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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. On the way to Mary's Rest, where does Sister's group become lost?

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

3. What abnormality did Ben Caidin have before the mask grew over his face?

4. How does Roland feel about what his Job's Mask might reveal when it falls off?

5. How much time does Roland give the American Allegiance to provide the Army of Excellence with supplies?

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. What does Swan realize about the dead child?

4. What is the relationship between Roland and Friend?

5. What thoughts haunt Roland?

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

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

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 3

Throughout the novel, many characters sacrifice themselves for causes they believe are more important than themselves. These decisions are obviously not easy, but they are made quickly and with no regrets.

1) Explain the sacrifices that Leona and Rusty make for Swan's sake.

2) Explain Macklin's sacrifice at the end of the novel. Why was this action relatively unexpected? Discuss whether or not this act does anything to redeem Macklin.

3) Discuss why some characters become quickly resolved to lay down their lives, whereas others do not rise to the challenge.

4) Explain the importance of the theme of sacrifice to the overall theme of forgiveness and redemption in the novel.

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