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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 the Marquess do intentionally?

2. From what does September create a fishhook?

3. To whom does September apologize?

4. Whose nature does Dr. Fallow discuss?

5. What does Nor say about September?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who meets Gleam and September inside the castle and what does September say to her?

2. How can September help Ell?

3. What does Nor tell September about everyone in the town and how September is like them?

4. Who does September meet when her raft collides with a thick net of water plants and where do they go?

5. What dreams do September and Death discuss?

6. What does the Panther agree to do for September?

7. What does September dream as she falls asleep?

8. Where does September send Gleam and what does September do in the meantime?

9. What circles the Lonely Gaol and why?

10. What does Gleam learn of Saturday and Ell?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Over the course of The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland, September grows as a person in both complexity and understanding. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland might be considered a slice of September's larger story of her "coming of age." It might be said that The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland is a "bildungsroman" of September. Discuss the following:

1. Define Bildungsroman, or "Coming of Age," and give several examples from literature you have read.

2. Trace and analyze the character of September as she changes from a surly, self-centered girl to a wiser, more compassionate girl. What are the significant events that change September?

3. After thoroughly analyzing September's growth throughout The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland, do you think The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland could be considered September's Coming of Age story? Why or why not?

4. Are there any other characters in The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland who go through a Coming of Age experience? Who? Why do you think so?

Essay Topic 2

Many novels, and perhaps a majority, of novels end on a happy note. Discuss the following:

1. Why do you think many (most?) people want what they perceive as a happy or good ending to a novel? Explain your opinion. Do you? Why or why not?

2. What are three reasons to read fiction? Discuss each one in light of The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland and whether or not it fulfills all three, two or one of the reasons you mention. Give examples as to why The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland is or is not successful in fulfilling the reasons you discuss.

3. Do you think reading solely for entertainment is as good a reason to read as any other? Why or why not? Can any work of fiction or non-fiction, no matter how poorly written, enlighten, teach, stimulate thought? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

The appearance of Death in Chapter 12 is a particularly intriguing aspect of the book, in that traditionally, mythologically and spiritually, Death is perceived and/or presented as much more threatening than its portrayal here. The explanation Death offers for this is quite thought provoking, and may well trigger, in the reader, an imagining of how death might look to him/her self and to others. In any case, the concept of Death, as defined here, seems to be related to a more broadly based experience than simply the end of physical life. In many spiritual philosophies and practices, including (for example) tarot cards, death is viewed as a symbolic representation of transformation, of moving from one phase of existence into another. As such, death is often encountered, albeit in a variety of forms, on The Hero's Journey, a narrative that, in a very fundamental way, is all about transformation, about leaving an old world and old ways behind. In short, September's encounter with Death here is not about an actual physical death, but a death of a younger, more naïve, less courageous version of herself.

1. Discuss two events in a person's life that could be considered a type of death that is not physical death. Compare those to one situation in September's life. Use examples from your life and the text to support your answer.

2. Discuss the transformation which occurs in September as she moves through her journey in Fairyland. Use examples from your life and the text to support your answer.

3. Why do you think death might be viewed symbolically as a transformation in an individual's life or person? Use examples from your life and the text to support your answer.

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