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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. Lily Fong is a member of the ______ council and believes that the disease currently killing people is a biological weapon.

2. The three work for the _____ council and their work has them sampling water in the surrounding regions.

3. Madrone gives Bird a long list of those who have _____ since the last time he was in the city.

4. _______ returns to the hills where he is a leader among the rebels and at the end of chapter four splits from the others.

5. The City is on the verge of an epidemic and as a healer _______ tries to save the life of a fevered pregnant woman.

Short Essay Questions

1. When Bird returns to the city, he and Madrone re-kindle a relationship. What is the nature of their relationship?

2. What are the author's opinions on sexuality, including homosexuality, bisexuality, and polyamory/polygamy?

3. What are the names given to the two different branches of the governmental structures of Southern California?

4. Why do the residents of Toxic territory refer to themselves as monsters?

5. What work have Holybear, Sage, and Nita been doing for the Toxics council?

6. As a result of the raid, Bird broke both of his hands and is therefore no longer able to play what instrument?

7. What religious beliefs and or cultural practices are considered to be okay to practice in the South?

8. To what group or division does Madrone represent when she goes to the Council?

9. The members of the Black Dragon household construct altars to their deceased loved ones as a celebration of what holiday.

10. Madrone goes into a trance to heal a patient and realizes that the disease might be too powerful. When she is done what happens to Madrone?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Towards the end of the book, the General says to Bird, "Liar. Armies are not defeated by metaphors". What does he mean by this sentence? What is the metaphor that Bird has given to him? Is it possible to defeat an army with a metaphor? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Why did the author choose to use bees as the animals of initiation for Madrone? What symbolic power do they carry? If Madrone now has a hive mind - what has she lost?

Essay Topic 3

Madrone is set up as the heroine of the story, a departure from the usual format in which their is a masculine hero. Describe the differences between masculine acts of heroism and feminine acts of heroism. Is one kind of heroism more important than another?

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