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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 old is the narrator in the present in Chapter 4, part 2?

2. What does the narrator say was a "mixup" in his house?

3. What does the narrator remark about the woman whom his father brings home to dinner?

4. What does the narrator tell his parents he has which makes him spend so much time in the bathroom?

5. In Chapter 4, where did the narrator break up with his previous girlfriend?

Short Essay Questions

1. What body-related incidents does the narrator recall in Chapter 3?

2. What became of the narrator's cousin? Why?

3. How does the narrator feel about the laws of Judaism?

4. What does the narrator say he grew up to NOT be, at least, in Chapter 4? Why?

5. What frustration does the narrator express in Chapter 4 about his job and his parents' view of it?

6. Who does the narrator's father hold up as someone to emulate? Why?

7. What were the narrator's father's ambitions for him growing up?

8. Who is the shikse who came to the young Alex's family's home? Why?

9. What does the narrator's mother believe he has been eating in Chapter 2? How does she react?

10. Where does Alex's family move during his childhood? When does this happen?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the plot structure of Portnoy's Complaint. How is this novel constructed differently than the traditional structure of literature? How can one determine the rising action, climax, and falling action in the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast the characters of Portnoy's parents. How do his mother and father compare as role models? Who is the dominant figure? How does the protagonist feel about each parent?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the theme of Sexual Obsession in Portnoy's Complaint. How does this theme intertwine with the other themes presented? How does this aspect of the narrator's personality drive his action?

(see the answer keys)

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