Meta: Twenty questions on the politics of DH...
Meta/quiz on the themes of gender, power, and social justice in Deathly Hallows.
Quick note: I'm just venting about some aspects of the book that bothered me; please don't take this is outright condemnation of DH or the characters mentioned here. And, yes, it's leading and unfair! But I do think there's an element of truth in a few of these questions...
1. Which of the following major characters does NOT have a well-developed inner conflict that helps drive the plot in this series?
A. Harry Potter
B. Ron Weasley
C. Hermione Granger
D. Severus Snape
E. Draco Malfoy
2. Which of the following major characters is a woman?
A. Harry Potter
C. Ron Weasley
D. Hermione Granger
D. Severus Snape
E. Draco Malfoy
3. Xeno Lovegood's fondness for a widely recognized symbol of death and destruction is an odd and charming part of his quirky personality.
A. True
B. False
4. Which of the following issues does NOT seem to be especially significant in relation to the troubled Tonks-Lupin marriage?
A. How Lupin feels about the match
B. How Lupin feels about Tonks' pregnancy
C. How Lupin feels about a potential temporary departure from his wife and unborn child
D. How Harry feels about Lupin's potential temporary departure from his wife and unborn child
E. How Tonks feels about any of the above
5. In his concern for Lupin, Harry seems quite eager to preserve nuclear families at all costs. Which of the following nuclear families would you suggest the Lupin-Tonks model themselves after?
A. The Dursleys
B. The Blacks
C. The Dumbledores
D. The Malfoys
6. Fill in the blank: Would this have been a very different book had it not included any characters of color, and how?
________________________
7. It's a happy coincidence that the death of Dobby allows Griphook (and the reader) to see what a kind, considerate wizard Harry Potter is.
A. True
B. False
8. Are there any independent-minded house-elves left alive at the end of the series?
A. Yes
B. No
9. Which of the following creatures or characters of probable mixed-species heritage objects to his or her place in the social order of the wizarding world?
A. Rubeus Hagrid
B. Remus Lupin
C. Dolores Umbridge
D. Filius Flitwick
E. Fenrir Greyback
10. Fill in the blank: Do we know more about Lily Potter's background and motivations or about her significance in other people's lives, and why do you think that is?
______________________
11. What leads us to believe that Molly Weasley is capable of killing Bellatrix Lestrange and the appropriate character to do so?
A. Molly had extensive experience in dueling we've seen throughout the books
B. Molly is known to be an especially aggressive and talented warrior
C. Molly is a mother, and Bellatrix has never known the power of a mother's love
D. After you've raised the twins, you're pretty much up for anything
12. Voldemort, famously, had no friends. What word is used in the penultimate chapter to describe Bellatrix's relationship with Voldemort?
A. Servant
B. Ally
C. Lover
13. When Voldemort dies, we know we've seen the last of:
A. Prejudice based on blood or species
B. Institutional discrimination, oppression, and slavery
C. Thuggery
D. House rivalry
E. A single, violent demagogue
14. What is an acceptable happy ending for a major protagonist?
A. Marriage
B. Children
C. Godchildren
D. A heroic death
15. Which of the following Unforgivable Curses does Harry NOT cast?
A. Avada Kedavra
B. The Cruciatus Curse
C. The Imperius Curse
16. Which of the following major male characters are you most inclined to forgive?
A. Harry, because he did what he needed to do to kill Voldemort
B. Ron, because he walked away from his friends at a crucial moment only under the power of the locket
C. Albus Dumbledore, because we don't all see right from wrong in our youth
D. Draco Malfoy, because fear motivates all of us to do terrible things
E. Severus Snape, because nothing redeems a Death Eater like unrequited love
17. Fill in the blank: Which major female character needs your forgiveness and why?
________________________
18. At the end of the book, Harry Potter hopes that who will make a sandwich for him?
A. His wife
B. His slave
C. No one; he can do it himself
19. Given her oft-repeated interest in finding a "worthwhile" career when she grows up, what would you expect to learn about Hermione Granger in the epilogue?
A. Her marital status
B. The names of her children
C. Her occupation
20. Did you feel that all was well at the end of the series?
A. Yes
B. No
Warning: this quiz is leading, partisan, and, at points, unfair. Some questions are more facetious than others. I talk at greater length and much more seriously about what I'd wanted to see in the book here.