Name ______________________________ Period ______
Date_____________
English 12 Honors Final Exam Study Guide
Second Semester 2010
life of pi
vocabulary
Draw a line to the matching definition.
imperceptible
clarity: free from obscurity and easy to understand
lucidity
Exercising power arbitrarily and often unjustly; Difficult to bear;
burdensome
plausible
Impossible or difficult to perceive by the mind or senses
conundrum
Existing or coming before
chromatic
the act of expressing earnest opposition or protest
remonstrations
emotionally hardened; unfeeling
callous
of, relating to, or causing stroke
carrion
characterized by friendly goodwill
oppressive
with suspicion or disapproval
askance
dead and and rotting body of an animal
preceding
Relating to colors or color.
dilated
Sticking together; the quality of being logically integrated
coherence
A riddle in which a fanciful question is answered by a pun
apoplectic
become wider
amicable
apparently reasonable and valid, and truthful
Directions: Match the letter of the word to the definition.
A. ineffectually
B. revulsion
C. dyspeptic
F. voracious
G. empathy
K. formidable
L. dire
P. poignancy
Q. supplication
D. indiscriminate E. piety
H. incongruously I. protruded
M. forlorn
N. insouciant
J. diligent
O. invigorating
R. aversion S. secular
___ very greedy or eager in some desire or pursuit
___ steadily persevering especially in detail or exactness
___ having dreadful or terrible consequences
___ having dyspepsia, a disorder of digestive function characterized by discomfort or
heartburn or nausea
___ Identification with and understanding of another's situation, feelings, and motives
a feeling of violent disgust or loathing
___ Appearing sad or lonely because deserted or abandoned; hopeless
___ extremely impressive in strength or excellence;
___ Lacking in harmony; incompatible
___ not marked by careful distinction; deficient in discrimination and discernment
___ Insufficient to produce a desired effect
___ lack of concern; nonchalance
___ To impart vigor, strength, or vitality to; animate
___ A fixed, intense dislike
___ Religious devotion and reverence to God
___ Profoundly moving; touching
___ Pushing or thrusting outward; stick out
___ Worldly rather than spiritual; not specifically relating to religion
___ To ask for humbly or earnestly, as by praying
life of pi (continued)
Know answers to the following questions:
1.
How does indolence help the sloth to survive?
2.
What does in situ mean?
3.
Identify use of irony in chapter one.
4.
Identify literary device used in this example: “my life “is like a mori painting” from
European art: there is always a grinning skull at my side to remind me of the folly of human
ambition”
5.
Where did Pi get his given name?
6.
In what way(s) is running a zoo like a hotelkeeper’s worst nightmare?
7.
According to the narrator why are animals better off in zoos than in the wild?
8.
Why is important to know that animals are territorial?
9.
What do zoos and religion have in common?
10. In what context does Piscine make the statement that “repetition is important to the training
not only of animals but of humans”?
11. Why is Pi able to accept Mr. Kumar’s atheism?
12. What religious philosophy is Pi referring to when he states: To choose doubt as a philosophy
of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation”
13. What animal, according to Pi and zookeepers in general, is considered to be the most
dangerous?
14. What lesson did Father set out to teach Piscine and Ravi one Sunday morning?
15. Why does a circus trainer enter the lion ring first in full sight of the lions?
16. List characteristics of the super-alpha male.
17. What is a main cause of hostile and aggressive behavior among animals?
18. How do animals make the decision as to who will be the top ranked superior animal?
19. What are the ways in which a circus animal trainer psychologically establishes control?
20. The animal with the lowest social standing is often the most amenable to the circus
trainer’s tricks because:
21. Why does Pi state that “Christianity is religion in a rush.”
22. How does Pi describe Christianity?
23. “I knelt a mortal; I rose an immortal”. This quote is an example of what literary device?
24. During a walk while in Canada, the narrator had a vision of:
25. True (A) or False (B): According to the narrator, the presence of God is the finest of
rewards.
26. While walking along the beach one day who do Pi and his family encounter?
27. Upon what do the holy men agree?
28. Upon what do the holy men disagree?
29. How does Ravi react to Pi’s interest in religion?
30. What is the point of religion according to Pi?
31. What request does Pi make of his father?
32. What similarity do Pi’s parents draw between Pi’s spiritual progress and the political
progress of Indira Gandhi?
33. According to Pi, what are the reasons why people move?
34. How did Mrs. Gandhi finally “get the best of Father?”
35. To where does the family plan to move?
36. How does Pi define zoomorphism?
37. What are Pi’s examples of zoomorphism?
38. Why does Pi’s family begin to sell off the zoo animals?
39. What does verisimilitude mean?
40. By what means of transportation is Pi’s family going to travel?
41. What must be done to prepare the animals for the trip?
Part Two
42. The Tsimtsum’s sinking was caused by
43. “I never thought that finding myself confined in a small space with a spotted hyena would be
good news, but there you go” This statement is an example of
44. How did Richard Parker get his name?
45. Pi notes that “necessity is the mother of invention.” How does this prove to be the case?
46. What instincts for survival does Pi first begin to exhibit?
47. During Pi’s long, sleepless, rain–soaked night, he devises several plans for defeating Richard
Parker. What plan does he ultimately decide upon?
48. What does Pi think is life’s only opponent?
49. Fear has no decency” is an example of which literary device?
50. How does Pi’s new plan to keep Richard Parker alive assist him spiritually, physically, and
intellectually?
51. How does Pi train Richard Parker?
52. Explain what “Prusten” means.
53. Why does Pi become a carnivore?
54. Why does Pi quit writing in his diary?
55. All of the following are possibly life–saving survival tips from the survival manual Pi finds:
56. How does Pi convince Richard Parker that the tarpaulin is his?
57. How long does Pi survive as a castaway in the Pacific and why is this a significant number?
58. List the signs of Pi’s physical and spiritual deterioration.
59. The storm in chapter 83 causes much loss. What remains to keep Pi from certain death?
60. What is the event that causes Pi to feel “something in me died then that has never come back
to life”
61. Even though it is impossible for the island to exist, what contributes to the fact that readers
are able to believe it exists?
62. Why does the island seems to be entirely vegetarian?
63. After more than seven months, Pi reaches land. Richard Parker disappears into the forest
immediately. Why were there no goodbyes?
64. Toward the end of the novel, what reason does Pi give for disliking his nickname?
Part Three
65. Which factors contributed to Mr. Tomohiro Okamoto and Mr. Atsuro Chiba’s trip to visit Pi
in the hospital being a “comedy of errors”?
66. Even though Pi is still recovering from his horrific ordeal at sea, how does he outwit his
questioners?
67. What do the floating bananas and the cultivated bonsai trees illustrate?
68. Explains how the bonsai tree story reminds the reader of the two Mr. Kumars.
69. Pi tells the “real” story at last. Why do Mr. Okamoto and Mr. Chiba ultimately report Pi’s
original story—with animals—instead?
The Metamorphosis
Vocabulary Review
bigotry
ascertain
admonish
anti-semitic
pronounced
casement
dissuaded
brusque
harbinger
fathom
ravenous
juxtaposition vaulted
novella
Freudianism
asphyxia
Directions: Write the vocabulary word on the line beside the definition.
________________intolerance of any opinions, lifestyles or identities differing from one’s own.
______________abrupt and curt in manner or speech
_______________window frame
________________advised against
________________come to understand
________________belief that every human action is the result of the unconscious mind;
emphasizes early relationship with parents
________________announce or foreshadow things to come
________________to rebuke or scold someone
________________discrimination against and persecution of Jewish people specifically
________________obvious
________________determine
________________difficulty breathing
________________an extreme hunger
________________placing side by side to compare or contrast
________________work of literature that focuses on a small number of characters, a relatively
short period of time, and a single chain of events.
Expressionism
sojourn
pallidly
beneficent
swoonlike
Existentialism
invocations
fulmination
vermin
plaintively
racism
Surrealism
supine
Directions: Write the vocabulary word on the line beside the definition.
_______________________ palely
_______________________ mournful; expressing sorrow or sadness
_______________________ the belief that differences in human character or ability can be
explained by race and that a particular race is superior to another.
_______________________ strong verbal attack
_______________________ short stay
_______________________ lying on one’s back
_______________________ movement that is a reaction to realism which stressed powers of
the imagination and dreams over conscious control. Juxtaposes real
and unreal.
_______________________ as in a faint
_______________________ leaping or leaping over
_______________________ a creature that is distasteful, repulsive and sometimes even harmful
_______________________ helpful
_______________________ movement which influenced Kafka’s writing, emphasizes the
uniqueness and isolation of the individual.
_______________________ the early 19th century movement based on belief that inner reality
or a person’s thoughts and feelings are more important than the
objective reality outside the person.
_______________________ calls for help or support
Study Guide for The Metamorphosis
1. Franz Kafka was born in:
2. The character in Kafka’s family most likely to represent Kafka himself was:
3. Why didn’t Gregor want to be seen?
4. The character who was most hostile to Gregor was:
5. The character most sympathetic to Gregor was:
6. Gregor was changed into:
7. Kafka was born into the _________religion.
8. Gregor thought that he would not be able to go to work anymore. His reaction
to this was_______.
9. The setting of this story is:
10. The economic situation of the Samsa family was:
11. After Gregor’s metamorphosis, what did each member of the family do to bring
in more money?
12. Gregor’s profession was: _______________Kafka’s profession was:______________
13. Kafka’s portrayal of Gregor’s relationship with his father could be interpreted from
which view (ism)
14. The juxtaposition of the real and unreal events of Metamorphosis
could be called: (ism)
15. The fact that Gregor is alone in a hostile environment could be
interpreted as: (ism)
16. The fact that the story focuses on inner feelings that are changed when
viewed from a distance could be interpreted as: (ism)
17. What was the ultimate existential act from Gregor’s point of view?
18. Describe each member of Gregor’s family’s reaction to his “change”.
19. For what did Gregor’s family depend on him?
20. Kafka died after a long serious bout with which illness?
21. Kafka’s favorite author was:
a) Nabokov
b) Dickens
c) Mark Twain
d) Shakespeare
e) Walter Myers
22. Who tries to remove the furniture from Gregor’s room?
23. What caused Mr. Samsa to evict the boarders?
24. The mood of the story is:
25. Racist and prejudiced feelings against Jews are called
26. Kafka was born in what year?
27. Kafka was influenced by which artistic and literary movements?
28. What did Gregor’s father throw at him?
29. The _____________ is a form of fiction that depends on elaborate plot outlines and multiple character
development
30. Kafka originally studied to be a ______________ but worked for an insurance company
31. Part of the appeal of Metamorphosis is the humor and ____________ contained within it.
32. Kafka never married but was engaged ___________
33. Gregor’s sister played ______________
34. Chapter two explores Gregor’s sense of _______________.
35. Chapter one spends most of the time dealing with Gregor trying to ______________
36. Gregor ate rotting food hidden under his ______________
37. ______________ believed that life was planned out from birth as a form of “destiny”
38. ___________interprets hostile feeling toward one’s father as an Oedipus complex
39. _______________believed that art should reflect the artists/author’s inner feeings
40. Metamorphosis is subject to multiple __________________.
41. Did Grete remain loyal and devoted to Gregor from beginning to end?
42. What did Kafka and Gregor have in common regarding their feelings about their jobs?
43. Describe how each family member goes through a metamorphosis.
44. How did Kafka’s being a German Jew influence his writing?
45. In what ways were Gregor Samsa’s family life similar to Kafka’s?
46. Name one of Kafka’s other works of literature.
Directions: Match the letter of the word to the definition.
A. reproach
B. liaison
F. saccharine
G. reconciled
J. copiously
K. superfluous
47. ____ rest
48. ____ reduction
49. ____ blame
50. ____ pleadingly
51. ____prediction
52. ____ brought into agreement
53. ____ unnecessary
54. ____ plentifully
55. ____ calm
56. ____ obvious
57. ____ overly sweet
58. ____ a linking up, a meeting
C. retrenchment
H. placate
D. imploringly
I. foretokening
L. conspicuous
E. repose