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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 scenario does Ishmael introduce to test the narrator’s ideas about his imaginary culture?

2. What does the narrator say when Ishmael asks if he would go back to prehistoric times?

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

4. How does Ishmael characterize the gods in his description of their debates?

5. What does the narrator say, in Chapter 8, he would be looking for?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is man’s role and responsibility as Ishmael describes it from the Leavers’ perspective?

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

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

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

5. What reading does Ishmael give the Bible story of Cain and Abel?

6. How does Ishmael say the Takers explain their divergence from the peace-keeping law that has kept nature harmonious for three million years?

7. What objection does Ishmael make to the narrator’s questions at the beginning of Chapter 11?

8. The narrator says that he wants to know the Leavers’ story so he can stop the destruction of the Takers’ story. Why does Ishmael say this is insufficient?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Evaluate your own reading of Ishmael—did you resist it, or were you compelled by the story? What does your reading tell you about yourself and your interests? Use specific examples from the book to describe yourself as a reader.

Essay Topic 2

Would you recommend Ishmael? For what purposes would you recommend Ishmael, and what kinds of readers would you recommend it for? What other book would you recommend that would cover the same material or tell the same story in a different way?

Essay Topic 3

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.

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