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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. On the night that Robinson comes to the hotel, where is Rennel?

2. Besides the possible pay and the difficulty of getting other work, what reason does Robinson give for why Karl should accept the job?

3. When he is in the office talking with the head waiter and the head porter, what does Karl believe is the cause of most of their accusations against him?

4. What do Delamarche and Robinson both say their profession is?

5. What surprises Delamarche and Robinson about Karl's time in New York?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is ironic about Karl getting in trouble for being away from his lift?

2. Describe Brunelda's personality.

3. How does Therese's backstory support the idea that life for immigrants in America is difficult and somewhat dependent on sheer luck?

4. How does Karl try to improve his position in life while he is at the Occidental Hotel?

5. What shared background do Karl and the head cook discover they have?

6. What annoys Karl about finding the salami in his trunk in Chapter IV, "The March to Ramses," and what is the salami's eventual fate?

7. What is ironic about Karl's actions with his trunk during the night he spends in the inn after leaving Pollunder's house?

8. Describe Delamarche and Brunelda's relationship with their neighbors.

9. What convinces Karl to stay at Brunelda's apartment even after Delamarche assaults him?

10. How does the head cook try to soften the blow of Karl's dismissal?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Research more deeply into Kafka's works and the characteristic themes and motifs that critics have noted in them. Write an essay in which you situate Amerika in this context. Which of Kafka's other works do its motifs and themes echo? In what sense is this novel sui generis? How do its similarities to and differences from Kafka's other words demonstrate both the evolution of his thought and the persistence of ideas throughout his life? Use textual evidence to support your assertions, and be sure to cite all of your sources 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

What does Amerika convey about the nature of authority? Does authority seem to change from Europe to America? Does its action seem to hinge on circumstances, personality, or both? Is Kafka's use of authority figures in pairs simply a structural device, or does this pairing reveal something about authority itself? Are Kafka's portrayals of authority meant to be funny, tragic, or both? Write an essay that makes and defends a claim about Amerika's stance on authority. Defend your ideas with evidence from the text.

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