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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. Why is Digby afraid of Theo?

2. Finish the quote. "If we are dying we can die as human beings, not as _____."

3. "I wouldn't say the Tudor age was uniquely cruel... They died young in those days. Every age has its cruelties." Who says this?

4. What reoccurring nightmare does Theo have of his father?

5. Why does the priest demand that Theo leave the church before eleven?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Theo's concerns that he writes about in his diary after his visit from the State Security Police.

2. How have you seen Theo change since the beginning of the book as he leaves the note at the Cast Museum saying he will help the Five Fishes?

3. What does Miriam say has happened to her brother?

4. What does the Cast Museum say about Xan and Theo's relationship?

5. What is the Coronation Ring and why is Theo unhappy with Xan for wearing it?

6. How do you think Theo's experience with his father's death will shape him as a man?

7. What does Theo find in his mail two weeks after meeting Julian to discuss his meeting with Xan? What is his opinion of it?

8. How are the memories of Theo's daughter and father different? How are they similar?

9. What does the Chief Inspector share of the Five Fishes when he visits Theo? What do both men know Theo is lying about?

10. Does Theo immediately realize that he wishes to help the Five Fishes while witnessing the Quietus?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Who do you think lives their values the most throughout the story? Who does not? Discuss morality in the characters, and how you think this affects their behavior.

Essay Topic 2

There are many different leaders in the book and also different forms of leadership. Discuss some of these forms, and how they affected the conflicts and actions of the book. Who are some of the stronger leaders?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Theo's life before the book begins. How have the decisions he has made and the events he has lived through shaped who he becomes by the time we meet him? Discuss how these issues play a role in his quest to assist the Five Fishes.

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