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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. According to Dorothea in "Omphalos," creation falls outside of what?

2. How does the narrator of "The Great Silence" describe the extinction of its species?

3. With whom does a prism allow one to communicate, as stated in "Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom"?

4. What has Rosemary recently purchased in "Omphalos"?

5. What did Alex demonstrate about a nonhuman species, according to the narrator of "The Great Silence"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What vow does Lionel make on page 184 of "Dacey's Patent Automatic Nanny"? What prompts this promise?

2. What does the extinction of its species mean to the narrator in "The Great Silence"?

3. Who is Scott Otsuka in "Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom," and what does Morrow plan regarding him?

4. What are contact calls, as explained in "The Great Silence"? What do they have in common with Arecibo?

5. What is the Fermi Paradox? What are two solutions that attempt to solve it?

6. Who stole the relics, as Dorothea discovers on page 252 of "Omphalos"? How does this person justify the theft?

7. What is mimi in "The Truth of Facts, the Truth of Feeling"? What is vough?

8. Who is Angela in "The Truth of Facts, the Truth of Feeling"? What does the reader learn about her on page 186?

9. Who is Morrow in "Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom"? Who is Jessica Oehlsen and what does Morrow plan for her?

10. Who is Vinessa in "Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom"? What does Dana learn about her at the end of the story?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The extinction of a species is integral to “Exhalation,” “The Great Silence,” and “The Lifecycle of Software Objects.” Discuss how this theme influences the characters in each story.

Essay Topic 2

At the end of “The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate,” Fuwaad says, “Nothing erases the past. There is repentance, there is atonement, and there is forgiveness. That is all, but that is enough” (36). Explain how his words apply to characters in three other stories.

Essay Topic 3

The role of speech is central to several stories in the collection. Choose two and explain how speech is central not only to the story’s plot but also to its themes.

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