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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. Why does Dagny have to wait to get in to see Dannager when she goes to see him before his trial?
(a) Dagny came without an appointment.
(b) Dannager really does not want to see Dagny.
(c) Dannager blames Dagny for his legal problems.
(d) There is a mysterious man in his office.

2. What is the problem Rearden sees in any government that professes to run by committee for the "public good."
(a) It favors industrialists who create jobs for the public.
(b) The moral purity of a committee cannot know what the public good is.
(c) There is no morality of right and wrong involved.
(d) The committees are selected by popular vote.

3. What happens after the disappearance of Wyatt and his vast Colorado oil fields?
(a) Small companies cannot supply enough oil to fill the demand.
(b) The government reopens the Wyatt oil fields and everything gets back to normal.
(c) Project X provides a new and better fuel.
(d) Mine owners begin blowing up their mines.

4. What does Hank Rearden's mother suggest is Phillip's qualification to work for Rearden Metal?
(a) He is Hank's brother.
(b) He holds an engineering degree.
(c) He could get a job anywhere but wants to help his brother.
(d) He has the social skills that Hank lacks.

5. Atlas is the Greek god who holds the world on his shoulders. In the novel, who is "Atlas"?
(a) The common people.
(b) The National Alliance of Railroads
(c) Industrialists like Dagny and Rearden
(d) Billionaires like Francisco d'Anconia.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the symbolism of Francisco lying on the floor with his arms spread out to his sides?

2. At the party, James Taggart demands that Francisco explain why the San Sebastian mines are worthless. What is Francisco's ironic reply?

3. What is the surprising question Francisco poses to Dagny at the wedding reception?

4. What does Dagny object to about the San Sebastian Line?

5. At home and in despair, what music is Dagny listening to when she puts down her head and cries?

Short Essay Questions

1. Discuss the significance of the names Rand gives to the businesses in ATLAS SHRUGGED.

2. When Cherryl confronts Dagny and says that she is now Mrs. Taggart, the woman of the family, Dagny replies, "That's quite all right. I'm the man." Explain what she means by that comment.

3. Describe how the chain is viewed by Henry Rearden, Lillian Rearden, and Dagny Taggart. Explain its significance to the story.

4. Explain how the mystery of Eddie Willers' unnamed friend in the cafeteria and the shadowy man Dagny sees outside her office add to the suspense of the novel.

5. How does the scene of the broken furnace give Hank insight into Francisco's real character?

6. As James Taggart and Dagny discuss plans for Taggart Transcontinental, James' attitude sets the stage for the real conflict in ATLAS SHRUGGED. Explain.

7. Francisco engineers a huge financial fraud on the Mexican government and greedy shareholders like James Taggart and Orren Boyle. Then he asks Dagny, "Who is John Galt?" How does Rand use his character to build suspense?

8. Rand introduces "Wyatt's Torch" as Dagny returns on the train to Wyatt Junction. What does the term suggest?

9. Francisco d'Anconia, heir of the d'Anconia Copper Mining empire, has developed a reputation as a playboy and a dilettante. Itemize the events in his early years with Dagny and James Taggart that are contradictory to that image.

10. Explain the symbolism of the Twentieth Century Motor Company as Dagny and Hank find it.

(see the answer keys)

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