Slaughterhouse 5 Multiple Choice

1. Slaughterhouse Five focuses on the bombing of

    a] Berlin
    b] London
    c] Hiroshima
    d] Dresden

2. Vonnegut tracks down Bernard O'Hare to

    a] look up Billy Pilgrim
    b] kill him
    c] try to remember things that happened in the war, to help Vonnegut write his book on Dresden
    d] find O'Hare's wife, with whom Vonnegut had fallen in love

3. In a hotel room in Boston, Vonnegut reads which Bible story?

    a] the story of Adam and Eve and the expulstion from Paradise
    b] the story of Esther and how she saved the Jews
    c] the story of Jesus and his trip to Mount Sinai
    d] the story of Sodom and Gomorrah and the fate of Lot's wife

4. In that same hotel room, Vonnegut feels like something very strange is happening to

    a] to his wife, hundreds of miles away
    b] in New York City
    c] all of the clocks and watches
    d] all of the words on his newspaper

5. Billy Pilgrim is from the town of

    a] Ilium, New York
    b] Athens, Georgia
    c] Gomorrah, Maine
    d] New York, New York

6. The name of Billy's hometown is an allusion to

    a] the American Dream
    b] the doomed city of Troy
    c] the Old Testament story of Lot
    d] the golden age of Greece

7. Billy believes he has been abducted by aliens from

    a] Narnia
    b] Trafalmadore
    c] Mars
    d] the Soviet Union

8. Billy travels through time because

    a] he has a chip in his brain
    b] he has become "unstuck in time"
    c] he is an alien
    d] he has a special machine

9. Billy's physicality could best be described as

    a] tall and muscular
    b] tall but strong
    c] tall and weak
    d] short and fat

10. Billy was trained to be a/an

    a] paratrooper
    b] anti-tank gunner
    c] chaplain's assistant
    d] scout

11. Billy first gets shipped to Europe in the middle of

    a] the Battle of Britain
    b] the Battle of Stalingrad
    c] the Battle of the Bulge
    d] the Normandy invasion

12. Wandering behind enemy lines, Billy falls in with

    a] two scouts and an anti-tank gunner
    b] Bernard O'Hare and Kurt Vonnegut
    c] three scouts called the "Three Musketeers"
    d] none of the above

13. Roland Weary could best be described as

    a] a pacifist
    b] a scrappy fighter who knows how to survive behind enemy lines
    c] fat, stupid, and mean
    d] a true and faithful friend

14. Roland imagines that he is

    a] enemies with Billy, called "devil-child"
    b] good friends with the scouts; they call themselves the "Three Musketeers"
    c] Napoleon
    d] a ninja warrior called Saboro

15. Billy and Roland are captured by

    a] an all-female combat unit
    b] German irregulars
    c] SS troops
    d] Russians

16. Roland dies of

    a] gangrene in his feet
    b] cancer
    c] a bullet wound
    d] electrocution

17. On the train, none of the men wants to sleep next to Billy because

    a] he's black
    b] he smells
    c] he talks and kicks in his sleep
    d] all of the above

18. Trafalmadorians experience time

    a] backwards
    b] all at once, with all things happening simultaneously
    c] forwards, then backwards
    d] backwards, then forwards

19. Billy's attitude toward everything that befalls him could best be described as

    a] angry and violent
    b] passive and accepting
    c] resentful and defiant
    d] happy and sad

20. Billy's father dies

    a] in a hunting accident
    b] at Normandy
    c] at Auschwitz
    d] from suicide

21. Billy eventually becomes a

    a] optometrist
    b] Dentist
    c] General
    d] Priest

22. The Tralfamadorians put Billy in

    a] An alien sex zoo
    b] suspended animation
    c] a dog kennel
    d] an underwater habitat

23. In his habitat, Billy wears

    a] nothing
    b] his old military uniform
    c] a clown suit
    d] a business suit

24. Billy marries

    a] Svetlana, a Russian gymnast
    b] Kurt Vonnegut's sister
    c] Montana Wildhack
    d] Valencia, the daughter of the optometry school's owner

25. Paul Lazarro is

    a] a former car thief who threatens to have people killed after the war
    b] the alias of Billy's alien kidnapper
    c] an Italian doctor who help Billy to escape
    d] a high school teacher from Ilium

26. Who promises to avenge Roland?

    a] The Three Musketeers
    b] Billy Pilgrim
    c] Edgar Derby
    d] Paul Lazzaro

27. What did the corpses start to smell like?

    a] Vinegar and bleach
    b] Mustard gas and roses
    c] Melted wax
    d] Axle grease

28. What do stars look like to Tralfamadorans?

    a] Strings of glowing spaghetti
    b] Pulsing circles of light
    c] Hexagonal specks of light
    d] Glowing bouncing balls

