For Questions 1-12, please mark the letter of the correct definition of the given vocabulary word.
commensal
dirty
interdependent
an illusion
deprived
diurnal
interdependent
active by day
unnoticeably
relating to smell
chimera
dirty
interdependent
an illusion
deprived
subtly
interdependent
active by day
unnoticeably
relating to smell
olfactory
interdependent
active by day
unnoticeably
relating to smell
bereft
interdependent
an illusion
deprived
dirty
delude
permanently
abruptly
to fool
bendable
precipitously
permanently
abruptly
to fool
bendable
bedraggled
dirty
abruptly
to fool
bendable
symbiotic
interdependent
an illusion
deprived
dirty
indelibly
permanently
abruptly
to fool
bendable
pliable
permanently
abruptly
to fool
bendable
Which of the following sentences is written
correctly?
Turl got the wrong answer from his machine.
Within minutes, the machine had flinged demands.
The idea lended itself well to modern fiction.
He could have shutted his machine off.
Which of the following sentences is written
incorrectly?
The machine has burst from the ground.
He has got himself involved.
The mayor and aldermen flung Turl.
Friendship nearly costed him his life.
What—according to the manual—is the best judge of land, and how is Pi’s island unlike land?
the eyes; It’s green.
a foot; It’s flexible.
a tongue; It’s sweet.
the ears; It’s silent.
Each of the following—according to Pi—is one of the fears that can’t be trained out of humans except which?
startle reaction at noises
vertigo
hunger
response to the approach of a killer
Why aren’t the meerkats on the island afraid of Pi and Richard Parker?
They have existed for generations without predators.
They know that the tiger and the boy should fear them.
They are blind and cannot see them.
They can defend themselves well.
Why are the ponds on the island filled with fresh water and how does Pi ultimately prove this?
falling rainwater; He sees dead ocean fish.
the meerkats; He sees the meerkats drink.
evaporation; He puts some water in the sun.
desalinating algae; He tastes the water.
What does Pi find in the algae island’s “fruit” tree that makes him realize the true nature of the island?
meerkats
blankets
teeth
fish
Where do Pi and Richard Parker end their journey, and why does Pi weep?
Canada; He is relieved and overjoyed to be rescued.
Mexico; He doesn’t give a proper goodbye to RP.
Costa Rica; His family is dead.
Hawaii; He wants to stay on the lifeboat.
Which sentence is written
correctly?
“They might have swum farther if they hadn’t drunk so much pool water,” claimed Coach Barnes.
“They might of swum farther if they hadn’t drunk so much pool water,” claimed Coach Barnes.
“They might have swum further if they hadn’t drunk so much pool water,” claimed Coach Barnes.
“They might have swum farther if they hadn’t drank so much pool water,” claimed Coach Barnes.
Where do Richard Parker and the meerkats choose to sleep every night, and what do these two choices have to do with one another?
Richard Parker and the meerkats sleep in the trees because the algae island is a deadly carnivorous organism that feeds at night.
Richard Parker sleeps in the lifeboat and the meerkats sleep in the trees because there are other predators on the island.
Richard Parker sleeps in the lifeboat and the meerkats sleep in the trees because the algae island is a deadly carnivorous organism that feeds at night.
Richard Parker sleeps in the lifeboat by himself and the meerkats sleep next to Pi because predators sleep alone and prey seeks company.
Before discovering the algae island’s true nature, Pi describes it as “Gandhian” (p. 270). How does the island figuratively behave like the Indian leader? Is this a good comparison (considering only what Pi knows about the island at the time)? Once Pi discovers the island’s true nature, is the comparison still valid (true) or does the comparison become invalid (untrue)? Knowing its true nature, to what (or who) would you compare the island?
The algae island that Pi discovers behaves like the Indian leader Gandhi because it “resists by not resisting” (p. 270). In other words, the island’s algae work hard to eat the waves surreptitiously. The aggressive structure of the algae allows it swallow vast waves. Like the Indian leader, a proponent and an originator of the concept of violent resistance, the algae island conquers the power of the waves by seeming to not resisting them. Waves leave the island diminished, resembling the diminished wielders of power who have tried to put down social groups forcefully throughout history. From what Pi knows about the island at the time, this comparison seems fairly apropos. Once the true nature of the island is discovered by Pi, the comparison doesn’t ring quite so true. Pi finds that the island is actually a carnivorous organism that consumes unsuspecting creatures for sustenance. Due to its seemingly harmless, placating nature and truly deadly tendencies, the island is more like Hitler who attempted to destroy the entire Jewish race. Surely, the island’s true nature is what convinces Pi that he must flee it immediately.
At first, Pi describes the algae island as Gandhian because the meerkats on the island behave nonviolently just as Gandhi taught his followers to behave. Also, the island provides for the meerkats and keeps them safe. Once Pi discovers the island’s true nature, the comparison is still valid because those who know the island’s nature are safe as long as they go to the trees at night. Knowing its true nature, I would compare the island to a classroom because a classroom has passive individuals and aggressive ones. Also, a classroom is an island both in a school and in the world at large.
The algae island that Pi discovers behaves like the Indian leader Gandhi because it “resists by not resisting” (p. 270). In other words, giant waves from storms are simple absorbed by the island without tumult. The woven structure of the algae allows water to pass through it without resistance. Like the Indian leader, a proponent and an originator of the concept of non-violent resistance, the algae island resists the power of the waves by not resisting them. Waves leave the island diminished, resembling the diminished wielders of power who have tried to put down non-violent movements forcefully throughout history. From what Pi knows about the island at the time, this comparison seems fairly apropos. Once the true nature of the island is discovered by Pi, the comparison doesn’t ring quite so true. Pi finds that the island is actually a carnivorous organism that consumes unsuspecting creatures for sustenance. Due to its seemingly harmless, placating nature and truly deadly tendencies, I’d compare it to cigarettes that satisfy in the short term but destroy life in the long run. Surely, the island’s true nature is what convinces Pi that he must flee it immediately.
Before discovering the algae island’s true nature, Pi describes it as “Gandhian” because the island figuratively behaves like a person. It lures in fish and consumes them. It hosts meerkats and protects them just as the Indian leader did. This is a good comparison. Once Pi discovers the island’s true nature, the comparison is no longer valid because Gandhi was certainly not a carnivore. Knowing its true nature, I would compare the island to Alferd Packer who was a famous cannibal who killed and ate members of his group near Lake City, Colorado.