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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 Lionel in “Dacey’s Patent Automatic Nanny,” what has he disproven twice over?

2. According to Jijingi, what is mimi?

3. According to Dorothea at the beginning of "Omphalos," how old is the Earth?

4. According to Wilhelmina in "Omphalos," why did she steal the relics?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

5. Why does Lionel Dacey resurrect the Automatic Nanny?

6. At the end of "Omphalos," what does Dorothea vow to continue to do?

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

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

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

10. What is Remem in "The Truth of Facts, the Truth of Feeling"? What are some positive effects of this technology, as the author discovers? What are some negative effects?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay explaining the significance of the title of this collection. How is Exhalation an appropriate title for this collection of stories? How does the title reflect the collection’s themes?

Essay Topic 2

“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.

Essay Topic 3

Several characters are obsessed with the search for truth. Choose three (from three different stories) and explain the search of each. Be sure to include what truth each discovers and the impact it has on them.

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