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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. Where has Ann been on the morning of the opening of the book?

2. What does Ann think the visitor is bringing?

3. Who returns to the valley?

4. What does Ann decide to do about safety?

5. About what does Ann worry?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the situation in the valley about the water supply?

2. What does Ann worry about when she discovers that Faro has returned?

3. What does the man do with his Geiger counter and then what terrible error does he make?

4. Why is the valley special?

5. What does Loomis say about his activities the night the war breaks out?

6. Who is the stranger and what was his job before the war?

7. What does the man say possibly happened to Ann's family?

8. Why does Ann decide to go down to the farm yard and what does she discover?

9. How does Ann describe the newly-arrived stranger?

10. How does Loomis manage to survive on his long journey walking from New York?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the following:

1. Discuss five literary devices that occur in Z for Zachariah and how they are used. Are they effective? Do they add or detract from the reading of the book? Why or why not. Some possible techniques: Allusion, connotation, denouement, dialogue, flashback, figurative language, motif, metaphor, narrator, point of view, simile, mood, and puns.

2. What do you think are the reasons students are encouraged to understand literary devices? Do you think an understanding of the structure of a work of fiction enhances the reading experience? Why or why not?

3. Do you think authors make a conscious effort to include literary devices into their writing? Discuss your answer. Do you think it would be difficult to consciously create metaphor, simile, puns, etc...? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

When one reads any novel (or anything at all), one brings everything from one's own past and present to the novel and in how one responds to what s/he is reading. Discuss the following:

1. How influential do you think a reader's own emotions, education, ideas and experiences influence how the reader responds to a work of fiction?

2. What about your life do you think influences you in reading Z for Zachariah? How does it influence you?

3. Do you think there is only one interpretation for any book? Give a detailed discussion in your response.

4. Do you think fiction can precipitate change in a reader? Is the change usually temporary or long lasting? Discuss your response thoroughly.

Essay Topic 3

This novel was written in the Seventies, a short time after the Bay of Pigs scare that left many Americans afraid of a nuclear attack. This novel takes place some years after a week long war that left most of the country devastated not only by nuclear fallout, but also nerve gases and other biological weapons. Discuss the following:

1. Research and write an informative essay about the fear of nuclear war during the 1960s. Why were people so afraid of the possibility of a nuclear war? What did countries do to prevent such a happening? Was there any civil preparedness for such an event? Is it realistic to prepare for something such as a nuclear war?

2. Do you think Ann's family was wise to have gone off from the safety of their valley so soon after the end of what they were fairly sure was a nuclear war?

3. Was it irresponsible of Ann's parents to leave her and her brother (who was supposed to stay) at the ages of 15 and 16 alone while they went out gathering information?

4. How likely is it that the scenario of the valley escaping contamination would actually happen?

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