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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 decides to take a cross-country trip, what is the reason he decides to go?

2. When Ish decides to drive over the bridge, what sight prevents him from going to the other city?

3. While exploring the city, Ish finds a body hanging from a telephone pole. What does the sign say that is attached to the body?

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

5. In Year Nine, (The Year of the Deaths) what causes almost everyone to
 become ill?

Short Essay Questions

1. Jack tells Ish about how they have found great quantities of a certain object, all of which have different pictures. Can you name one of the people in the pictures?

2. What day of the year do Ish and Em choose to be their New Year's Day? Why?

3. Has following Ish thorough the different stages of his life given you a better understanding of why elderly people like to just sit and talk? Why?

4. Why does Ish worry so much about Evie's state?

5. Why are Richard and Robert chosen for the expedition instead of the other men?

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

7. Where did the Tribe bury Charlie?

8. What tradition does Em begin when they carve the year into the rock?

9. Why does Ish run away from the column of smoke?

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

As the book progresses, the author puts a number of subtle hints into the text about how things are changing. For instance, at the end of the book, immediately before Ish dies, a messenger comes to report that the tribe is going to move. Why did the author choose this point in the story for the tribe to move? Do you think they only moved because of the fire? What could the events surrounding this final scene symbolize?

Essay Topic 2

At the beginning of the story, Ish is referred to as a person who doesn't do well in social gatherings. Later in the book, Ish decides that he is, ironically, happier than he would have been if things had been normal, but still, he never seems satisfied that civilization hasn't returned to the way it was before. Why do you think Ish never seems to be satisfied? How do you think this affects him, and the fate of the people who look up to him?

Essay Topic 3

Several times throughout the text, the author makes a point to show Ish finding places that were once inhabited by Indian tribes and other indigenous people. When Ish and Em start to mark out the time, they do it in the same place, and almost in the same fashion, as ancient peoples. How is this significant?

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