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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 is unusual about the black vines Nassun finds in the Station?

2. What were Houwha's people called during his time in Syl Anagist?

3. What purpose does Schaffa give for taking the orogenes from Found Moon?

4. What does Nassun fear will happen if she lets Steel take her to Corepoint?

5. Why does Essun suggest that the orogenes should stay awake all night as Castrima navigates the stone forest?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Maxixe realize about Essun when they are reunited in the stone forest?

2. What does Essun realize about her relationship with Hoa after he shows her Jija's body?

3. What’s unusual about the building Kelenli leads the tuners to during their first lesson?

4. Why does Nassun want to end the world?

5. When Kelenli first meets the other tuners, to what does she attribute her success in riding the onyx obelisk?

6. Why does Hoa’s prison in Syl Anagist require no guards?

7. Why was Found Moon created?

8. Why does Schaffa warn the orogenes from Found Moon to flee the next comm they visit if the Season ends?

9. Why does Ykka say she is mad at Essun when Essun first wakes up from her coma?

10. What will Grey Man do to Nassun after she has opened the Obelisk Gate?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Chapter 1 concludes with an interview between an old woman and an unnamed scribe. Write an essay explaining the importance of the interviewee’s statement to the themes and events of the novel. What ‘cycle’ is the old woman talking about? Which of the protagonists best exemplifies her approach?

Essay Topic 2

In Syl Anagist: Zero, Hoa says, “But sometimes, when the world is hard, love must be harder still” (Jemisin 321). Explain the meaning of this quote, both in its immediate context and in the context of the novel as a whole. How do different characters demonstrate this idea? How can we apply it to the novel’s resolution?

Essay Topic 3

Many characters in the novel have the power of tuning and orogeny and each of these characters offers a different perspective on these powers. Choose two characters from the novel who can use orogeny or tuning. Compare and contrast any statements, observations or actions they perform regarding their status. In your analysis, explain what we may infer from the similarities and differences in their attitudes.

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