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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. How old is Frank Hoenikker when John finds his picture in the newspaper supplement in Chapter 37?

2. What is Chapter 12's title?

3. What word refers to the instrument that brings a person into his "team" in the beliefs of Bokononists?

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

5. When was Bokonon born?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

7. What is significant about the metaphor of cannonballs in the narrative?

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

9. What statement do you think that Vonnegut is making in regards to politics and science in Cat's Cradle?

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

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

Describe and discuss the narrative style of Cat's Cradle. From whose perspective is the narrative related? Why do you think the author chose to relate the narrative in this style? How would the narrative differ if it were related from a different narrative perspective?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the theme of religion in Cat's Cradle. How is contemporary Christian religion assessed by the author? How do the tenets of Bokononism compare with those of Christianity? What does Vonnegut make of religion as a whole?

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