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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 does Jago want from Kin?

2. On what kind of a formation do kin and the others land to spend their first night on the flat planet?

3. Why does Silver go by a nickname?

4. Why does Kin decide to go with Jago?

5. What does Kin initially like about Silver?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do Kin and the others help the sailors who try to visit them?

2. Describe the explorers first interactions with the inhabitants of the flat planet.

3. What does a watcher do, and what is required of a watcher?

4. How does Jago die?

5. What are Shand proteins, and how are they important to Silver?

6. Why does Kin feel conflicted about going with Jago?

7. Describe Silver's appearance and personality. Why is she interested in the flat planet?

8. Who were the Spindle Kings, and what were they like?

9. Describe the steps Kin goes through to get to the ship after she arrives at Kung.

10. How did the strata machine chance human history?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Exploration is a major theme of the novel. Alongside creation, it is presented as one of the defining characteristics of intelligence species. Exploration initiates and ends the story.

Part 1) Outline the importance of exploration in the novel. In what ways does it affect the storyline?

Part 2) Which characters are affected by the drive for exploration? Does it have a positive or negative impact on them?

Part 3) How is the drive for exploration presented as an important feature of intelligent life?

Part 4) How does exploration in this story relate to the concept of creation?

Essay Topic 2

Marco Farfarer experiences significant character progression and drives much of the story.

Part 1) Who is Marco Farfarer, and what are his significant character traits? What kind of state is he in at the beginning of the novel? What major conflicts will he face?

Part 2) As the story progresses, how does Marco deal with these conflicts? What parts of his nature dominate at various times? Use specific examples from the book.

Part 3) How does Marco's character arc end? Has he resolved his major conflicts? Has he learned and grown as a person, and how have his experiences affected him? How is he likely to behave, and what is he likely to go on to do after the events of the novel?

Essay Topic 3

Throughout the novel, the author presents several persons, places, or things that are intended to be direct references to historic or mythical analogues. Many of these references are humorous, but some are intended to provide foreshadowing or other dramatic elements. Research a number of these references for this essay.

Part 1) Explain as many examples of these references as possible. Include a description of the historical or mythical analogue and explain why the person, place, or thing in the book is intentionally constructed to reference it.

Part 2) What purpose do most of these references serve in the novel? Use examples from the book of how these references effect the story.

Part 3) Critically assess whether the use of these references is effective or if it is unnecessary or distracting to the main story.

(see the answer keys)

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