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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. At what time of day do Karl's English lessons occur?

2. What question does the man with the bamboo stick ask Karl?

3. What apparently affectionate gesture does Pollunder make toward Karl as they drive?

4. How does Karl's mood change during dinner at the Pollunder's house?

5. How does Karl feel when he realizes that the stoker could probably physically overpower everyone in the office?

Short Essay Questions

1. What analogy does Jakob draw between Karl and a newborn baby?

2. What unexpected news does Klara give her father when he and Karl arrive at the Pollunder home, and how does Pollunder react?

3. What mixed messages does Karl get from Jakob about the visit to Pollunder's country home?

4. What conclusions has Karl already come to about America when the second chapter opens, and why?

5. What does Karl discover about Mak on his trip to the Pollunder home?

6. When the attendant tells the stoker to get out of the office, what does Karl do?

7. Explain how Karl's inability to keep track of his possessions causes complications in "The Stoker."

8. What claims does the stoker make against Schubal?

9. What bizarre interaction does Karl have with Klara after dinner?

10. What details portray the women in the ship's kitchen as boldly flirtatious?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What does the innocence of wanderers such as Karl and Candide highlight about the nature of the world? In what sense is Karl a "transparent" character because of his innocence? How does this characteristic relate to the idea of the "missing person" mentioned in the book's full title? Write an essay in which you take and defend a position about the significance of Karl's innocence within the travel narrative form of Amerika. Establish and then discuss the significance of Karl's initial innocence, his ability--or inability--to learn from his experiences, and his eventual fate. Support your assertions with evidence from throughout the text, and if you consult outside sources, be sure to credit these in MLA format.

Essay Topic 2

Psychoanalyst and critic Jacques Lacan said that sometimes a distortion can present psychological truth more fully than a factually accurate depiction. How does this insight apply to Kafka's use of the grotesque in Amerika? Write an essay that explores Lacan's idea and then demonstrates how it applies to Kafka's use of the grotesque. Supply supporting evidence from throughout the novel, and cite any outside sources in MLA format.

Essay Topic 3

Do some online research to find out about the various titles that Kafka suggested for his novel before, apparently, settling on Der Verschollene. Then, consider what Brod was aiming for by titling the novel Amerika: The Missing Person and what impact it has when publishers shorten the title to simply Amerika. What do these various iterations of the title each imply? Write an essay in which you establish which title--Kafka's or Brod's--is more in keeping with the novel's thematic content. Support your assertions with evidence from the text, and cite any outside sources in MLA format.

(see the answer keys)

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