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128 pages 4 hours read

Jostein Gaarder

Sophie's World

Jostein GaarderFiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1991

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Exam Questions

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. Identify the correct series of events:

A) Sophie receives a video tape – Sophie meets Hermes the dog – Sophie discovers the Major’s cabin

B) Sophie discovers the Major’s cabin – Sophie meets Hermes the dog – Sophie receives a video tape

C) Sophie receives a video tape – Sophie discovers the Major’s cabin – Sophie meets Hermes the dog

C) Sophie meets Hermes the dog – Sophie receives a video tape – Sophie discovers the Major’s cabin

2. Which philosopher’s theories aid in Sophie’s understanding of the Major’s control over her?

A) Spinoza

B) Hume

C) Descartes

D) Berkeley

3. Which of the following is not an early indication of Sophie’s inclination toward philosophy?

A) Her love of natural beauty

B) Her questioning of the mind as a machine

C) Her lack of imagination

D) Her curiosity about the letters

4. Why does Knox choose to meet Sophie in a church to discuss the Middle Ages?

A) Knox wants to remain out of sight of the Major.

B) Philosophy during the Middle Ages was heavily influenced by the Church.

C) Knox is a religious man and wants to instill this in Sophie.

D) Philosophy during the Middle Ages was heavily influenced by science.

5. The conclusion of Sophie’s World ends with which literary device?

A) Epiphany

B) Cliffhanger

C) Anagnorisis

D) Allusion

6. According to the novel, what makes a philosopher different from other people?

A) Their level of intelligence

B) Their capacity for logical thought

C) Their interest in history

D) Their ability to maintain a sense of wonder

7. What does the white crow symbolize in the novel?

A) Possibility

B) Hope

C) Fate

D) Logic

8. Which of the following adjectives best describes Knox’s character in the first half of the novel?

A) Threatening

B) Friendly

C) Ambiguous

D) Antagonistic

9. Which of the following aids in Sophie’s understanding of The Unity in All Existence?

A) Plato’s world of forms

B) The Big Bang theory

C) Descartes’s mind-body problem

D) Hume’s theory of impressions and ideas

10. What is the dialectic process according to Hegel?

A) The process of posing, countering, and combining that occurs in philosophy

B) The process of learning to think about one’s own cognitions

C) The process of determining how historical events connect to one another

D) The process of envisioning oneself as an agent of free will

11. How does Sophie’s newfound philosophical knowledge empower her?

A) It allows her to become the best version of herself.

B) It allows her to come to terms with her place as a character in a book.

C) It allows her to have the strength to break away from Knox.

D) It allows her to escape the Major’s story with Knox and achieve freedom.

12. What does Knox mean when he says, “The goal is to comprehend everything that exists in an all-embracing perception. Only then will we achieve true happiness and contentment” (Chapter 18, Page 251)?

A) He is speaking on the importance of understanding history.

B) He is speaking on the importance of fulfilling one’s desires.

C) He is speaking on the importance of seeing the big picture.

D) He is speaking on the importance of considering the needs of others.

13. What were the defining features of the Romantic period?

A) Emotion and imagination

B) Rationality and logic

C) Science and technology

D) Form and substance

14. Why did the Major choose to write Sophie as a child and Knox as an older man?

A) They are the most unlikely duo that might arise.

B) They are symbols of youthful and aged wisdom.

C) They are grandfather and granddaughter.

D) They are symbols of life and death.

15. According to the novel, what is the danger of growing complacent?

A) People and societies who become complacent stop progressing.

B) People and societies who become complacent collapse.

C) People and societies who become complacent risk anarchy.

D) People and societies who become complacent fall into despair.

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. What is the significance of the first chapter’s title, “The Garden of Eden”?

2. What are the key characteristics of a philosopher according to Alberto Knox?

3. What does the novel’s twist conclusion illustrate about the nature of reality?

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