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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 makes Juliana certain she and Joe could never be part of the colonization on other planets?
(a) Their illicit relationship.
(b) Their physical features.
(c) Their personal fears.
(d) Their political views.

2. What does Childan learn about the carrier ship Syokaku from the Tokyo Herald?
(a) It is docked in Tokyo.
(b) It never existed.
(c) It is en route to Germany.
(d) It sunk years ago.

3. What rumor does Wyndam-Matson remember that gives him further power over Frank?
(a) He is a Jew.
(b) He is a Slav.
(c) He is a spy.
(d) He is a terrorist.

4. Why does Childan send samples of his merchandise to the university?
(a) To identify fingerprints on them.
(b) To verify his client's accusations.
(c) To establish a new clientèle.
(d) To save on shipping fees.

5. For what reason does Tagomi think Baynes is coming to visit him?
(a) To share technological information.
(b) To seek release of political prisoners.
(c) To mediate peace negotiations.
(d) To arrange for a trade agreement.

Short Answer Questions

1. What word would sum up Frank's opinion of McCarthy?

2. What best describes the territory of the Rocky Mountain States?

3. What is Childan upset over as the novel opens?

4. In Chapter 6, what does Juliana realize Joe has done when she returns to her apartment?

5. What does Frank decide to do as a result of the Oracle's message?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 5, Tagomi tells Baynes that many books like the I Ching and The Bible are alive. What does he mean by this? How does this appear to be supported in the text up to the close of this chapter ?

2. How do Childan's and Frank's perception of the Germans and the Japanese differ? What motivates these views?

3. Compare the reactions of Childan, Calvin and Wyndam-Matson to the discovery of the fake guns. What point does the author seem to be making about the business world as he sees it?

4. In the novel's society, outward appearance is an important part of being accepted. How is this reflected through the characters of Childan and Tagomi as they prepare for important meetings? Do you think there is truth in this practice even today?

5. Childan says of the Kasouras, "these new young people, of the rising generation, who did not remember the days before the war or even the war itself, - they were the hope of the world." What is meant by this? How do the Kasouras appear to prove him right?

6. What appears to be the source of Juliana's depression at the start of Chapter 3? Why might this be considered to be ironic?

7. In Chapter 3, what suggestion is the author making by putting Hitler in a sanitarium and then noting that the present world in this novel is the product of his mind? What similarities are seen in the thoughts of Juliana and Baynes to support this view?

8. While at a special session about the possible candidates for the new German Chancellor, Tagomi becomes ill and leaves. What factors cause him to take the chance of being shamed by his abrupt departure?

9. In Chapter 1, the author introduces the characters of Mr. Tagomi and the Kasouras as clients of Childan through the juxtaposition of conversations he has with each. What do we learn about each as a result? How do these clients compare?

10. What do we learn about Hawthorne Abendsen, the author of The Grasshopper Lies Heavy? How does Juliana feel about this novel as compared to Joe?

(see the answer keys)

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