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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 is the name of Shevek's mother?

2. What is the name of Shevek's teacher?

3. Why did Rulag abandon Shevek as a baby?

4. Where do the Anarresti ancestors come from?

5. What is the name of Shevek's father?

Short Essay Questions

1. What negative aspects of Anarrasti society does the meeting highlight?

2. In what way does the demonstration wake up the rebels?

3. What symbolizes the fact they may not be living in a truly free society?

4. In what way does Shevek re-evaluate his purpose on Urras?

5. What does Shevek believe he is seeing?

6. In what way does Efor stoke Shevek's sense of failure?

7. Why does Tirin rebel against his society's view of the universe?

8. How does Shevek's trip to the retail district of Nio Esseia poke holes in his belief that Urrasti society is all-providing?

9. For what is Shevek really fighting?

10. In what way has Anarres become resemble more a dystopia than utopia?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What are Shevak's goals in this book? How does he achieve them? What mistakes does he make? How does he learn from his mistakes?

Essay Topic 2

The wall is an important metaphor in the story and means different things at different points.

1) What does the wall that surrounds the Port of Anarres symbolize?

2) What is the significance of the prison walls that surround Kadagv?

3) What is the link between the wall and Shevek's parents?

4) What do you think the overall meaning of the wall is?

Essay Topic 3

What similarities do Le Guin's worlds have with our own world?

(see the answer keys)

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