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Questions: page 585 - Analyzing the TextCite Text Evidence Support your responses with evidence from the selection.Summarize What is happening in the first paragraph of the story? Who might the speaker be?The speaker is contacting the reader in order to reveal the reader’s true nature.Infer Starting in line 16, the speaker introduces a series of statements from various people. Who are these people, and what do they represent? How does the content of their discussion relate to the phrase “suspenseful drama” in lines 27-28?They are people of the contemporary era who wonder about the existence of other intelligent species. The “suspenseful drama” is whether humanity will advance or be destroyed.Infer What is the purpose of the speaker’s discussion of “intellectual property law” (lines 31-39)? How does the speaker connect this concept to the development of “the mighty race”?Intellectual property law is brought in as part of the discussion of the way creative innovations happen most often at the beginning of a stage of development.Infer Look carefully at the references to time in lines 58-62. What sequence of events is the speaker suggesting here in the history of this “mighty race”?The “mighty race” has been able to significantly extend human life, but the last of the mortals—Robin Chen, who was born in the “twentieth century”—dies in 2174. After that, everyone lives in a computer simulation that is both “lush” and a kind of “wasteland.”Interpret Who is Robin Chen, and what did she do? How would you describe the speaker’s tone toward her and her accomplishments?Robin Chen was the last survivor of the human race before it achieved immortality. Her attempted rejuvenation (bringing her back to life) failed, breaking the last tie between the immortals and the mortals. She participated in the development of immortality, but the speaker disdains her for thinking that the new world would be preferable to the old.Evaluate What is ironic about “Robin’s last words”?Robin wanted to join the “gods” and live in the simulated world she helped create; ironically, the speaker, who is one of them, envies her mortality and laments the “sub- life” of the simulation.Synthesize Why do many people choose to live a virtual existence in the Transition Era? Why does the speaker refer to it as “that time of drama”?People choose a simulated existence in the Transition Era because it is active and exciting. This preference reinforces the idea that having problems to solve and being faced with mortality are what give life meaning.Analyze What is the “Great Filter” that has eliminated other life forms?The Great Filter is what prevents other life forms from communicating to human beings.Analyze What is the theme of this short story? What insights about life, technology, and human nature is Brin sharing through the medium of this complex, multi- layered narrative?We should be wary of letting technology shape a society that conflicts with our core human needs and values. It is important to weigh the appeal of immortality and omniscience against a natural life cycle and the thrill of new discoveries. ................
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