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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 pressure does the narrator say he feels to act out his culture’s stories?

2. What does Ishmael say made Germans captive under Hitler?

3. What does the narrator say his relationship with Nazi Germany is?

4. How does Ishmael say the narrator learned the story of ‘how things came to be this way’?

5. Why does the narrator say he answers the newspaper ad?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the narrator’s creation myth?

2. What correlation does Ishmael draw between Nazi Germany and the narrator’s culture?

3. What does Ishmael say the Takers’ relationship to the Community of Life is?

4. What is the premise that is being played out in the narrator’s creation myth, according to Ishmael?

5. Why does Ishmael provide the narrator with a tape recorder?

6. What does Ishmael say will be the result, once the narrator learns to hear Mother Culture’s voice?

7. How would you characterize Ishmael’s tone with the narrator in general, as they talk regularly?

8. What is the narrator’s reaction when he finally recognizes his creation myth as a myth?

9. Why does Walter Sokolow adopt Ishmael?

10. How does Ishmael say that their discussion is like sightseeing?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write a character sketch of the author based on his style and content. What values does he hold dear? What are his hopes and fears? What kind of person do you think he is? Anchor your sketch in passages in the book.

Essay Topic 2

In what ways is Ishmael relevant to contemporary readers? What contemporary issues are in play in the book, and how would the book contribute to contemporary discussion? Cite specific discussions from contemporary sources, and cite specific instances from the book that describe its contemporary relevance.

Essay Topic 3

What is the benefit of delivering this information about mythology and the world in a dialogue with a telepathic gorilla, instead of a straight-forward essay or non-fiction book about myth and the history of mankind?

(see the answer keys)

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