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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. Claire decides that if someone in authority tries to force her to take pills, she will do what before she gives up the love she feels for her son?

2. What is the last fully formed memory that Claire has of her final moments in the community?

3. The boat worker tells Claire that the boat on which they travel is special due to what quality?

4. In the recurring dreams Claire has in which she is wearing a leather mask, she always weeps when what event occurs?

5. How many months after his birth does Claire teach her son to say her name aloud?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is the boat's cook Marie described by the narrator?

2. For what reason are the Nurturers considering keeping Claire's son at the center for another year before assigning him to a parental unit?

3. What reason does the narrator give for all of the Fish Hatchery workers being fond of the director, Dimitri?

4. What is the cause of Dimitri's disappointment at the results of the Ceremony?

5. What does Claire realize during breakfast one day when she sees the other Fish Hatchery workers cleaning up their tables and getting ready to begin work?

6. What sets the birth of Claire's Product apart from those of the other Birthmothers in her dormitory?

7. What are the elements of Claire's plan to find Sophia, her acquaintance who has a job at the Nurturing Center where Claire's son is being held, and how does it work out?

8. Upon finally seeing Marie on the boat, what questions arise in Claire's mind?

9. How is the event of Claire's first encounter with her son portrayed by the author?

10. What change does Claire see in Jonas between the time she sees him racing another boy on his bicycle and the time she sees him walking alone along the river?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Like many other bildungsroman books and movies, Lois Lowry's novel Son presents the loss of innocence as a theme. Trace Claire's loss of innocence over the course of the novel's narrative. What is the author's purpose for depicting Claire's, as well as other characters', loss of innocence throughout the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Analyze the interplay between the climax of the novel Son and its denouement. How does Lois Lowry employ each plot stage and how does their juxtaposition help her get across the intended messages in her novel?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss how the themes of secrecy and control are interwoven within Lois Lowry's novel Son.

(see the answer keys)

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