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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. How does Rob describe Jazz's ethnicity?

2. How old is Penny in 2005?

3. Of what people does Amalia say she descended?

4. Who is with Norm when he dies?

5. What is the house theme at the DJD house?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is present when Norm dies? How is this event described?

2. How is Norm's childhood home described when Penny finds it in 2016?

3. What characters are present in the opening scene of the novel? What is their significance in the plot of the story?

4. Why is Norm's childhood home called "Nicotine"?

5. What are Norm's circumstances in 2016? Where is he?

6. What is the symbolic significance of the water glasses that recur in the story?

7. How is Amalia described when she first appears in the 2016 timeline? What is her relationship like with Penny?

8. What are Penny's impressions when she goes to the Stayfree house with Sorry for a potluck?

9. What is the main event that takes place in the scene from 2005? Why is this event significant?

10. Who is Rob and how does Penny meet him?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze and discuss the narrative style of Nicotine. Is the story related in the present or past tense? Is the narrative from a first, second, or third-person point of view? How do these factors influence the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Identify and discuss three symbols in Nicotine. What does each symbol represent? How does the symbol connect to the novel's overarching themes? What characters are connected to each symbol?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the theme of family dysfunction in Nicotine. How does this theme play out through the characters within Penny's family? What are her relationships with these characters? How do this theme and these characters evolve in the course of the story?

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