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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 will traveling in the past and in the future help Jonathan to know the meaning of? Kindness and __________.

2. Where does Jonathan think he is at the beginning of this part of the book?

3. Perfect speed is "being _________."

4. What does the answer to #112 want to become in order to make the Flock sorry for saying the things they have?

5. What fills Jonathan's eyes when he tells the Elder Gull he wants to conquer another unknown?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is Jonathan's initial instructor when he arrives in this strange land?

2. What does Jonathan's teacher say when Johnathan asks why there are so few gulls in their location?

3. What does Jonathan want to do once his Guru has vanished and left his side?

4. Describe what happens when Chiang passes to the other world, or transfigures, as many might call it.

5. Where does Jonathan believe he is in this section of the book?

6. What does Sullivan declare about Jonathan in relation to his approach to learning?

7. What is the saying Jonathan remembers about Heaven in relation to fatigue?

8. What does Jonathan believe Heaven should do in terms of limits?

9. When will Jonathan touch heaven, according to Chiang's answers?

10. What does Chiang tell Jonathan to forget about as he attempts to learn how to transport himself?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The sacrificial death and resurrection of Fletcher is something that works to secure the reputation of the small group of students, even though it was meant to harm their appearance to the rest of the Flock.

Part 1: How did the sacrificial death and resurrection of Fletcher take place? Please describe how this occurred.

Part 2: To what else can this death and resurrection be compared? What other story seems to have been used as the inspiration for this situation?

Part 3: Do you think these events had to happen to Fletcher in order to make the group of students reputable? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

The existence of an afterlife is something that becomes a crucial part of the knowledge and the development of some of the Gulls in this book. But the definition of this afterlife is a little harder to grasp.

Part 1: How does the knowledge of the afterlife affect Johnathan?

Part 2: What does Jonathan learn about the idea of the afterlife? How is it described to him?

Part 3: Why does Jonathan simply accept the idea of an afterlife as it is given to him?

Essay Topic 3

It seems that in the definition of reincarnation, Gulls do not come back as anything other than Gulls. This seems strange as traditional thoughts on reincarnation say that animals come back as other animals and even humans.

Part 1: Why don't Gulls come back as anything besides Gulls?

Part 2: What does Chiang say will help to break this cycle of coming back as the same species again and again?

Part 3: Why might Gulls be the only species who come back as the same thing? What reasons can you provide?

(see the answer keys)

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