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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 sound haunts Sheila?

2. When Macklin summons Sheila to his tent, what does he want her to do for him?

3. Who reads a Psalm at Rusty's funeral?

4. What has happened to Swan when Josh finds her next to Mule in the morning?

5. What does the evil man want the Army of Excellence to bring him?

Short Essay Questions

1. What effect does the shard from the glass ring have on Hugh?

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

3. How do Sister and Swan recover the glass ring?

4. What is Sister's mission, and what signs guide her on the way?

5. What bothers Swan about the dead child at the lake?

6. What happens between Swan and the evil man at the apple truck?

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

8. How does Roland feel about Macklin during the fighting with the American Allegiance and Mary's Rest?

9. How is Swan trapped and then freed?

10. What thoughts haunt Roland?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Leona introduces the theme of inner and outward beauty when she meets Swan. Soon after, the Job's Masks begin to take effect on many survivors.

1) Explain Leona's comments about a person's inner and outward face.

2) Discuss the impact that the Job's masks have on their wearers before the masks' real function becomes widely known.

3) Describe the function of Job's Masks and use specific examples to explain how they help to reflect a person's inner beauty or ugliness.

4) Speculate as to the intent and purpose behind the Job's Masks and describe what kind of a being would have an interest in bringing about the masks' observed effects.

Essay Topic 2

Hope is an integral part of the will to survive that is essential to so many characters in the novel. It gives many characters strength and a reason to stay alive. When Swan gives the community of Mary's Rest new reason to hope, the entire community comes to life and organizes to improve itself and stand against the invading Army of Excellence.

1) Describe some ways that characters or groups maintain hope, including mantras, rituals, and beliefs.

2) Discuss some of the consequences for people or groups who give up hope.

3) Explain how Swan is able to restore hope to Mary's Rest and what the impact of that gift is to the community.

4) Summarize how hope affects the survivors, how it is cultivated and maintained, and how it can be spread.

Essay Topic 3

Many people and artifacts exhibit miraculous powers throughout the novel. It is clear that after the blasts, the world has changed in some fundamental ways. Magical or divine powers are present in the world and commonplace in the narrative of the protagonists.

1) Discuss the individuals who are known to demonstrate supernatural powers. Speculate as to where and how these powers might originate.

2) Explain some of the artifacts that are known to possess supernatural powers. Where do these objects originate? Were they mundane before the blasts? What imbued them with power?

3) Describe some of the ways that these miraculous powers affect the plot of the novel. Explain situations wherein they were critical to the story. Explain other important situations where they were merely incidental, and the focus of the story is on the people and their interactions, feelings, or emotions.

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This section contains 930 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample