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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 does Taddeo request for his journey?

2. To whom does Paulo compare the smile on the statue of Leibowitz?

3. What does Taddeo suspect surviving mankind might be?

4. What does the APLAC machine do, when it works?

5. What is Mad Bear's attitude toward Taddeo?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why do the Poet's jokes cause so much upset at the dinner?

2. What is Armbruster's attitude toward books and toward Taddeo's studies?

3. What is the likely reason Taddeo does not arrive on time at the monastery?

4. What story does Zerchi tell the dying woman, to convince her not to kill herself and her child?

5. What is Paulo's primary concern at the onset of war?

6. Describe Zerchi's dream about Rachel.

7. Why doesn't Taddeo want to alienate Hannegan?

8. What makes Paulo lose hope that Taddeo might be able to intervene to prevent the upcoming war?

9. Why is the APLAC a necessary device?

10. Who is eligible for euthanasia?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss hubris in the novel.

Part 1) In what ways is the Flame Deluge like the fall of the Tower of Babel?

Part 2) Discuss hubris in the characters throughout the novel, including Francis, Taddeo, and Hannegan. What are the results of hubris?

Essay Topic 2

The novel contains many objects that take on meaning and importance to the characters. Choose one of the following characters and objects and discuss the significance of the object to that character.

1) Discuss the significance of Leibowitz's blueprint to Francis.

2) Discuss the significance of the Poet's eye to the Poet.

3) Discuss the significance of the wooden statue of Leibowitz to the three abbots.

Essay Topic 3

What is the nature and meaning of ritual in the novel? What is the purpose of the elaborate ritual of canonization, although the Pope and Vatican are poor? What are the rituals of the monks, and do they serve to preserve knowledge or to hide it? What is the purpose of Francis' ritual fast in the desert? Are these and other rituals in the novel effective? What happens when ritual loses its original meaning?

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