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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 were the repercussions for Starbuck's involvement in Watergate?

2. What is Starbuck waiting for in the prison yard?

3. Why aren't Clewes and Starbuck friends anymore?

4. The Arapahoe dining room has been converted into _________.

5. Why was Starbuck in Nuremberg?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Clewes not the prominent political figure he was on his way to becoming?

2. How is "a rich man's trash can" a symbol for Starbuck?

3. Is "The Sermon on the Mount" a reasonable defense for Sacco and Vanzetti? Why or why not?

4. What are the degrees of separation between Sarah Wyatt and Mary Kathleen O'Looney in Chapter 9?

5. Did Ruth's prophesy about her son come true? What is the nature of Starbuck and Ruth's son?

6. How is Fender's story of Vicuna a metaphor?

7. What does the arrival of the famous prisoner tie together?

8. Why does Starbuck cry in the cab home?

9. What ruins Sarah's and Starbuck's date? Why does she insist they leave?

10. What does Starbuck's release from prison mark?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the tool of RAMJAC and how this prominent corporation reflects Vonnegut's ideas about capitalism.

Essay Topic 2

Starbuck's soul is a frequent topic of discussion. Does Starbuck have a soul? If he does, what is its condition? As Mary Kathleen dies, she recognizes his lack of a soul and offers him some consolation. Discuss Starbuck's soul and morality in the context of himself and his surroundings.

Essay Topic 3

Vonnegut discusses a fan letter in the prologue, which says "love may fail, but courtesy will prevail." Discuss how this works as a theme in the book and its angle on humanity and society in "Jailbird."

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 777 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample