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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 does Paulo tell Kornhoer?

2. Why does Taddeo prefer the fragile original documents to the copies?

3. What does the police officer give Zerchi?

4. What does Joshua's data show?

5. What does Tadeo offer to do after the war begins?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the likely reason Taddeo does not arrive on time at the monastery?

2. What might lead the reader to believe Benjamin's story about his age?

3. Who is eligible for euthanasia?

4. Why do the Poet's jokes cause so much upset at the dinner?

5. Why does Taddeo think Kornhoer would be valuable to him?

6. Describe Mad Bear's political plans.

7. Why have nuclear weapons been banned?

8. What is Gault afraid is Hannegan's intention for the abbey?

9. Why doesn't Taddeo want to alienate Hannegan?

10. What shocks the abbot most about Kornhoer's invention?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the nature and meaning of ritual in the novel? What is the purpose of the elaborate ritual of canonization, although the Pope and Vatican are poor? What are the rituals of the monks, and do they serve to preserve knowledge or to hide it? What is the purpose of Francis' ritual fast in the desert? Are these and other rituals in the novel effective? What happens when ritual loses its original meaning?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the structure of the novel. Describe the relationship of all three sections and how they represent different stages in the development of human culture. Why did the writer choose this unconventional structure, which covers three time periods and three different sets of characters? Why is there no continuous main character in the novel (except perhaps the Old Jew), and how does that affect your experience of the novel?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the Old Jew.

Part 1) What is the Old Jew's true identity? Can you make a case for more than one possible identity? What evidence is there for his identity?

Part 2) What role does he play in the story? Why is he in all three parts of the novel?

(see the answer keys)

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