in building the village.
(d) The number of years everyone has survived.

2. What does Em think of Princess?
(a) She can't stand her.
(b) She wants to keep her for herself.
(c) That she needs to stay somewhere else.
(d) That she is beautiful.

3. What event occurs during the Year of Woodcarving that has a very
 negative effect on Ish?
(a) The carpenter is crushed under an uneven house.
(b) His favorite building burns down.
(c) Princess dies.
(d) One of the children mysteriously disappears.

4. When Ish heads to the east coast, what does he attach to the back of his car?
(a) A trailer.
(b) A boat.
(c) A motorcycle.
(d) An American flag.

5. How many children did Em have before the virus?
(a) Two.
(b) One.
(c) Four.
(d) Three.

6. Who does Ish meet when he is loading up his station wagon for his cross-country trip?
(a) An angry crowd.
(b) A dog.
(c) A woman who asks to accompany him.
(d) A crazy man.

7. Why does Ish worry about being with Em at first?
(a) She might have a hidden sickness.
(b) She is older than he is.
(c) She seems to have mental problems.
(d) She doesn't seem to like him, she just wants a companion.

8. During the Quick Years, one of Ish and Em's earliest children dies. What do the adults think is the cause?
(a) He ate rat poison.
(b) He hurt his head in a fall.
(c) He was born with a weak heart.
(d) He caught pneumonia.

9. Why does Em move to Ish's house?
(a) He lives in a safer area of the city.
(b) Her house is too small for all of them.
(c) He has a greater supply of food.
(d) He doesn't want to move his books.

10. Where does Ish drive when he finds out Em is pregnant?
(a) Back to Em's old house.
(b) To an old pharmacy.
(c) To the library.
(d) To the hospital.

11. In Year Five, the people create a "national pastime" out of avoiding 
what type of animal?
(a) Hyenas.
(b) Bulls.
(c) Dogs.
(d) Lions.

12. On his way back to town after his illness, what does Ish do when he reaches Johnson's?
(a) Looks in the window and leaves.
(b) Talks to the attendant.
(c) Pumps gas and leaves payment.
(d) Steals from the register.

13. In the Quick Years, which new discovery or hobby causes the children to be so delighted 
they name Year Ten after it?
(a) Kite-flying.
(b) Racing.
(c) Baseball.
(d) Fishing.

14. Why does Ish think the books in the library are important?
(a) He wants to learn from the mistakes of history.
(b) Reading and arithmetic will help the children survive the elements.
(c) People will use them to rebuild civilization.
(d) They may need to burn them for fuel during winter.

15. When Ish drives to a certain building after finding out Em is pregnant, 
how does he manage to get inside?
(a) He finds a door that was left ajar.
(b) He finds an open window.
(c) He breaks in through a window.
(d) He chops the door off its hinges.

Short Answer Questions

1. After Ish returns to the drunkard that he met in the city, the man ends up dying. What does Ish do with him ?

2. What does Ish notice is peculiar about one of the towns he visits on his drive home from Black Creek?

3. While driving through the Mojave desert, why does Ish stop his car in the middle?

4. On his way back to the city, Ish breaks into a fine home. What does he do while he is there?

5. What vegetable does Ish grow in his garden in Year Two of the Quick Years?

(see the answer keys)

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