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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. Who is on the phone when the narrator gets back to his apartment?

2. How does the narrator's mother describe the pain she is in?

3. On the morning of his meeting with Clara, what time does the narrator wake up?

4. For what does the narrator ask the man unloading the truck?

5. What does the narrator offer to trade with the man?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does the narrator opt to take Megan's valium?

2. What is the narrator's reaction when he sees his brother waiting on the stoop?

3. What does the reader learn about Megan's past?

4. How does Michael's reappearance change the narrator's demeanor?

5. Why does the narrator go to the party with Tad?

6. What exhibit in the museum is the narrator's favorite?

7. Explain Vicky's concept of "ineffability."

8. What happens when the narrator and Amanda speak?

9. How has the narrator gotten the ticket for Amanda's fashion show?

10. What catalysts are responsible for the narrator rising early, reading the paper, and arriving on time to work?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the use of bread as a symbol in the text.

1) What does bread symbolize? What is the connection between bread and the narrator's mother?

2) How does the narrator react to bread in differences places in the novel?

3) How does bread bring him absolution in the final stages of the novel?

Essay Topic 2

The narrator constantly forgets about Megan--her soda, her bagel, and their lunch date.

1) Why do you think she slips through the cracks of his memory? Does his absentmindedness seem to bother her?

2) Examine the narrator's breakdown after he forgets her bagel. What excuse does he give her? What internal struggle is he having?

3) What are Megan's motives for inviting him over for dinner? Why is she so kind to him?

Essay Topic 3

What is the narrator's lowest point in the novel, the one that drives him to improve? Is it true that one must hit rock bottom in order to bounce back? What is the difference between the narrator's escapades in nightclubs in the beginning of the novel vs. the end of the novel? Why does he keep seemingly reliving the same night over and over again?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 748 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample