View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is used to kill the deformed babies?

2. What do the Canterbury scientists ultimately decide to do about Dr. Poole?

3. Why is Chief displeased with Dr. Poole and his opinion of food production?

4. According to the Arch Vicar, how do Men destroy themselves?

5. Where do Dr. Poole and Loola first have sex?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the initial entrance of the Arch Vicar.

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

3. What is the Arch Vicar's explanation for why his people worship Belial, all the while acknowledging the being's evilness.

4. What is Dr. Poole's reasoning for why Belial can never win in his battle against mankind?

5. Provide the following characters' views on sex: the Arch Vicar, the Chief, and Dr. Poole.

6. What became of the Canterbury and its crew, ultimately?

7. Describe the circumstances of Dr. Poole's rape.

8. Why does Loola feel that Dr. Poole is different from other men she has known?

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

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

Examine the character of William Tallis and the extent to which he is a surrogate or reflection of Huxley himself. Why is it important that he wrote the Ape and Essence screenplay? What is the significance of his gravestone, and the grave's location?

Essay Topic 2

The poetry of Percy Shelley is a crucial element in the novel. Examine the passages of Shelley's poetry engraved on William Tallis' gravestone. What does this poetry mean? Why was it chosen for the tombstone? What overall message should the reader take away from this poetry?

Essay Topic 3

Sex versus romance creates tension in Ape and Essence. Explain how this tension is developed through the following situations:

a) The relationship between Dr. Poole and Loola.

b) The relationship between Dr. Poole and Miss Ethel Hook.

c) The Chief's sexual behavior versus the Arch Vicar's sexual behavior

d) The seasonal mating ritual of the primitives

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,085 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample