View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What do the people of Tlon consider to be the most powerful tool mankind can possess?
(a) The mind.
(b) Reflection.
(c) Time.
(d) Water.

2. What are the Vindications?
(a) The laws of the Library of Babel.
(b) Songs of the future.
(c) Books that cause destruction.
(d) Books of apology and prophecy.

3. Which measurement system is discussed in one of Pierre Menard's manuscripts?
(a) Metric.
(b) Nautical.
(c) Imperial.
(d) Volume.

4. What fascinates the narrator the most about the planet of Tlon?
(a) The laws of nature.
(b) The mirrors.
(c) The passage of time.
(d) The languages of the planet.

5. Which poem does Pierre Menard describe as being an essential work of literature?
(a) O Captain! My Captain!
(b) Bee! I'm expecting you!
(c) The Road Not Taken.
(d) The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

Short Answer Questions

1. How is the lottery unusual?

2. What is unique about the objects from Tlon that are released into the narrator's world?

3. In "Tlon, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius", what topic is the narrator discussing when the subject of the encyclopedia is brought up?

4. What does the lottery cause?

5. What power does the Company have over lottery players?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Tlon, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius," what dispute arises from the discussion about mirrors?

2. What is discovered among the late Herbert Ashe's belongings?

3. What causes some people in the library of Babel to go insane?

4. Why can't the inappropriate information in the library of Babel be destroyed?

5. Why is the student trying to find Al-Mu'tasim?

6. Describe Pierre Menard.

7. What is the significance of the student in "The Approach of Al-Mu'tasim" relinquishing his social status?

8. Why do some players of the Babylon lottery end up in jail?

9. How is the universe described in "The Library of Babel"?

10. What is the most important possession to the people of Tlon?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,129 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample