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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. Where does Friend search for the glass ring?

2. What role does Roland fulfill in the Army of Excellence?

3. What does Robin see when he dream walks using the glass ring?

4. What does Robin offer to Swan just before he accidentally confesses his love for her?

5. The people of Mary's Rest suspect that DeLauren's face was made hideous by his Job's Mask because he performed what crime?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Macklin think of what his Job's Mask has done to his face?

2. What arrangements does the evil man make with the Army of Excellence?

3. How does Swan defeat Friend in the end?

4. What does Hugh say about the state of the western part of the United States ?

5. What is Sister's old mantra, and how does it help her on her way to Mary's Rest?

6. What is revealed when Swan's mask falls off?

7. What unusual promise does the evil man make after his struggle with Josh?

8. Based on events at Mary's Rest and within the Army of Excellence, what effect do the Job's Masks appear to have on their wearer's faces?

9. What happens to Sister's group when they become lost in the forest on the way to Mary's Rest?

10. How is Swan's group welcomed to Mary's Rest?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Roland is one of the primary antagonists of the novel. A deeply flawed child at the beginning of the story, Roland only degrades from his initial position of extreme moral deprivation. When Friend, a supernatural being of pure evil who may be an embodiment of the devil himself, encounters Roland, he describes it like looking into a mirror.

1) Explain who Roland is and how he became an important player in the post-blast world.

2) Discuss Roland's moral flaws, including their origins and impacts on him, and the lowest depths to which Roland is willing to sink.

3) Explain the ways that Roland is able to deal with the violence he causes and sees around him and how he justifies his own works. Explain how the King's Knight game plays into this belief system.

4) Explain why Roland needs a strong figure, such as Macklin or Friend, to follow.

5) Track Roland's descent throughout the novel to the point when he asks to follow Friend and is rejected.

Essay Topic 2

At the beginning of the novel, the President of the united states is obsessed with fire. He says that mankind has always been obsessed with it, and he becomes obsessed with it himself. Fire recurs throughout the novel as a powerful symbol, being particularly associated with Friend. Near the end of the novel, it is revealed that the former President intends to activate a doomsday device that melts the ice caps, which is another use of fire for destructive ends.

1) Discuss the President's interest in and obsession with fire as a symbol. Explain what causes this obsession and how it affects him after the nuclear blasts.

2) Cite examples from the book to describe how fire is associated with Friend. What theme does the author establish through the use of this association?

3) Describe other uses of fire as a symbol in the novel, including Rusty's saying of "fighting fire with fire."

4) Explain what fire is intended to represent in the novel, and how this concept stands contrary to what the protagonists are trying to achieve.

Essay Topic 3

Robin and Swan are close in age and are immediately attracted to each other when they meet. For his part, Robin believes Swan to be the most beautiful girl he has ever seen. He falls in love with her at first sight. Although they know they have feelings for each other, they have difficulty expressing them, since they are adolescents and have had little social grooming.

1) Describe the similarities and differences between Swan and Robin. They are both leaders. How do their leadership styles differ?

2) Discuss why Robin and Swan are drawn to each other and why they have difficulties expressing themselves.

3) Explain how Robin and Swan grow closer and eventually confess their feelings.

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