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. Vonnegut compares the young people he addresses to what character in Camelot?

2. What Joseph Conrad novel depicts whites as highly evolved and others as monkeys without tails?

3. How many Americans are of German descent?

4. Who is Vonnegut's favorite translator, with whom he falls in platonic love?

5. Who sponsors Vonnegut's 1990 trip to Mozambique?

Short Essay Questions

1. Although the subtitle of SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE is "The Children's Crusade," what are the average ages mentioned of those who died in war?

2. What is the Folk Society?

3. How does Jane Cox deal with her loneliness when her children are grown and move out?

4. Name two things Vonnegut mentions in his letter to the future.

5. How is Vonnegut different from other authors mentioned in this chapter?

6. Why do the MIT graduates applaud politely but not take Vonnegut seriously?

7. What does the "Kilimanjaro Device" give as an alternative to Hemingway's shooting himself in the head?

8. Why is the Italian translator, Roberta Rambelli, Vonnegut's favorite?

9. What have other cultures done to oppress Germans and those of German descent?

10. How has Vonnegut's belief in the cause of mental illness changed since the beginning of the book? Why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

19th century British aristocrats are sufferers of "Folk Society Deficiency."

Part 1) How do they suffer from this deficiency? Who does this affect other people from different cultures?

Part 2) What other areas of the world have suffered in the same way? How?

Part 3) Do societies still suffers from this deficiency? How?

Essay Topic 2

The First Amendment allows Americans the freedom of speech and the press.

Part 1) Although Vonnegut supports this, why does this freedom upset him? Give examples from the text.

Part 2) What part of the First Amendment does the NRA use to support its cause? Do you agree with the way the NRA interprets this freedom?

Part 3) Write a letter to the NRA expressing your opinion about its interpretation of the First Amendment.

Essay Topic 3

People use a variety of techniques to relieve stress and the pressures of life.

Part 1) What are the techniques Vonnegut names?

Part 2) Do they seem to work?

Part 3) What do you do to relieve stress? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 657 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample