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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 is Andy reading when Tobias arrives at his house in Chapter 13?

2. In Chapter 13, why does Andy say he and Dag are envious of Tobias?

3. What kind of magazine does Andy work at in Japan?

4. How is the mood of the abandoned suburb where the friends go to for a picnic described?

5. When Andy and Claire first meet, what does Andy tell her he is doing in Palm Springs?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 7, at what point does Andy say he knows he and Claire would be friends for life?

2. In Chapter 4, what spurs Dag's Toronto boss, Martin, into a tirade directed at Dag?

3. In Chapter 12, what does Dag say about Scotty's Junction, Nevada?

4. In Andy's story in Chapter 10, why is Miss Ueno upset?

5. In Chapter 1, what example does Andy give of Dag's considerate nature?

6. In Chapter 1, what does Andy say worries him about his dogs?

7. In Dag's story in Chapter 12, what bothers Otis about the postcard he receives from a friend in New Mexico?

8. What does Margaret tell Dag is the only reason people get up and go to work everyday?

9. At the beginning of the novel, what does Andy recall doing when he was fifteen years old?

10. What happens to the Astronaut named Buck when he lands on Texlahoma?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the character of Claire Baxter. What are her defining character traits? What are her relationships like with Andy and Dag? What is her relationship like with Tobias and Elvissa? How does she grow throughout the narrative?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the language of the novel. What is the meaning behind the title of the chapters? Discuss the unique language in the novel. How is the language a reflection of the lifestyles and attitudes of the main characters?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the theme of storytelling in Generation X. Why is telling stories such an important past-time for these characters? What are some recurring characteristics of the way they tell their stories? What do their stories reveal about them? What are the rules they have set for storytelling?

(see the answer keys)

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