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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. Vonnegut dedicates the book to Mary O'Hare and Gerhard Müller. Who is Gerhard Müller?

2. What surprised the British officers most about the American prisoners?

3. What happens to Billy in 1968?

4. How long had the British soldiers been prisoners of war?

5. What complaint is Billy's doctor trying to relieve?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Kurt Vonnegut learn about the bombing of Dresden when he wrote to the Air Force for details?

2. How does Billy describe the Tralfamadorans?

3. Why is Billy afraid to drop down from the railroad car?

4. What does the story of Sodom and Gomorrah have to do with Vonnegut's book about Dresden?

5. When does Billy Pilgrim first experience being unstuck in time?

6. Why do the soliders not want Billy to sleep near them?

7. How did Billy finally get some sleep?

8. Why does Vonnegut say this book will be "jumbled and jangled?"

9. Describe the structure of a Tralfamadoran novel.

10. According to the aliens in Kilgore Trout's book, what is the flaw in the story of Christ?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay comparing the treatment of the prisoners of war by the Germans to the way prisoners of war are treated today. Use one of the following questions (or your own ideas) to form your thesis:

1) Are prisoners of war treated better or worse now than during World War II?

2) Are the Geneva Conventions still relevant?

Essay Topic 2

Compare Tralfamadoran views of life and death with different religious philosophies.

Essay Topic 3

The Tralfamadorans have a very different view of time than we do. Write an essay that speculates on how humans will view time in 500 years. Will we still look at it the same way?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 540 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample