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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 does Bill recall Walter saying about the triffids and blind men?

2. Why does Josella agree to the taking on of blind women for such a purpose?

3. What does the triffid do at the end of Chapter Four?

4. What does Bill try to do to the sighted leader of the drunks?

5. Why does Bill seem to be looking forward to the future?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

2. Describe the events of the night of May 7th, in terms of what the narrator notes is said to have occurred, according to history books.

3. Describe the argument between the sighted leader of the blind at the gates of University Tower and the sighted leaders of the sighted colony at the university.

4. Describe the walking style of a triffid.

5. Explain Vorless' opinion on the new role of men and women in society.

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

7. Describe the different aspects of society Bill and Josella say goodbye to in Chapter Five.

8. Explain Bill's response to the argument at the gate between the sighted and the blind.

9. What clues does the narrator have that there is something wrong when he wakes in the hospital?

10. What surprises Josella about her actions when she was captive?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the book, many of the characters appear to come from the upper class, such as Josella, while others, such as Coker, seem to come from a more meager background. How do you think this separation of class affects the different societies that emerge within the novel? Do you think social class has any bearing in this new world? If so, what? If not, what does have bearing? Do the leaders of the communities appear to be of a certain social class? Has the crisis changed the social order and, if so, how? What are the new credentials for success? What were the old credentials? What does this say about our society in comparison to the society within the novel?

Essay Topic 2

What is the function of the triffid in the novel? How does the author seem to imply the triffid was created? What does this symbolize in terms of the culture of Wyndham's time? What was he trying to say about biological tampering and the creation of government-born viruses and mutations? Why was this a point at the time the novel was written? Be sure to include details from the book to explain your answers and to justify your arguments.

Essay Topic 3

In Chapter One, Bill is forced to use his sense of hearing as a replacement for his sense of sight. He experiences sounds that lead him to believe something is wrong, both in the hospital and in the world outside his door. Explain how the narrator uses sounds to discern this about his environment. What sounds are concerning to him? Why? What sounds does he listen for that indicate normalcy, and what does he discern when those sounds are not present? Does his emotional state rely on his sense of hearing? Why? What does this say about hearing as a replacement for sight? Why?

(see the answer keys)

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