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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. How does the man on the island feel about the Tripods?

2. Why did Ulf decide to leave when he did?

3. How much dry space is there on the raft?

4. What does the man on the island want the boys to do?

5. Begin their journey to the games?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do Will and Beanpole get food as they walk and what idea does Beanpole have about getting food? How did that work out for them?

2. How do the boys end up in the river?

3. What does Beanpole suggest might be a good way to get downriver?

4. What does Will not want to do for the games and how did he get to White Mountain?

5. What does Beanpole convince Moritz to do?

6. Why do the boys want to win in their sporting event?

7. How did Will and his friends learn about White Mountain?

8. What does Beanpole think might have happened because the barge was gone?

9. What do Will and Beanpole do when they leave the village?

10. What happens to Will when he is arrested?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Will and Fritz volunteered to "go behind enemy lines" in order to learn about the Tripods. This is courage, doing something in spite of fear.

1. What is courage? It is defined in the dictionary as: mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty. How is courage demonstrated? Given what you have seen of Will why would one call him courageous? Use examples from the book to support your answer.

2. Discuss two situations, one during war and one during peace in which a great deal of courage would be needed to endure the situations.

3. Discuss the two sides to the following: Courage can be learned. One is either born with courage or not.

Essay Topic 2

Will discovers that the atmosphere is difficult for humans and the air completely incompatible with human life. This causes humans to suffer and age quickly, making them unable to survive inside the city for very long, which might suggest why no one has ever come out of the Tripod cities. It also does not bode well for Will and Fritz who have just become slaves to alien Masters.

1. Slavery has been in existence since the earliest records of humans. Discuss the disadvantages of slavery to a society and to a culture as a whole.

2. Discuss the advantages of slavery to those in power and (possibly will need research) why slavery became a part of human civilizations.

3. Discuss the symbolism between the air the Tripods breath being incompatible with human life and the fact that the Tripods' presence on earth have created a world of slaves who are under absolute control. Illustrate your statements with details from the text.

Essay Topic 3

In THE CITY OF GOLD AND LEAD, there are other sentient beings besides humans, though they seem to have a greater status than humans. Discuss the following:

1. List and describe all the sentient, non-human beings.

2. Why do you think most of the the non-human, sentient beings are accorded greater status? Is it fair? Are they superior to human beings?

4. Why do you think Christopher creates a world where non-humans are of greater status?

(see the answer keys)

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