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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. According to the Peace Corp officer's letter, where is Nearly Normal Jimmy going?

2. According to his letter, why does Plucky entertain notions of burning down the monastery?

3. What does Amanda suggest about the FBI agent's anger at her ideas to Marx?

4. What hint does John Paul leave behind for Amanda when he, Plucky, and Mon Cul run away the Corpse?

5. What does Amanda attempt to teach Marx in his first days with their zoos?

Short Essay Questions

1. What duties does Marx perform at the zoo?

2. Why does Marx attempt suicide and what change overcome him as a result?

3. How does Plucky escape from the Vatican with the Corpse?

4. What is John Paul's plan for the Corpse when he disappears with it, Mon Cul, and Plucky Purcell?

5. What is Marx's suggestion about Plucky's plan for the Corpse and why?

6. How do the Zillers, Plucky and Marx allow themselves to relax before addressing the presence of the Corpse?

7. What purpose does the delivery man serve in interrupting the group's celebration?

8. Compare and contrast Pan and Jesus.

9. What is significant about Amanda's wishes for the Corpse?

10. What is Plucky Purcell's fate and final message?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Marx Marvelous's ideas about religion and how they are related to his belief that the Zillers are at the forefront of a new type of spirituality. Relate these ideas to his personal quest to discover his own need for spirituality (instead of relying on his logic), particularly how these conflicts stem from his childhood, as well as how it affects his ideas for the fate of the Corpse. Develop a clear thesis statement and cite specific examples from the text to support your answers.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay that presents the character of Mon Cul as the link between science and faith (Marx Marvelous's motivation through the novel). Discuss his layered role as a companion to John Paul (as well as the man's motivation for acquiring the baboon) and the significance behind the experimental balloon's need for baboons (particularly in regards to Mon Cul steering the balloon with himself, John Paul, and the Corpse as passengers). Develop a clear thesis statement on this topic and cite specific examples from the text to support your answers.

Essay Topic 3

What are the possibilities that Marx, Plucky, and Ziller consider for the Corpse and why? What are the pros and cons to every idea? How do their personal viewpoints affect their opinions on the Corpse's fate? What are some of the morally gray areas about which the four of them are forced to debate in this regard? Discuss the answers to these questions in an essay. Cite specific examples from the text to support your answers.

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