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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. Who is Adele?

2. What is a gurdwara?

3. What does Rufus name the first horse that he lures back to his living location at Flying S Ranch?

4. Who does Willem pick up on the way to Houston?

5. What is T.R.'s real purpose for meeting Rufus in the chapter titled "South Texas"?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Rufus go to see Dr. Rutledge?

2. In the chapter titled "The Barracks," How does Laks' fighting crew trap Lan Lu's crew to secure the main levels of the barracks?

3. How do Saskia and Ruud handle the Pina2bo problem in regard to Saskia's budget day speech?

4. What does Rufus attempt as his initial profession after coming out of the army?

5. Why does T.R. take his guests on a drone tour of Buffalo Bayou and the greater Houston area?

6. How does Martijn van Dyck manipulate Saskia's words to his political advantage?

7. What is the MOSE project that Michiel talks to Saskia about in the chapter titled West Texas?

8. Where does Saskia spend her time waiting out the hurricane in Houston?

9. What existential matter does Laks come up against in Chandigarh?

10. What does norMal mean in the Dutch royal context?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the author trying to say about the United States? Consider when the author pokes fun at the United States or praises the United States. Do you think it is significant that this book is mostly going to be read by people who live in the United States?

Essay Topic 2

There is an idea that humans must reduce our energy use to mitigate climate change. Do you think the author thinks that this is a valid solution? Do you think it is a valid solution? Do you think the author believes that humans have the capacity to change our consumption culture before it is too late? The author presents technological advances as a working solution. Do you think that technology will save us or condemn us? Does this book change your mind about technology saving us from climate change? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

What is Termination Shock in the context of this book? What does that idea mean? Does the idea of termination shock seem to play a major or minor role in the story? When and where is termination shock brought up in the story? Is it brought up consistently? Do you think the author meant it to be more of a background consideration or to play a significant role in how the reader interprets the book?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 973 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample