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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. When Ish heads to the east coast, what does he attach to the back of his car?

2. Why does Em move to Ish's house?

3. How many children did Em have before the virus?

4. At the beginning of the book, why doesn't Ish know about the virus?

5. What does Ish become obsessed with doing while the city is being overrun by a certain kind of animal?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why are Bob and Dick so eager to use a brick to smash the door instead of the hammer?

2. Does Ish put too much emphasis on above-average intelligence instead of other qualities?

3. What is notable about how Ish acts on his trip home?

4. What trick do the children play every year at New Years?

5. What do Ish and Em have to refill in order to continue on their journey? How do they do this?

6. What did Ezra do to test Charlie about his vest?

7. Has Ish changed over the years? Why?

8. Ish uses razors, and then throws them away, using a new one every day. Is this behavior a good idea or a bad idea? What doesthis say about Ish?

9. What was different about the bodies that Ish saw in the dry, Arizona town?

10. Until he arrives at the desert, what are a few of the things Ish worries about the most?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

At one point, Ish realizes that the children have come to view him as a sort of deity, and that they attach a superstitious meaning to his hammer. Was Ish truly interested in preventing his deification? What effects will his teaching on these subjects, or lack of teaching, have on future generations and the development of civilization?

Essay Topic 2

After the first few chapters of the book, Ish begins collecting companions. Each one interacts with, and affects, Ish in a number of different ways. What effect do the people in Ish's life have on him and his plans? What do the interactions between these people say about Ish, and how did their influences affect the outcome of the story?

Essay Topic 3

How is it significant that Ish said that he would never be a god, but in the end, he becomes a god to his people? Do you think Ish could have prevented this? What was it about his own behavior that caused Ish's life to turn out differently than he planned?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 768 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample