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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 crime does Billy commit while he is working?

2. Why does Bertram Rumfoord not want to hear Billy talk about Dresden?

3. What happens while Billy is still unconscious in the hospital?

4. What work does Billy do as a prisoner of war?

5. In New York, Billy stays at which hotel?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does he explain the symbolism of his armband?

2. Why is Dresden so dark at night?

3. What did Billy Pilgrim ultimately learn from the Tralfamadorans?

4. What does Bernard's article about human population reveal about life?

5. What is echolalia?

6. Why was the Polish Farm laborer hung in Dresden?

7. How does Billy's wife, Valencia, die?

8. What is the meaning of the last line of the novel?

9. Why does Billy travel to New York?

10. What objects were hidden in Billy's coat?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay comparing Slaughterhouse-Five with another novel or book describing events from World War II. Pick one of the following topics as a focus in your essay:

a) Realism about the war.

b) Symbolism.

c) How personal experiences affect writing.

d) The author's attitude toward war.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay explaining one of more of the symbols in this novel. Choose the symbol you want to comment on from the list below, or come up with your own.

a) Billy's outfit (silver boots, blue toga, fur muff)

b) Landscapes (the Grand Canyon, the Rocky Mountains, Carlsbad Caverns)

c) Death symbols (the coffin-shaped wagon)

d) The souvenirs kept by the Americans after the war.

Essay Topic 3

Research and write a paper describing the bombing of Dresden in 1944.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 533 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample