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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 is Dr. Breed's position at the Research Laboratory of the General Forge and Foundry Company?

2. To whom is the poem attributed on the tombstone that says, "Mother, Mother, how I pray / For you to guard us every day"?

3. When does Dr. Breed describe the man being hung that had killed 26 people in Chapter 13?

4. How is the weather described when John goes to the cemetery in Chapter 29?

5. What is the title of Chapter 9?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does John discover about San Lorenzo from the advertising supplement in the newspaper in Chapter 37?

2. What is surprising to John when he encounters the Hoenikker burial plot in Chapters 29 and 30?

3. What is meant by Mrs. Minton's remarks on indexing in Chapter 55?

4. What irony can be found in Dr. Breed's discussions of superstition in Chapters 16-18?

5. What is ironic about the scientific work done for the military at the General Forge and Foundry Company?

6. What information does Newt relate about his siblings in his letter in Chapter 5?

7. What are the Bokononist warnings that the narrator relates to the reader in Chapter 4?

8. What project does Dr. Breed describe Dr. Hoenikker working on at the time of his death? What was Dr. Hoenikker's objective?

9. What statement do you think that Vonnegut is making in regards to politics and science in Cat's Cradle?

10. How is Miss Pefko characterized in the novel?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the genre of satire as it applies to Cat's Cradle. What aspects of the novel are satirical? What aspects of culture, society, etc. are satirized by Vonnegut? What do you think Vonnegut's overall statement is regarding humankind?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and analyze the character of Franklin Hoenikker in Cat's Cradle. How is Frank described as a child and a young man? What are the impressions of the narrator when he finally meets Frank? What is Frank's main role in the plot of the novel?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and analyze the character of Papa Monzano in the novel. How did Papa Monzano come to power? For how long has he been in power? What characteristics does Papa Monzano exhibit as a character and as a leader?

(see the answer keys)

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