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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 friend of Cassie’s is shot by a soldier at the camp, who then turns his gun on Cassie but she shoots him first in Part I: “The Last Historian”?

2. What does Cassie discover the soldier she has shot is holding in his hand in the end of Part I: “The Last Historian,” Chapter 5?

3. What does Ben call the doctor who treats him in the plague-infested ward of the military hospital in Part II: “Wonderland”?

4. What does the narrator of Part II: “Wonderland” call the illness he is infected with?

5. What does Cassie call the blinking orb-like bomb left behind by the soldiers in Part I: “The Last Historian”?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the teddy bear that Cassie carries in the novel represent symbolically?

2. How is the setting of Camp Ashpit described in Part I: “The Last Historian,” Chapter 13?

3. How does the narrative perspective change in Part III: “Silencer”?

4. What information does Cassie relate to Evan of her observations after the attack in Part IV: “Mayfly”?

5. How is Cassie Sullivan described from the perspective of the Silencer in Part III: “Silencer”?

6. How did Cassie’s family perceive the aliens when they first arrived, as seen through flashback in Part I: “The Last Historian”?

7. How does the narrative perspective change in Part V: “The Winnowing”? What setting is described in Chapter 37?

8. What does Ben’s silver locket symbolize in the novel?

9. How is the reality of life at Camp Haven described in Part VI: “The Human Clay”?

10. Who is the narrator in Part I: “The Last Historian”? What information is related to the reader in the first chapters of the story?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Define “irony” in literature and the different forms of irony: verbal irony, dramatic irony, and situational irony. Discuss some examples of irony seen in The 5th Wave. What types of irony is each of these examples? What purpose does the irony serve?

Essay Topic 2

Trust in The 5th Wave

a. Discuss the theme of trust in the novel. How does Cassie view trust during the alien invasion? How have her feelings about trusting others changed in the course of the story?

b. Discuss the theme of trust as it applies to Sammy and Ben in the narrative. Why does Sammy trust Ben?

Essay Topic 3

Plot Structure

a. Discuss the plot structure of The 5th Wave. In what ways is the narrative related and what effect does this have on the reader?

b. How does The 5th Wave compare with other novels written during this time period? Are there specific stylistic elements that can be seen in Yancey’s writing?

(see the answer keys)

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