A Wizard of Earthsea

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

1. Why is Sparrowhawk an appropriate name for Ged’s character?

A) His greatest desire is to fly.

B) His favorite animals are hawks.

C) He is untamed and elusive, like a flying bird.

D) He is fond of pouncing on his duties suddenly, like a hawk.

2. Why does his aunt agree to show him magic charms?

A) She thinks it will make him more useful at his chores.

B) She hopes to use his power by binding him to her service.

C) She fears he will cause trouble if he is not formally taught.

D) She wants to bond with her nephew.

3. Which of the following details about Earthsea subverts typical elements of the fantasy genre?

A) Magic and spellcasting come at a great cost to the caster, instead of being easy.

B) Women and men can both cast magic, rather than only men.

C) Wars are distant and long ago, rather than a major part of the plot.

D) The setting is the Bronze-Age archipelago, rather than the European Middle Ages.

4. If the power of magic is contained in words and language, then what does Ogion’s silence and reticence symbolize?

A) Silence balances sound, representing unity and maintaining the Equilibrium.

B) Ogion believes working magic is dangerous, so his silence represents his protest.

C) Ogion’s silence represents his lack of power and magical ability.

D) Ogion’s power is so great that he must remain silent or change the world with his speech.

5. What most disappoints Ged about Ogion?

A) He lives remote and removed from society.

B) He does not prioritize Ged’s learning, but the concerns of the village.

C) His teaching style is slow and lacks exciting spell work.

D) Ogion is not powerful enough to teach one as talented as Ged.

6. What lesson is the Doorkeeper’s test on Roke meant to teach?

A) The lesson is humility, that even talented wizards do not know everything.

B) The lesson is to trick Ged to keep the shadow from entering the school.

C) The lesson is to conquer illusions, for the door is not real.

D) The lesson is self-respect because no wizard should give up his name.

7. How does the Lady of O play into Ged’s character development?

A) She is a temptress who entices him with feminine charms.

B) He falls in love with her beauty, but she chooses Jasper because of his higher station.

C) Her innocent praise of Jasper’s magic solidified Ged’s jealousy and their rivalry.

D) She mocks his modest talents, humiliating him in front of Jasper.

8. What is an example of the rule of threes in the story?

A) Ged overreaches his power three times, allowing the shadow to fully manifest.

B) Each word of power must be spoken in three languages while casting.

C) Serret tempts Ged three different ways, each binding him to the Terrenon.

D) Ged must slay three dragonlings before Yevaud will speak to him.

9. What quality makes the shadow a monster?

A) It is uncanny, appearing like Ged and speaking in his voice.

B) It can control people’s actions, depriving them of their bodies, power, and agency.

C) It has no limits to its power and cannot be killed.

D) It has the power to bend time and distorts reality.

10. What might The Uncanny Double represent?

A) It represents Ged’s anger at his aunt for trying to bind him to her service.

B) It represents the consequences of Ged’s less desirable traits, like pride and ignorance.

C) It represents hate for humanity because Ged’s heart is full of jealousy.

D) It represents Ged’s frustration at not being as highborn as Jasper.

11. What does Ogion advise Ged to do about the shadow?

A) To face it and follow it back to the source

B) To search his books for a binding spell to banish it beyond the world

C) To gather others to face it with him in a final battle between good and evil

D) To seek out the Old Powers regardless of the danger

12. What clue foreshadows the shadow’s true identity?

A) Vetch has a vision that reveals the shadow’s name.

B) It knows Ged’s aunt tried to bind him and failed.

C) It tricks Ged with the same trick he used to defeat the Kargs in Ten Alders.

D) Ged is so afraid of the shadow that he would do anything to avoid it.

13. How does Yarrow differ from other female characters like Serret and Ged’s aunt?

A) She is young, while they are both much older than Ged.

B) She is interested in his magic, but she does not wish to use his power for herself.

C) She has no magical abilities, and she cannot influence him in any way.

D) Because she is a child, she has no power or wisdom to offer him.

14. What message or lesson does Vetch’s choice to help Ged reveal?

A) The importance of friendship and support

B) The importance of paying back others for their help

C) That friendship might cost a person their life

D) That one should be careful in choosing friends

15. What is the shadow’s true name?

A) Kest

B) Estarriol

C) Pechvarry

D) Ged

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. What message or lesson is revealed in the novel about power and what it means to truly be powerful? What is the difference between having power and being powerful?

2. In what ways does this novel explore what it means to be a hero? How does it subvert popular notions of what traits and actions are heroic, and what does it suggest are the qualities of a true hero?