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

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the name of the book that was given to Dr. Felix Hoenikker from a man in prison about the end of the world?

2. What does John claim Alfred Nobel invented in Chapter 32?

3. Who is the poet that John let stay in his apartment while he was in Ilium in Chapter 36?

4. What color is the chip of Ice-nine that Dr. Felix Hoenikker created?

5. For what company did Dr. Felix Hoenikker work most of his life?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. How is Dr. Felix Hoenikker's personality described in Cat's Cradle?

4. How does fate bring the narrator to San Lorenzo?

5. What is ironic about the scientific work done for the military at the General Forge and Foundry Company?

6. How does Bokononism influence the language style of the novel?

7. What does John discover about San Lorenzo from the advertising supplement in the newspaper in Chapter 37?

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Kurt Vonnegut's use of literary, religious, and historical allusions in Cat's Cradle. What are examples of literary works alluded to in the novel? How do these works relate to Cat's Cradle in terms of theme, character, setting, etc.? What purpose do the allusions serve in the narrative?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and discuss the history of Bokonon. How did Bokonon end up on San Lorenzo? Who was he with when he arrived? How did Bokonon gain control of the island? What did he institute once he gained control?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the theme of mankind's greed and destructiveness in Cat's Cradle. How does Vonnegut develop this theme through character, setting, symbolism, and imagery? How is the theme developed through the action of the plot? What outcome does he present in this regard?

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