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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 did Pi throw himself out of the lifeboat?

2. Why does the author promise the reader a happy ending to Pi's tale?

3. What was the response of Pi's mother to his request for a Christian baptism and a prayer rug?

4. How did Pi first learn about Islam?

5. When did Pi feel that God was very close to him?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is the zebra like Pi in Part 2, Chapter 46?

2. What does the closing sentence of Part 1, Chapter 35 foreshadow?

3. In Part 1, Chapter 25, why did Pi not feel as though he fit in anywhere?

4. In Part 2, Chapter 51, readers see Pi's persistence pay off as he finds food and water. How did Pi find the food and water?

5. The book begins in Part 1, Chapter 1 with many unanswered questions. What are some of these questions?

6. How did Satish Kumar influence Pi's studies?

7. In Part 1, Chapter 23, the author discusses the "three wise men." Who are they?

8. How are the zebra and the orangutan anthropomorphized in Part 2, Chapter 45?

9. In Part 1, Chapter 39, where did Pi end up after being thrown overboard?

10. How do Pi's parents view him in Part 1, Chapter 27?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How do Pi's religious views shape his view of his ordeal?

Essay Topic 2

At many times in the book, Pi nears death, as he runs low on food and the will to live. Using specific examples from the book, discuss some of these events and what Pi learns about himself through the events.

Essay Topic 3

Is Richard Parker a human or a tiger? Using Chapter 2, the early chapters about animal behavior, and Richard Parker's behavior once shipwrecked, describe whether you believe he is a human or a tiger.

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