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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 problem does the male Nurturer say is still plaguing Claire's son, endangering the possibility of his being assigned to a parental unit?

2. In what month of the year does the Ceremony always take place in the community?

3. When Claire shows up again at the Nurturing Center, what reason is she given for being turned away?

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

5. Why do the children in the schoolyard gaze curiously at Claire when she is on her way to the Fish Hatchery?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Claire so terrified when she is first told that she has been decertified as a Vessel?

2. Recognizing that she cannot ask for Sophia outright at the Nurturing Center, what does Claire say to the receptionist when she arrives?

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

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

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

6. What does one of the Vessels report it had felt like to cease taking the pills when she had been assigned the role of Birthmother?

7. 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?

8. What is the consequence of Claire's Task being different from those of the other Birthmothers?

9. 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?

10. 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?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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

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

Many of the novel's characters undergo experiences that radically transform their lives, taking them far away from the expectations they have previously held. Analyze at least three characters' transformative experiences, the effects these events have on their lives, their methods for dealing with these changes, and ultimately, the author's purpose for including these types of disparities between expectation and reality.

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