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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. In Chapter 6, what does The Oracle predict that further distresses Tagomi?
2. What is Wyndam-Matson certain of when he hears Calvin's complaint?
3. What are Frank 's intentions when he returns to the factory?
4. What is rumored about Germany that concerns both Tagomi and Juliana?
5. What rumor does Wyndam-Matson remember that gives him further power over Frank?
Short Essay Questions
1. 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?
2. Compare the reactions of Childan, Calvin and Wyndam-Matson to the discovery of the fake guns. What point does the author seem to be making about the business world as he sees it?
3. Bigotry is common and accepted without question in the former United States of Philip Dick's world. How does the author reveal this? What seems to be the reason behind this?
4. 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?
5. How do Childan's and Frank's perception of the Germans and the Japanese differ? What motivates these views?
6. In Chapter 5, what is further learned about the book The Grasshopper Lies Heavy from Rita's conversation with Wyndam-Matson? How does this conversation create a conflict between them?
7. What appears to be the source of Juliana's depression at the start of Chapter 3? Why might this be considered to be ironic?
8. 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?
9. One aspect of science fiction is that there is an element of the real world in it. What similarities can be seen in World War II and its aftermath as related in the High Castle and the history as we know it?
10. 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?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
The protagonist, or hero, of a story is a character pitted against an important opponent, the antagonist. Who do you feel is the protagonist of this novel? Explain and give proof to validate your choice. In your explanation, describe what he or she is up against, how the opposition is dealt with, and how this makes the person heroic. Be specific throughout.
Essay Topic 2
Foreshadowing is often an effective way for an author to develop a main or sub-plot, as it gives hints to the reader along the way as to what might happen next or eventually. Focus on the plot involving Joe and Juliana. Follow the trail of clues Philip Dick gives the reader from Juliana's early observation that "Joe breathes death." Continue following the clues to his and her final actions and a warning that Joe was not who he said he was at all. He would be responsible for something terrible. What effect does this have on the reader throughout? Be specific with examples and explanations.
Essay Topic 3
Early on in the novel Frank Frink speaks of his life "bound up with all other lives and particles of the world." This thought can be applied to the manner in which an author keeps his characters and the events within his plot inter-related, regardless of whether they know each other or share events. Explain how Philip Dick succeeds at doing this to keep his story unified. Be specific with characters, events, and how they have impacted one another.
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This section contains 1,606 words (approx. 6 pages at 300 words per page) |
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