29. Where does Billy time travel to while in the showers?

    a] He returns to the Lion's Club dinner in 1957
    b] He goes back to the night when he was kidnapped
    c] He recalls nearly drowning in the swimming pool
    d] He becomes an infant being washed by his mother

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

    a] A year and a half
    b] Two years
    c] Four years
    d] Eight months

31. When does Billy believe that he will die?

    a] January 25th, 1982
    b] February 13th, 1976
    c] September 17th, 1979
    d] October 12th, 1980

32. What do they find in the ruins of a building?

    a] One small child who survived
    b] An American prisoner
    c] The body of a priest
    d] Dozens of unmarked corpses

33. Where is Dresden located when Vonnegut goes to visit it?

    a] West Germany
    b] France
    c] East Germany
    d] Russia

34. What is Paul Lazzaro most proud of?

    a] He never stole anything in his life.
    b] He never told a lie to another.
    c] He was able to fight as a boxer.
    d] He never hurt an innocent bystander.

35. What do humans look like to the Tralfamadorans?

    a] Butterflies
    b] Pale worms
    c] Millipedes
    d] Chimpanzees

36. Who wrote a fan letter to Kilgore Trout?

    a] Paul Lazzaro
    b] Kurt Vonnegut
    c] Billy Pilgrim
    d] Eliot Rosewater

37. What do the American prisoners find at the railroad station?

    a] The hobo's body
    b] More prisoners
    c] The American army
    d] Several people from the nearby town

38. Why does one of the Germans beat up an American prisoner of war?

    a] He was trying to escape from the POW camp.
    b] He said something that the German did not like.
    c] He was making fun of Billy Pilgrim.
    d] He was mimicking one of the other guards.

39. What decision does Billy come to while he is in the hospital after surgery?

    a] To tell the world about Tralfamadore
    b] To protest the Vietnam War
    c] Never to get into another airplane
    d] Never to get married again

40. What does the Tralfamadoran compare a moment in time to?

    a] The reflection in a mirror
    b] A flickering flame
    c] A sheet of ice
    d] A bug trapped in amber

41. What response does Campbell get from most of the prisoners?

    a] No response
    b] Scorn
    c] Disgust
    d] Curiosity

42. What does Billy do when Rumfoord tells him that Dresden did need to be bombed?

    a] He agrees
    b] He starts crying
    c] He says it was a pity
    d] He gets angry

43. What do Billy, Werner, and Edgar find instead of a kitchen?

    a] A library stuffed with old books
    b] A room that holds luggage from refugees
    c] A large shower with naked girls in it
    d] A pen filled with the bodies of animals

44. Which Earthling do the Tralfamadorans find the most interesting?

    a] Billy Pilgrim
    b] Charles Darwin
    c] Jesus Christ
    d] Kilgore Trout

45. Who was not busy in Dresden after the bombing?

    a] Billy Pilgrim
    b] Werner Gluck
    c] Bernard O'Hare
    d] Edgar Derby

46. What, according to Paul Lazzaro, is the sweetest thing on Earth?

    a] Family
    b] Vanilla Ice Cream
    c] Sex
    d] Revenge

47. How does Billy help Edgar?

    a] gives him a syrup lollipop
    b] offers to do Edgar's work
    c] reads to him at night
    d] hides things for him

48. Why does the Head Englishman envy the Americans?

    a] They are young and will forget war sooner
    b] The German guards like the Americans better
    c] They are moving out from the camp to Dresden
    d] They are going to be exchanged soon and go home

49. Who does Barbara Pilgrim say she would like to kill?

    a] Howard J. Campbell
    b] Eliot Rosewater
    c] Kilgore Trout
    d] Edgar Derby

50. What was Edgar Derby's job before he joined the army?

    a] He was a high school teacher
    b] He was an advertising executive
    c] He drove a forklift in a warehouse
    d] He worked in a toothpaste factory

AP Prep Post #1: Siddhartha

1. What is the significance of the different social classes that Siddhartha goes through? I think the fact that he went from having so much as royalty, to nothing, it had a bigger impact than from going from nothing as a poor person, to nothing.
2. Discuss the father-son theme. The culture he lives in constitutes a bond with his father, which explains Siddhartha's home-sickness.
3. What does the symbol of the snake represent? A block in the road, whether he should continue or return home.
4. What is the importance of Kamala in the novel? She is a symbol that represents a distraction.
5. Does Kamala symbolize the forbidden apple? Yes she does. She is a temptation and the a fruit that Siddhartha has never tasted. She "tastes" so delicious that he stays with her for a while.
6. Why doesn’t Siddhartha follow Guatamma? I think it was that Siddhartha wanted to find his own way, and he couldn't do that being a follower.
7. What does Siddhartha feel after he has reached enlightenment? Loneliness.

http://www.greatbooks.org/resources/guides/novels/siddhartha/

http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/literature/siddhartha/study-help/essay-questions.html

Lit Terms 31-100

Dialect: the language of a particular district, class or group of persons; the sounds, grammar, and diction employed by people distinguished from others.

Dialectics: formal debates usually over the nature of truth.

Dichotomy: split or break between two opposing things.

Diction: the style of speaking or writing as reflected in the choice and use of words.

Didactic: having to do with the transmission of information; education.

Dogmatic: rigid in beliefs and principles.

Elegy: a mournful, melancholy poem, especially a funeral song or lament for the dead, sometimes contains general reflections on death, often with a rural or pastoral setting.

Epic: a long narrative poem unified by a hero who reflects the customs, mores, and aspirations of his nation of race as he makes his way through legendary and historic exploits, usually over a long period of time (definition bordering on circumlocution).

Epigram: witty aphorism.

Epitaph: any brief inscription in prose or verse on a tombstone; a short formal poem of commemoration often a credo written by the person who wishes it to be on his tombstone.

Epithet: a short, descriptive name or phrase that  may insult someone’s character, characteristics

Euphemism: the use of an indirect, mild or vague word or expression for one thought to be coarse, offensive, or blunt.

Evocative (evocation): a calling forth of memories and sensations; the suggestion or production through artistry and imagination of a sense of reality.

Exposition: beginning of a story that sets forth facts, ideas, and/or characters, in a detailed explanation.

Expressionism: movement in art, literature, and music consisting of unrealistic   representation of an inner idea or feeling(s).

Fable: a short, simple story, usually with animals as characters, designed to teach a moral truth.

Fallacy: from Latin word “to deceive”, a false or misleading notion, belief, or argument; any kind of erroneous reasoning that makes arguments unsound.

Falling Action: part of the narrative or drama after the climax.

Farce: a boisterous comedy involving ludicrous action and dialogue.

Figurative Language: apt and imaginative language characterized by figures of speech (such as metaphor and simile).

Flashback: a narrative device that flashes back to prior events.

Foil: a person or thing that, by contrast, makes another seem better or more prominent.

Folk Tale: story passed on by word of mouth.

Foreshadowing: in fiction and drama, a device to prepare the reader for the outcome of the action; “planning” to make the outcome convincing, though not to give it away.

Free Verse: verse without conventional metrical pattern, with irregular pattern or no rhyme.

Genre: a category or class of artistic endeavor having a particular form, technique, or content.

Gothic Tale: a style in literature characterized by gloomy settings, violent or grotesque action, and a mood of decay, degeneration, and decadence.

Hyperbole: an exaggerated statement often used as a figure of speech or to prove a point.

Imagery: figures of speech or vivid description, conveying images through any of the senses.

Implication: a meaning or understanding that is to be arrive at by the reader but that is not fully and explicitly stated by the author.

Incongruity: the deliberate joining of opposites or of elements that are not appropriate to each other.

Inference: a judgement or conclusion based on evidence presented; the forming of an opinion which possesses some degree of probability according to facts already available.

Irony: a contrast or incongruity between what is said and what is meant, or what is expected to happen and what actually happens, or what is thought to be happening and what is actually happening.

Interior Monologue: a form of writing which represents the inner thoughts of a character; the recording of the internal, emotional experience(s) of an individual; generally the reader is given the impression of overhearing the interior monologue.

Inversion: words out of order for emphasis.

Juxtaposition: the intentional placement of a word, phrase, sentences of paragraph to contrast with another nearby.

Lyric: a poem having musical form and quality; a short outburst of the author’s innermost thoughts and feelings.

Magic(al) Realism:  a genre developed in Latin America which juxtaposes the everyday  with the marvelous or magical.

Metaphor: an analogy that compare two different

things imaginatively.

-Extended: a metaphor that is extended or developed as far as the writer

wants to take it.

-Controlling: a metaphor that runs throughout the piece of work.

-Mixed: a metaphor that ineffectively blends two or more analogies.

Metonymy:  literally “name changing” a device of figurative language in which the name of an attribute or associated thing is substituted for the usual name of a thing.

Mode of Discourse:  argument (persuasion), narration, description, and exposition.

Modernism:  literary movement characterized by stylistic experimentation, rejection of tradition, interest in symbolism and psychology

Monologue:  an extended speech by a character in a play, short story, novel, or narrative poem.

Mood:  the predominating atmosphere evoked by a literary piece.

Motif:  a recurring feature (name, image, or phrase) in a piece of literature.

Myth:  a story, often about immortals, and sometimes connected with religious rituals, that attempts to give meaning to the mysteries of the world.

Narrative:  a story or description of events.

Narrator:  one who narrates, or tells, a story.

Naturalism: extreme form of realism.

Novelette/Novella: short story; short prose narrative, often satirical.

Omniscient Point of View:  knowing all things, usually the third person.

Onomatopoeia: use of a word whose sound in some degree imitates or suggests its

meaning.

Oxymoron: a figure of speech in which two contradicting words or phrases are combined to produce a rhetorical effect by means of a concise paradox.

Pacing:  rate of movement; tempo.

Parable:  a story designed to convey some religious principle, moral lesson, or general truth.

Paradox:  a statement apparently self-contradictory or absurd but really containing a possible truth; an opinion contrary to generally accepted ideas.

Parallelism: the principle in sentence structure that states elements of equal function should have equal form.

Parody:  an imitation of mimicking of a composition or of the style of a well-known artist.

Pathos:  the ability in literature to call forth feelings of pity, compassion, and/or sadness.

Pedantry: a display of learning for its own sake.

Personification: a figure of speech attributing human qualities to inanimate objects or  abstract ideas.

Plot: a plan or scheme to accomplish a purpose.

Poignant:  eliciting sorrow or sentiment.

Point of View: the attitude unifying any oral or written argumentation; in description, the physical point from which the observer views what he is describing.

Postmodernism: literature characterized by experimentation, irony, nontraditional forms, multiple meanings, playfulness and a blurred boundary between real and imaginary.

Prose:  the ordinary form of spoken and written language; language that does not have a regular rhyme pattern.

Protagonist: the central character in a work of fiction; opposes antagonist.

SMART Goal

My goal is to apply for scholarships. I know for a lot of then my chances are slim, but to myself, I can at least say I tried. :)

Sonnet of the Allegory of the Cave

Turn your head to the left, 

 Turn your head to the right.

In order to learn,

You'll need to fight.

The chains that constrain you, 

Are only in your mind.

When you escape, 

You may be blind,

Because of the lights.

You will soon view the world,

In a different way.

You'll try 'n' show your friends,

But they won't want to play

Now you'll both live in a separate way.

Hamlet Resources

http://aplove.blogspot.com/search?q=hamlet
http://2011apenglish.blogspot.com/search?q=hamlet
http://www.d.umn.edu/~lmillerc/TeachingEnglishHomePage/TeachingUnits/HamletMurderLovePoisonandaPrinceExploringShakespearesHamlet-EllenBurns.htm
http://www.theatrehistory.com/british/ghost_in_hamlet.html
http://www.shmoop.com/hamlet/questions.html

I chose each of these blogs because they seem like a great resource when it comes to learning about Hamlet.

Remix Vocab #9

abortive-Failing to produce the intended result.
[maybe crude] You get an abortion if getting pregnant was abortive.

 bruit-Spread (a report or rumor) widely
Rumors that bruit are a bunch of brouhaha.

contumelious-Scornful and insulting; insolent
You may feel contemptuous towards contumelious act.

dictum-A short statement that expresses a general truth
You may dictate a dictum.

ensconce-Establish or settle (someone) in a comfortable, safe, or secret place
You should always ensconce something incognito.

iconoclastic-characterized by attack on established beliefs or institutions.
Peoples' beliefs are their icons so an iconoclastic person may clash with them.

in medias res-Into the midst of things
If you are thrown in media res, then you are now in the medium, surrounded by the rest.

internecine-Destructive to both sides in a conflict
An intern who incinerates the office because they don't have enough paying positions is very internecine.

maladroit-clumsy; awkward
A mal[bad] droid, like C-3P0, is very maladroit.

maudlin-Self-pityingly or tearfully sentimental, often through drunkenness
Maudlin sounds like unintelligible, drunken speech, so they may be maudlin because they got caught meddlin'.

modulate-Exert a modifying or controlling influence on
A mod on the interwebs has the power to modulate things posted

portentous-Done in a pompously or overly solemn manner
A pretentious act may be portentous.

prescience-the power to foresee the future
Precognition and prescience are the same.

quid pro quo-A favor or advantage granted in return for something
The squid got a quid pro quo from the octopus for proclaiming the quote given to him by the octopus. [Sorry, best i can do for that one]

salubrious-Health-giving; healthy
Es malo para la salud, being so lugubrious, hence it is not salubrious.

saturnalian- riotously merry
A party of the gods, such as Saturn, and a bunch of aliens would probably be saturnalian.


touchstone-A standard or criterion by which something is judged or recognized
You may need to touch the example stone in order to compare smoothness, since it is the touchstone on which we base all of our stones.

traumatic-Emotionally disturbing or distressing
??? A traumatic experience is very traumatic. [Haha, no need to thank me]

vitiate-Spoil or impair the quality or efficiency.
If you vitiate someone's basic rights, you violate the laws.

waggish-Humorous in a playful, mischievous, or facetious manner
 People tend to be waggish towards people with so much swag. #swag