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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 type of clothing do Wilbur and Eliza wear as children?

2. What is Kurt Vonnegut's ancestry?

3. When do Bernard and Kurt Vonnegut show physical affection?

4. What decreases Wilbur and Eliza's intelligence?

5. Instead of going to bed on their 15th birthday, Wilbur and Eliza do what to their parents?

Short Essay Questions

1. When Wilbur is sent to school, what happens to his relationship with Eliza?

2. What do Melody and Isadore use to build their pyramid?

3. Why do the servants at the mansion believe it is haunted?

4. When Dr. Mott learns the truth about Wilbur and Eliza, how does he react?

5. Who does Wilbur live with in Chapter 1?

6. When their father seems conflicted about their intelligence, how do Wilbur and Eliza react?

7. What is Wilbur doing at the beginning of Slapstick: Or, Lonesome No More!?

8. Why does Wilbur want to believe that Dr. Mott knew the truth about Wilbur and Eliza?

9. In what style does Kurt Vonnegut intend to write Slapstick: Or, Lonesome No More!?

10. Why do Wilbur and Eliza pretend to be idiots while growing up?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

After the Green Death, the world changes drastically. Citing examples from the childhood of Wilbur and Eliza compared to Wilbur's life in the future, examine how the world has changed.

Essay Topic 2

Throughout the novel, the definition of family takes many different forms. Analyze the idea of family as it appears in the novel.

1) How can family exist outside of blood relatives?

2) What does family mean to Kurt Vonnegut?

2) What does family mean to Wilbur?

Essay Topic 3

As Wilbur gets older, the country begins a slow return to basics. Characters begin riding horses, hunting, and returning to simple entertainment such as Backgammon.

1) What prompts this return to basics?

2) How is this different from how Wilbur was raised?

3) How does Wilbur respond in this new environment?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 555 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample