- overwrought
- overworked
- sad
- daunted
- fearful
- tone
- luminescence
- throaty
- a glow
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tantamount
- equal
- throaty
-
procure
- to obtain; to get
- to beat; to hit
-
confounding
- perplexing; confusing
- bloodthirsty
-
disconsolate
- overworked
- sad
-
inflection
- fearful
- tone
-
bludgeon
- to obtain; to get
- to beat; to hit
-
guttural
- throaty
- feeling
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Which of the following family members should NOT be capitalized? (Which selection is written incorrectly?)
- Uncle Frank
- my Mother
- Cousin Devora
- Grandfather
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Which of the following has been written correctly?
- “The Son From America”
- “Shalom, Grandmother. Shalom, Grandfather.”
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According to Pi, what is “life’s only true opponent” (p. 161)?
- fear
- hunger
- death
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Ironically, what is the one thing that calms Pi down, gives him purpose, and saves his life?
- hopefulness
- Richard Parker
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What makes Pi think hat he should tame Richard Parker instead of trying to get rid of him?
- Richard P. protects Pi from sharks.
- Richard P. backs off when Pi throws him the rat.
- Richard P. makes the prusten call. (A "prusten call" is a non-threatening sound made by tigers and some leopards.)
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Why does Pi save some of his urine by urinating into a beaker?
- to drink
- to mark his territory
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Pi thinks Richard Parker hits him with a paw. (A paw is an animal's foot.)
What really hits Pi?
-
an oar propelled by a large wave
-
a flying fish jumping away from a Dorado
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an oar propelled by a large wave
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How does Pi fail in his second attempt to tame Richard Parker with food?
- A flying fish gets away from Richard Parker’s jaws.
- A rat runs over the side of the lifeboat.
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Which sentence is written correctly?
- Both Dad and Uncle Bob like fishing on the Columbia River, hunting in the Southwest, and mountain climbing in Washington.
- Both dad and Uncle Bob like fishing on the Columbia River, hunting in the Southwest, and mountain climbing in Washington.
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What implement (tool) does Pi use to train Richard Parker, and what does the tiger do when he uses this training device?
- Pi uses a whistle to train Richard Parker, and the tiger usually retreats and does what Pi wants him to do when he uses it.
- Pi uses a rat to train Richard Parker, and the tiger usually is afraid of the rat and does what Pi wants him to do.
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What animal does Pi first kill on the lifeboat? How does Pi do it? How does Pi react to this killing? What is the second animal he kills? How does Pi do it, and how does he react differently? What reason does Pi give for his different reactions and do you agree with his reasoning? Note: "Empathy" means imagining the feelings of another person or animal.
- Pi first kills a rat by drowning it. He reacts by feeling great empathy for the rat while he’s killing it and then by weeping heartily over its lost soul once it’s dead. He feels like a guilty killer with “blood on his hands” (p.183), both figuratively and literally. Although the teen mentions that he never forgets to mention this first kill in his prayers, his subsequent kills become much easier to handle. His second victim is a flying fish that he bludgeons over the head with the blunt end of a hatchet with relative glee. He explains that his change in outlook with a simple truth: “a person can get used to anything, even to killing” (p.185). Personally, I have mixed feelings about Pi’s line of reasoning. I’d have to agree with his assumption, but it seems to be a depressingly macabre take on human behavior when one considers that Pi is using it to justify murder. Even so, if seen as a comment on human adaptability and perseverance, it could be a contrarily uplifting sentiment. Surely, Yann Martel intended the observation to reflect the complexity of the human condition and the duality of human behavior.
- Pi first kills a flying fish by wrapping it in a blanket and breaking its neck. He reacts by feeling great empathy for the fish while he’s killing it and then by weeping heartily over its lost soul once it’s dead. He feels like a guilty killer with “blood on his hands” (p.183), both figuratively and literally. Although the teen mentions that he never forgets to mention this first kill in his prayers, his subsequent kills become much easier to handle. His second fish is a dorado that he bludgeons over the head with the blunt end of a hatchet with relative glee. He explains that his change in outlook with a simple truth: “a person can get used to anything, even to killing” (p.185). Personally, I have mixed feelings about Pi’s line of reasoning. I’d have to agree with his assumption, but it seems to be a depressingly macabre take on human behavior when one considers that Pi is using it to justify murder. Even so, if seen as a comment on human adaptability and perseverance, it could be a contrarily uplifting sentiment. Surely, Yann Martel intended the observation to reflect the complexity of the human condition and the duality of human behavior.