Life of Pi Part II Study Questions
Chapter 37
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What happens to the ship on which Pi’s family travels?
What has happened to Pi at the beginning of this chapter?
At first, Pi wants to save Richard Parker. Then he pushes him away. Why does Pi do this?
Why would Pi want to save Richard Parker in the first place?
Chapter 38
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How does this chapter begin? What does this tell us about Pi?
What does Ravi like most about the ship?
What is the problem with the Tsimtsum that causes it to sink?
What does Pi mean when he says, “the ship vanished into a pinprick hole on my map?”
On the ship, Pi is awakened in the night by a loud explosion. He goes to investigate, but, at first,
does not see anything wrong with the boat. What is the first indication to Pi that something is
wrong with the ship?
6. Since this chapter depicts the sinking of the Tsimtsum, it is very dramatic. Using examples from
the book, list some ways that Yann Martel creates drama in this chapter, then explain how those
examples work together to make this book more exciting.
Chapter 39
1. When Pi is pushed into the lifeboat, it is still attached to the sinking ship. What makes the
lifeboat drop to the water?
Chapter 40
1. To what does Pi attribute his surviving the fall from the ship to the water?
2. Pi finally hoists himself into the lifeboat. Even though he shares the small lifeboat with a zebra
and a Bengal tiger, he really does not give the animals a second thought. He says he “just held
onto the oar.” Why does Pi not consider the fact that he will have to share the lifeboat with two
large and potentially dangerous animals?
Chapter 41
1. What is the literary term that is used in the following quote? “Fear and reason fought over the
answer. Fear said Yes.”
2. What is dangerous about Pi’s fits of trembling?
3. Parts of this chapter parallel what has happened previously in the novel. What are some of the
things that happen in this chapter that parallel what has already been said in the book?
4. Why does Pi think Richard Parker does not try to kill the zebra?
5. Looking back to when the ship first started sinking, why did the sailors throw Pi overboard into
the lifeboat?
6. Why is it fortunate for Pi that the hyena is in the lifeboat?
Chapter 42
1. To whom does the following quote refer? “She came floating on an island of bananas in a halo
of light, as lovely as the Virgin Mary.”
2. When Pi sees the “island of bananas,” he does not think to grab them to use as food later. He
does, however, retrieve an item from the “island” that r proves to be a godsend. What is this
item?
Chapter 43
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At this point, does Pi think he will be rescued? Why or why not?
What is the last remnant of the ship that Pi sees?
What does Pi think is wrong with Orange Juice?
What is the worst threat to Pi at the moment: the injured zebra, the hyena, or the orangutan?
Why does this animal pose the problems?
What seems to agitate the hyena the most?
What kind of strange behavior does the hyena exhibit?
Pi is not a person who would normally criticize an animal, but what does he consider the worst
thing about the hyena?
Using examples from the text, write a brief profile of a hyena.
What does Pi say hyenas will not eat?
Chapter 44
1. What is the worst time of day on the lifeboat?
2. What happens to the flies in this chapter?
Chapter 45
1. What does Pi notice about the zebra in this chapter?
2. What is Pi’s mental condition in this chapter?
3. What surprising and upsetting fact does Pi learn about himself when he notices that the hyena
has bitten off the zebra’s leg?
4. Orange Juice seems to have recovered from her initial shock, but she is still not looking well.
What has happened to Orange Juice?
5. Pi is worried about Orange Juice’s safety in light of the fact that there is also a hyena on board.
If a hyena is such a fierce predator, why does it not attack Orange Juice?
Chapter 46
1. What does Pi conclude by the sunset of the second day?
Chapter 47
1. How does Pi discover Richard Parker? What is Pi on his way to do when he first sees the tiger?
2. The hyena has already killed the zebra. Now it has also killed Orange Juice. If the hyena wanted
food, why would it kill the orangutan when it had not eaten all of the zebra?
3. Pi watches, stupefied, as the hyena attacks Orange Juice, then begins to cry. Why does he do
this?
4. Of the animals in the lifeboat, two have names (Richard Parker and Orange Juice) and two do
not. Why are these two sets of animals treated so differently?
Chapter 48
1. How did Richard Parker get his name?
2. What is the name that the hunter originally gave Richard Parker?
3. What is significant about the story of Richard Parker’s name?
Chapter 49
1. Why is Pi so weak at the beginning of his third day on the lifeboat?
2. When Pi realizes that Richard Parker is aboard, he completely loses his hope of survival. Even
so, finding that Richard Parker is there makes him more relaxed and happy. Why is that?
3. What are some of the barriers between Pi and the water supply on the boat?
4. Why does Richard Parker sit by quietly while the hyena kills the zebra?
Chapter 50
1. The lifeboat is constructed to seat 32 people. Pi is the only person on the boat, yet he considers
it “awfully crowded.” If he is alone, why is it “crowded”?
