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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. Why does John go to the cemetery in Chapter 29?

2. What is the title of Chapter 29?

3. What was the real name of the notorious English pirate described in Chapter 48?

4. What is Dr. Breed's first name?

5. To whom is the poem attributed on the tombstone that says, "Mother, Mother, how I pray / For you to guard us every day"?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. What is meant by Mrs. Minton's remarks on indexing in Chapter 55?

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

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

7. How does the narrator describe San Lorenzo's attempt at communism in the narrative?

8. What are the Bokononist warnings that the narrator relates to the reader in Chapter 4?

9. What is surprising to John when he encounters the Hoenikker burial plot in Chapters 29 and 30?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and analyze the character of Newt Hoenikker in the novel. What information does Newt relate to John via letters? How does John perceive Newt when they finally meet? What are Newt's relationships like with his siblings?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

Discuss the genre of satire as it applies to Cat's Cradle. What aspects of the novel are satirical? What aspects of culture, society, etc. are satirized by Vonnegut? What do you think Vonnegut's overall statement is regarding humankind?

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