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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 does the narrator describe the making of his shell as?

2. What is the first bet Qfwfq makes before the beginning of the universe?

3. How do the New Ones subsist?

4. How many people does the narrator expect will see the second event in his life, of which he is proud, compared to the first more shaming moment?

5. What job does Zahn recommend Qfwfq for, which Qfwfq would rather not do?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. In what way, according to the narrator's description, does the existence of a shell bring about eyes and the ability to see?

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

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

6. Why does the narrator get an enormous sign of a hand with a pointing finger?

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

8. What does Qfwfq do with the body of the dinosaur the New Ones find?

9. Why does the narrator not want to show his desire to meet Ursula at the beginning of the story "The Form of Space"?

10. How does the narrator describe being with Ursula H'x when their routes intersect?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In several of the stories, a family forms the central group of characters. Discuss the portrayal and role of family in COSMICOMICS.

1) Discuss the family in "At Daybreak." What role does each family member play in the family as a whole? How does being a family affect the characters' interactions?

2) How are the communities in "The Distance of the Moon" and "All at One Point" similar to and different from families?

3) What role does family play in "The Aquatic Uncle"? How does the familial relationship between Qfwfq and his uncle affect the story?

4) What role does family play in "The Dinosaurs"? How does Fern-flower's relationship to her brother affect the story? What is the import of Qfwfq fathering a son?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the portrayal of women in CosmicomicsCOSMICOMICS.

1) Compare Ayl, Lll, and Qfwfq's sister G'd(w)^n. How are these characters similar? Are their similarities related to their gender? Are their other female characters who share similarities? Are there female characters who contrast to these three women?

2) What attracts Qfwfq or the unnamed narrator to female love interests? What is the source of love? How does Qfwfq and the unnamed narrator perceive women?

3) Discuss Mrs. Ph(i)NK_0. How does she represent women? How is she treated differently from the other characters in "All at One Point"? How does she compare with representations of women in other stories?

Essay Topic 3

Many of the stories in COSMICOMICS revolve around love. Discuss love in Calvino's stories.

1) Who are the women that the central characters fall in love with? What attracts the central characters to women in the stories?

2) What do women love in the stories? How do the women interact with the men who love them, and with the ones they love?

3) Why are there no happy endings to the love stories in Calvino's collection? What ways does love end? What does this say about Calvino's attitude toward love?

(see the answer keys)

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