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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does the Strange Man tell the Business Partner that the company must do?

2. Whom does the Rat ask the Main Character to visit for him?

3. What does the Main Character give to the person he meets per the Rat's request?

4. Why does the Main Character say that his relationship with his ex-wife is over?

5. Where does the Main Character go after leaving the Limo Driver on his return from the Boss's home?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does the ex-wife not want the Main Character to deliver her belongings to her new home?

2. What is the importance of the Whale's Penis?

3. Why are sheep important in Japan's history?

4. Does the Main Character care about the future of the Business Partner?

5. Describe the Main Character's efforts to connect with others in Chapters 19 through 21.

6. What is the significance of the Rat's second letter?

7. Why do the Main Character and the Business Partner disagree on the direction of their business?

8. What is the importance of the slip in Chapter 3?

9. What does the way the Main Character responds to the death of his former lover in Chapter 1 reveal about him?

10. Does the Main Character flaunt the authority of the Strange Man?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Both the Rat and the Main Character are weak men who undergo transformations during the story.

1) By the end of A Wild Sheep Chase, do you consider the Main Character or the Rat to be the better person?

2) Which character undergoes the greater transformation?

3) If the Rat had come out of this situation alive, what do you think his relationship to the Main Character would be like?

Essay Topic 2

Symbolism in A Wild Sheep Chase sends many messages involving themes like alienation, authority, and transformation. Select three items of symbolism and for each:

1) Describe what theme or idea they symbolize.

2) Analyze the use of that object to send a message at that point in the novel.

3) Relate the object to the author's use of surrealism in the novel.

Essay Topic 3

Imagine that A Wild Sheep Chase is told from a strictly historical perspective rather that with the surreal quality. In other words, that science is used to explain any mystical events in the novel. How would this impact the message of the story, the growth of the characters and the experience of the readers? Do you feel this could be effectively accomplished?

(see the answer keys)

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