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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 does Baynes make clear to Tagomi in Chapter 5 about Mr. Yatabe's visit?

2. What has caused Africa to become a wasteland?

3. In Chapter 3, what do we learn about how Juliana Frink makes her living?

4. What words best describe how Joe views the British?

5. What makes Juliana question the fact that Joe says he is reading The Grasshopper Lies Heavy?

Short Essay Questions

1. When told by the university that "there is a regular industry turning out these fakes," Childan gets angry and insists that this is only a rumor. Why is he in such denial even when the proof lies before him?

2. 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?

3. What appears to be the source of Juliana's depression at the start of Chapter 3? Why might this be considered to be ironic?

4. 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?

5. How is the mystery client that comes to place an expensive order with Childan described? What appears to be his real purpose? Who can you assume this client to be, and why is he doing this?

6. 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?

7. While consulting the I Ching, Frank thinks of how "his life was bound up with all other lives and particles in the universe." What does this mean? How might it be applied to Chapter 1 and serve as foreshadowing for the rest of the novel?

8. 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?

9. How do Childan's and Frank's perception of the Germans and the Japanese differ? What motivates these views?

10. 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?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

The novel The Grasshopper Lies Heavy is both popular and controversial in this society. Briefly discuss its contents and what makes the novel controversial. Then, discuss at least two characters who are supportive of its message and two who are opposed to it. With each side, explain

what influences their reaction to the book and how their behavior and/or thoughts demonstrate the side they represent. Be specific throughout.

Essay Topic 3

What is the significance of the novel's title, The High Castle, both at a literal and symbolic level? What is the further significance of what Juliana learns about it when she finally meets Abendsen? What does Philip Dick appear to be saying through the multiple levels of meaning and the change that takes place? Be thorough and specific in your discussion.

(see the answer keys)

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