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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. According to the Arch Vicar, how long has mankind pitted itself against Nature?

2. What religion is Dr. Poole?

3. What happens to sexually aggressive boys in the primitive community?

4. Whose tombstone do Dr. Poole and Loola discover in the desert?

5. The Hots community has what relationship to the government of the primitives?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens to young boys who show early signs of sexual aggression in the primitive community?

2. How does the poetry of Percy Shelley contribute to the development of romance between Dr. Poole and Loola?

3. Describe the moment in which Dr. Poole and Loola discover romantic feelings for one another, rather than lust.

4. What restrictions are placed on mating in the primitive community? What happens to those who dare to disobey?

5. What commentary does the script narrator offer about joy (as described in a poem by Shelley) and the possibility of joy in the ape-mind?

6. What difference does the narrator make between conscience and customs?

7. Describe the events in which Dr. Poole and Loola are assigned new jobs in the primitive community.

8. Describe Dr. Poole's emotional state of mind after being ravished by the two mulatto girls.

9. Does the Arch Vicar wish for Dr. Poole to join the church? Why or why not?

10. Describe what occurs immediately preceding Dr. Poole's faint at the Purification Ceremonies.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Much discussion is centered around the discovery of the truth and the nature of knowledge. What kind of theory of truth/knowledge does the novel put forth? How do the Arch Vicar and Dr. Poole differ about the nature of truth and knowledge? What is the consequence for an absence of truth?

Essay Topic 2

What role does surrealism play in Ape and Essence? Identify and explain three surrealistic elements. What effect does the use of surrealism have on the comprehension of the reader?

Essay Topic 3

Similar to Huxley's own Brave New World, Ape and Essence is concerned with the danger of totalitarian states. Explain how Huxley makes this fear manifest and how world events in Huxley's life encouraged Huxley to pursue cautionary tales about totalitarianism.

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This section contains 972 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample