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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is rumored about Germany that concerns both Tagomi and Juliana?
(a) Germany is aligning itself with China.
(b) Germany is about to invade the Pacific States.
(c) Germany is about to break communication channels.
(d) Germany is going to lose its leader.

2. What do phrases like "the fussy, brisk voice," "barely polite," and "deliberately mispronounced his name" initially tell us about Tagomi's character?
(a) He is insecure.
(b) He is overworked.
(c) He is uneducated.
(d) He is arrogant.

3. To what does Tagomi attribute Ramsey' s tanning by sun lamp?
(a) His desire to be outside.
(b) His desire to improve his health.
(c) His desire to fit in.
(d) His desire to meet pretty women.

4. What is discovered about his merchandise that causes Childan to lose a major deal?
(a) It is undeliverable.
(b) It is unwanted.
(c) It is stolen.
(d) It is fake.

5. Because he is Swedish, who does Tagomi believe Mr. Baynes will probably politically favor?
(a) Japanese.
(b) Germans.
(c) Americans.
(d) No-one.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does Childan send samples of his merchandise to the university?

2. When Childan returns to his office in Chapter 4, who does the client waiting for him claim to represent?

3. What about Frank makes it difficult for him to move to a new territory?

4. How does Ramsey feel about Tagomi's request that he select the gift for Baynes?

5. After recognizing the significance of Joe's tattoo, what does Juliana realize Joe was part of in World War II?

Short Essay Questions

1. Despite initiating a relationship with Joe, whom she finds attractive, Juliana begins to feel uncomfortable around him. Why? What might this be foreshadowing?

2. Juliana responds to the radio commentary about the potential new Chancellor by saying, "Those murderers are talked about as if they are like the rest of us." Joe responds,"There isn't anything they've done that we wouldn't have done if we'd been in their places." What does Joe mean by this? What proof has Joe offered to support his opinion?

3. What is the source of the conflict Frank faces over his reading of the I Ching? How does he finally interpret this message? What does he decide as a result?

4. In Chapter 3, what suggestion is the author making by putting Hitler in a sanitarium and then noting that the present world in this novel is the product of his mind? What similarities are seen in the thoughts of Juliana and Baynes to support this view?

5. Chapter 1 introduces the setting of the novel as being in San Francisco twenty years after World War II. What signs are there that there has been a different outcome to this war from the history as we know it?

6. Wyndam-Matson and his girlfriend get into a long discussion about historicity. What is historicity? What point does Wyndam-Matson make about it? How is this idea supported in the novel?

7. One way an author can develop character is through descriptions of physical appearance and behavior. What descriptions does the author give of Wyndam-Matson? How do these descriptions reflect the way he runs his business in regard to such things as his treatment of employees, production, and such?

8. What do we learn about the German impact on television production and programming in Chapter 6? Of what significance is this to the storyline?

9. In Chapter 1, the author introduces the characters of Mr. Tagomi and the Kasouras as clients of Childan through the juxtaposition of conversations he has with each. What do we learn about each as a result? How do these clients compare?

10. What does the reader learn about the fate of the Slavs and Africans? In what way is Dick continuing to keep his "fiction" tied to reality? What comment might he be making about some of the realities of true USA history?

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