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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 is the item allegedly used for according to the characters?

2. What was the purpose of the tradition? What does the action bring?

3. Where were the most significant discoveries made?

4. It is eventually determined that the stripes on the earth were used for what specific purpose?

5. How many inscriptions are found written on the columns?

Short Essay Questions

1. Explain Carson's nightmare experienced shortly after the start of the excavation.

2. How did Carson spend most of his time?

3. What did Carson do one day while eating his lunch?

4. What are Carson's names for items #8, 9, & 10?

5. The item(s) were eventually classified as being what?

6. What was Carson's reaction when he realized what he had found?

7. What happened to Carson as he stood surveying the site?

8. Once the discovery of the excavation site was made known word began to spread all over the world. Who came to visit the site?

9. What did German scholar Heinrich von Hooligan discover? What was the alleged purpose of the items(s)?

10. Upon seeing this fantastic discovery, Carson had hopes of finding what?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Howard Carson is painted as a ne'er do well in the beginning of the book. How did Carson make a living? What was the man's level of ambition? Why did Carson decide it was time to change his life? How did he propose to make changes? Were those goals accomplished? Did the effort to change cause Carson to land at the Motel of the Mysteries? How did Carson handle the discovery of the motel? Did Carson see the discovery as his destiny? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

Guido Michelin and Currant Bunliffe both set out to find fragments of writing that could be attributed to the Yanks.

What was the purpose of the search? What kind of information might be contained in the writing fragments? What could the new civilization learn from the old one? Why was there such a lapse between searches for the fragments? Do you think Bunliffe ever found anything? What might have happened to Bunliffe? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

The author makes a solid point regarding pollution and the state of the ozone layer. As a result of decades of polluting the air and not caring about the ozone, it was only a matter of time before Pollutantus Gravitas would fall to the earth and smother out the Yank civilization. Compare and contrast the condition of pollution and the ozone layer from 1985 and today. What are the most significant changes? Were there any parts of the story that could be even remotely correct? Explain. How has pollution changed over the years? In your opinion, does pollution have anything to do with global warming?

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This section contains 644 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample