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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 trying to control overpopulation in "Welcome to the Monkey House?"

2. Who is the narrator in "Who Am I This Time?"

3. How does Billy the Poet put Nancy to sleep?

4. What does Billy give Nancy with "Welcome to the Monkey House" written on it?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. What types of handicaps must people wear in "Harrison Bergeron?"

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

3. How does Vonnegut seem to contradict himself in "New Dictionary?"

4. What revelation does Nancy have in "Welcome to the Monkey House?"

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

6. How does the narrator describe Barnstable?

7. What do Ivankov and Ashland say to each other, and what do they not talk about?

8. What story does the stranger tell Harold?

9. In "Tom Edison's Shaggy Dog," how does the stranger react to Harold's life story?

10. Why do humans who have not left their bodies think their way of life is better?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How are international relations represented in Vonnegut's stories? Write about how different countries clash, work together, and affect each other in this collection of stories. How does the use of international relationships develop these stories? What message is delivered about these relationships?

Essay Topic 2

Vonnegut once said: "High school is closer to the core of the American experience than anything else I can think of." How does this quote relate to the story "The Kid Nobody Could Handle?" What type of high school experience is Vonnegut describing? How does this describe the American experience?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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This section contains 673 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample