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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 population of San Lorenzo, according to the newspaper supplement in Chapter 38?

2. How many children did Dr. Felix Hoenikker have?

3. How old was Angela when her father died?

4. How old was Newt Hoenikker when his father died?

5. In what fraternity was the narrator a member during his college years?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What irony can be found in Dr. Breed's discussions of superstition in Chapters 16-18?

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

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

6. What is significant about Frank's action of staging bug fights in Chapter 6?

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

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

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

10. How is Miss Pefko characterized in the novel?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the book The Day the World Ended. What was this book initially to be about? What does it end up being about? What irony can be seen in this book and its title?

Essay Topic 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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