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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 caused Josella to have to leave her vehicle as she went to find the doctor?

2. Why do Josella and Bill go to Clerkenwell once they leave Josella's home?

3. Why does Bill have trouble solving his hunger problem at first?

4. What alerted Josella to the crisis?

5. Why is the narrator particularly anxious on the first day of the novel?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the circumstances that resulted in Bill's hospitalization.

2. Explain the irony of the blind man Bill finds in Chapter Three, who was blind before the comet.

3. Explain why the Colonel and the others want to leave London?

4. Explain the difference between Josella's view of triffids and Bill's. Why are they do drastically different?

5. What are the potential uses of satellites, according to Bill?

6. Explain how the seeds of the triffid came to spread across the world, according to the story by Bill of Umberto Palanguez.

7. Explain why Bill decides to go to London at the beginning of Chapter Three?

8. Describe the scene where the narrator first learns of the blindness that plagues mankind.

9. Do you agree with Bill's statement at the end of Chapter Six that man is lost without his ability to see? Why or why not?

10. Explain why Bill feels a sense of relief at his new situation?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

There are many situations in the novel that point out the human need for love and companionship. Bill and Josella become very close in a short time; a young woman offers herself to Bill because she fears he is lonely and thus will leave; Coker joins Bill; and Bill and the others constantly seek a community life. Why do humans in the novel constantly seek others? Do you think humans have an innate need for companionship? Why or why not? How is this shown in the novel? What do you think the author was trying to say about the communities of humans and the need for society and social order? Do you agree or disagree with his thoughts?

Essay Topic 2

There is a constant theme in the novel that even the best intentions can result in horrific results. Choose one example of this from the following list. Explain what happened in the situation, what the original intention was, why the result occurred, what could have been done to avoid the result, and whether or not the original intention was good, despite the results.

• Coker's kidnapping of sighted individuals to care for the blind.

• Miss Durrant's solid Christian foundation for her community.

• The University Tower's choice to turn away Coker and his followers.

• The Emergency Council's forced communities.

Essay Topic 3

Throughout the novel, only one child, Susan, is really examined in depth. Her reactions to the horrors that surround her seem muted in that she seems to be curious, but not afraid. Do you think this is representative of a child after a crisis? Why or why not? Do you think her curiosity outweighs her fear? Why is this true for children more than adults? What do you think the result would have been had Bill not located Susan? What do you think Susan's reactions say about the resiliency of children?

(see the answer keys)

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