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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. Who meets Tim and Eileen at the observatory?

2. What forms over Mexico?

3. Who is the "Brown" in the name of the comet?

4. What is being handed out in Tujunga?

5. Why is a bearded man on Ocean Blvd calling out to others?

Short Essay Questions

1. Define the literary term "comic relief" and give an example of it from this section.

2. Why is the rain that is falling salty?

3. Do you think Harry is a little crazy for continuing his pursuit to deliver the mail?

4. How are Harvey and Gordie somewhat similar in their financial situations?

5. Discuss how carefully Gordie plans his suicide.

6. Describe a couple of Harry's "appointed rounds" and an evaluation of this man.

7. What is Harry doing when the comet strikes and what is his response?

8. How is the comet likened to a hot fudge sundae and what is the consequence of that analogy?

9. What does Harvey find when he finally makes it home?

10. What do Tim and Eileen find when they arrive at Tujunga and what is the implication?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Gordie and the Boy Scouts rescue some girl scouts from bikers who are abusing the girls. The boys and girls then pair off and create a new community. Discuss the following:

Assuming these boys and girls range in ages from 13-16, do you think it is responsible of Gordie as an adult to allow and/or even encourage the arrangement between the girls and boys?

Are these young people old enough to make the decision to not return with Harvey? Explain.

If you were a girl that was rescued, would you be willing to participate in the pairing off and all that implies? Why or why not?

What do you think the group would do to any boy or girl or refuses to pair off? Explain.

Is it moral for an adult to pair off with a sixteen year old girl, especially considering he has a wife already?

Essay Topic 2

In an underground concrete bunker somewhere in the northeastern United States, Major Bennet Rosten and Captain Harold Luce are waiting commands. The US fears that the Russians will believe the US "blind and crippled" by the comet event, using that as a time to strike. Discuss the following:

Is it realistic to think that in the middle of a terrible, global crisis that the Russians would launch nuclear warheads at another country? Why or why not?

Why do you think China makes a preemptive strike against Russian when all countries may have to cooperate to overcome total global annihilation from the effects of the comet?

Would you authorize nuclear weapon attacks during such a crisis? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

In Fourth Week: The Prophet, Jackie who says the blacks have gotten what they always wanted; city hall is gone and there's no more rule to keep the blacks down. The problem now is that there aren't enough blacks to hold onto even a small piece of land in order to live. Discuss one of the following:

How are blacks portrayed in Lucifer's Hammer and are they portrayed stereotypically?

If this book were written in 2010, would black be portrayed differently? Would they be any of the "good" guys?

What ways could help things to not be divided by race and class if something like this were to happen in 2010? Use examples from the book and show how they might be treated differently.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,561 words (approx. 6 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample