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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. As he works to complete the attack on the Authority bobble generator, Wili is torn by what desire?

2. How does Wili deal with the threats around the pass that the Tinker's occupy?

3. What does Wili reveal about the nature of bobbles?

4. Paul and Allison travel under cover as sellers of what?

5. What kind of a compound is the Authority enclave built into?

Short Essay Questions

1. How are Paul and the others able to travel to the Authority enclave in secret?

2. What fears do Mike and Allison express when the group returns to Paul's home?

3. What new device do Paul and Wili create together?

4. Why does Avery believe the Tinkers should be wiped out?

5. How does Della and Mike's relationship change while they are at Kaladze's camp?

6. What is Renaissance?

7. Why does Wili lose contact with Jill during the final approach to the embobbling position?

8. What happens during Della's attack on the pass?

9. What sacrifice does Jill make for Wili?

10. Why does Mike contact Della, and what information is exchanged?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The final chapters of the book center around the final conflict between the Tinkers and the Authority. After Paul and the others are discovered, a large battle ensues, raging in the area around the Authority enclave for multiple days.

1) Briefly explain the events leading up to the final conflict between the Tinkers and the Authority and the reasons both sides have for engaging in the conflict.

2) Discuss the major advantages both sides bring to the battle, including factors such as intelligence, planning, numbers, and technology.

3) Describe the course of the battle, including its major events and resolution.

Essay Topic 2

Project Renaissance begins as a fall back plan created in the face of an uncertain threat from the Tinkers. However, Avery's increasing paranoia cause him to attempt to trigger this doomsday plan with little provocation.

1) Describe Project Renaissance. What is its purpose, and what would its launch involve? What would be the impact of this plan on the world?

2) Discuss the Authority's general willingness to fall back on Renaissance. Why do some Authority figures believe it will not be necessary, and why do some of them believe it should not be enacted in any case?

3) Explain Avery's decision to launch Renaissance. According to the information he had available, how justified was this decision? Explain the forces that compelled him to make this decision, and what unknown factors could have swayed his decision one way or another.

Essay Topic 3

Paul recognizes quickly that Wili has a deep love of knowledge, a trait that connects them, and which allows Wili's capabilities to grow rapidly under Paul's tutelage. This passion is a critical element of the story and plays an important role in the denouement.

1) Explain how Paul recognizes Wili's love for knowledge, and why this trait interests him.

2) Discuss the impact of this trait on Wili's development and studies; explain how it positions him to take over for Paul later in the novel.

3) Describe some of the other characters and groups who share this trait, and discuss how they are presented in the novel. Is a love of knowledge presented as a universal good, a mixed good, or in a neutral light?

4) Explain the importance some characters predict, near the end of the novel, that the love of knowledge will have.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,015 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample