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Quiz about So you want to become a Bokononist

So you want to become a Bokononist? Quiz

I have before me one of the greatest literary works of the post-war period "Cat's Cradle", in which the mighty Kurt Vonnegut sets out the beliefs of Bokonon. Complete this quiz and all the wonders of the universe will be yours.

A multiple-choice quiz by boofhead54. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
boofhead54

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
324,923

Updated
Jul 23 22

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
289

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. What are the basic tenets of the Bokononist faith? Hint

It is folly to pretend to discover, to understand the will of God.

Life is meaningless.

We are all descended from aliens.

We are all untapped spiritual Einsteins.

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Question 2 of 10

2. What is the "blue white gem" that becomes the "waxing wampeter" all our characters should fear? Hint

The cooler

Icy Poles

Ice-nine

Saphire 3

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Question 3 of 10

3. What is a "Sinooka"? Hint

A Chinese hat

The tendrils of a life

A type of nuclear weapon

Forerunner of the chinook helicopter

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Question 4 of 10

4. Choose the "Granfalloon" from the list below. Hint

Rotary club

Your left elbow

A pig's behind

A grandfather who howls at the moon

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Question 5 of 10

5. What Bokononist theory maintains a sense of "priceless equilibrium between good and evil"? Hint

Communal Sharing

Tug of War

Bokonialisation

Dynamic Tension

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Question 6 of 10

6. What was the original name of our great leader Bokonon? Hint

Lionel Boyd Johnson

Lionel Hoenniker

H. Lowe Crosby

Barnaby Cronin

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Question 7 of 10

7. Who is the national erotic symbol of San Lorenzo, a xylophone virtuoso and devout Bokononist? Hint

Myer the Cryer

Mona Castle

Mona Aamons Monzano

Celia Aamons

8. Borasisi, the sun, held Pabu, the moon, in his arms hoping for a fiery child but alas their children were cold and Pabu was exiled to live with her favourite. The other children became the planets, wary of their powerful father. Who was Pabu's favourite child? Hint

Earth

the moon

Mona

Haley's Comet

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Question 9 of 10

9. What do Bokononists say when they are about to commit suicide? Hint

To die to sleep, no more

Well so much for that

Now I will destroy the whole world

See'ya

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Question 10 of 10

10. Pool-pah sometimes is so huge it defies human definition. What could be described as pool-pah? Hint

Hiroshima

Losing your mobile phone

Having overdue library books

A broken heart

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. What are the basic tenets of the Bokononist faith?

Answer: It is folly to pretend to discover, to understand the will of God.

I must warn you Bokononism is outlawed in its birthplace, San Lorenzo and punishable by the 'hy-u-o-ook-kuh' (hook).There are no other punishments for stealing,arson or rape there is just the 'Hook', which equates to a very unpleasant and painful death. Needless to say there is next to no crime in San Lorenzo, except the covert practice of Bokononism, which everyone practices.

2. What is the "blue white gem" that becomes the "waxing wampeter" all our characters should fear?

Answer: Ice-nine

Invented to solidify mud and thereby make fighting wars much less unpleasant. There is however one nasty drawback - Ice-nine has the potential to freeze all the water in all the puddles and streams, rivers and oceans and oh yes, us too.

3. What is a "Sinooka"?

Answer: The tendrils of a life

I understand these' tendrils' to be the invisible forces that bind us together and tie us to our 'wampeter'. In chapter four, Mr Vonnegut describes his experience with 'sinookas' as a "Tentative Tangling of Tendrils". Beyond these descriptions one must experience the pull of a 'sinooka' to fully understand one.

4. Choose the "Granfalloon" from the list below.

Answer: Rotary club

A "Granfalloon" as I understand it is a man-made organization and a "false karass". The members of a 'Granfalloon' imagine they have a common bond with fellow members. This bond proves to be as insubstantial as the insides of a "Toy Balloon".

5. What Bokononist theory maintains a sense of "priceless equilibrium between good and evil"?

Answer: Dynamic Tension

This is a perfectly sensible theory. This term was coined by Charles Atlas but later appropriated by Bokonon. It describes the forces of good and evil and the tension between them. Bokonists believe this tension to be necessary for a happy and balanced society.

6. What was the original name of our great leader Bokonon?

Answer: Lionel Boyd Johnson

He was born in Tobago in 1891 to wealthy episcopalian parents. Bokonon's grandfather found buried pirate treasure which he successfully invested in various commodities. When still young he sailed to England to further his education.

7. Who is the national erotic symbol of San Lorenzo, a xylophone virtuoso and devout Bokononist?

Answer: Mona Aamons Monzano

Mona's father was a native Finn, her mother a native San Lorenzan named Celia. Together they parented the blonde-haired, dark-skinned figure of perfection that is Mona. She is the most experienced exponent of Bokononist footplay. We Bokonists believe that it is impossible to be sole to sole with someone without loving them (provided said feet are clean and manicured). Boko-maru.

Answer: Earth

Bokonist cosmogony, "a pack of foma". In other words harmless myths that make life less cold and meaningless.

9. What do Bokononists say when they are about to commit suicide?

Answer: Now I will destroy the whole world

These were the last words of Bokonon's arch enemy Papa Monzano, a closet Bokononist. Papa Monzano was the first to die of the effects of Ice-nine.

10. Pool-pah sometimes is so huge it defies human definition. What could be described as pool-pah?

Answer: Hiroshima

So eloquently described by Bokonon as "wrath of God". I suppose 'catastrophe' would be a further definition but not quite 'big' enough.

Source: Author boofhead54

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