Life of Pi Study Guide

What did the main character think about the animals in the zoo?

They are better in the zoo.

Who is Mamaji?

Francis Adirubasamy, a good friend of the family and uncle/mentor to Pi, also a competitive swimmer.

What animal do zookeepers think of as the most dangerous animal in the zoo?

Man.

Who was Mr. Satish Kumar?

Pi’s biology teacher, a communist, and atheist, or a Muslim baker.

What did Pi and Mr. Kumar agree on?

That the zoo is a sacred place, the importance of faith, and the need for meaning.

According to Pi, when have successful zookeepers created a healthy environment for the animals?

When zookeepers replicate the original habitat and fulfill all animal’s needs.

According to Pi, when do animals try to escape from the zoo?

When the enclosure/habitat is bad.

Explain the black leopard that escaped from the Zurich Zoo?

A black leopard had escaped and was fine for 2 months, not attacking anyone, before being found in the city and not the zoo.

According to Pi’s father, what kind of an environment do animals seek?

A controlled environment that has a fixed routine.

According to Pi, why will a lion in a zoo attack?

Because you invaded its territory.

Why must a circus lion trainer establish that he is the alpha male with respect to the lion?

To show he is the leader and to have a good relationship with the lions for safety.

How important is religion to Pi?

Religion is an important part of his life and identity.

Who is Antieji?

Pi’s foster mom from Canada.

Discuss Pi's visit to a Christian church and his meeting with Father Martin.

Pi stumbled upon a church, and Father Martin told him a story about Christianity.

How did Pi first learn about Islam?

Accidentally walking into the Muslim part of town where Mr. Kumar fed him before praying.

Discuss Pi’s visit with the Muslim shopkeeper.

Pi visited Mr. Kumar, where they prayed, sang, talked about God, and practiced religious activities.

Who were the two men Pi called the prophets of his youth?

Mr. and Mr. Satish Kumar.

When did Pi feel that God was very close to him?

When he felt the unity of nature and saw Virgin Mary in Canada.

What was the reaction of Pi's parents to his explorations and practices of various religions?

They were surprised but vaguely supportive, hoping he becomes 'normal'.

Explain Pi’s parents’ practice of their religion.

Father doesn't believe in religion, Mother has a Hindu upbringing but a Baptist education, leaving her neutral.

What happened at the meeting with Pi’s parents and his three religious teachers?

The teachers tried to convert Pi while dissing each other's religions, but Pi calmed them by saying he just wanted to love God.

What did Pi say at the meeting of his parents and his religious teachers?

I just want to love God; all religions are true.

What happened after the meeting of Pi's parents and his religious teachers?

Some people in the religious institutions shooed Pi away.

What did Pi do when he didn't feel as welcome to his interfaith practices as before?

He changed churches, times to go pray, and found alternative ways.

What was the response of Pi's father to his request for Christian baptism and a prayer rug?

He told Pi to ask his mother.

What was the response of Pi's mother to his request for a Christian baptism and a prayer rug?

She told him to ask his father and suggested he read books, ultimately giving in.

What do Pi's parents think about his being so religious?

They hope it’s just a phase but allow it.

What happened to Pi’s prayer rug?

He lost it.

Describe Pi’s baptism. What happened and who attended this baptism?

It was awkward, attended by his mother and father, but Pi loved it and felt it was refreshing.

Why did Pi's father decide to move the family to Canada?

He believed India wasn't going to modernize because of Mrs. Gandhi.

What happens when the two Mr. Kumars in Pi's life meet by chance at the zoo?

They fed zebras and toured the zoo together.

Explain the reaction of Pi’s mother of the departure from India?

She was sad, hesitant, and scared of the unfamiliarity of Canada.

How did Richard Parker end up in the lifeboat with Pi?

Pi encouraged him to swim and threw a buoy to help, but then he tried to push him off.

How did Pi end up in the lifeboat?

He was pushed in by sailors to get rid of the hyena.

Why did Pi throw himself out of the lifeboat?

Richard Parker entered the lifeboat, so Pi tried to get away.

Which major event occurred before the ship sank?

An explosion/storm woke Pi.

What event showed that fortune was with Pi?

Pi was the only one who woke up from the explosion and was able to escape into a lifeboat.

What was the reason why Pi decided to get back into the lifeboat?

There were sharks, and he was tired of hanging on the side.

As night fell on his first day in the lifeboat, why did Pi become scared?

Because he was alone in the dark, in an unfamiliar place with animals.

During the first night on the lifeboat, what did the hyena do?

It stayed under the tarpaulin.

How did Pi spend his second night on the lifeboat?

He kept his eyes on the horizon for a ship and stayed alert to the animals.

When Pi saw a sea turtle near the boat, what did he do?

He asked the turtle to send a ship to rescue him.

What made Pi re-evaluate his position in the lifeboat?

Realizing Richard Parker was the only other survivor.

As Pi was losing hope, what did his courage rise against?

He was no longer scared of the hyena.

Why does Pi think that the hyena did not attack him?

He thinks the hyena saw him as part of the tiger's food.

What did Pi plan to do with Richard Parker the night after he finished the raft?

Kill Richard Parker.

What did Pi do when the sun rose the day after he built his raft?

He fell asleep again before realizing his plan would not work.

What is life's only opponent, in the eyes of Pi?

Fear.

What did Pi plan to do with the tiger once the tiger expressed friendliness and harmlessness?

Train Richard Parker to see him as the leader.

What did Pi first use to communicate with the tiger after his hope returned?

He used the whistle.

What did Pi do to modify the raft?

He tied another rope from the raft to the lifeboat, made a canopy and a mast.

When Pi awoke in the middle of the night and saw the huge moonlit sky before him, what did he think about himself and the rest of the sea?

He felt small compared to the limitless sea and thought his suffering didn't matter.

Since Pi had no bait, what did he cut up to fish with in the morning?

He used the flying fish's head.

What did Pi bring to the tiger in the morning after they had both had a restless night's sleep?

A bucket of drinking water mixed with salt water.

What did Pi make the lifeboat more and more into?

A zoo enclosure.

What did Pi spend a lot of time in the manual reading about and studying?

Navigation.

What did Pi do to keep Richard Parker satisfied?

He gave Richard Parker fish.

What happened to the underside of Pi's raft?

It began to host lots of sea life like crabs, algae, shrimp, worms, and slugs.

What did Pi do each time he thought he saw lights in the distance?

He shot a flare.

What did he do to provoke the tiger during training?

He noisily entered the neutral zone by blowing a whistle.

What was Pi careful to maintain with the tiger in his quest to be known by the tiger as the alpha male?

Eye contact, respect, and understanding.

What did the tiger associate with trespassing to remember to avoid it?

Noisy whistles and seasickness.

What did Pi use, lose, and re-create to protect himself while training the tiger?

Shields made of turtle shells.

What did Pi find solace in, even though he had to continually reconsider his place in God's universe?

He performed religious rituals.

What was an act of deference by the tiger to Pi?

Hiding or trying to hide his poop from Pi.

What emerged for Pi through the darkest times?

His faith.

What did Pi do to exert his dominance over the tiger?

He blew the whistle.

What did Pi start to follow after his food supplies ran low?

He reduced his intake to only 2 biscuits every 8 hours.

What happened as starvation began to set in?

He began to fantasize about meals.

What did Pi always feel at the center of?

The sea, the wind, the sky, nights, and moons.

What were the greatest contradictions, according to Pi?

Boredom and terror.

After Pi was nearly starving, what did a storm of flying fish bring onto the boat?

A special dorado that was fat and fleshy.

What did the crouching tiger do when Pi turned to face him after the storm?

Just stare at him.

What two things does Pi attribute his survival alongside Richard Parker with?

He was the source of food and water and exploited Richard’s weak sea legs.

Why did Pi give generously to the tiger at the cost of his own hunger and thirst?

He understood that if the tiger was hungry long enough, it would kill him.

Where was Richard Parker's territory?

Under the tarpaulin.

What did the great storm one afternoon take with it?

The raft.

What did Pi manage to salvage after the great storm?

Tarpaulin, whistles, a bucket, oars, and life jackets.

What did Pi and Richard Parker come eye to eye with after the great storm?

A massive whale.

What was one method of Pi's escapism?

Using a dream rag to do gentle asphyxiation.

What was a 'dream rag'?

A piece of cloth from a blanket.

Once Pi's suffering became intense, what did he do with the greater part of his days?

He spent his days in contemplation.

What did Pi discover, days after the tiger started rubbing his eyes and meowing?

Richard Parker was blind.

What happened after Pi discovered he was blind?

He began to hear voices.

Whose voice did Pi start to hear after he discovered he was blind?

Richard Parker’s and then another blind survivor.

What did Pi find when he boarded the other man's boat to scavenge for food?

Little turtle meat, dorado head, some biscuit crumbs, water.

What did the tiger do when he and Pi landed on the shore of the small island?

He went off to explore and kill meerkats.

After spending a night in the trees, what did the fruit of one tree reveal to Pi?

Teeth of a human, showing that the island is carnivorous.

Where did Pi, Richard Parker, and the lifeboat finally land?

Mexico.

Where were the two men from who were dispatched to the town where Pi recovered in an effort to interview him?

Long Beach, California.

What did the interviewers want to know first?

What happened to Pi, in detail.

What did Pi tell to the interviewers?

His story.

What did the interviewers do after Pi finished telling them what he told them?

They gave him a cookie and took a break.

What did the interviewers tell Pi they thought about his story?

They didn't believe his story.

What did Pi tell the interviewers after they gave their impressions of Pi's story?

He said they wanted a story that confirms their suspicions, not the truth.

What did the interviewing men decide had caused the ship to sink?

A hull breach.

What did the officials say to the author about the interview with Pi?

It was 'difficult and memorable'.

What did the final report say about Pi's knowledge of the reason the ship sank?

He could 'shed no light' on why it sank.