Chapter 51
1. Pi has stressed before the importance of noticing the details of one’s environment. How does
this help him when he goes looking for water?
2. Pi says, “Oh, the delight of the manufactured good, the man-made device, the created thing!”
Does this exclamation seem consistent with other statements he has made in the book?
3. What is the immediate effect of Pi’s drinking the water?
4. As Pi explores the storage locker, he cries out, “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” Whom is
he thanking?
Chapter 52
1. Why does Pi make a point of listing every item he has in the boat?
2. It is only after he has taken stock of the survival rations that Pi falls asleep. Remember, he has
not slept at all in three days. Why would he pick that moment to fall asleep?
Chapter 53
1. Aside from satisfaction of Pi’s physical needs, what is the other result of the food and water?
2. Pi has the choice of staying in the lifeboat with Richard Parker or jumping overboatd and
attempting to swim to safety. Why does he choose to stay in the lifeboat?
3. What upsets Pi more than the idea that he is going to die?
4. Just as Pi is at the depth of his sorrow about his impending death, something changes in him.
What happens to turn Pi’s outlook around?
5. What event saves Pi from an attack by Richard Parker? Is this event likely, given Pi’s situation, or
is it hard to believe? What characteristic of Pi does this event reveal?
6. What does Pi do to get away from Richard Parker?
7. What does Pi say he discovered when he started to give up on life?
8. Analyze the language Pi uses to describe Richard Parker. Does he seem to see the tiger as an
accident of nature or as something designed by an artist?
Chapter 54
1. How does Pi plan to rid himself of Richard Parker?
Chapter 55
1. How does Pi feel about his chances for survival in this chapter?
2. Pi starts to doubt his plan to outlast Richard Parker. What seems to be the biggest hole in the
plan?
Chapter 56
1. What does Pi consider “life’s only opponent” and why is it such a problem?
2. Why does Pi say it is important to express fear?
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Chapter 57
After coming close to attacking Pi in the lifeboat, Richard Parker now looks at the boy with a
contented and relaxed air. Why is there such a change in Richard Parker?
Why is it a good thing for his survival that Pi knows so much about animals?
What is prusten and when does is occur.
What is the benefit for Pi if Richard Parker continues to live?
What does Pi now plan to do to keep Richard Parker alive and yet keep himself safe? How will
he accomplish this feat?
Chapter 58
1. What is so important about the fact that the raft can be used to anchor the lifeboat?
2. What does Pi consider “good news wearing a foul dress” and what does it mean to Pi?
3. What is a solar still and how does it work?
4. Why does Pi say he “counted (himself) lucky” to be trapped with Richard Parker?
5. Most people would think that Pi is adrift on the sea all alone. Aside from Richard Parker, is
Pi really alone?
6. What is the best way, according to this chapter, to experience wildlife?
7. What language does Pi use to describe the sunset over the Pacific that he watches in this
chapter? Why does he use this device?
Chapter 60
1. What does viewing the ocean at night teach Pi about his predicament?
Chapter 61
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What does Pi use for bait when he begins to fish?
Pi has plenty of food at his disposal, so why would he consider fishing in the first place?
What is the greatest riddle when it comes to Pi’s fishing?
Pi tries to throw the fish, like the rat before it, to Richard Parker. What happens to the fish,
though, that prevents Richard parker from eating it?
Thanks to the school of flying fish that land in the lifeboat, Pi now has bait to fish for others. The
only thing he has to do is kill one of the flying fish. How does he feel about this?
What does landing the dorado symbolize for Pi?
What is Pi’s explanation for the fact that he wept over the having to kill the flying fish, yet killed
the dorado he caught without a second thought?
Why does Pi make a point of blowing the whistle when he delivers the fish to Richard Parker?
Chapter 62
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What is funny about the fact that Pi says, “I spied with my little eye a tiger?”
What does Pi compare to “fresh milk” and why does he make this comparison?
Why does RP (Richard Parker) go back under the tarpaulin when Pi blows his whistle?
What is it about his current setup with RP that reminds Pi of a zoo?
Chapter 63
1. How long was Pi shipwrecked?
2. Why does Pi bother to tell us how long others have lasted at sea?
3. What are two things that Pi says helped him survive?
Chapter 64
1. Adding to Pi’s problems are the physical issues that arise from his time at sea. What physical
ailment does Pi endure?
Chapter 65
1. Why is Pi at a loss when it comes to reading the navigational instructions in his survival manual?
2. Why does Pi finally give up trying to navigate the lifeboat?
Chapter 66
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How does Pi use the cargo net?
What is a tilak?
Why does Pi compare fish scales to tilaks?
What are some of the difficulties of trying to capture a sea turtle?
Chapter 67
1. What are some of the physical changes that the lifeboat undergoes as Pi’s trip progresses?
Chapter 68
1. Review what Pi says in Chapter 4 about how easily animals adapt to zoos. Then, compare that
with how well Pi and Richard Parker are adapting to their new environment.
