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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. What is Frock's reasoning for dismissing Margo's theory about the killings?

2. What does Pendergast say would be foolish if he is gone more than 72 hours?

3. In Chapter 51, where does Mephisto say he was wounded?

4. What does Mephisto ask Margo to do in the event of his death?

5. What weapon is given to Smithback as the group proceeds to set the charges in the Bottleneck?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Pendergast find in the Crystal Pavilion that causes him alarm? Why do you think these things scare him?

2. Why do you think the creatures abduct the group determined to destroy them instead of killing them like they have everyone else?

3. What is the overwhelming feeling you get from the unnamed character in Chapter 34? Does he seem like every megalomaniac created in literature, or is there something different about him?

4. What is a seemingly positive side effect of the reovirus infection? What might this mean to future testing?

5. What are the side effects of "glaze"? What might such side effects do to a person's psyche?

6. What do you think the symbols Pendergast discovered, which translate to a description of a Japanese tea room, mean to the creatures?

7. Why might the huge amount of firepower carried by D'Agosta, Pendergast, and Mephisto be ineffective against the creatures?

8. What does Mephisto's letter given to Margo for delivery tell you about Mephisto?

9. Pendergast seems uninterested in the "patterns" revealed by the data comparisons done by computer. There is one that interests him, however. What is that pattern and how might it prove useful to the investigation?

10. What starts the riots during the Take Back Our City March? Is this the fault of Mrs. Wisher, the police, or the homeless? Cite examples to support your argument.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The New York Museum of Natural History is a stunning backdrop to not one, but two, horrifying stories. While "Reliquary" isn't as dependent on the Museum as its main setting as it was in "Relic," it exudes a frightening air, which only enhances the atmosphere of the book. What is it about the Museum, which makes it a frightening place, and why is it used so frequently?

Essay Topic 2

The flooding of the tunnels to destroy the creatures is an extreme step, especially given the number of innocent people who could be in danger from the flooding. What purpose do you think this moral ambiguity will serve? Do you see it in any other situations in the book? Do you think it serves the same purpose in that instance?

Essay Topic 3

Review the symbolism involved in the hut of skulls. What does this represent to the Wrinklers? What does it represent to outsiders? What does it represent to the shaman? How does the hut play into the Wrinklers' ceremony? Cite examples from the text to support your explanation.

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