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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Le Guin states that what human expression has become "archaic" (3) in the modern age?
(a) A grimace.
(b) A smirk.
(c) A frown.
(d) A smile.

2. On what parts of their bodies do the horse-exercisers have a certain substance?
(a) Their chests and backs.
(b) Their feet and ankles.
(c) Their ankles and knees.
(d) Their faces and heads.

3. Ursula K. LeGuin's inspiration for the name Omelas came from what source?
(a) A street sign.
(b) A dream.
(c) A dictionary.
(d) A session of freewriting.

4. How far away are the mountains that can be seen from Omelas?
(a) Nearly unreachable.
(b) Far off.
(c) Fairly near.
(d) Very close.

5. LeGuin says that the people of Omelas are "not less" what "than" (3) we are?
(a) Arrogant.
(b) Complex.
(c) Moral.
(d) Concerned.

Short Answer Questions

1. What two groups are said to encourage the bad habit named by LeGuin in Paragraph 3?

2. What sort of clothing is worn by the people who exercise the horses?

3. In what season does the event described at the start of the story take place?

4. Omelas is located nearby what natural feature?

5. What is NOT a color used to decorate the horses of Omelas?

Short Essay Questions

1. LeGuin sees what kind of danger in modern society's method of perceiving evil?

2. Describe a point at which the narrator suggests that the reader give their own input into the vision of Omelas.

3. What do the bells symbolize within the celebration of the Festival of Summer?

4. How do the processions that include Omelas's livelier residents differ from other processions?

5. What evidence is present to suggest that there is gender equality in Omelas?

6. The narrator at one point worries that what elements of her portrait of Omelas will make it seem too "goody-goody" (3) for the reader?

7. What tone does LeGuin display when saying that Omelas sounds like a fairy tale?

8. What adjectives does the narrator use to describe the people of Omelas, before adding that their "lives are not wretched" (3)?

9. LeGuin laments the tendency for modern society to consider evil and pain in what way?

10. What purpose does LeGuin have for involving the reader in the creation of Omelas?

(see the answer keys)

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