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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. Which of the following does Owen cite as a local landmark?

2. Which of the following does Patience have in her apartment?

3. With which of the following does Parts 6 begin?

4. Which of the following is Miami called?

5. What moniker do Owen and George assign the third polar bear they encounter?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Lars assert his house is safe from fire?

2. What occasions the food shortage in Churchill that Owen recalls?

3. How does the novel explain what a bald in the Sierra Nevada is?

4. How does the novel define a firebreak?

5. Why does Patience put Natalie to work taking people’s information?

6. What preparations does Patience say should have been made before the storm came?

7. Why does Patience rail against the vigilantes?

8. Where does Elena weather the storm?

9. Per the novel, what is the eye of the hurricane?

10. What leads Owen to consider the ruination of Churchill?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

"Just before George scares off one polar bear, Owen has the following thought:

As much as it broke his heart to be abandoned [by George], Owen understood. He hadn’t been paying attention, and he’d come between a momma bear and her cub. Thanks to his obliviousness, he and George had been ruthlessly mauled.

If one of them escaped, it deserved to be George" (1143).

Based on the text and your experience, is Owen’s thought that George is more worthy than he correct? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

Similarly, the lengths of chapters influence reading. What pattern of chapter-length is present in the novel, if any? What effect does the length of chapters have on the reading? How is the effect achieved?

Essay Topic 3

To what other writer’s work in your experience does Gratz’s seem most similar? What makes the writers similar? What differentiates them? Overall, which do you regard as doing better at the craft of writing, and why?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 595 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample