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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 argument does Pollunder give to persuade Jakob to let Karl come for a visit?

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

3. What criticism of Schubal does the captain make?

4. What is the attitude Green takes toward Klara that so offends Karl?

5. When Karl calls Klara a "wild cat," what technique is being used?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the building in which Karl finds himself living with his uncle in New York.

2. What does the letter from Jakob to Karl say?

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

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

5. What claims does the stoker make against Schubal?

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

7. What is so fascinating to Karl about the desk in his room?

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

9. How does Karl spend his time during his first weeks in New York?

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

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.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay that analyzes Amerika through the lens of Le Grand Guignol. Explain the hallmarks of this theatrical tradition and where they are seen, at minimum, in Kafka's settings, moods, and plot. Finally, explain what significance these similarities have to the book's overall meaning. Support your claims with evidence from the text.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay in which you create a continuum of Amerika's female characters--based on a single criterion of your choosing--and then explain what this ordering of the characters conveys about the role of women in this text. Include, at a minimum, the following characters in your discussion: Therese, Line, Klara, Johanna, Brunelda, and the head cook. Be sure to offer textual evidence to support your assertions.

(see the answer keys)

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