Chapter 69
No questions
Chapter 70
1. What does killing his first turtle teach Pi?
Chapter 71
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What does Pi do to step up his efforts to control RP?
Why should you not break eye contact with an animal you are trying to control?
What is the goal of Pi’s training methods?
Why is it important that Pi stop rocking the boat after a certain amount of time and make sure
that RP has food and water?
Chapter 72
1. What does Pi say about whether RP really wanted to kill him?
Chapter 73
1. Other than being saved, what is Pi’s greatest wish? Why is this?
2. What does Pi do the first time he finds a Bible in a Canadian hotel? Why is he so affected by the
action?
Chapter 74
1. What does Pi mean when he says that “God’s hat was always unraveling…God’s ark was a jail?”
Chapter 75/76
1. Pi does not know how many days he has been at sea, so why does he take time out to sing to his
mother?
2. What is Pi’s motivation to clean up after RP defecates? (Goes to the bathroom)
Chapter 77
1. What are some of the many uses that Pi finds for turtle shells?
2. What is the connection that Pi finds between food and his emotional well being?
3. When the biscuits are finished, what does Pi turn to for food?
Chapter 78
1. Why are there “many skies” and “many seas?”
2. Explain the mathematical allusions Pi makes in describing the role of a castaway. Why are they
particularly appropriate for Pi?
3. Using Pi’s observations, explain how the sky and the ocean are examples of opposites at work.
4. What does Pi say is the “worst pair of opposites” for someone stranded at sea?
Chapter 79
1. What sorts of injuries does RP receive when he fights with the shark?
2. What does Pi do before he throws the shark’s carcass overboatd?
Chapter 80
1. When Pi catches the big dorado, he thanks “Jesus-Matsya.” Why would Pi do this?
2. Why does Pi say that he is “more set on eating than on staying alive” when he catches the
dorado?
3. What is significant about the fact that RP does not fight Pi for the dorado?
Chapter 81
1. Name on reason for Pi’s survival, then explain how it helped Pi.
Chapter 82
1. When we first meet Pi, he is an intellectual, bookish boy. How is Pi different now?
Chapter 83
1. According to Pi, what happens to us when we face continual terror?
2. The tarpaulin protects pi from the rain and the ocean swells during the storm, but what is one of
the drawbacks of having the tarp pulled closed?
3. Aside from the raft, what are some of the other losses caused by the storm?
4. Why is an orange whistle the only thing that “remain(s) between (Pi) and death?”
Chapter 84
1. Describe the fantasy that Pi has about the whales.
2. What does Pi eat as an alternative to fish?
Chapter 85
1. Why is Pi so positively affected by the lightning storms?
2. Explain the effects of the lightning when it hits close to the lifeboat.
3. Why does Pi praise Allah when he sees the lightning?
Chapter 86
1. Why does no one on the oil tanker see Pi?
2. Why does Pi love Richard Parker?
Chapter 87
1. Why is Pi’s “dream rag” so important to him?
Chapter 88
1. Pi finds floating waste indicating the presence of humans. How does this sight make him feel?
What kind of language does he use to describe it?
2. What does Pi do with the wine bottle he has salvaged from the floating garbage?
Chapter 89
1. Why are Pi and RP so listless?
2. What is important about the fact that Pi starts to imitate Richard Parker in his daily routine?
Chapter 90
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What saddens Pi most about his continual deterioration?
What marks the rock bottom of Pi’s suffering?
Although Pi is still alone, he carries on a conversation with someone. With whom is Pi speaker?
What is the topic that begins the conversation in this chapter?
The mystery speaker has killed two people. What were the circumstances that led to this? Does
the speaker have any regrets about it?
6. The mystery speaker turns out to be another shipwreck victim, of French origin. What happens
to him?
7. When Pi and the French man realize that neither one of them has food, what does Pi do to make
them both feel better?
8. How does Pi feel when Richard Parker kills the man?
Chapter 91
1. What alleviates Pi’s blindness?
2. What does Pi do with the rest of the human flesh?
Chapter 92
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What does Pi see floating in the sea?
What does the survival manual suggest that someone do when they think they see an island?
Why is the island such a godsend to Pi?
Aside from vegetation, what other life forms live on the island?
How can these freshwater ponds exist on an island that is floating in the middle of the ocean?
Why does RP continue killing animals, even after he is no longer hungry?
Why is Pi worried about RP?
Compare and contrast Pi and RP’s relationship on the lifeboat with their relationship on the
island.
Why does Pi become so attached to the meerkats?
What sinister secret does the tree hide?
Why do Pi and RP finally leave the island?
What might the symbolic significance of the island be?
Chapters 93/94
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How are Pi and RP saved?
What happens the last time Pi ever sees Richard Parker?
Why does Pi start to cry?
Why does Pi say he turned to God after leaving the island?
Why does Pi credit Richard Parker with saving his life?