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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who is the story in Chapter 9 about?
(a) Estraven, the former prime minster of Karhide who has been granted asylum in Mishnory.
(b) Estraven, an ancestor of the Estraven who was once Prime Minister of Karhide.
(c) Stokven, Therem of Stok.
(d) King Argaven's ancestors.

2. What is the length of the Gethenians' sexual cycle?
(a) It's impossible to tell. After all, they're androgynous.
(b) 26 to 28 days.
(c) 28 to 30 days.
(d) 21 to 22 days.

3. What does Genly carry in the case that he brings to his meeting with King Argaven?
(a) Money and gifts that were sent by the Ekumen to the king.
(b) His ansible communicator and pictures.
(c) Pictures.
(d) His ansible communicator.

4. Shortly after Genly sends his letter to Tibe, Ashe visits him. What is the purpose of Ashe's visit?
(a) He wants Genly to take him to Estraven.
(b) He wants Genly to take money to Estraven.
(c) He wants to invite Genly to dinner.
(d) He wants to warn Genly that his life is in danger.

5. How long does Genly's journey to Rer, which is described in Chapter 5, take?
(a) Four years.
(b) Four days.
(c) Four weeks.
(d) Four hours.

6. When Getheren leaves Orhoch, what name does he travel under?
(a) Ennoch.
(b) Genly Ai.
(c) Hode.
(d) Orgoreyn.

7. Why does Genly wind up on a communal farm?
(a) He is taken as a prisoner of war, and the farm is where all POWs are being held.
(b) He enjoyed his communal experience in Otherhord so much, he wants to relive it.
(c) He is broke and needs money.
(d) He has to flee without his passport when fighting starts between Karhide and Orgoreyn..

8. By the end of Chapter 10, what is Genly starting to realize?
(a) He's starting to realize that his first impressions were wrong and that Karhide is much more advanced and civilized than Orgoreyn.
(b) He's starting to realize that the secret police, not the King, are running Karhide.
(c) He's starting to realize that something's not quite right; Orgoreyn isn't as it appears.
(d) He's starting to realize that his initial impressions were accurate and that Orgoreyn is much more advanced and civilized than Karhide.

9. How long does a journey from Gethen to the Prime World, Hain, take?
(a) 670 years.
(b) 76 years.
(c) 100 years.
(d) 67 years.

10. How does Genly Ai spend the summer?
(a) Genly spends the summer in Karhide, hiding from Tibe.
(b) Genly spends the summer in Mishnory, working in the ice-house with Estraven.
(c) Genly spends the summer traveling, observing, and listening.
(d) Genly spends the summer in Passerer, trying o avert war with Siuwensin.

11. What does Lord Berosty's kemmering offer in return for being told how long Lord Berosty will live?
(a) He offers his life.
(b) He offers his first-born child.
(c) He offers his life's savings.
(d) He offers three cows and a chicken.

12. Why does the Ekumen send only one representative to Karhide?
(a) Genly is the only ambassador who knows how to speak the Gethenite language.
(b) They are low on resources.
(c) The Ekumen believe that one voice speaking truth is a greater force than fleets and armies.
(d) It is a trick; in actuality, the Ekumen have troops waiting to invade as soon as Genly gives the word to do so.

13. Who is the Prime Minister in Chapter 1?
(a) Tony Blair.
(b) Therem Harth rem ir Estraven (Estraven for short).
(c) Genly Ai.
(d) Pemmer Harge rem ir Tibe ('Tibe' for short) .

14. What is the purpose of Genly's meeting with the king?
(a) To pledge kemmering to the king.
(b) To convince the king that he is an envoy from another planet, and to start a dialogue about Gethen becoming part of the Ekumen.
(c) To ask permission to travel to Orgoreyn.
(d) To talk to the king about Estraven.

15. Could the Foretellers answer the Lord of Shorth's question? What happened?
(a) No; they clubbed him to death to get out of answering it.
(b) Yes; they knew the answer, but refused to give it to him.
(c) No; they said no one could possibly know that answer.
(d) Yes; however, the answer was never recorded and is lost to history.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the climate on the planet Gethen, year-round?

2. When Genly finally gets to Mishnory, whom does he find there?

3. What is the purpose of the parade upon which Chapter 1 opens?

4. If a Gethenian becomes pregnant, how long is the gestation period (i.e., the amount of time it takes before the baby is born)?

5. How does Genly finance the trip he takes in Chapter 5?

(see the answer keys)

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