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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. Who gives the Squinting Boy half his/her portion of food?

2. When the Doctor's Wife gets out of bed, what does she choose not to put on?

3. Who is the first woman from the first ward that the Leader of the Thugs rapes?

4. Which ailment is not mentioned among those prevalent in quarantine?

5. What ridiculous suggestion does one inmate make after the Thugs steal the food rations?

Short Essay Questions

1. What plan does the Doctor's Wife and her band of companions develop after the asylum burns down?

2. Why would the Doctor's Wife's mentioning to the stranger she meets that she is going home reveal that she can see?

3. How does the Writer go about writing without his sight?

4. Why doesn't the Doctor's Wife tell the other inmates that she can see?

5. What is the Girl with Dark Glasses' decision about remaining with the Doctor's Wife?

6. What is the general attitude in the other wards when food stops arriving at the main entrance?

7. How does the Doctor's Wife meet the Dog of Tears?

8. Describe the Thugs' ward.

9. Describe the old woman with insomnia in Chapter 9.

10. What are the sleeping conditions in quarantine now that all of the beds are full?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Consider the government's plan for dealing with the white sickness. Knowing what transpires as time goes on, what steps could be taken to avoid the spread of the disease? If none, what course of action could have been taken to protect the population of the unnamed country?

Essay Topic 2

Choose one of the following topics to discuss in essay form:

1.) What qualities - besides her ability to see - make the Doctor's Wife a good leader to the group after they leave quarantine? How does she develop these leadership qualities and what are their limits?

2.) What aspects of the government's plan prove to be erroneous? Do you think government officials lacked suitable leadership in dealing with the white sickness, or were events simply too powerful for any leader?

3.) Had a different person from the Leader of the Thugs had a gun and taken control of the food supplies, could the result have been positive? Could order, cleanliness and fair distribution come about, or does absolute power corrupt absolutely?

Essay Topic 3

Saramago makes several references to the old cliche: "in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king." In the central section of the novel, he pits two characters with sensory advantages against each other: the Doctor's Wife, who can see, and the Chronicler, who was born blind and can read and type braille. Compare and contrast these two "one-eyed men" and how they use or do not use their advantages. Is either truly a leader or "king" in the quarantine? What does each hope to achieve for their constituency?

(see the answer keys)

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