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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 Ged see on the island?

2. What feature does Skiorh lack?

3. What does Ged do the next day after the villagers suggest he leaves?

4. Who do the ancient birds kill?

5. Why does the old man startle Ged?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Ged realize the Shadow's name?

2. Is Ged romantically interested in Yarrow?

3. Why is it significant that Ged and Vetch travel through uncharted seas?

4. What does Vetch's comment that he was there in beginning so he should be there in the end, mean in context of the story?

5. Why do you think chasing the shadow takes away some of its power?

6. How is the couple's refusal to leave the island comparative to Ged's need to move on?

7. How is it important to the story that Ged's mother died during his early childhood?

8. Why does Ged seek security at Roke and not in his hometown in Gont?

9. What is significant about the reintroduction of Vetch?

10. How does Ged know he is going in the right direction?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Ursula Le Guin is famous as a feminist science fiction and fantasy writer. How do you think she portrays her female characters in this book? Why do you think she has so few female characters? Do think this is a statement in itself?

Essay Topic 2

The book follows Ged through some of the important years of his life and divides it into three periods.

1) From 7-13 at the the Gont village.

2) From 13-16 training to be a wizard, first with Ogion and then at the wizard school in Roke.

3) From 16 he tries to find himself in the world.

Take one of the periods and discuss what he learns and the problems he faces.

Essay Topic 3

The Wizard of Earthsea is a children's book and as such is very different in style to that of an adult book.

1) How is the language Le Guin's uses different from the language she would use in an adult book. Does she use shorter sentences and shorter paragraphs. What kind of vocabulary does she use?

2) How do the themes reflect the problems of childhood and adulthood? For what age group is a Wizard of Earthsea aimed?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 792 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample