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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 happened when Lot's wife looked back on Sodom and Gomorrah?

2. What, according to Vonnegut, will be the end of this book?

3. What does Barbara think is wrong with Billy when she finds him in his cold house?

4. What was Mackay's opinion about the Children's Crusade?

5. Who dies in the railroad boxcars?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is it unusual for Kurt Vonnegut to appear in this book as a character?

2. What happened to the army scouts who left Billy and Roland behind?

3. How do the Tralfamadorans answer Billy's question about being kidnapped?

4. Describe the structure of a Tralfamadoran novel.

5. What was the Children's Crusade?

6. Where does Billy wake up after falling asleep with the other prisoners in the stone cottage?

7. Why were the British officers in this particular camp?

8. Why do the Tralfamadorans not believe in free will?

9. What is unusual about the way Tralfamadorans view time?

10. Where does Billy time travel to when the spaceship hits a time warp?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What would you say was Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.'s purpose in writing this novel? What is the main message of the story? Support your conclusion with quotes or examples from the novel, or interviews with the author.

Essay Topic 2

Read a memoir written by someone who lived through World War II, either as a combatant or as a civilian living in Europe. Write a report on the book, highlighting the part that deals with the experience of living through wartime.

Essay Topic 3

Compare Tralfamadoran views of life and death with different religious philosophies.

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