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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. Who is the narrator of "Omphalos"?

2. What is the name of the exhibition from which “Dacey’s Patent Automatic Nanny” is taken?

3. According to Hindu mythology, what sound created the universe?

4. What is the name of the European missionary who comes to Jijingi’s village?

5. What is the real name for the Great Silence?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Who is Moseby? What does he promise to teach Jijingi in "The Truth of Facts, the Truth of Feeling"?

3. Who is Peter Silitonga in "Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom" and what does he discover?

4. What happens after the Automatic Nanny hits the market in 1901? Why does it ultimately fail?

5. Why does Lionel Dacey resurrect the Automatic Nanny?

6. What does Jijingi learn about the written versus the spoken word, thanks to Reiss in "The Truth of Facts, the Truth of Feeling"?

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

8. As stated in "Omphalos," how old is the universe? How have scientists learned this information?

9. What is the effect of Lawson's discovery on Dr. McCullough in "Omphalos"? Why?

10. In "The Great Silence," who was Alex, and what did he demonstrate to humans?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Many characters in this collection highlight the idea the past is never truly past. Choose three characters (from three different stories) and explain how each illustrates this idea.

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 Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate” is a frame narrative: it is a story within a story. Explain how this story fits the definition of a frame narrative, and explain why this technique is particularly effective for this story.

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This section contains 725 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample