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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 Jondalar want to do with Ayla?

2. What side of the Mother is Jondalar supposed to keep to?

3. What had Jondalar thought the Clan was?

4. What were the sounds Ayla used made for?

5. What was the Pleasure that Ayla got from Broud?

Short Essay Questions

1. What main reason did Serenio give Jondalar to not mate him?

2. Why wouldn't Jondalar stop loving Ayla?

3. What did the Clan consider as improper and why did Ayla question it? To what conclusion did Ayla come regarding this?

4. Why was Thonolan so stressed?

5. How did Dolando view flatheads and why did this shock Jondalar?

6. What puzzled Jondalar regarding Ayla?

7. What argument did Ayla make for the people of the Clan not being animals?

8. Why did Ayla leave Whinney?

9. What did Thonolan learn from Jetamio?

10. What does Ayla explain about the cave lion totem?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss why Jean M. Auel may have decided to kill Thonolan off. What purpose did this destruction of a character play upon the developing plot of the book? Was this death necessary for plot development? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the use of herbal medicines throughout THE VALLEY OF HORSES. Why is herbalism important to Ayla's day to day life? What kinds of situations might never have come to pass if Ayla's skill was less than satisfactory? Why would this have been the case?

Essay Topic 3

Jondalar frequently pictures Ayla as a donii, or spirit of a Goddess. How does the spirituality of the people portrayed in the novel play a valid role in every day life for these people? Do you think humanity is better or worse off for the loss of this spirituality? Why?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,056 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample