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. Tagomi expresses his dislike of the German practices toward what group of people?

2. What does Childan learn about the carrier ship Syokaku from the Tokyo Herald?

3. Who does Rita note her parents said would have won WW II if he had lived?

4. How do the Kasouras differ from Tagomi in their treatment of Childan?

5. Why does Childan send samples of his merchandise to the university?

Short Essay Questions

1. Despite initiating a relationship with Joe, whom she finds attractive, Juliana begins to feel uncomfortable around him. Why? What might this be foreshadowing?

2. What is Childan's plan when he makes an appointment with his supplier, Ray Calvin? What does this further reveal about his character? Do you feel this is a realistic reaction?

3. In Chapter 5, what is further learned about the book The Grasshopper Lies Heavy from Rita's conversation with Wyndam-Matson? How does this conversation create a conflict between them?

4. What new insight does Chapter 5 give the reader into the character of Baynes? What might this be foreshadowing?

5. Chapter 1 introduces the setting of the novel as being in San Francisco twenty years after World War II. What signs are there that there has been a different outcome to this war from the history as we know it?

6. In Chapter 4, Frank speaks of Gresham's Law. What does this law suggest? How does Childan's reaction to the discovery about some of his merchandise reflect his understanding of the importance of this law?

7. In Chapter 3, what suggestion is the author making by putting Hitler in a sanitarium and then noting that the present world in this novel is the product of his mind? What similarities are seen in the thoughts of Juliana and Baynes to support this view?

8. What does the reader learn about the fate of the Slavs and Africans? In what way is Dick continuing to keep his "fiction" tied to reality? What comment might he be making about some of the realities of true USA history?

9. Wyndam-Matson and his girlfriend get into a long discussion about historicity. What is historicity? What point does Wyndam-Matson make about it? How is this idea supported in the novel?

10. What appears to be the source of Juliana's depression at the start of Chapter 3? Why might this be considered to be ironic?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the significance of the novel's title, The High Castle, both at a literal and symbolic level? What is the further significance of what Juliana learns about it when she finally meets Abendsen? What does Philip Dick appear to be saying through the multiple levels of meaning and the change that takes place? Be thorough and specific in your discussion.

Essay Topic 2

The I Ching played a key role in plot development. Explain what the I Ching is and what purpose it serves to its users. Give examples of the role it played in moving along the events of the story.

Essay Topic 3

The characters of Paul, Tagomi, and Childan all have their "moments" with the Edfrank Jewelry. What makes this jewelry different? How has each character reacted to it? What does it come to symbolize overall? Be specific throughout your discussion.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,394 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample