FANTASY & SCIENCE SPRING SEMESTER FINAL EXAM
For the following questions, explain your answer using complete sentences and reasoned out thoughts. The questions will require you to reference (meaning mention and explain) various parts of the text in order to provide a complete answer. Your answers do not need to be long or fully developed paragraphs. Your main goal is to show complete reading understanding.
READY PL.AYER ONE QUESTIONS (40% of FINAL):
1. Wade, as Bryce Lynch, ends up working at IOI in the real world. Explain his plan, including how he ends up there and what he is trying to accomplish.
2. Explain what Parzival (Wade) must do to complete the third gate located in Anorak’s castle. Be sure to explain what is required to open the gate (including how he knew), how he became the only one to enter the gate, and what challenges he must complete once he is inside the gate.
3. At the end of the story, Halliday (as Anorak in the OASIS) and Wade (as Parzival) have a conversation about what will occur now that Wade has won the Easter Egg and the fortune. Here is what he tells Wade:
“I was afraid, for all of my life. Right up until I knew it was ending. That was when I realized, as terrifying and painful as reality can be, it’s also the only place where you can find true happiness. Because reality is real. Do you understand?”
Explain the idea that Halliday—or, in reality, Ernest Cline—is trying to express with this passage.
4. Reflect on how the novel ends…Will Wade push the button? Is this a worthwhile ending for this book? Please make sure your response addresses Wade and Artemis in some way…
ANALYSIS AND CONCEPT QUESTIONS (60% of FINAL)
1. The movie Inception works through many levels of the dream world to accomplish the actual idea of Inception. In a structured response explain what is going on in each level, beginning with reality. For each level, be sure to cover the following:
A. What is the setting?
B. What is being done to open up Fisher to Inception?
C. Who is the dreamer and what is the planned kick?
2. One concept we have covered in-depth is the theory of “dream worlds” or alternate realities. Using The Matrix, Ready Player One, Inception and even Blade Runner, explore this concept. How do these films question our existence or how we perceive reality? What might the implications for our future be? Strong responses will mention Descartes dream argument & Freud’s Dream Analysis.
3. Define Science-Fiction using examples that we have covered in class. Subjects/content you should definitely include would be:
A. Common story elements and story patterns
B. Dystopian vs. Utopian worlds
C. The rise of technology
D. Common fears expressed through story