View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What gives the narrator the idea that space has a shape and form?

2. Where does Qfwfq want Lll to come away with him to?

3. Where does the narrator strike Lieutenant Fenimore as he falls on him?

4. How does Dean (k)yK try to back out of the bet that there will be atoms?

5. Which of the following impossible fantasies does the narrator have in his shapeless form?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Lll react when she first meets N'ba N'ga?

2. What explanation does the narrator give for caring about the opinion of whoever wrote the sign he first sees?

3. In the end of the mollusk's story, in what way does he encounter the female mollusk?

4. Describe N'ba N'ga's objections to living on land.

5. What does the narrator think the first sign he sees is referring to?

6. What causes the narrator's suspicions about the female he encounters?

7. What happens to the initial wealth that Qfwfq builds up?

8. How does Zahn first react to Qfwfq?

9. Which bets does Qfwfq find most satisfying?

10. How do the New Ones' perception of dinosaurs change over the time Qfwfq is with them?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The characters in COSMICOMICS have strange names which use symbols not normally found in names. Discuss the characters' names in COSMICOMICS.

1) Why are the names of Qfwfq's rivals Pfwfp and Kgwgk so similar to Qfwfq's name?

2) Why do the characters have unpronounceable names, with mathematical symbols and numbers in them? What affect do the strange names have on the reader? How do the names relate to the scientific subject matter of the stories? How do the names relate to the fantasy elements of the stories?

Essay Topic 2

Many of the stories in COSMICOMICS deal with change and stasis, and the characters' reactions to changes in their world. Discuss change and stasis in COSMICOMICS.

1) Which of the stories in COSMICOMICS are set at moments of change in the development of the universe? How do the characters respond to change?

2) Are there patterns to how different types of characters respond to change in COSMICOMICS? How do women respond differently than men? How do older people respond differently to younger people?

3) What is the role of stasis in COSMICOMICS? In what way are the end of "Games without End" and the parallel falls in "The Form of Space" representations of stasis, in contrast to change represented in other stories?

Essay Topic 3

In COSMICOMICS, the characters exist over enormous periods of time, while astronomical events take place in the formation of the universe. Discuss the role of time in COSMICOMICS.

1) What role does time play in communication in "The Light-Years"? How does time affect the separation between individuals?

2) What is the role of time in "The Dinosaurs"? How does time change perception?

3) What is the effect of passing time on the characters? How does passing time affect older characters like Qfwfq's uncle in "The Aquatic Uncle," and his grandmother in "At Daybreak"?

4) What is the effect of astronomical lengths of time in the stories? How does the passage of astronomical lengths of time affect the betting in "How Much Shall We Bet?" and Qfwfq in "A Sign in Space"? How do the astronomical lengths of time in the novel affect the reader's understanding of Qfwfq?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,039 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample