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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 a band of 50 individuals, Harari states that there are how many one-on-one relationships?

2. Harari uses the example of a child's imaginary friend to demonstrate the qualities of what term?

3. By what year does Harari assert that "the main wave of domestication was over" (77)?

4. To what novel is Harari alluding when he discusses the ability to "believe six impossible things before breakfast" (24)?

5. What did NOT appear during the Cognitive Revolution?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the author state about the negative effects of agriculture on the human race?

2. What is the author's claim concerning the luxury trap?

3. What call to action does the author make regarding the hierarchy cycle?

4. How does Harari define the term history?

5. How does the author use the example about insects' wings to make his point about there being no single "natural" (147) way to live?

6. Analyze Harari's use of the term “curtain of silence” (61) within his discussion of our limited understanding of human history.

7. What is the significance of the era that occurred on Earth 70,000 years ago?

8. What is Harari's assessment of the opportunities created by sapiens' use of fictive language?

9. What evidence does the author provide for his claim that what is beneficial to the species as a whole is not always beneficial to individuals?

10. What are two examples of templates for collective action?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Perform a biographical criticism of Yuval Noah Harari's book Sapiens by researching the author's life and work. Be sure to create a strong and specific claim focused on this particular book and then support that claim with quotes from the book and from your author research.

Essay Topic 2

How does the author utilize or discuss irony within Yuval Noah Harari's book Sapiens? Discuss at least three uses of irony within the book and explore each instance's connection to larger themes contained within the narrative.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the significance of three of the text's main symbols. How do these symbols connect to the work's overall themes and messages?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,121 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample