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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What scientific rule does the Nefastis Machine violate?
(a) Second Law of Thermodynamics.
(b) The WASTE Law.
(c) First Law of Thermodynamics.
(d) The Law of Triads.

2. When Oedipa meets Mike Fallopian for the second time, he tells her it is difficult to find documentary proof of what?
(a) The Trystero.
(b) Attacks on mail carriers.
(c) Acts of true kindness.
(d) The Second Law of Thermodynamics.

3. After Oedipa follows the wino with the bag of letters, where does she find the can with the WASTE symbol on the side?
(a) Under the freeway
(b) At her hotel.
(c) On a bus.
(d) Behind Nefastis' apartment.

4. Who does Oedipa tell Stanley Koteks sent her to him as she comes upon him doodling at his desk at Yoyodyne?
(a) John.
(b) Kelly.
(c) Thune.
(d) Kirby.

5. The name Tristero can be traced back to Hernando Joaquin de Tristero y Calavera who claimed to be _________ and thus the rightful Grand Master of the Post.
(a) The true lord of the Committee of Eighteen.
(b) The true lord of Ohain.
(c) The true lord of Orange.
(d) The true lord of Ohama.

Short Answer Questions

1. Genghis Cohen shows Oedipa an old German stamp with Thurn and Taxis printed on it which has a special symbol in each corner. He suggests that the extra mark on the symbol is a ______.

2. What is the name of the religious splinter group Bortz attributes to changing the pornographic version of the play?

3. Bortz leads Oedipa into a study to view woodcut illustrations from the pornographic version of the play. What does she see hovering in the background of the obscene images?

4. After finding a copy of Plays of Ford, Webster, Tourneur and Wharfinger, Oedipa discovers a note that says "trystero" may be derived from the Italian word "triste." What does this word mean?

5. Oedipa has a conversation in a bar with the wearer of the lapel pin, and he tells her he is a member of what group?

Short Essay Questions

1. In addition to visiting John Nefastis, why does Oedipa need to go to Berkeley?

2. When Oedipa visits Vesperhaven House, what does Mr. Thoth tell her about his dream?

3. What are the four alternatives Oedipa comes up with to explain her discoveries concerning the Tristero?

4. Inamorati Anonymous' association to the muted post horn symbol seems purely accidental, yet what are some similarities this group has to the Tristero?

5. Oedipa discovers that the line from Driblette's version in Plays of Ford, Webster, Tourneur and Wharfinger about Trystero was replaced by another referring to what?

6. What is the story behind the religious splinter group known as the Scurvhamites that Professor Bortz tells Oedipa about?

7. At the end of Chapter 4, Genghis Cohen explains to Oedipa that the dandelion wine is clear now, but becomes cloudy in the spring when the dandelions begin to bloom, as if the dandelions in the wine remembered. What does Oedipa muse about this?

8. As Oedipa sits in rush hour traffic on the Bay Bridge, what does she determine she knows about Tristero?

9. Describe the Nefastis Machine as it was explained by Stanley Koteks.

10. Why does Oedipa think it is possible that her search for Tristero may be a hoax created by Pierce Inverarity?

(see the answer keys)

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