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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 onyx obelisk recognize in Essun that persuades it to side with her when she resists Nassun at Corepoint?

2. What sleeps in the cells of Warrant?

3. What do the people of Castrima do with the node maintainers they find at Rennanis?

4. How does Nassun respond when Essun asks if she is alright?

5. What power does Nassun use to summon an obsidian wall between herself and Essun?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Hoa call it when Nassun uses magic and orogeny at the same time?

2. Who interrupts Nassun as she attempts to activate the Obelisk Gate?

3. Why did Houwha believe that the other Conductors disrespected Gallat?

4. What does Essun use to control the Obelisk Gate in opposition to Nassun?

5. What happens to Lerna on the journey to Corepoint?

6. Who goes to Corepoint with Essun?

7. How does Nassun respond when Essun hesitates to help her activate the obelisk gate?

8. Where did the tuners go on their trip to Site Zero?

9. How did the Earth access the Plutonic Engine when Syl Anagist first activated it?

10. How did the Sylanagistine feel towards the Niess?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Hoa suggests that he ‘wants’ to remember Kelenli as resembling Essun and likewise wants to remember Gallat as resembling Schaffa. What does this desire tell us about Hoa’s attitudes towards those characters? What similarities are there in the roles those characters play in his life?

Essay Topic 2

Nassun and Essun have extremely different relationships with Schaffa. Analyze Schaffa’s behavior throughout the novel to explain each character’s perspective on him. How does Schaffa understand his past mistakes? What role does he play in the final conflict?

Essay Topic 3

Houwha’s feelings about his identity as a tuner undergo a severe shift during his time in Syl Anagist. Explain how this shift occurs and what it leads him to do. What is his attitude before meeting Kelenli? Why do his experiences shape his new attitude? How does he ultimately view himself millennia later as Hoa?

(see the answer keys)

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