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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 does Sophie do with the physical philosophy lessons?

2. How does Sophie feel toward drug use?

3. What do the big brown envelopes that arrive for Sophie contain?

4. What does Sophie call her secret spot?

5. What is 'Plato's Dialogues'?

Short Essay Questions

1. Do people today, as the Greeks did, believe in fate or predestination? What are examples?

2. Why would Sophie's banana have a birthday greeting on the inside?

3. Is Sophie's mother's reaction to her daughter's studies and new attitude realistic? Why?

4. When Sophie sees the large board with the word "Hilde" on it, does this foreshadow who "Hilde' is?

5. Why were ancient people angry when they spoke to Socrates and he claimed not to know anything?

6. Why does Sophie decide to go into a stranger's cabin?

7. What is Sophie's den symbolic of? How?

8. What did Sophie learn from working with Legos in connection to Democritus?

9. Characterize Sophie's religion teacher when she questioned Sophie's answers on a test.

10. Epicureans believe in seeking pleasure and avoiding pain. Is this a theme of the novel? Why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is ironic about the novel's title? What forms of irony are at play? As the book progresses, does the form of irony shift? How?

Essay Topic 2

Look at the cartoon and imaginary characters throughout the book. What role do they play? How are they connected to the chapters and philosophies they are mentioned in? Is their inclusion an effective technique?

Essay Topic 3

Characterize Major Knag. Look at his name--does the play on his name have significance? How do Hilde and Alberto indirectly characterize him? How is he directly characterized?

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