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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 food source is a cure for people with vitamin and mineral deficiencies?

2. Why was James Wait ashamed to take off his shirt?

3. Who does Hisako Hiroguchi perform her first intimate act with in Chapter 32?

4. What disease does Leon Trout contract from a Saigon prostitute?

5. Why is James Wait laid on the sun deck of the Bahia in Book 2: Chapter 1?

Short Essay Questions

1. Is Siegfried von Kleist successful at committing suicide in Chapter 38? Explain.

2. According to the narrator, are there anymore left handed people in the world? Explain.

3. What is the irony behind the marriage of Mary Kaplan and Willard Flemming in Book 2: Chapter 4?

4. Why is the Bahia considered to be a ghost ship in the opinion of humankind?

5. Did James Wait ever reproduce? Explain.

6. What is the launching of Reyes's missile compared to in Chapter 34?

7. After 10 years on the Island, how does the Captain change?

8. When does Mary Hepburn begin her artificial insemination program? How old is she at the time?

9. In Book 2: Chapter 12, what does the narrator suggest as a means for Mary Hepburn to keep on living with the Captain for a little while longer?

10. Why are the Kanka-bono girls laughing at the Captain in Chapter 11? Why does the Captain think they are laughing?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The narrator, Leon Trout, states that all the sorrows of humankind are caused by "the only true villain in my story: the oversized human brain." Do you agree with his statement? Explain by using specific examples from the text.

Essay Topic 2

Courting of a potential mate is easily seen between both animals and human beings. To what extent is animal courting similar to that of human courting? Use examples from the text to explain your answer.

Essay Topic 3

In Book 2: Chapter 7, Leon Trout must face the decision whether to go into the afterlife or stay for a million years to watch humanity evolve. He cannot let go of the unfolding story of humankind, at least not for another million years. Why do you think Leon is given a million years to stay on earth? Do you think there is a limit to the amount of knowledge the Father wants Leon to have? Explain.

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