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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 the narrator in "Who Am I This Time?"

2. What did fishermen in Barnstable discover?

3. How does Helene start to fall in love with Harry?

4. What does Vonnegut praise about dictionaries in "New Dictionary?"

5. What are the agents called in that enforce equality?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Harrison Bergeron do when he is on television?

2. How does the narrator describe Barnstable?

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

4. How does Gramps end up happy at the end of "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow?"

5. What story does the stranger tell Harold?

6. What decision does Susanna make at the end of "Miss Temptation?"

7. What do Sousa and Heinz talk about in the hospital?

8. How does George blame himself for his problems in "More Stately Mansions?"

9. In "The Manned Missiles," what happens to Stepan and Bud?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Consider Vonnegut's use of language in this collection of stories. Choose two stories that have very different prose and compare and contrast them. How does the language, syntax, and format develop each story in its own way? How do these literary decisions affect the reader?

Essay Topic 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

Select one story from this collection and write a critical analysis that focuses on the story's relationship to reality. Form an argument about the "usefulness" of the story as many of Vonnegut's tales seem to carry a message or warning for the reader.

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