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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 do the narrator and Anne give Grace and George?

2. Why does Paul turn his radio up louder in "Next Door?"

3. How does Vonnegut describe Merriam Webster's definitions?

4. At the end of "Welcome to the Monkey House," what poem does Billy want Nancy to read?

5. What interrupts the Bergerons while they are watching television?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens when Joe leaves the orphanage in "D.P.?"

2. What happens after the opening of the play in "Who Am I This TIme?"

3. In "The Lie," why is Eli so nervous about telling his father his entrance exam results?

4. In "New Dictionary," what changes does Vonnegut note in the new Random House edition?

5. What were the government solutions to overpopulation in "Welcome to the Monkey House?"

6. Why does Eli's father talk to committee members, and what is the result?

7. What happens during tests of the Euphio?

8. At the end of "Report on the Barnhouse Effect," what happens to the narrator and what does he decide to do?

9. Why does David look for a job at the Works in "Deer in the Works?"

10. According to the Sheriff what had Billy the Poet been doing?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare the roles of the wealthy to the roles of the middle and lower classes in this collection of stories. How does Vonnegut describe each group of people? How do they interact? What does each group expect from life? What do these things tell readers about social class in the United States?

Essay Topic 2

Choose three stories that have children as characters and analyze the use of children in these stories. How does Vonnegut describe childhood? How do children differ from the adults in the stories? Which stories use children effectively to make a point and which do not?

Essay Topic 3

Vonnegut was associated with socialist causes. Research socialism and explain how this political belief is reflected in this collection of stories. Look for socialist values reflected in characters and plot lines.

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