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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 the result of the impact that occurs immediately after the ship arrives at the flat planet?

2. Which of the following best describes the first reactions of the flat planet's inhabitants to Kin and her companions?

3. Why does Kin decide to go with Jago?

4. Why does Silver go by a nickname?

5. The space suits that Kin and the others don give them what capability?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are some of the technological resources that the group has at their disposal, and how will these things help them?

2. What happens to the ship during its approach to the surface, and what is the result of this?

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

4. According to Joel, what are the consequences of the forgery of day bills? What does Joel do as a result?

5. What is Marco's background, and what does he believe about himself?

6. What do Kin and the others do with Jago after he dies? What do they plan to do with him in the future?

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

8. How did the strata machine chance human history?

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

10. As they fly around the flat planet, what do Kin and the others observe and conclude about it?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Immortality is an important component of the universe of the novel. It has saved humanity and allowed the Company to wield vast power over its employees and the entire race.

Part 1) Explain the context of immortality in fiction. What other influential stories include immortality, and how does this affect the plot of those stories? What are common perceptions about and themes surrounding immortality?

Part 2) In this story, how has immortality affected the human race as a whole. Is this change realistic and believable?

Part 3) How does immortality affect the characters and the plot of the novel? Is it an important part of the story? Why or why not?

Part 4) Taken as a whole, have the Company's treatments been good or bad for humanity? Are they good or bad for the main characters?

Essay Topic 2

At the end of the novel, it is revealed that the planet must be managed and maintained by the action of a human operator, the "Disc Master," who controls the machinery of the planet and manages its day to day activity. It is a position of huge responsibility that Kin accepts at the end of the story.

Part 1) Explain who the Disc Master is and why he is necessary for the planet's operation. Why would the planet's creators incorporate this feature into the planet's design?

Part 2) Describe what the Disc Master's usual duties might be on a day to day basis. What unusual types of situations would call for special care?

Part 3) Kin eventually accepts the role of Disc Master. Would this be an easy thing for most people to accept? What qualities would make a person a good candidate for becoming the Disc Master? Will Kin make a good Disc Master?

Essay Topic 3

Terry Pratchett is an author known for his unusual sense of humor, and humorous events often play a critical role in his novels.

Part 1) Describe the general presence and use of humor in the novel. What dramatic purpose does it generally serve?

Part 2) What are some examples of humorous characters or situations that serve no other purpose than to be entertaining? Do these sections contribute in a positive way to the general mood and tone of the story?

Part 3) Describe some humorous characters or situations which drive the plot forward in important ways, or at important times. How does the use of humor affect these situations?

(see the answer keys)

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