View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Phaedrus did not understand

2. Which of the following is the best description of Phaedrus?

3. DeWeese had not like the "Church of Minorities" because

4. The building where Phaedrus taught was

5. In trying to explain what is wrong with the outdoor barbecue instructions, the Narrator expounds upon what is wrong with technology, which he says is

Short Essay Questions

1. The Narrator seems to be descending into an abyss as he relates the details of Phaedrus' descent into a full mental breakdown. Why do you think he quit attending the class with the Chairman and then quit teaching his own classes?

2. How do we know that the Narrator has been on this road, in this town, or at this motel before?

3. Explain one of his more radical teaching techniques.

4. In what ways was Phaedrus changed by his studies in India? How did his background in science help or hinder him in learning to think like the Orientals?

5. Explain the Narrator's train of knowledge. What do the various parts represent? What cannot be represented in a way you can see it in the train analogy?

6. What does the Narrator mean by referring to Phaedrus' reading of philosophers as the high country of the world of thought?

7. Falling rock signals the aging and crumbling of the mountain. These small rockfalls serve as warnings. The Narrator, unlike Phaedrus, is able to heed warnings. How does the Narrator heed the warnings both physically and psychologically at this time?

8. What is a priori knowledge and how are time and space examples of a priori knowledge?

9. Goethe's poem captures what may be at stake for the Narrator and Chris on this trip or at this point in their lives. Use the discussion of Chris, the ideas of Phaedrus up to this point, and what is said about the poem to explain how the poem captures what is going on in the Narrator's mind.

10. In chapter 13, the Narrator talks about Phaedrus' lecture about the "real university." What is a "real university" or a "real high school?" Start by explaining what a "real university" or a "real high school" is not. What is the primary goal of the "real university" or "real high school?"

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

At what point in the book did you realize that Phaedrus and the Narrator are the same person? What clues are given? At what point do the two actually merge into one and the same person in the book? Give reasons for your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Give and explain three examples of the Narrator's fascination with detail and care.

Essay Topic 3

The Narrator is in a sarcophagus in one part of the book (chapter 23). Earlier he had been in a large, white room. Both had a glass door with his family on the other side. In both cases, Chris wants him to open the door. Why could neither Chris nor his father open the door? What did the door symbolize? What was truly separating them? In one case, the Narrator tells Chris he will meet him at the top of the mountain, but in chapter 23, he says he will see him at the bottom of the ocean. What is the difference? Is there any progress between the two dreams?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,659 words (approx. 6 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample