View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What do the Shammat want to do with George in Chapter 26?

2. How does George Herbert's attitude towards Lynda's claims change over time?

3. What longing does George express, in his letters in Chapter 29?

4. What devastating news does Rachel receive in Chapter 28?

5. Chapter 19 also describes the plight of what group of people on Shikasta?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did the youth armies form on Shikasta?

2. What are the effects of short lifespans, as explained in Chapter 14?

3. How are George, Benjamin and Rachel described in Chapter 21?

4. What is reported in Chapter 19 regarding the state of religious ideologies on Shikasta?

5. What is contained in Sharma and George's letters to one another in Chapter 29?

6. What is the result of the arguments presented at the mock trial?

7. What roles do George and John Brent-Oxford play in the mock trial?

8. How does Rachel feel after meeting the Muslim family she describes in Chapter 24?

9. What does Johor say, in Chapter 19, about the poor of Shikasta?

10. What does Johor do, in Chapter 20, while on his way to incarnation?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The Sirians perform plant and animal experimentation on Shikasta, and share the planet with the Canopeans. What is their purpose there? What are they researching? What are their relationships with other races like, and why? Why do they eventually withdraw from Canopus? What are the long-term effects of their activities there, and why? Be sure to cite specific examples from the book to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 2

Ben is a friend of Johor's who reincarnates with him to help Johor accomplish his mission on Shikasta. How does Ben know Johor? What is his role in helping Johor to accomplish his mission? What was their relationship once they arrived on Shikasta? How was Benjamin different from Johor? What role was he supposed to play in Shikasta's future, and why? Be sure to cite specific examples from the book to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 3

Many of the events and characters in the novel parallel events or characters from the Old Testament of the Bible. Why is that? What is the purpose of each of these characters? What message is the author attempting to convey? Why does she choose figures from Christianity, when Johor frequently dismisses Christianity as being bigoted and corrupt? Be sure to cite specific examples from the book to support your thesis.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 921 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample