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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 did the psychologist write about the biologist?

2. How did the biologist perceive the psychologist's professional reaction to her recalcitrant answers during their training sessions?

3. What did the surveyor do with most of the supplies at base camp?

4. How does the room at the top of the lighthouse differ from the areas preceding it?

5. What do the journals reveal about Area X?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the biologist discover in the lower levels of the lighthouse?

2. What is strange about the vegetation in the abandoned village in 03:Immolation?

3. What is unique about the dolphin that the biologist experiences on her way to the lighthouse?

4. What does the biologist infer about the man whose face is circled in the picture she discovers in the lighthouse?

5. How does the psychologist respond when the biologist asks for more information about the border crossing?

6. What is the nickname that the biologist's husband gives her and what does it mean?

7. How do the words on the walls of the lighthouse differ from the words on the walls of the tower?

8. What does the biologist discover about the black boxes?

9. What are some details that the biologist learns from the journals that she finds under the trap door in the lighthouse?

10. How does the biologist's description of her parents differ from the psychologist's description of them?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze Vandermeer's use, or lack their of, of names and the ambiguity of language in the text. Why does Vandermeer keep the charters nameless?

Essay Topic 2

The Biologist is infected by something in Area X. She changes throughout the text due to this infection and begins to refer to her infection as "brightness." Does this infection make her more or less human? In other words, does Area X have a positive or negative effect on her?

Essay Topic 3

At multiple points in the novel, the biologist describes the diverse ecosystem that exists within Area X. At multiple times, she thinks back to ecosystems that she has experienced in her work and her personal life. Write an essay analyzing the role that ecosystem play in the action of the novel. In your conclusion, explain the relevance of ecosystems to the novel's themes.

(see the answer keys)

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