AP PREP POST 1: SIDDHARTHA

1.  If you were the river, would you be enlightenment or would you know enlightenment? (http://www.shmoop.com/siddhartha/questions.html)

The passage that we read didn't mention the river, but having read the book, the river was a huge part of Siddhartha's life transitions, it was his scapegoat and sanctuary.

2.  What becomes of Siddhartha's "glorious, exalted awakening" that he had experienced in his youth?  (http://www.summit.k12.co.us)

It becomes a memory and passes away.

3.  What does enlightenment look like in Siddhartha? Is it a feeling? An attitude? (http://www.shmoop.com/siddhartha/questions.html)

The passage we read was very early in the book so Siddhartha wasn't really enlightened yet, just alone.  He was still discovering himself and I think that if we were to read further into his story, Siddhartha's enlightenment would become more apparent.

4.  Why does Siddhartha want to kill himself?  (http://quizlet.com/5297675/siddhartha-ii-flash-cards/)

He fears that he has nothing left to do in his life.  That he can never grow and start anew. 

5.  What purpose does self-denial serve in Siddhartha?(http://www.shmoop.com/siddhartha/questions.html)

Siddhartha spends the whole book trying to find enlightenment, but he doesn't believe in himself.  He always self-contradicts himself and thinks that he is doing everything wrong. "How deaf and stupid I have been," he says in the passage.

In preparing for the AP exam, when given a passage and questions to answer about the passage, of course it's alway awesome when you're familiar with the text that the passage is from.  Although, you never know where the chosen passages are going to come from.  When reading the passage it is important to make sure that you understand the tone and theme because these two things will make the multiple choice questions easier to answer.  You can make enter inferences and answer the questions faster when you understand what the passage is saying.