Player Piano

Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

CHAPTERS 1-5

Reading Check

1. What is the name of the part of Ilium where most of the people live?

2. What is Doctor Halyard’s job in the novel?

3. How does Berringer plan to beat Paul at checkers?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why does Paul not want the people at the Homestead bar to know who he is?

2. How does Kroner present himself to his employees?

3. Who expresses concern to Kroner about Paul’s health? Why does he do this?

Paired Resources

“Remembering Author Kurt Vonnegut, Who Would Have Turned 100 on Friday”

• This brief article from NPR includes the transcript of an interview excerpt with Kurt Vonnegut Jr. from 2006 in which the author discusses several of his famous works, including Player Piano.
• The interview connects to the themes of Industrialization and Humanity’s Loss of Agency, Disconnection, and Technology as Deity.
• How did Vonnegut’s life and beliefs influence his writing?

“How Checkers Was Solved”

• This account from The Atlantic describes how the game of checkers was solved using a computer program.