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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 other way does Arcadia tell Anthor as advice to be more inconspicuous upon visiting?

2. In 4-6, who is described as knowing that Pritchard and Channis were coming and has already arranged to arrive in Rossem?

3. What does the narrator describe a hyper relay device as allowing outside sources to do?

4. What other planet has the Mule ordered to be destroyed after talking to the First Speaker?

5. Channis tells Pritchard that Tazenda is the Second Foundation because Rossem views Tazenda how?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the history of Han Pritcher and how does this character remember his past?

2. When Pritchard grows fearful and begins to think about his life before the Mule conditioned his mind, how does he react?

3. How does the Mule admit defeat? What happens after the Mule's defeat?

4. What reasons does the Mule give for believing that the Second Foundation was not on Tazenda judging by Channis' reactions?

5. During the confrontation on Rossem, in what trap does Channis catch the Mule?

6. What are Channis' reasons for telling Pritchard that his mind has been tampered with by the Second Foundation in 4-6? Why would the Second Foundation leave Pritchard's feeling of loyalty?

7. Who is the leader of the Galaxy and how did this leader rise to power?

8. Why does Dr. Darell scold Arcadia when he enters her room at the beginning of 7-9?

9. In 4-6, how does the Mule know that Channis is a Second Foundationer?

10. How does Channis describe the planet that is likely to be home to the Second Foundation?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

During the 1940s and 1950s, both the United Sates and the USSR struggled to achieve dominance in their area of the globe. Asimov uses this scuffle for power as inspiration for the novel. Respond to the following with supporting examples from the book:

1) How does Asimov parallel the dominance of the Mule with that of the USSR?

2) Why do the geographic locations of the Foundation and the Mule mimic that of the United States and the USSR?

3) What is Asimov's purpose in making comparisons to that point in history with his novel?

Essay Topic 2

By the end of the novel many preconceptions of the plot are turned around in revelations presented by the author. Respond to the following with supporting evidence from the book:

1) What is Asimov's purpose in having so many twist endings?

2) How does the twist ending of the downfall of the Mule differ from the ending of the book as a whole?

3) How do the twist endings serve to screen the inevitable triumph of the Second Foundation in the plot of the book?

Essay Topic 3

Trust is the foundation on what relationships are built and the characters in "Second Foundation" experience many examples of doubt and double-cross. Please respond with supporting examples to the following:

1) How does the issue of trust affect the lives of the characters before the downfall of the Mule?

2) How does the issue of trust affect the lives of the characters after the downfall of the Mule?

3) Does Asimov imply that there really is no true level of trust that can be achieved between people as is portrayed in "Second Foundation"?

(see the answer keys)

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