Cat's Cradle (Final Exam) Flashcards
What is the subject of the author’s proposed book?
Day the bomb actually was dropped.
What is the author’s new religion?
Bokononism
What is a karass?
Join together to do God’s will and not actually know what they are doing.
What does the statement “Man created the checkerboard; God created the karass” mean?
Ignores national, institutional, occupational, familial, and class boundaries.
What does the author “intend” to do “in this book?”
Include as many karass as possible.
Who is Dr. Felix Hoenikker?
Personal who helped build it; main guy over the bomb.
What does the author ask of Newton Hoenikker?
What was your father doing that day.
What was Dr. Hoenikker doing on the day the atomic bomb dropped?
Playing with string.
Where did Dr. Hoenikker get the string he was playing with?
Crazy book a person sent him in prison.
What is a “cat’s cradle”?
String, web, more and more complicated.
What did Dr. Hoenikker try to do with Newt the morning the bomb dropped?
Tries to play with him, sings crazy song.
How did Newt respond to Dr. Hoenikker’s song?
Burst into tears and ran outside.
Why is Newt “privileged”?
Doesn’t have to go to classes anymore.
Why did the two girls commit suicide?
They didn’t get into sorority they wanted.
After Newt ran from his father, what did he find his brother Frank doing?
Watching bugs fight, to get them to fight he shook the jar.
What is ironic about treating Dr. Hoenikker as a child?
Character to use for science but uses it as a child.
What did Dr. Hoenikker get interested in for a while that took him away from working on the bomb?
Turtles.
How did they stop him?
Stole the turtles then he gets focused back on the bomb.
Why doesn’t Newt think his family can be called “illustrious”?
Midget, brother is a criminal, he is wanted.
Why does Newt believe he is proof that “there is love enough in this world for everybody”?
Found someone to marry another midget.
Who is Zinka?
Newts girlfriend.
Why do Newt and Zinka break up?
42 years old, old enough to be his mom. More materialistic gone back to Russia.
Why does the author travel to Illium, New York?
Another assignment, weird reason don’t really know. Appointment.
How does Dr. Breed feel about Dr. Hoenikker?
No moral can control him. Supernatural hero.
Why did Dr. Hoenikker’s classmates call him “Agent X-9”/
Super secret, awkward, always wants to be somewhere else.
What, according to Sandra and the bartender, is the newly found secret of life?
Protein.
What did Dr. Breed do on the day the atomic bomb was dropped, according to the older bartender?
Bought a poor guy a drink.
What does the author’s soul seem as “foul” as?
Smoke from burning cat fur. Drunk having sex.
Who does the town believe fathered the three Hoenikker children?
Breed.
What does Dr. Breed believe the author should write a book about? Why?
Killing 26 people. Bomb killed a lot more.
What really caused Emily’s death “when little Newt was born”?
Car wreck.
What does Miss Pefko find in her mind?
Scientist walks around Miss Pefko used napkins, being negative when he isn’t.
Why does the woman who approaches Miss Pefko and Dr. Breed represent “almost all mankind”?
Hates people that think to much.
What, according to Dr. Hoenikker, proves that a scientist isn’t a charlatan?
Can’t explain things (science) to a 8 year old.
Why does Dr. Breed get annoyed with Miss Pefko?
Walks into room lights come on tells her to stop it.
Who is Faust (in literature)?
Transcend himself, destroyed his soul in process.
What hasn’t the laboratory had in over six months?
An accident.
What is the “Girl Pool”?
Typing Bureau in basement. Type everything scientist say.
Why does Dr. Breed get “sore” with the author?
Seemed like everyone else, doesn’t like scientist.
What is “pure research”?
Not trying to create anything. Trying to just understand the world.
Who especially gave suggestions to Dr. Hoenikker?
Generals.
What did one general ask Dr. Hoenikker to fix?
Mud.
What did Felix suggest would solve the problem?
Ting grain fit under finger nail.
What is the “miracle” of Felix?
Approached old puzzles like they are new, like he has never seem them before.
What is ice-nine? Why would it be problematic?
All water would be ice and never melt.
Why is it ironic that the girls changed the lyric “The hopes and fears of all the years/Are met in thee tonight” to their “interpretation”?
Christ changed to scientist.
What would be the result of dropping ice-nine on mud?
Freeze.
