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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. The region referred to as the Zone was once home to how many thousands of Soviet citizens?

2. O'Connell discusses going to what type of location called Alladale?

3. In Chapter 6: "Under the Hide," O'Connell discusses at length a character called the Lorax, who states that he "speak[s] for the" (132) what?

4. O'Connell spent a week at Alladale in the spring of which year?

5. The picture book discussed in Chapter 6: "Under the Hide" features which word to stand in for any material object?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the symbolism of the graph depicting continual human progress over time?

2. What does the ferris wheel in Pripyat symbolize, according to O'Connell?

3. Explain the term 'samoseli'.

4. Who is Thich Nhat Hanh?

5. What judgment did O'Connell make about Igor before turning the microscope back on himself?

6. What distinction does O'Connell make about the Zone and why is the observation ironic?

7. At what type of location did O'Connell attend a retreat in the spring of 2017?

8. What was the final task assigned to the participants on the retreat described in Chapter 6: Under the Hide?

9. Provide three details about Igor's life.

10. Who is Dylan and what was occurring in his life at the time of his trip to the Zone?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine O'Connell’s use of characterization methods to portray real people, such as his wife. What effect do these characterization methods have on the work's inherent themes and messages?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the significance of the final passages included at the end of Notes From an Apocalypse.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the messages sent about the theme of appearance versus reality within O'Connell's book Notes From an Apocalypse.

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This section contains 720 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample