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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. For which office had Sheila Brigham worked?

2. Approximately how much money would be lost if the space flight were canceled?

3. Which of the following does Gwendy reference to Gareth?

4. To what does Gwendy compare the sensation of microgravity?

5. What drug does Harris take when delivering the puzzle box to Gwendy?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Gwendy describe the weather facing the flight crew on liftoff?

2. For what purpose do Lundgren and Drinkwater call Gwendy forward after the space vehicle leaves the atmosphere?

3. Summarize the game "Mermaids."

4. What connection do the Brighams have to the launch?

5. What comments are made about the older members of the audience for the space launch?

6. What accounts for Gwendy's name?

7. Why is Gwendy unable to wave to the ground and control crews on her approach to her spacecraft?

8. What is Charlotte doing when she and Gwendy meet?

9. What does Harris forecast to Gwendy from the actions of the previous holder of the puzzle-box?

10. What argument does Pete Riley initially attempt to convince Gwendy to run for Senate?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the function of the back matter in the text? How is that function achieved?

Essay Topic 2

Sources attest to the presence of Gwendy’s Final Task on best-seller lists. Assuming that sales figures reflect popularity, what accounts for the popularity of the novel? How does it do so?

Essay Topic 3

Given that the novel is the third in a trilogy, what assumptions does it appear to make about readers being familiar with the earlier volumes in the trilogy? What in the novel indicates those assumptions? How does it do so?

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