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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. In what scene is Caesar set to die in the stage play?

2. Into what construction does the Librarian of Congress admit Faraday and Munira?

3. Of what stone is the PanAsia Seat of Consideration made?

4. Which of the following places does Munira suggest has been lost to time?

5. What likelihood does the Thunderhead calculate for human extinction in its absence?

Short Essay Questions

1. What overall form does Endura take?

2. Briefly detail the symbolism of Scythe Anastasia’s inquest being scheduled for hearing on April 1.

3. How does Xenocrates die? What occasions the death?

4. What clues do Scythes Rand and Goddard leave to affirm what they have done to Tyger?

5. How does the Thunderhead treat former world capitals, and why?

6. What does the Thunderhead cite as primary examples of “circumstances beyond [its] control” (323)?

7. What is the primary rhetorical appeal made in Anastasia’s oration to the Grandslayers during the inquest, and why is it the primary appeal?

8. What reasons does Scythe Curie give for her antipathy towards Tonists (239)?

9. What reasons are given for the difficulty the novel’s characters have with mortal artwork (263)?

10. What requirements does the Thunderhead express for a new Grandslayer to be installed?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The Thunderhead notes, “To deny humanity the lesson of consequences would be a mistake” (489). Is the Thunderhead’s assessment accurate? What in the text and in experience suggests whether it is or not? How does it do so?

Essay Topic 2

Scythe Curie advises “Guard your conscience, Anastasia, and never let it wilt. It is a scythe’s most valuable possession” (191). Does the novel as a whole agree or disagree with the sentiment? What in the text indicates the dis/agreement? How does it do so?

Essay Topic 3

Consider the following passage:

It was, therefore, decided that the play would conclude shortly after Caesar dies, robbing an irritated Marc Antony of his famous “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears” speech. No one would cry havoc and release the dogs of war. Instead, the lights would come up on a stunned audience. There would be no curtain call. The curtain, in fact, would never close. Instead, Caesar’s very dead body would remain on the stage until the last of the audience left. This, Aldrich’s final moment of acting was to be marked by an inability to act in any way whatever (261).

The proposed adaptation is a substantial one. Given the presumed audience for the play within the text, what effect is the alteration likely to have? What in the text suggests it? How does it do so?

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