View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Ish start carrying with him for protection after meeting a pack of dogs in his hometown?

2. Out of all the people Ish finds at first, which of these is the most friendly?

3. What animal does Ish see in his neighbor's yard that doesn't seem to belong there?

4. What do the older members of the community notice that 
they think "pushes back the darkness" a little?

5. After Ish finds out Em is pregnant, what does he use to determine the end of the year?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Why does Em start crying when she tells Ish about her pregnancy?

3. 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?

4. How do the older people treat Charlie?

5. What event at the end of Chapter 5 both frightens and saddens Ish?

6. Is Ish a good leader for the Tribe? Why or why not?

7. Why do you think the group wouldn't allow Evie to have children?

8. How is it significant that Ish has not passed on the tradition of carving the year into the rock? What effect may this have later?

9. Why is Ish so concerned about finding people who can "fix" civilization?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

It is obvious, throughout the book, that Ish is a thinker and an observer. He comes up with many ideas about what needs to be done and conveys them to the other people around him, but he never seems to put his plans into action. Why do you think he acts this way? What point do you think the author may be trying to show through Ish's behavior?

Essay Topic 3

After the first 22 years, Ish suggests, during one of the tribe's meetings, that an expedition be sent out to find other people. The younger generation, including Ish's own sons, decide that Ish and other members of the older generation cannot go for various reasons. What is significant about this event?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 776 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample