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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. Why has Hoa been eating Essun's stone body parts?

2. Who can understand the language first spoken by the vehimal that Nassun and Schaffa take to Corepoint?

3. What does the onyx obelisk recognize in Essun that persuades it to side with her when she resists Nassun at Corepoint?

4. How did the tall woman offend Gallat at the Zero Site?

5. What does Nassun say when Essun offers to help her take care of Schaffa?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who goes to Corepoint with Essun?

2. How does Kelenli describe the relationship between the tuners and the Niess when she explains the history of the Niess to the tuners?

3. What reason does the Earth give Nassun for stealing magic from the humans?

4. At the end of the novel, what does the stone eater reborn from Essun say she wants?

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

6. What was the testing bore that Houwha saw at Site Zero?

7. While walking with Gallat to the tuners' third lesson, Houwha realized that Gallat wanted Kelenli to do something. What was it?

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

9. What did the Earth intend to do during the activation of the Plutonic Engine?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Many of the chapters in Jemisin’s novel end with short fragments from other texts, most prominently the field notes of Yaetr Innovator Dibars. Analyze the contents of these fragments along with their surrounding chapters. How does Nemisin use these fragments to convey the attitudes of people in the Stillness? What do these fragments suggest about the setting’s culture and history?

Essay Topic 2

Hoa is an observant character and has lived longer than the other viewpoint characters in the book. Analyze his descriptions of Syl Anagist from the Prologue. How do his descriptions suggest his feelings about Syl Anagist? How does he foreshadow the events of the novel? How could Hoa’s feelings influence our understanding of Syl Anagist?

Essay Topic 3

Explain the disagreement between the stone eaters Hoa and Steel, as well as the factors that drive them to reconcile. How does their current disagreement reflect their relationship as tuners in Syl Anagist? What disagreements may remain even after peace is made with Father Earth?

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