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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. Why does the narrator say that he understands why Ishmael asked him to define the laws himself?

2. What does Ishmael say a community lacks, when it has lost its diversity?

3. What does the narrator say is the first thing that the Takers do that no one else in nature does?

4. What does the narrator say is new about Ishmael’s expression at the beginning of Chapter 7?

5. What does the narrator talk to Art Owens about?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are the three tricks Ishmael says the gods played on the Takers?

2. What surprising behavior does Ishmael describe for the narrator in an imaginary hospitable city?

3. What do Ishmael and the narrator agree on for a definition of ‘culture’?

4. How does Ishmael characterize the debate among the gods about an equitable way to take care of the animals?

5. Describe the narrator’s negotiations with Art Owens.

6. How does Ishmael says man becomes man?

7. What argument does the narrator offer for why the Takers’ culture is superior to the Leavers’?

8. What are the gods wary of, in letting Adam have the knowledge of good and evil?

9. How does Ishmael characterize the work of competing for food in Taker culture?

10. What does the narrator say is the consequence of the Takers’ culture?

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

What kind of compromise is possible between people who see things Ishmael’s way, and people who exemplify ‘Taker’ culture? Is compromise possible?

Essay Topic 3

Aside from the dialogue they conduct, Ishmael and the narrator seem to have a tense, and sometimes adversarial relationship. What is the role of their personal relationship in the novel, and how does it affect the narrator’s developing understanding of Ishmael’s teachings?

(see the answer keys)

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