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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 only way to escape the village's boundaries once the winding path up the cliff ends?

2. How old are the three best friends Delwyth, Bethan, and Eira at the time of Claire's arrival in the village?

3. What item does Alys remove from the bottom of her trunk so that Claire may smell its scent?

4. How had Einar's mother died?

5. What reason does Claire give Alys for why her community had chosen to eradicate feelings of love in its citizens?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is revealed about the relationship of Old Benedikt and Alys?

2. What is the relationship between Alys and Old Benedikt?

3. What does Einar say about Claire's stated motivation for climbing out?

4. Though Alys is childless herself, what experience does she have that qualifies her for the care of Claire upon Claire's arrival in the village?

5. What does Einar name as his primary strategy in surviving the abuse at his father's hand?

6. What does Einar reveal to Claire about his father?

7. What is Alys's reaction to the news that Claire is training to climb out?

8. Why do Bethan, Delwyth, and Eira stop playing a pretend game involving babies and instead switch to playing tea party?

9. What exercises does Einar give Claire to do until the winter is over?

10. What idea does Einar get after seeing Claire hold Bryn's baby?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the significance of the novel's title and of the repeated references to sons throughout the narrative. What is the author's purpose in including the motif of male children, both in the title and throughout the narrative of the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Analyze the interplay between the climax of the novel Son and its denouement. How does Lois Lowry employ each plot stage and how does their juxtaposition help her get across the intended messages in her novel?

Essay Topic 3

Oftentimes in Western culture, volunteerism is looked at in terms of only helping those in need, but Lois Lowry's novel Son seems to put forth the proposition that service to others can also be a means to the provider's own personal happiness. Find examples within the novel Son that prove this conclusion regarding the author's message about service to others and discuss the message's overall effect on the reader.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,031 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample