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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 materials are required to play the "Cat's Cradle" game that is described in the narrative?
(a) Runes.
(b) String.
(c) Balls.
(d) Mallets.

2. What is the title of Chapter 21?
(a) "End of the World Delight."
(b) "Vice-president in Charge of Volcanoes."
(c) "No More Mud."
(d) "The Marines March On."

3. What is the name of Dr. Breed's secretary?
(a) Miss Faust.
(b) Miss Anderson.
(c) Miss Glynn.
(d) Miss Ross.

4. Why does John go to the cemetery in Chapter 29?
(a) To take a photograph of Dr. Hoenikker's tombstone.
(b) To pay respects to his grandmother.
(c) To break into the Hoenikker crypt.
(d) To pay respects to his mother and father.

5. When was Bokonon born?
(a) 1912.
(b) 1925.
(c) 1891.
(d) 1932.

Short Answer Questions

1. For how long has John spent on his "expedition" in Ilium in Chapter 36?

2. What is Chapter 31's title?

3. What is the population of San Lorenzo, according to the newspaper supplement in Chapter 38?

4. What was the Cape Cod Room called at the time when the atomic bomb was dropped on HIroshima?

5. What is Mrs. Crosby's first name?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is the theory of "Dynamic Tension" described in Chapter 47?

2. What symbolism can be seen in the graves of Emily and Felix Hoenikker?

3. What is the significance of the literary/religious allusion in the opening of Chapter 1?

4. What information does Newt relate about his siblings in his letter in Chapter 5?

5. What aspects of Dr. Hoenikker's character are revealed through Dr. Breed's stories of him in Chapter 14?

6. What statements does the author make about nihilism in Chapter 36?

7. Describe the narrative style of Cat's Cradle. Why do you think the author employs this style?

8. How does Newt Hoenikker describe his interaction with his father on the day the atomic bomb was dropped over Hiroshima?

9. What project does Dr. Breed describe Dr. Hoenikker working on at the time of his death? What was Dr. Hoenikker's objective?

10. Who is Lyman Knowles and what does he represent in the novel?

(see the answer keys)

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